In the twentieth century, in an era of unprecedented persecution for the faith in its scale, insidiousness and cruelty, the Providence of God sends clergymen who are able to withstand the time of fiery trials. Their life and death are a most convincing preaching of the truth of Christ’s work. Having understood the will of the Savior, they remained faithful to their calling until death. Following Jesus, the Eternal High Priest and Mediator of the New Testament, they entered the sanctuary with their blood: that the sins of men might be cleansed, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). Among such chosen ones of God is the holy martyr Nicholas, glorified in the host of new martyrs and confessors of Russia at the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra on July 17, 2001, on the feast of the passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas II, presbyter of the village of Iskrovki from the Kirovograd diocese. Neither life, nor death, nor hardship, nor persecution, nor hunger, nor danger, nor sword could separate him from the love of God. They overcame all this, according to the word of the Apostle, by the power of Him who loved us (Rom. 8:35, 37).

Holy Hieromartyr Nicholas, presbyter of the village of Iskrovka, Elisavetgrad (now Kirovograd) diocese, was born around 1877-78, into a pious Orthodox family, during the reign of Emperor of All Rus', Tsar Alexander III. At baptism, the future passion-bearer of Christ was named Nicholas, in honor of the saint and wonderworker Nicholas, the ancient patron of Holy Rus'. The childhood and youth of the Hieromartyr Nicholas passed in a Christian upbringing, under the wise guidance of his father and mother, who instilled in him love for God, for the Orthodox Church, duty and respect for his fatherland, and compassion for the poor and orphans. After completing his school education, Father Nikolai enters the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, where the Providence of God brings his chosen one together with the great shepherd of Holy Rus', Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt, who, by God's determination, takes him into his spiritual children and until the end of his days cares for this chosen one, teaching him sacrificial love for God, for suffering people and helps him at that critical time to fearlessly broadcast the glorious truth of Christ before deceived Russia. The finger of the Lord destined for the future luminary of the Orthodox Church, Hieromartyr Nicholas, to shine with his pastoral ministry in the distant village of Iskrovka, in the outback of Kievan Rus within the land of Elisavetgrad.

The church in the village of Iskrovka, where Father Nicholas served as a pastor, was built at the expense of the passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas II. The people of the village of Iskrovka were poor, but they really wanted to have a temple in their village where they could glorify God, the Lady Theotokos and God’s saints. They went to the local owner, Mr. Victor, to ask for help in the construction and allocation of land for the church. The pan refused their request, then they decided to send a delegation from their village to Tsar Nicholas II for help. When the people sent came to the king and asked for land to build a temple, the king asked them for how much money they would build the temple, they replied that they would go and ask people. The king also asked what the nearest station was near their village and ordered that bricks and building materials be delivered there for the construction of a temple in their village. So, by God’s mercy and with the help of the holy passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas II, they began to build a temple in the village of Iskrovka, Elisavetgrad diocese. The construction of the temple was finally completed in 1905. People began to prepare for consecration and look for a priest. In the city of St. Petersburg, the future passion-bearer of Christ Nicholas was ordained to the deaconate and then to the priesthood and appointed by the spiritual diocesan authorities at the request of the tsar as rector of the church in the village of Iskrovka.

The solemn consecration of the temple took place in 1905, in the presence of His Majesty Tsar Nicholas II and his august family, and the great prayer book and mourner of the Russian land, Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt, was also invited to the consecration of the temple. After the consecration of the temple, the believers of the village of Iskrovki were introduced to their rector, Father Nikolai. The royal passion-bearers also donated a golden Eucharistic set to the temple. The pastoral service of the future Hieromartyr Nicholas in the village of Iskrovka took place with fear, trembling and sacrificial love for his neighbors. He was loving towards everyone, helped in times of trouble and sorrow, and as a minister he acted in the fight against lack of faith and freethinking, which at that time began to poison the minds of Orthodox Christians. Just like his spiritual father, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, Father Nicholas called people to repentance, to pious living according to the commandments of the Lord and to return to the true origins of Holy Rus'. With the spiritual insight that the Lord gave him for his righteous life, he foresaw the further sorrows of people and the Orthodox Church in Russia. With pain and sorrow in his heart, the passion-bearer Father Nicholas warned about those terrible bloody persecutions in Rus' that the Lord would allow for the people’s retreat from God and the piety of their forefathers and fathers. He taught his flock to pray fervently, taught people the love of God, and instructed them by his life example, which he learned richly from his spiritual father, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt. Also the Hieromartyr Nicholas, often visited the city of Elisavetgrad, where he served with the clergy of the city. He also visited his spiritual children, of whom he had many, close acquaintances and everyone who thirsted for his guidance and prayer. He had many spiritual children from Tula, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Ekaterinoslav, Krivoy Rog, Elisavetgrad and other cities of Rus'. At the spring he dug in the village of Iskrovka, the passion-bearer Father Nikolai often conducted readings for the possessed and blessed prayers for the sick. Many at the source, through the prayers of the saint of God, received healing and relief. People called Father Nicholas a holy father because he had the gift of clairvoyance from God, cast out demons, and healed cattle with prayer.

The story was told by the servant of God Golovata Fiona, a resident of the village of Iskrovka (born 1886 - died 1982). Father Nikolai had a temple assistant, the servant of God Euphrosyne, who came to the temple first and was the last to leave. One morning she came to church for a service and heard Father Nikolai having a conversation with someone in the altar, and she heard only the last words: “For you, Lord, I am ready to endure everything.” When the priest left the altar, she asked him who he was talking to there. The priest replied: “If you heard, then don’t tell anyone while I’m alive, because I should soon be killed and buried three times - the Lord revealed this to me.” Father knew what kind of power would come and he admonished people, saying that atheists and fighters against God would come. The year 1917 arrived. The year of revolution and change of power, the power of darkness. The power that God allowed for the sins and apostasies of the people. Power that will shed a sea of ​​blood. In those days, Father Nikolai told his mother Anna: “Don’t worry, mother, they will kill me and bury me three times, and you and your children will hide under two names.” So it was, as the priest predicted to her.

The year 1919 arrived. This year the priest has already spoken openly to many people. that he would be killed soon and even on what day and date. For two years now, a bloody persecution of pastors, monastics and Orthodox Christians had been going on in Holy Rus'. The atheistic government brutally killed thousands of innocent sufferers for the Faith, Christ and the Fatherland. Hieromartyr Nicholas knew that the crown of martyrdom awaited him; this was informed to him by the Lord Himself. On October 2, 1919, when the Red God-fighters entered the village of Iskrovka, Father Nikolai was in the church with the people at that time. Knowing that martyrdom for Christ awaited him that day, he hastily blessed the people in the church and sent them home. He himself climbed the bell tower and, falling on his knees, asked God for strength to stand in the Faith and to grant forgiveness to his murderers. At the bell tower, the Reds found the priest and subjected him to terrible torture. Hieromartyr Nicholas was severely beaten, as a result of which his upper jaw was broken and his nose was crushed with a rifle butt, his skull was split into several parts, a hole was punched in the upper part of his chest, several ribs were broken, his left kneecap was knocked out, the toes of both feet were crushed*, and they were doused with cold water. Then they pulled the sufferer of Christ from the bell tower by the hair and brought him to the cemetery, where they forced him to dig a hole. Father Nikolai, seeing that they would soon kill him, asked the atheists for time for their last prayer. The atheists laughed and allowed him. Kneeling down, Father Nikolai began to pray. At these moments, when the sufferer of Christ was praying to God, the red atheists from behind shot him twice in the back, threw him half-dead into a hole and buried him. After all their brutal acts against the innocent sufferer of God, the murderers sent their horses to the grave of Father Nicholas, wanting to trample the martyr’s grave. But a miracle happened: the horses fell to their knees before the grave of the holy saint of the Lord and bowed their heads and shed tears. At night that same day, Christian believers, fearing that the body of God would be violated, secretly dug up the body and buried it without a coffin in a safe place. And a year later, in 1920, when the onslaught of the God-fighters in the village subsided, the body of the holy sufferer, Hieromartyr Nicholas, was dressed in full vestments, solemnly, with many priests in the coffin, they were buried behind the altar of the temple, where it rested, performing wondrous miracles to all who came to the grave for 81 years, before the solemn glorification and his discovery on September 17, 2001.

* As the examination of the holy relics of the Hieromartyr Nikolai Iskrovsky on September 17, 2001 shows, about the brutal mutilations on the body of the sufferer of Christ.

Akathist

Kontakion 1

God-chosen shepherd and meek warrior of Christ, holy new martyr of the land of Elisavetgrad, born into a pious family, named Nicholas in the sacrament of baptism, in the days of Russian unrest throughout the whole, called Iskrovka, serve as a blessed priest, magnifyingly glorifying the Lord, we sing of your praise, you have been God-bearing from your youth Taught by John of Kronstadt, who calls us free from all troubles:

Ikos 1

The Creator of Angels sent you, Holy Father Nicholas, to strengthen the Orthodox Church, to Holy Rus' for prayerful cleansing, to those who thirst for salvation for good admonition, to the verbal flock of Christ for pastoral care. We, marveling at the providence of the Almighty for you, cry out to you with joy:

Rejoice, ornament of the Orthodox priesthood;

Rejoice, spiritual child of St. John of Kranstadt and worthy continuation of his pastoral ministry.

Rejoice, meek interlocutor with God in quiet peace;

Rejoice, zealous teacher in pastoral service.

Rejoice, constant thought about the salvation of the people;

Rejoice, tearful prayer for the corrupted flock.

Rejoice, determined preacher of repentance;

Rejoice, perspicacious physician of the faithful and our leader of prayer.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 2

Seeing the purity and zeal of the thoughts of your heart, Our Father Nicholas, having chosen you as His weapon for pastoral instruction, the spirit and name of the zealous warrior Nicholas the Wonderworker, the ancient patron of Holy Rus', blessed you to give to you for confirmation, so that those saved by your prayers with hope cry out to God : Alleluia.

Ikos 2

In the teaching of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, the Lord strengthened your knowledge of God, Saint Nicholas of God; you acquired the grace-filled dispensation of your soul with true spiritual food. We, seeing God’s blessing on you, cry out to you with joy:

Rejoice, chosen by God from youth to be a zealot of piety;

Rejoice, you have known like to like, a joyful shepherd.

Rejoice, in the age of alienation from the truth, passionless lamp;

Rejoice, you have found the holy name among your flock, a God-glorified shepherd.

Rejoice, strictly attentive to your soul;

Rejoice, spiritual mentor, imitating your zealous service to the Lord.

Rejoice, thou who deliverest the souls of men from the captivity of demons;

Rejoice, you who heal sick and suffering cattle for human sins through prayers.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 3

The power of the Most High has truly determined your pastoral ministry, you, Hieromartyr Nicholas, the Lord sent your future parishioners to Tsar Nicholas II to ask for land for the church, but the Tsar, seeing the work of Christ, asked about funds for construction, and approved the people’s request for the donation of land and bricks for the temple. We, seeing this care of God, cry out to Him with tenderness: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

The Lord has deigned to show His lamp to the world to you, our blessed Father Nicholas, through the prayers of the great elder John of Kronstadt and through the labors of Tsar-Redeemer Nicholas II, you have blessed to erect a holy temple for your service. For this reason I sing to you:

Rejoice, faithful shepherd of Christ's flock;

Rejoice, bearer of the spirit of meekness, kindly victorious.

Rejoice, inspired by the Elder of Kronstadt;

Rejoice, filled with heavenly light.

Rejoice, thou highly rewarded with communion with God;

Rejoice, in your words: For You, Lord, I am ready to endure everything, blessed one to the glory of martyrdom.

Rejoice, thy helper, the servant of God Euphrosyne, strengthened in faith;

Rejoice, a quiet revelation to her about the coming godless power.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 4

You were not afraid of the storm of madness and slander, our Father Nicholas, you did not cease to admonish your people, you saw reproach and humiliation from murderers through the knowledge of God, and in your prayers you constantly called on God for help. We, having fought a spiritual battle in vain, joyfully cry out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Seeing the bloody persecution of Orthodox Christians that had begun, you, holy of God, did not stop praying, calling you to be strengthened in the truth and to be inspired by the grace in the sacraments of the Paschal joy of the Resurrection of Christ. For this reason, we too, now enduring spiritual turmoil, cry out to you:

Rejoice, pure source of inspiration;

Rejoice, spiritual nourishment for those persecuted for the sake of truth.

Rejoice, you who never gave up preaching;

Rejoice, you who warmed the hearts of the desperate with the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rejoice, having given away what you have gained through your labors to those in need;

Rejoice, calling us to unity by the Spirit of God.

Rejoice, you who astonished the flock of Christ with meekness;

Rejoice, mammon, like the devil’s deception, imputed to nothing.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 5

You, our holy Father Nicholas, appeared as a God-bearing star to the flock in persecution, strengthening the small flock of Christ, directing your heartfelt preaching and pious life on the path of repentance. We, having seen by faith the truth in the humility of bearing the cross, cry out with joy: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Having seen the people of the land of Iskra, the great defender of piety, holy martyr Nicholas, the great warrior in the army of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, they saw the light in you and trusted in your spiritual intercession. We all marvel at your love for God and cry out to you:

Rejoice, God-glorified and wondrous ascetic;

Rejoice, good shepherd, persecuted by the enemy of the human race.

Rejoice, you call to spiritual purity and devotion to the vows of baptism;

Rejoice, you speak about the love of Christ before deceived Russia.

Rejoice, you are never tired of the power of humility and meekness to persuade;

Rejoice, entrust your intercession to the Lord.

Rejoice, you protect the faithful with the grace of the Holy Spirit;

Rejoice, devoted shepherd, and to this day you conquer enemies embittered by love.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 6

The Holy Church preaches your struggles and labors, holy servant of Christ Nicholas, and magnifies your honest sufferings that you endured for Christ, and tenderly exclaims to Christ the Redeemer the song: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

You shone with the light of the truth of the much-suffering land, holy Hieromartyr Nicholas, imitate the sorrowful Kronstadt in your love for Holy Rus' and the Church, in your prayers to the same-name lamp Nicholas, multiply the power of your spirit, in the distant world you carried out the spiritual feat of serving God in the holy altar, you determined yourself by the tomb of selfishness. For this reason we sing your praises:

Rejoice, zealous care for spiritual children;

Rejoice, joyful consolation for your flock.

Rejoice, for through your life and service to the Lord you have demonstrated an example to follow;

Rejoice, warrior of Christ, merciful and invincible.

Rejoice, organizer of the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ-loving souls;

Rejoice, humble teacher who carried the cross.

Rejoice, guardian of God's truth and teaching;

Rejoice, fulfiller of grace-filled service to God in the distant world.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 7

Although you established the Orthodox faith in the lands of Iskra, our holy Father Nicholas, you accepted the cross of Christ with meekness, and constantly pay heed to the spiritual strengthening of the children of your flock. We, having discovered all this labor, gratefully cry out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

Seeing you as the chosen one of God, blessed Father Nicholas, your God-loving children will invariably surround you, even coming from the distant land of Tula. We, in remembrance of all your works, unceasingly sing your praises:

Rejoice, guardian of Christian piety;

Rejoice, disgraceful dark unbelief and lukewarm lack of faith through your life.

Rejoice, more angels of meekness in the faithful children of the planter;

Rejoice, singer of God's glory and teacher of humility.

Rejoice, our speedy and gracious physician;

Rejoice, formidable to the dark spirits of heaven with God’s gifts.

Rejoice, brave guardian of Christ's flock;

Rejoice, O beast, for you are God's skillful helper.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 8

We see God's mercy on you, holy martyr Nicholas, covered many times by the right hand of the Most High, you humbly bore the burdens of the God-fighting authorities, accept the good providence of God in the sufferings allowed. Whoever is able to bear the persecution you have endured, singing to the Lord: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

You appeared as an intercessor to everyone, our blessed Father Nicholas, you hastily sent the parishioners home from the violence of the godless detachment, you yourself fell on your face in the bell tower in prayers to God, asking for strength to stand in the truth and to grant forgiveness to those deceived by the devil. For this sake let us sing:

Rejoice, beaten half-naked in the bell tower for the Orthodox faith;

Rejoice, you who have been doused with cold water many times in torment.

Rejoice, mediator of salvation for God's chosen people;

Rejoice, thou who preached the good news of the joy of the future resurrection through the silence of the bell.

Rejoice, having turned your persecutors into fear and trembling;

Rejoice, having revealed the glorification of God granted to you through your death.

Rejoice, instructing us to follow Christ;

Rejoice, constantly calling on the Lord to teach.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 9

Every angelic nature was amazed at the providence of Your mercy, our God, for You have given us such a wise mentor: with Your blood You strengthened the flock of Christ in faith, You sanctified the path of salvation in fidelity to the Savior. Having found these treasures, we cry out to God with tears of joy: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

You gave everything to the Lord, holy New Martyr Our Father Nicholas, you established the peace of Christ among people, you conquered the machinations of Satan through His love, you did not in any way elevate yourself above the common Orthodox people. We, the piety of your life in vain, cry out to you with love:

Rejoice, angelic and our constant wonder;

Rejoice, bearer of God's glorification.

Rejoice, having looked upon your service in Iskrovka with the fear of God;

Rejoice, thou who callest all hardships and disturbances due due to sins.

Rejoice, lover of poverty;

Rejoice, savory spirit of self-affirmation.

Rejoice, you who have acquired heartfelt love for your neighbor;

Rejoice, you who have chosen God as your avenger. Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 10

Even though all mankind may be saved, even though the heart-speaker Christ founded the Church on the blood of His martyrs, Christ, our holy father, placed you, our holy father, in the host of the new martyrs of Holy Rus', at the foundation of the land of Iskra, so that all Orthodox Christians cry out to God for their salvation: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

You were a mentor to everyone who came running to you with faith, our holy father Nicholas, you opened God’s revelation about the threefold burial of your servant of God Euphrosyne, and you dug the first grave in the cemetery for yourself, accept the hatred of murderers and rifle shots without fear and the damp earth on your head , like a crown of thorns, feel it while still alive. We call upon the spiritual uprising of Rus' promised by the saints in prayers and cry out in repentance:

Rejoice, you who accepted the cross of suffering for the salvation of Rus';

Rejoice, having trampled down evil with piety in the distant weight before the whole heavenly world.

Rejoice, meek face of heavenly insight;

Rejoice, image of the publican's humility.

Rejoice, condemned to death for love of Christ;

Rejoice, buried in the Domain of the Most Pure Virgin Mary for the glory of Her Son.

Rejoice, thou who hast acquired the grace of incorruptibility for soul and body;

Rejoice, thou who hast gained the crown of martyrdom into glorious salvation.

Rejoice, Hieromartyr Nicholas, who endured the suffering of Christ to the point of blood and death.

Kontakion 11

The fragrant singing incessantly lifts up the Most Holy Trinity and the Most Pure Virgin Theotokos, even in death you remained an image of piety, the apostates trampled your grave willingly, they brought horses, wanting to trample the memory of you, but the horses bowed their heads and fell on their knees, demonstrate your holiness before God, and teach us to sing to God: Alleluia.

Who would have thought that in the lost wilderness - the village of Iskrovka - such a magnitude of Heavenly Light would shine from a person like the new martyr and confessor of the faith of Christ Nikolai Iskrovsky. But just as in a drop of sea water one can feel the taste, smell and energy of the depths of the sea, so in the asceticism of the saint of God, Hieromartyr Nicholas, the grace of the Heavenly Father was abundantly manifested. The history of the church in the small remote village of Iskrovka is closely intertwined with the fate of the last emperor of Russia Nicholas II, his personal participation in the construction of the temple.

At the beginning of the 20th century, people approached the Tsar with a request to allocate land for the construction of a church. They were unable to resolve this issue on the spot, since Mr. Victor, who owned the land, asked for a large payment for it. The emperor not only granted the people’s request, but also asked if there were funds for construction, if there was a project? And when I learned that everything needed was not yet available, I wanted to take part personally.

At his own expense, he sent bricks to the Ryadovaya station, which was closest to Iskrovka, and paid for the transportation of materials and the work of builders. When the time came to consecrate the temple, the king attended the service, dressed in peasant clothes.

Subsequently, in agreement with Fr. John of Kronstadt, Emperor Nicholas II offered to replace the priest in the temple he built. So, by the will of the saints of God: the righteous Fr. John of Kronstadt and the Passion-Bearing Tsar Deacon Nicholas from St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg ends up on the land of Elisavetgrad and begins his pastoral service in a distant village.

The change from urban, organized life to the peaceful course of rural everyday life did not darken the disposition of the young priest. He was always cheerful, cheerful, kind, and really loved jokes. He said to his mother Anna with a smile: “Don’t push, mother. They will kill me and bury me three times, and you will hide under two names. And you, Dmitry, my son, will be a priest, and you will have a big family!” This is how it turned out later. During the years of persecution, his mother hid under two names.

Even sin o. Nikolai denounced with humor. There is a story about how at a wedding the priest denounced the poor groom who had married a rich, weak-minded bride. At home, the bride was taught that if the priest asks her how many commandments there are, she should answer - ten. And o. Nikolai take it and ask how old she is. That's when she answered - ten.

The saint's insight was a gift from God, which he acquired through prayer and labor. One day, for a girl who stole 5 rubles from her grandfather, the priest showed the place in the barn under the firewood where the money was hidden. He patted her on the head and said: “Your father needs to work for a month to earn this money,” he ordered her to return it. To another resident of Iskrovka, whose horses were stolen, Fr. Nikolai told me where to look for the loss. He prophesied about the future to the third, telling him that he would be dispossessed, he would be in prison several times, but would die a natural death in freedom...

If we talk about facts, not much is known about Father Nikolai: he was a fairly rich man (he had his own land, “wore a cross made of pure gold,” used a golden cup and a Gospel in a gold frame), his mother’s name was Anna, his son - Dimitri. The archpriest's real surname, oddly enough, is unknown: his wife changed her surname twice after the murder of her husband, his son changed it again, returning from the camp to protect his children... But here, in Iskrovka, he was known simply as Father Nikolai.

Hieromartyr Nikolai Iskrovsky with Mother Anna

Even during his lifetime, the priest urged people to contact him in the future as if he were alive and ask him for help after his death. And it helps as if alive!

Prayerfulness and concern for people have always distinguished the pastor. He read the demoniac, healed the sick, prayed for the healing of livestock, and did what was necessary. His prayerful works gained him fame far beyond the borders of the Elisavetgrad province. From different places, for example from Tula, which is more than a thousand miles away, the suffering came to him and longed for healing.

Hieromartyr Nicholas dug up a source and said: “Nowhere around will there be such water, but this source is inexhaustible!”

According to eyewitnesses, Father Nikolai held prayer services near this source every day during the warm season (at that time it was located on his land). During the construction of the dam on the Iskra reservoir, the spring was filled up. But a couple of years later, a miner came from Krivoy Rog on crutches - especially to the source. Having learned what had happened, he dug up the ground with his hands where the source used to be, poured three buckets of water on himself, put down his crutches and left. They say that the crutches lay there for several years - they were not specially removed...

Many came to listen to Father Nicholas' sermons and witnessed miraculous healings. Here is a woman lying on the ground, and she is hit hard on the ground (black disease). Father Nikolai reads the Gospel over her, and she rises healthy. Here he is healing a man named Timothy with the help of the word of God. Having been healed, Timofey remains to live with Fr. Nicholas, cultivates the land and helps unmarried single mothers.

In his sermons, Fr. Nikolai often spoke about upcoming trials. He also prophesied about his death: the priest would fall like a flower, and the church would stand indestructible. He predicted the destruction of another church (the Intercession Church in the neighboring village of Lozovatka) and its disappearance without a trace.

According to the testimony of the servant of God, novice Euphrosyne, Fr. Nicholas in the altar probably talked with the Lord Himself. Early in the morning, entering the temple, she heard only the last words of the saint: “For you, Lord, I am ready to endure everything!” Then, leaving the altar, Fr. Nikolai, when she asked who he was talking to, replied: “If you heard, then don’t tell anyone while I’m alive. They must kill me, and then they will bury me three times.”

Father warned that godless power would come and with it severe trials. On the last day of his life ( October 2 1919), the holy martyr served the Liturgy, sent his wife and son to Krivoy Rog, sent people and all church employees home, and climbed the bell tower. In the afternoon, a detachment of Makhnovists attacked, who, beating him, pulled the martyr from the bell tower, dragging him by his hair.

After the abuse, they took the priest to the cemetery and shot him. The body of the confessor was discovered by women walking from the field. They buried the body, covered it with branches, and then, three days later, a man and a woman buried the priest at night in another place, just like that, without a coffin. A year later, in 1920, when the UPR was temporarily in power, many priests came and performed the third burial of Fr. Nicholas at the altar of the church. Witnesses to this event claimed that the body of the confessor was incorrupt, and it looked as if he had been killed today.

Oddly enough, both the cross over the grave and the chapel over the grave of the holy martyr were preserved - even when there was a grain warehouse in the church premises, no one dared to touch the grave of Father Nicholas. According to the testimony of Nikolai’s father’s granddaughter, Uara, whom her mother took to her grandfather’s grave, “they swayed at the grave so that their backs wouldn’t hurt, they ate soil from the grave in order to be healthy. Not only we did this, but also many children and adults.”

“We had grandmother Maria here,” says the current rector of the Iskra Church, Father Vasily. “She said that in 1920, when Priest Nicholas was reburied, she was nine years old. She said: “When they took it out, a fragrance spread out.”

When we began to dig up the grave to find the relics in 2001, I understood what she was talking about. The deeper we dug, the more distinct the smell became - I would say most similar to pear blossoms. When they opened the coffin, they saw that the relics were preserved (not completely, of course, there must be decay, so God shows us that this is still a human body).

When we brought the relics to the church, for the first few days this “pear” smell was even too strong, then it became weaker. Now sometimes during a service he suddenly appears and fills the entire church, like a cloud - and it doesn’t matter whether the relics are open or closed, how close you are to the coffin, etc. - the fragrance is the same everywhere...

As for the working of miracles, I saw one miracle that could not be explained by anything else (there were a lot of cases of healing, at first we recorded them, and then stopped). About six years ago, a family arrived from Krivoy Rog with a six-month-old boy who had a triple heart defect. Three months later, the boy was supposed to undergo surgery at the Amosov Institute; the doctors immediately warned them that if the operation helped, it would not be for long, but the parents did not lose hope. They stayed here for several days, applied the boy to the relics, we served a service near the holy spring a couple of times, bathed the baby there, then they left.

A year and a half later they come and call to consecrate the apartment. I ask: “How is the baby?” They say: “When you come to consecrate it, take a look.” I arrived: the boy was running around, cheerful, healthy, I said: “I see, the operation was successful.” “They didn’t do,” they say, “an operation. They said: “It’s no longer necessary”... I don’t know much about medicine. Many were healed: pyelonephritis, sclerosis, varicose veins, etc., but for something like this to happen – a triple heart defect, and suddenly it went away!..

Father Vasily and other local residents douse themselves with water from the source regularly; many come for it, put it in eggplants - they say it heals any ailment.

As for the family of Father Nikolai, Mother Anna, having changed two surnames, as her husband predicted, was repressed and, apparently, died in the camps. Son Dimitri, contrary to his father’s prediction, did not become a priest, but became a photographer, and was also tried as an enemy of the people.

Dimitri had a huge family: eight children, six of whom live in Krivoy Rog and come to the Iskra Church every year. Yes, it is true that there is no prophet in his own country - this is an axiom. But Saint Nicholas of Iskrovsky has another significant “flaw” - he was a lively, cheerful person, a loving father and husband. Is this how we imagine saints?

Father Vasily said: “Such perfection, such God’s blessing is usually achieved by elders who spent their lives in asceticism and wanderings... Father Nikolai was not a monk, he was quite rich, he died relatively young (his exact age is unknown, but he was no more than forty) and, nevertheless, I was honored with such God’s mercy... I read a lot of lives of saints, but I have never seen anything like this.”

In 1998, when Nikolai Iskrovsky was not yet thought to be canonized, the wandering monk Nestor from China, the desert, endowed with the gift of clairvoyance, came to Iskrovka. Having prayed at the grave of Nicholas, Nestor said: “Many saints have now been glorified by people, but this saint is from God”...

Eighty long years have passed, times and governments have changed, but the memory of Fr. Nicholas is kept in the hearts of the Orthodox. All those who come to the grave and the holy spring constantly turned to him and will continue to turn to him in prayer; they will feel his pastoral care and intercession.

Those who drink water from the source and perform the rite of ablution will be freed from the burden of illnesses and sorrows, various spiritual ailments. The words of Scripture will be fulfilled: “The lame walk, the blind see...”

The boy, brought from the North of Russia (and he dreamed of Father Nikolai and the source), began to walk. The crippled miner leaves his crutches at the source and goes home, thanking the saint. The power of the miraculous source is felt by the current generations of Orthodox Christians, leaving in the church warm words of gratitude to the Lord God and his saint Nicholas.

On July 17, 2001, by the grace of God, the venerable relics of the Holy Martyr Nicholas were discovered and, by the determination of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, a decree was made to glorify Archpriest Nicholas as a saint. A wonderful shrine has been found that helps “to grant peace to the world and great mercy to our souls.”

From that moment on, the entirety of the Heavenly and earthly Church began to offer prayer to the saint of God Nikolai Iskrovsky, begging him for intercession to our Savior Jesus Christ. The troparia and kontakion of the holy martyr clearly show the saint’s merits before God and the Church. Suffering and gentle martyrdom in the time of fiery temptations of the Russian Church provide clear evidence of the confessor’s life of the saint.

Today the relics of the Holy Martyr Nicholas rest in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in the village. Iskrovka.

Village of Iskrovka, Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, Hieromartyr Nicholas

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Holy Cross Church in the village of Iskrovka (at the junction of the borders of the Kirovograd and Dnepropetrovsk regions, 45 km from Krivoy Rog), where the relics of Fr. Nicholas, is a place of quiet pilgrimage...

On Tsar's Day, July 17, 2001, 15 years ago, the Holy Synod, chaired by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', decided to glorify Archpriest Nicholas (murdered on October 2, 1919), a cleric of the Kirovograd (Elisavetgrad) diocese, as a holy martyr.

Saints Fr. Nicholas was revered during his lifetime: he “read” the possessed, healed the sick, and had the gift of clairvoyance: the date of his own murder was revealed to him. He called it October 2. This was remembered; There were also those who waited - whether it would come true or not. He said that he would be buried three times.

Meanwhile, we know little about him. His last name is also unknown. Widow Fr. Nikolai changed it twice. The son changed his surname again, returning from the camps, in order - as they believe - to protect his children. If this is so, then we can conclude: the name was “well-known”, loud. He was somehow related to Tula, guests came from there.

No documents have survived, but according to scattered memories, the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross was built at the expense of Emperor Nicholas II. They say this (recorded from the retelling of the memories of eyewitness Feona Golovataya, who died in 1982 at the age of 96): “The church in Iskrovka was built in 1905 with the money of Tsar Nicholas II. Two people went to him to ask for land for a church, because a gentleman named Victor did not want to give it for nothing. Then the king asked how much money they would pay to build it. They said that they would go to people asking for the construction of a temple. The king asked where the nearest station was near their village, they say, bricks will arrive there, you will transport them, and you will be paid for it...”

That is, the Sovereign responded to the residents’ request. He helped resolve the issue of acquiring the land and, it is believed, paid for the purchase of bricks, transportation of materials and the work of builders from personal funds. Moreover, at his request in St. Petersburg, the deacon of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Fr. Nicholas, the spiritual child of Righteous John of Kronstadt, was ordained a priest and sent as rector to Iskrovka.

Granddaughter of Nikolai Iskrovsky Uara, born in 1942: “Mom never said that she was Father Nikolai’s daughter-in-law, everything was a secret. Only those people who really were believers and knew my grandparents knew. After the closure of the temple, we began to often go to our grandfather’s grave, and began to ask more about our grandfather and grandmother.

On May 9, 1955, our dad returned from prison. This joy cannot be conveyed. Sometimes he talked about his grandfather, grandmother, about himself... He said that grandfather was tall, fit, curly... He always walked with a smile, loved to joke. He always wore a modest cassock. He didn't like luxurious clothes. He was a simple priest. He served as a deacon in Kronstadt, near Father John of Kronstadt, and graduated from the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg. John of Kronstadt sent his grandfather to Ukraine, to the very wilderness of Iskrovka, to build a church there, serve God and heal people.”

Rumor also reports that the Emperor and his family were present at the consecration of the temple. There is also an obviously fantastic rumor: “When the time came to consecrate the temple, the king attended the service, dressed in peasant clothes.” In any case, all this testifies to the deep veneration of believers for their passion-bearing monarch.

And also Feona about Fr. Nicolae: “He had a novice Euphrosinia...<которая>she was the first to arrive at the temple and the last to leave. One morning I came and heard Fr. Nikolai was talking to someone, and his last words were: “For you, Lord, I am ready to endure everything.” When the priest left the altar, she asked who he was talking to. He replied: “If you heard, then don’t tell anyone while I’m alive. They have to kill me and then bury me three times.”

The village of Iskrovka is located in a rather unique area. While driving to the village, you often see high soil dumps in the steppe - these are giant open-pit mines. Iron mines. Somewhere nearby there are uranium ones. Mining developments are visible to us through Google and from space - ulcers of the earth that cannot be cured by anyone. Iskrovka stands on the Ingulets River at the confluence of the Yellow River. There are a lot of fish in the dams, they catch them both with nets (that’s right, they are poached) and with their hands, the fish look sleepy (whether this is connected with the uranium mines - no one says, but everyone is catching fish if they are too lazy).

Near the river o. Nikolai dug a spring (the place was at the end of his large vegetable garden) and said: “There will be no such water anywhere around. And this source is inexhaustible! In the warm season, Fr. Nikolai held prayer services near this source every day, and “read” there. During the construction of the dam on the Iskra reservoir, the source was filled up. They say: “A couple of years later, a miner came from Krivoy Rog on crutches - especially to the source. Having learned what had happened, he dug up the ground with his hands where the source used to be, poured three buckets of water on himself, put down his crutches and left.” Recently the abundant spring was improved once again. The key jets hit in two places. Crosses made of black stone were installed above them, and a bathhouse was equipped, as is customary in other places in Holy Rus'.

About the murder of priest Nikolai.

A resident of Krivoy Rog, Maria Klimenko, retells what she heard from her parents: “He spent his last night with some people and said: “Today I’m probably spending my last night with you. But whoever prays and remembers, I will pray him out of hell and his relatives to the 5th generation.” On this day, October 2, 1919, he was killed by the Makhnovists. There were a lot of them. Three Makhnovists came to the temple, took the priest out of the temple, mocked him as much as they wanted - the Iskryans saw this. Then they brought him to the cemetery. One of the Makhnovists shot the priest in the chest, blood was shed.”

In Feona’s story there are other killers: “That evening a detachment of Reds arrived. Father sent the people home, and he climbed out onto the bell tower. But the headman said where the priest was. The Reds rounded him up, took him to the cemetery and shot him. Two women walked past from the field and buried him, and at night they came with another man and buried him in another place. A year later, many priests came, made a coffin and buried it near the church... Father Nicholas’ body was incorrupt, as if he had been killed today.”

So it happened - they buried him three times.

Who killed?

Maria Klimenko: “Pavel, who killed Nikolai’s father, lived at the Frunze mine near the depot; I was sick for a long time. His wife invited Evdokia, who constantly went to St. Nicholas Church and who was at the Oktyabr mine in Krivoy Rog. This Evdokia was invited to the sick. She will pray, and the sick or sick person will recover. Evdokia was surprised that Pavel was so dry, just skin and bones. Only that he is alive. He asks him: “Brother, what sin have you committed that you still have not died and are not recovering?” He told her about how he killed and how the priest Nikolai Iskrovsky died by his hand. Evdokia says to Paul’s wife: “Bring a priest so that he can give him communion and unction of oil, then he will die or recover.” The wife brought a priest, they performed the ceremony, and soon Pavel died.”

Much later, the current rector of the Iskra Church, Archpriest Vasily, spoke about this: “When I first arrived here, one grandfather decided to repent (he had been sick for many years, asked God for death, but still did not die). That's what he told..."

He said, among other things, that the Bolsheviks had a special detachment, “which included about fifty people. They recruited locals there. Their task was precisely to kill priests: the Bolsheviks “fought” for the minds of the peasants.”

Here's a question for historians. But it is known for certain that in June 1919 V.I. Lenin was notified of the emergency affairs of the Cheka in Ukraine and sent to the chairman of the All-Ukrainian Cheka M.Ya. A note to Latsis: “...in Ukraine, the Cheka brought the darkness of evil, being created too early and letting in a lot of those who clung to them. We need to check the composition more strictly... When the opportunity arises, please tell me in more detail about the cleaning of the Check composition in Ukraine, about the results of the work.”

At the same time, it is known from the history of the Red Terror that among the sentences of that time was this: “For participation in the Union of the Russian People in 1905.” The revolutionaries avenged their defeat in the First Russian Revolution.

As is known, St. John of Kronstadt, whose spiritual child was Fr. Nicholas, welcomed the creation of the RNC, which was later slandered by all the enemies of historical Rus'. Righteous John joined the RNC, writing in a statement: “Desiring to join the membership of the Union, striving to promote by all legal means the correct development of the principles of Russian statehood and the Russian national economy on the foundations of Orthodoxy, Unlimited Autocracy and the Russian Nationality, I ask you to enroll me as a like-minded person.” .

"Grandfather" about whom Fr. Vasily, in confession, admitted himself to be the killer of the “Iskra priest.” “According to him,” continues Fr. Vasily, - Nikolai was the ninth person they killed, and far from the last. But this murder haunted everyone in the detachment for a long time: when Father Nikolai died, the horses knelt..."

It is curious that in the Akathist the episode with the horses is included in a different context: “...the apostates trampled your grave willingly, they brought the horses, wanting to trample your memory, but the horses bowed their heads and fell on their knees, show your holiness before God... »

The apostates - “activists” of the regime - wanted to trample the grave with their horses, but the horses knelt in front of it. The Akathist probably sings about the third grave of Fr. Nicholas, about the one in which he was buried in 1920 behind the altar of the royal church.

The relics of Fr. Nicholas were found on September 17, 2001. From the document “Discovery of the relics of the holy martyr Nikolai Iskrovsky”:

“04.20. We got to the lid of the coffin. The coffin is upholstered in pink fabric and gold fringe. The coffin lid partially collapsed (at the feet)...

04.35. When you remove the coffin lid, you can see: the head is covered with a veil (the teeth of the lower jaw are visible). In the right hand there is a Cross. Under the left hand is the Gospel. The censer is located on the right side of the relics.

04.40. The cover was removed. Most of it was preserved, and the fragrance began to smell. On the back of the head the hair with the body is preserved. Black hair. The vestments are green. The front of the face and upper jaw are severely crushed. There is a fragrance coming from the skull. They raised their left hand from the Gospel, there is a lot of peace on the Gospel. Miro doesn't smell...

05.25. They carried the relics around the temple once while singing “Holy God.”

05.30. They were brought into the temple for vesting...

The damage is being inspected.

Damage to relics:

The front of the face, forehead and upper part of the head are crushed (from strong and frequent blows). The lower jaw is broken and several back teeth are missing. The remaining teeth are in good condition. The third rib from the bottom (right) is broken. Broken hip joint on the right. Two round holes were found on the relics in the area of ​​the heart. There is no cup on the left leg...”

They mocked him fiercely, as if they were really taking revenge...

The rector of the temple, Fr. Vasily says that at times the relics, now located in the temple, in the shrine made in Odessa, begin to smell fragrant, and this does not depend on whether the glass lid is open or closed.

Through prayers to Nikolai Iskrovsky, healings occur that amaze doctors...

The presence of evidence, sometimes contradicting each other in detail, is known to confirm the truth of an event and create a multidimensional vision. Meanwhile, the full Life of the saint. Nikolai Iskrovsky has not yet been written. In the future, it is likely that additional research in the archives of St. Petersburg, as well as other research and evidence, may add something...

According to open sources, Oleg Monomakh

A rural church in the outback of the Kirovograd region - the village of Iskrovka, Petrovsky district - has become an object of pilgrimage for Ukrainians. People come here from Krivoy Rog, Zaporozhye, Alexandria, Kamenka, Odessa, Khmelnitsky, Zolotonosha. Heal. And experience the incredible.

The relics of the Holy Great Martyr Nicholas Iskrovsky rest in the church; nearby there is a spring and several other memorable places. Many sincerely believe that here they can get rid of illnesses, improve family life, give up bad habits and put an end to problems at work.

Nikolai Iskrovsky served as a village priest. He was killed during the Civil War in 1919 and buried in a local cemetery. In 1920, the remains of the priest were exhumed and reburied in a new grave - on the territory of the church. Another exhumation occurred in 2000, when Nikolai Iskrovsky was canonized. The grave was opened again and the relics were transferred to the temple.

Box for letters to the saint

On the first grave there is a small metal box with a door. Pilgrims put notes and requests in this box. There is an unwritten law - you can ask a saint for help in everything except money. It doesn't help you get rich.

According to local residents, as a rule, the notes are laconic: “Come take a look at my family,” “Help my child get rid of illness,” “Help my child get rid of pianism.”

Recently a woman came from Krivoy Rog, her son works at the Ordzhonikidze mine, and so he began to get drunk every evening. She wrote a note here, and it helped right away. Now he occasionally drinks only beer,” says parishioner Stanislav Bashnyak.

The second grave of the saint helps those who have problems with the spine, headaches, stomach ulcers

It is customary to light candles, leave flowers and pray at this grave. Some stand with their faces or backs to the cross, and spread their arms as if on a crucifix. The second ones touch the gravestone with a painful part of the body, for example, the head, chest. Still others even lie down on a gravestone, hoping to receive healing from back problems.

Cancer with relics

The reliquary with the relics of the saint, kept in the temple, is a horizontal wooden box the length of a man. It is covered with glass on top. Inside the box lie the remains of Nikolai Iskrovsky, covered with church vestments.

Reliquary with the relics of a saint in the temple

Pilgrims pray for a long time near the relics, pressing their foreheads, cheeks and lips to the glass. During prayer, you can place a clean towel or scarf on top of the shrine. In the future, such a talisman is applied to the sore spot. Prayers near the shrine heal many ailments. For example, from recent stories, they talk about a woman who was unable to conceive a child for eight years. She began to come here to pray, and then, the other day, she brought the baby to be baptized.

I had constant headaches. I saved myself with pills and also applied a cabbage leaf, but it didn’t help much. They advised me to go to Iskrovka, pray over the relics, then remove the scarf from my head in the church and place it on the shrine. Now two days have passed and my head is not bothering me,” shared parishioner Zoya Yakusenko.

The guy looks 26-27 years old, a former athlete. Doctors gave a direction to remove the kidney. His relatives brought him to the temple, sat him near the shrine, and he sat. Then a powerful fountain of liquid gushed from his mouth. When the mother began to collect this liquid, two buckets filled up. There is no way such a quantity can fit inside a person,” the rector of the church, Father Vasily, is perplexed.

Healing spring

A couple of kilometers from the church there is a spring that bubbled under Father Nicholas. There are two swimming pools and changing rooms, and there is an opportunity to swim and also fill up bottles of water. Near the source I heard the greatest number of different testimonies.

The boy was eight years old and had enuresis. His parents did everything they could - they took him to his grandmothers and to doctors, they were ready to give him any money. They brought him to the spring, doused him with water three times, and his enuresis disappeared. I wouldn’t believe it myself, but these are my friends. Previously, their house smelled like urine, but now there is no smell,” said parishioner Sergei Shch.

Our friend’s daughter is three years old; doctors diagnosed her with a cyst in her neck. In the summer, they took water from a source, gave it to the girl to drink and applied it in the form of compresses. We did several such procedures and gave up. And in the fall we went again for a scheduled appointment with the doctor. What a general surprise there was when the cyst was not detected and resolved,” Lyudmila Shchuka shared her story.

She was here once possessed - about 50-55 years old. She fell near the font, began to convulse, and screamed obscene words. Then she sat down, took it out with her hand and drank some water, she seemed to feel better and returned to normal. Just then the priest arrived and took her to church for a conversation,” recalls Vladimir.

One woman took a bath in a bathrobe, but did not wash or rinse it at home, she simply dried it. After some time, my son fell ill - something like a cold: fever, chills, runny nose, headache. She gave him some pills and offered to cover him with this robe for the night. In the morning he woke up healthy and went to work,” Stanislav Bashnyak cites another case.

Instead of an epilogue

There is another memorable place in Iskrovka - the plot of land on which Father Nikolai was killed. Believers bring wild flowers and herbs here, and when they are dry, they take them home, crush them and make tea. Everything connected with the saint goes for future use and works out. You just have to believe, they say. And faith, as you know, works miracles.

Written for the newspaper "Mutual Aid".

Biography of the Hieromartyr Nikolai Iskrovsky

On July 17, 2001, by resolution of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, a decision was made to glorify Archpriest Nicholas as a saint. From this moment, the entire fullness of the Heavenly and earthly Church begins to offer prayer to the saint of God Nikolai Iskrovsky, begging him for intercession to our Savior Jesus Christ.

The troparia and kontakion of the holy martyr clearly show the saint’s merits before God and the Church. Suffering and gentle martyrdom in the time of fiery temptations of the Russian Church provide clear evidence of the confessor’s life of the saint. His works and the fact of confession are quite comparable with the carrying of the Cross by our Lord Jesus Christ; his path to the Kingdom of Heaven is truly a procession through narrow gates. Who would have thought that in the lost wilderness - the village of Is-krovka - the Heavenly Light would shine by man. But just as in a drop of sea water one can feel the taste, smell and energy of the depths of the sea, so in the asceticism of the saint of God, Hieromartyr Nicholas, the grace of the Heavenly Father was abundantly manifested.

The history of the church in the small remote village of Iskrovka is closely intertwined with the fate of the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, and his personal participation in the construction of the temple.

At the beginning of the 20th century, people approached the king with a request to allocate land for the construction of a church. They were unable to resolve this issue on the spot, since Mr. Victor, who owned the land, asked for a large payment for it. The emperor not only granted the people’s request, but also asked if there were funds for construction, if there was a project? And when I learned that everything needed was not yet available, I wanted to take part personally. At his own expense, he sent bricks to the Ryadovaya station, which was closest to Iskrovka, and paid for the transportation of materials and the work of builders.

When the time came to consecrate the temple, the king attended the service, dressed in peasant clothes.

Subsequently, in agreement with Fr. John of Kronstadt, he offered to replace the priest in the temple he built. So. by the will of the saints of God: the righteous Fr. John of Kronstadt and the Passion-Bearer Tsar, Deacon Nicholas from St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg finds himself on the land of Elisavetgrad and begins his pastoral ministry in a distant place.

The change from urban, organized life to the peaceful course of rural everyday life did not darken the disposition of the young priest. He was always cheerful, cheerful, kind, very fond of jokes and jokes. He said to his mother Anna with a smile: “Don’t push, mother. They will kill me and bury me three times, and you will hide under two names. And you, Dmitry, my son, will be a priest, and you will have a big family!” That's how it happened. During the years of persecution, his mother hid under two names.

Even sin o. Nikolai denounced with humor. There is a story about how at a wedding the priest denounced the poor groom who had married a rich, weak-minded bride. At home, the bride was taught that if the priest asks her how many commandments there are, she should answer - ten. And o. Nikolai go ahead and ask how old she is. That's when she answered - ten.

The saint's insight was a gift from God, which he acquired through prayer and labor. The girl who stole 5 rubles from her grandfather was shown by her father to the place in the barn under the firewood where the money was hidden. He patted her on the head and with the words: “Your father needs to work for a month to earn this money,” he ordered her to return it. To another whose horses were stolen, Fr. Nikolai told me where to look for the loss. He prophesies about the future to the third, telling him that he will be dispossessed, he will be in prison several times, but will die a natural death in freedom.

Even during his lifetime, the priest urged people to contact him in the future as if he were alive and ask him for help after his death. And he helped as if alive!

Prayerfulness and concern for people have always distinguished the pastor. He read the demoniac, healed the sick, prayed for the healing of livestock, and did what was necessary. His prayerful works gained him fame far beyond the borders of the Elisavetgrad province. From different places, for example from Tula, which is more than a thousand miles away, the suffering came to him and longed for healing. In the summer he read from his source, in the winter, when it was cold, he prayed in the temple. Many came to listen to sermons and witnessed miraculous healings. Here is a woman lying on the ground, and she is hit hard on the ground (black disease). Father Nikolai reads the Gospel over her, and she rises healthy. Here he is healing a man named Timothy with the help of the word of God. Having been healed, Timofey remains to live with Fr. Nicholas, cultivates the land and helps unmarried single mothers.

In his sermons, Fr. Nikolai often spoke about upcoming trials. He prophesied about his death: the priest would fall like a flower, and the church would stand unbreakable. He predicted the destruction of another church (the Church of the Intercession in Lozovatka) and disappearance without a trace. According to the testimony of the servant of God, novice Euphrosyne, Fr. Nicholas talked with the Lord Himself at the altar. Early in the morning, entering the temple, she heard only the last words of the saint: “For you, Lord, I am ready to endure everything!” Then, leaving the altar, Fr. Nikolai, when she asked who he was talking to, replied: “If you heard, then don’t tell anyone while I’m alive. They have to kill me and then bury me three times.”

Father warned that godless power would come and with it severe trials. On the last day of his life, the holy martyr served the Liturgy, then sent people home, while he himself remained in the bell tower. In the afternoon, a detachment of Reds attacked, who, beating, pulled the martyr from the bell tower, dragging him by his hair. After the abuse, they took the priest to the cemetery and shot him. The body of the confessor was discovered by women walking from the field. They buried the body, covered it with branches, and then, together with others, reburied it in another place. A year later, in 1920, many priests arrived and performed the third burial of Fr. Nicholas at the altar of the church. Witnesses to this event claimed that the body of the confessor was incorrupt, as if he had been killed today.

Eighty long years will pass, times and governments will change, the memory of Fr. Nicholas will remain in the hearts of the Orthodox. All those who come to the grave and the holy spring will relentlessly turn to him in prayer, and will feel his pastoral care and intercession. Those who drink water from the source and perform the rite of ablution will be freed from the burden of illnesses and sorrows, various spiritual ailments. The words of Scripture will be fulfilled: “The lame walk, the blind see...”

The boy, brought from the North of Russia (and he dreamed of Father Nikolai and the source), began to walk. The crippled miner leaves his crutches at the source and goes home, thanking the saint. The power of the miraculous source is felt by the current generations of Orthodox Christians, leaving warm words of gratitude to the holy martyr in the church.

On September 17, 2001, by the grace of God, the holy relics of the Holy Martyr Nicholas were discovered. Today they rest in the glass tomb of the Holy Cross Church in the village. Iskrovka. A wonderful shrine has been found that helps “to grant peace to the world and great mercy to our souls.”

Based on the memories of relatives and people,
who personally knew the priest,
stories from local residents
biography compiled
Priest Georgy Khanov
(Holy Spirit Church)
FROM THE HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE

Transcribed from the recorded memories of Machkur Anna Vasilievna

The church in Iskrovka was built in 1905 with the money of Tsar Nicholas II. Two people went to him to ask for land for a church, because a gentleman named Victor did not want to give it for nothing. Then the king asked how much money they would pay to build it. They said that they would go to people asking for the construction of a temple. The king asked where the nearest station was near their village, they say bricks would arrive there, you would transport them, and they would pay you for it. And priest Nicholas came to this church, whom people called a saint during his lifetime. He helped people: he “read” those possessed by demons, treated sick people and livestock. Old people said that they came to him from Tula. He had a novice Euphrosinia. The servant of God Feona said that this novice came to the temple first and was the last to leave. One morning I came and heard Father Nikolai talking to someone and his last words were: “For you, the Lord is ready to endure everything.” When the priest left the altar, she asked who he was talking to. He replied: “If you heard, then don’t tell anyone while I’m alive. They have to kill me and then bury me three times.” Father knew what kind of power would come and warned people that it would be a godless government. But there were different people, there were those who betrayed the priest. That evening a detachment of Reds arrived. Father sent the people home, and he climbed out onto the bell tower. But the headman said where the priest was. The Reds rounded him up, took him to the cemetery and shot him. Two women walked past from the field and buried him, and at night they came with another man and buried him in another place. A year later (in 1920) many priests came, made a coffin and buried it near the temple. This was said by eyewitness Golovata Feona (she died in 1982, when she was 96 years old), who claims that Father Nikolai’s body was incorruptible, as if he had been killed today.

Recorded from the words of Pyotr Matveevich Zuenko

My father, Zuenko Matvey Semyonovich, was the headman for 15 years under Father Vasily Gres.

After the murder of Father Nicholas, priest Goloborotko (like Vladimir) served.

Then Fr. Simeon from Annovka somewhere before 1941-1942.

Then Fr. Vasily Gres. He is buried in Iskrovka.

Then Fr. Leonid (served not long).

Then Fr. Stefaniy. He led a vicious life (drank and smoked). He closed the temple. People said that he was a colonel by rank, and this was not the first temple he closed.

Father Nikolai was betrayed by the elder Koval. His son was a communist and he was arrested by the cadets. Koval blamed Fr. Nicholas. During his lifetime to Fr. A lot of people came to Nikolai. There was a spring on the priest's land (blukva - that's what this area was called), where he read and treated people.

Savenko was the sexton under Father Nikolai. From the history of the construction of the temple, he remembers that his father told how people sent several people to Tsar Nicholas. The Tsar used his own money to send building materials and builders to the Ryadovaya station. Only visiting people helped in construction.

Prikhodko Zinovy ​​Fedorovich (since 1907) was the headman (under duress) under Father Stefanie when the church was closed. What he remembers about Father Nikolai is that a lot of people came to him, and he always knew everything, who came to him with what.

Temple at Fr. Nicolae was named after the martyr Victor. At first Pan Victor did not want to give the land and became very ill, and when Tsar Nicholas gave building materials, Pan Victor promised that if he recovered, he would give him the best plot and would help build. That's how it all happened. He recovered and helped build

ABOUT FATHER NICHOLAS

Recorded from the words of Valentina Grigorovskaya

Kirillovna.

Her mother-in-law, Anna Vasilievna Grigorovskaya, told her that Father Nikolai was cheerful and often denounced sin with humor. He read them at his source in the summer, when it was warm, and in the winter he read them in the temple. Many people who had difficulties in life often came to him. Father Nicholas was called a saint during his lifetime. The father-in-law, Sidor Davidovich Grigorovsky (sang in the church choir), remembers the story of how the priest at the wedding denounced the poor groom and the rich bride (she was also weak-minded). At home, the bride was taught that if the priest asks how many commandments there are, she should answer - ten. And Father Nikolai asked how old she was, and she answered - ten.

From the memoirs of Machkur Anna Vasilievna

One man's horses were stolen and he turned to the priest for help. Father advised us to take a gendarme, go to Pyatikhatki and call the horses near the landing. There he found them. From the story of Taran Maria Maksimovna and the regent of the Iskrovsky Church Stepanovna, Father Nikolai was cheerful, loved jokes and jokes. He told his mother Anna: “Don’t worry, mother. They will kill me and bury me three times, and you will hide under two names. And you, Dmitry, my son, will be a priest and you will have a big family.” Mother hid under two names and during the years of repression in 1937, she was supposedly shot. The grandchildren still don’t know their real last name and where Grandma Anna is buried.

ABOUT THE MURDER OF NICHOLAY'S FATHER

According to Valentina Kirillovna Grigorovskaya.

Somewhere in 1995-1996, a grandmother came to our church (I don’t remember her name) and told the story of how shortly before the murder (about 2 months) Fr. Nikolai. She was 14 years old at the time. Father was on good terms with her father (he stopped by to see them from some meeting when it was raining). At that time they lived in Bogdanovka near Petrovo. And he remembers exactly how at dinner Fr. Nikolai said that he should be killed soon.

He also predicted for his father his entire future life, namely: that he would be dispossessed, he would go to prison several times, but would die a natural death at home, in freedom. He also clearly remembers his last words: “Whoever prays and asks for help (from Father Nikolai), the Lord will send help. I (Father Nikolai) will help, just as I helped alive.”

Recorded from the words of Maria Dmitrievna Martsinovskaya.

She was 12 years old when her father Nikolai was killed. The priest had two sons: Dmitry, but he doesn’t remember the name of the second. He very often repeats that Fr. Nicholas was not one of the simple ones, but one of the new Apostles, that during his lifetime the priest was called a saint. He recalls an incident when women from the village of Varvarovka came to him, the demoniacs (or screamers) shouted to the priest: “Savior, save us!” Father Nikolai often said that he would soon be killed. Issued by Fr. Nikolai's grandfather Koval.

In 1953, priest Stefan buried her father, Dimitri Martsinovsky. This priest closed the temple shortly after his father’s funeral.

Martsinovskaya M.D. said: “... that the priest was shot at the entrance to the cemetery. People came from the field and covered Father Nicholas’s body with branches, leaves and grass, as there were a lot of flies.” A few days later, a man and two women quickly dug a hole in another place and buried the body without a coffin.

About a year later, a lot of priests came and buried Fr. Nicholas near the temple. At the same time, the relics did not change at all, and church incense emanated from them.

From the memoirs of Klimenko Maria Nikolaevna.

I, Klimenko Maria Nikolaevna, a resident of Krivoy Rog, am telling you what I heard from my parents about Father Nikolai Iskrovsky.

In 1918, my parents lived in the village of Lozovatka, Krivorozhsky district, Dnepropetrovsk region. At that time my mother was 20 years old. She heard that in Iskrovka, Priest Nikolai was healing sick people, and she and her friends began going to Divine Liturgies at the Iskra Church and listening to Father Nikolai’s sermons. Many people went to the temple from nearby villages.

One day my mother came to a service at the Iskra Church. I went into the courtyard of the temple, looked, a lot of people had gathered, and one woman was lying on the ground and was hit hard on the ground (black disease). We ran to the priest. Father Nikolai quickly approaches the men, then directly to her husband, and asks: “Why did you scold her at night? You called her Satan, so he entered her!” And her husband says to priest Nikolai: “Father, that’s how it happened, help us!” Priest Nikolai says: “Never quarrel with each other from 12 to 3 am!” Then priest Nikolai read the Gospel over her and she stood up. He says: “Thank you, Father Nikolai, I’m already healthy.”

The second time my mother saw priest Nikolai healing a man, his name was Timothy. I read the Gospel over him and he stood up. He says: “Father Nikolai, I’m already healthy. I won’t leave you anywhere, I want to live near you!” Father Nikolai replies: “You are a shoemaker, and Anna and Evdokia have small children (Anna has two, and Evdokia has one son), and 5 acres of land: try to cultivate 5 acres and feed 5 people.” Timofey thanked Father Nikolai and agreed to cultivate the land and feed 5 people. So he stayed to live with his father Nikolai.

My mother told me that in 1914 there was a war with the Austrians, and our relative Daria - my grandfather’s sister - prepared lunches near the Iskra Church on Sundays for visiting people. Her husband Afanasy was at war. Daria asks Father Nikolai: “Is Afanasy alive, will my Afanasy come home?” And Father Nikolai says: “Look how many people will come from the West, so your Afanasy will come!” Afanasy came home and consulted with Father Nikolai: “I want to go to the mine, get a job and live there!” And Father Nikolai says to Afanasy: “It’s too late, child!” Soon Afanasy died.

On New Year's Day 1918, priest Nikolai served in the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Lozovatka. My mother was in church and heard Father Nikolai’s sermon. He said: “The priest who is now serving in your church will fall like a flower, and the church will stand unbroken. There will be no trace left of the Church of the Intercession, which stands in the 4th quarter of the center of Lozovatka. People won't know where she was." By Easter, the priest of the St. Nicholas Church died, and the church remains undamaged to this day.

I’ll tell you how the Makhnovists killed priest Nikolai. He spent his last night with some people and said: “Today I’m probably spending my last night with you. But whoever prays and remembers, I will pray him out of hell and his relatives to the 5th generation.” On this day, October 2, 1919, he was killed by the Makhnovists. There were a lot of them. Three Makhnovists came to the temple, took the priest out of the temple, mocked him as much as they wanted - the Iskryans saw this. Then they brought him to the cemetery. One of the Makhnovists shot the priest in the chest, blood spilled.

Pavel, who killed Nikolai's father, lived at the Frunze mine near the depot; I was sick for a long time. His wife invited Evdokia, who constantly went to St. Nicholas Church and who was at the Oktyabr mine in Krivoy Rog. This Evdokia was invited to the sick. She will pray, and the sick or sick person will recover. Evdokia was surprised that Pavel was so dry, just skin and bones. Only that he is alive. He asks him: “Brother, what sin have you committed that you still have not died and are not recovering?” He told her about how he killed and how the priest Nikolai Iskrovsky died by his hand. Evdokia says to Paul’s wife: “Bring a priest so that he can give him communion and unction of oil, then he will die or recover.” The wife brought a priest, they performed the ceremony, and soon Pavel died.

Priest Nicholas dug a spring and said: “Nowhere around will there be such water, but this source is inexhaustible!”

Memoirs of Nikolai Iskrovsky's granddaughter Uara.

I am the granddaughter of Nikolai Iskrovsky’s father, Uara, born in 1942. From 1945 to the present I have lived in Krivoy Rog. I know my grandfather only from photographs and stories from my father, mother, aunts and many other believers who knew my grandfather, grandmother, and father. They are all deceased.

Various people came to us. Why they came was little clear to us. We looked at them like children and saw their kindness. Nun Martha, a very kind grandmother, brought us gifts “from grandfather” and called us “God’s children.”

In 1947, my father was repressed; my mother and I were left with five children. People did not forget us, thanks to the memory of grandfather, grandmother, and father. They came and came and really helped us survive. Mom didn’t particularly talk about family relationships, she didn’t even talk about dad, why he was in prison. She made up some kind of fable that dad was sent to prison only because he hit some Jew in the face, who allegedly deceived him and sold damaged photographic materials (dad, before his imprisonment, was engaged in photography, photographed objects of destroyed mines, etc. , for which he was allocated a plot of land to build a house, where we lived for about 40 years).

For a long time we did not know that we were the children of the “enemy of the people.” Only then did they begin to understand when we were accepted into the pioneers and Komsomol members. They laughed at us for being pilgrims. Mom sang in the church choir, and the church was next to the school. The teachers and children saw us attending church. The elder brother Valentin served near the Kirovograd Bishop Innocent for 6 years, lived with him, and after his father returned from prison he studied at the Kyiv Theological Seminary until it was closed.

Mom sometimes went to Iskrovka or walked there with a group of people. She also took us, but on the condition that we kept silent about the fact that we were the grandchildren of Father Nicholas. We rocked at the grave. Mom told me not to hurt my back. They ate dirt from the grave to be healthy, strong, etc. Not only we did this, but also other children and adults.

Mom never talked about the fact that she was Father Nikolai’s daughter-in-law, everything was a secret. Only those people who really were believers and knew my grandparents knew. After the closure of the temple, we began to often go to our grandfather’s grave, and began to ask more about our grandfather and grandmother.

On May 9, 1955, our dad returned from prison. This joy cannot be conveyed. Sometimes he talked about his grandfather, grandmother, about himself... He said that grandfather was tall, fit, curly... He always walked with a smile, he loved to joke. He always wore a modest cassock. He didn't like luxurious clothes. He was a simple priest. He served as a deacon in Kronstadt, near Father John of Kronstadt, and graduated from the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg.

John of Kronstadt sent his grandfather to Ukraine, to the very wilderness of Iskrovka, to build a church there, serve God and heal people. “There will be a lot of people there, and in the future there will be...”

For the construction of the temple, bricks were transported from Orenburg. The tiles are still in good condition (the Royal emblem is on the back of the tiles). The materials are very strong and have withstood such tests.

Repeatedly, the pope said that Tsar Nicholas II dressed in simple clothes and secretly appeared to people. The king also came to visit his grandfather. Dad was a boy, he saw the king and said that he was very kind. Until dawn, in the field, near the fire, the king and other people talked with grandfather.

People came and came from all over. A lot of people came from Russia. Grandfather, in the name of the Lord, cast out demons and healed people. People came not only to receive healing, but also to see the priest, hear the word, or work for the temple.

The Krizhanovsky family from the village. Rybchino, Kirovograd region, she always walked on foot at night, so that at dawn, before the service, she could help the priest with something. The Krizhanovsky family was very religious and hardworking. They had 12 children. One of the daughters is Lydia, my mother. Grandfather Gabriel is a psalm-reader, Uncle Theoktist served or was a deacon next to Father Nikolai (I don’t remember exactly).

Grandfather often told people that a very difficult time would come and he would soon be killed, he named the day and time.

The time came, grandfather began to hurry grandmother to leave quickly. Grandmother delayed leaving until, finally, grandfather, with all severity, ordered her to leave with dad.

When that day came, some Iskra people observed the events of that day. Some infidels said that soon a day would pass, and the priest would still not be killed. This was told not only by dad, but by many other people.

In the afternoon the cavalry arrived, grandfather was in the bell tower. Pulling him down the steps from the bell tower, the bandits beat my grandfather, dragged him by the hair, and shot him in front of the cemetery.

Dad and other people told us that grandfather was killed by the Makhnovists. Perhaps this is so, or maybe they again hid the truth from us, because in our time they blew up churches, destroyed everything sacred on earth, and, it seems to me, especially in Krivoy Rog. There are posters everywhere: “Religion is the opium of the people,” etc.

I read in the magazine “Moscow Patriarchate” (No. 6, 1993, p. 102) about the actions of N.I. Makhno. You can really believe that his gang killed my grandfather. He entered into agreements with the Red Army three times, which he soon violated.

Many said that grandfather was killed by the communists.

From my father’s stories I remember that my grandfather was buried near the temple. My grandmother arrived, many priests gathered and buried him near the temple, where he currently rests.

Then again at night someone dug it up and took away the golden Cross and the Gospel with gilded fragments. Once again they buried my grandfather, blowing up the grave to the side, I don’t remember, to the right or left. The coffin was laid in such a way that if anyone else dared to dig it out, the grave would remain empty.

And so grandfather was buried three times, as he said.

One day, on Easter days, almost our entire family and some other people went to Iskrovka - this was around 1967. Mom and Dad already had eight children: Valentin, Angelina, Uara (me), Vitaly, Anna, Lydia, Dmitry, Claudia - a big family. Dad rarely visited the grave.

We settled down near the grave. The sun shone brightly. Everyone was very happy, especially since dad was with us. Dad began to say: “You see, children, it was your grandfather who built this church in honor of St. Victor, etc.

Holy Cross Church (Iskrovka village)

At that time the church did not completely collapse. There was a warehouse there, there were some mechanisms, etc. It was very painful to see such beauty perishing.

Dad said that there used to be a lot of people here, and that the time would soon come when churches and monasteries would be revived... “And you, Huara, will take a big part in the renovation of this church,” I smiled and took it as a joke. But this was not a joke.

More than 20 years have passed, and 18 years after my dad’s death, since these dad’s words came true. Indeed, I had to do a lot to repair the church and the rectory.

Let's go to the cemetery. He showed the place where grandfather was shot, showed the rail. “Remember this place,” people used this rail to mark the place of grandfather’s temporary burial, and then they put a cross at this place. The second cross was placed nearby, as a sign of a triple burial. The third cross in the cemetery has nothing to do with the death of my grandfather. It was the people who put up the cross where the children who died of hunger in 1933 were buried.” When they were walking home, dad stopped everyone and showed them the place; where the railway will go, where the bridge will be built. He said: “Heavy loads will pass here...”

A lot of time has passed, a railway and a bridge were built, and currently heavy-duty wagons with iron ore from the Petrovsky quarry move along it. Before Easter, we came to clean the grave and paint the crosses. Basically, the grave was cleaned by people who knew grandfather. One day I found a grandmother at the grave, cleaning the grave. She said: “As long as I am alive, you don’t worry about the grave. I knew your grandfather; I sang in the church choir as a girl. There were several of us, we took turns watching the grave, but now I was left alone in Iskrovka. And then, I don’t know who will clean up...” I knew that not a single visit to Iskrovka was complete without miracles or something extraordinary.

In the house opposite the church there lived people (they were already deceased), with whom I sometimes left things when I visited, a small child, and asked them to keep an eye on the grave and report any changes. The owner of this house is the son of the temple watchman, who guarded the church under his grandfather. The owner himself was a boy at that time, but he remembered a lot. He said that he also saw the events on the day when his grandfather was killed. And at night, where grandfather’s body lay, it was so light, so starry. It was very worrying. People said that stars fell from the sky onto this place, everything sparkled.

Savenko (I forgot her name) told me many different memories about my grandfather, grandmother and father, whom I remember very well.

Her nephew, Nikolai Ivanovich Savenko, was an officer in the Soviet army. He loved dad and our family very much. He looked after us all. Knew Grandma Anna. Grandmother Anna often visited them. He often recalled how his grandmother came to their house on Trinity Sunday and predicted his future life. And dad told him about his death. Nikolai Ivanovich did not pay much attention to this. But on the day of my father’s death, - this was said in front of me (Savenko was then 50 years old), - my father reminded him of his predictions. Then dad said he was joking. But Savenko knelt down in front of him and began to ask for forgiveness. He knew what he was asking for forgiveness for.

About 10 years before his death, dad kept saying that he didn’t have much time left to live, and if he died, then Savenko should take care of our family after his death. Nikolai Ivanovich thought that this would happen soon and began to come to us every day.

Savenko misunderstood dad’s words, and then dad said directly: “Some people have hours, minutes left to live, but they are always in a hurry and in a hurry.” In the evening, Savenko died in the hospital. We were shocked by his death.

One day I asked my dad: “What is our real last name?” He didn’t want to talk right away, but then, due to my persistence, he did. The next day I asked my dad again about his last name, since I had forgotten it. He replied: “What, did you forget? If you forgot, then you don’t need to know. Your dad lived for many years under other people’s last names, patronymics, even his name was distorted. My name is Dimitri, and in documents I am Dmitry.” I really asked him to write his name and patronymic correctly after his death.

Grandfather's house, now a rectory, was a school for more than 50 years. There is a photograph of this school house, where the students are photographed with their grandfather.

While in prison, my dad worked at the White Sea Canal. The canal was built on human bones because people were hungry, fell under the concrete, and no one picked them up...

Three years later an escape was arranged. The Lord saved dad, helped him get out of the taiga... The rest were immediately shot.

When dad arrived in Kirovograd, he found out that my grandmother had been repressed and was in Kirovograd prison. In 1939, mom and dad with their newborn Valentin visited their grandmother in prison. At that time, dad was 31 years old, mom was 21.

Grandmother's maiden name is Stashevskaya Anna Pavlovna. In Iskrovka they said about her with ridicule: “Oh, here comes the Mother of God!” After dad’s rehabilitation in 1955, he always hoped to hear something about grandma.

When there was a war in Hungary (I think in 1956), dad often listened to radio broadcasts from Hungary on the receiver. In the programs they said that one old woman, Anna Teklya, preaches to the soldiers. Every night he listened to the Voice of America with trepidation in his soul and hoped to hear the voice of Anna Tekli, but he never heard it. He said: “Perhaps this is my mother!”

Then they called my dad to the prosecutor’s office and asked about my grandmother: what he knew about her, where she was buried, etc. He answered “I don’t know...”. And he told us: “It can’t be that your grandmother died so easily without reporting herself, because she’s not at all like the others...”.

When a convoy of political prisoners, where my grandmother was, was sent to some islands, foreigners seized the ship and saved the prisoners from the Soviet authorities. Some relatives came from America (related to my grandmother) and looked for my dad. We've all met them. I don’t know what they talked about with dad and mom. Dad was nervous and didn’t want to talk to them for long, so we quickly left.

Dad told me that one day a young lady came from Russia to look at the priest and find out why there was such a rumor about him. Her name was Thekla. She came to the service at the Iskra Church dressed up and wearing gold jewelry. When grandfather opened the altar, she screamed loudly: “So this is the Lord himself.” She began throwing away her jewelry and tearing her clothes with screams. The priest asked people to take her out of the temple.

After the service she calmed down and waited for the priest. He asked her: “What happened that she behaved like this?” She said that when the priest opened the Royal Doors, everything shone so much that it blinded her. Fekla left all her wealth in Russia and lived for a long time in the Kirovograd region. People and my family talked a lot about her. She did not marry, she lived her life with faith in the Lord.

Grandfather knew human thoughts. One day my grandfather was walking to the temple. One villager gave him a lift. He’s driving him and thinks: “If I wasn’t carrying a priest, I would have earned at least 5 kopecks... What will you take from a priest?”

When we arrived at Iskrovka, grandfather gives him 5 kopecks and says with a smile: “So you don’t have to think about priests anymore, there are different ones!” This man was terribly perplexed and began telling people, asking what kind of priest this was. Then I went to the temple, asked for forgiveness, and my grandfather kept smiling...

Once my daughter and I came to Iskrovka to clean the grave. And there stands a woman, about 70 years old, holding on to a cross. Then she slowly left the grave and began to tell: “I couldn’t walk at all. And then I started coming to the grave in the evenings, and I’m asking your grandfather for help! So he helped me, now I walk with a cane and do everything at home. And before she just moaned and lay there. See what kind of grandfather you have!”

We went to my grandfather's grave mainly once a year, and maybe sometimes twice. Almost always on Easter days. And we always saw some miracles.

As soon as we enter the fence and approach the temple, the roar of the church choir begins. As we get closer, the sound of singing gets louder. The temple is closed, we climb to the windows of the altar and listen. It was something extraordinary. Not everyone heard the singing. I heard it, my mother, godmother Daria, believing grandmother Maria (she is currently over 90 years old). As soon as they began to restore the temple, I never heard such singing again.

I was healed from the disease - enuresis. And I suffered for four years. I was 27 years old then. She worked and studied, but suffered greatly from this disease. I had to remember my grandfather, go and ask him for healing. I came with believers once - I washed myself in ice water, and the second time I swam in the river. Now I am 60 years old, I do not suffer from this disease.

I didn't have children for a long time. I cried, asked the Lord to send me children, asked the Mother of God as best I could, but my prayer was very weak. I began to ask my dad (still alive), my grandfather. I didn’t know what to do, there were still no children. Dad said: “Don’t cry, there will be children.” Then they begged dad and he said: “You will have a girl, 4 years after my death.” And in a dream, my grandfather told me that in 40 minutes... At the age of 33, I gave birth to a daughter. Everything came true as they said...

I was 47 years old when I became very ill with allergies. At night I was out of breath, took pills, they didn’t help. I remembered my grandfather. I thought that grandfather heals strangers, but I’m my own...

We went with our sisters, visited the grave, then went to the source. We washed ourselves, drank some water, took it home and our hope came true. I still don't suffer, I just sneeze sometimes. At that time, one woman was walking with us to the source, telling us all the way how many people received healing from this water from the source.

One mother, from the northern regions of Russia, brought her immobile son, who dreamed of Iskrovka several times, dreamed of the priest, and dreamed of the source. Mom began writing to Ukraine, asking about this source. Then she brought this boy here, and he began to walk. Then the woman told about one crippled miner who left his crutches at the source and went home without them...

Rector of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in the village of Iskrovka
Priest Vasily Zagrebin. 01/2/2002