Ipatievsky Vestnik № 3 (31), 2025

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the death of a prominent native of Kostroma, Archpriest Alexander Vasilievich Gorsky - a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy, Doctor of Theology. From 1833 to 1862 he was the head of the chair of church history, and then, after his appointment as rector, he moved to the chair of dogmatic theology. Despite the high appreciation of Gorsky's role in national academic education and research, his legacy remains understudied. The history of the Evangelical and Apostolic times occupies a special place among his works. Lecture notes on this subject were published for the first time by his pupil Sergei Konstantinovich Smirnov in 1883, according to the author's notes relating to the beginning of his teaching career. However, the manuscripts department of the Russian State Library has later versions of his readings of the Gospel story, but in recordings by other persons. An analysis of A. V. Gorsky's introductory lectures on church history has shown that his conception of this discipline, of which Gospel history is a part, changes in the early 40s. A comparison of the late manuscript lectures on Gospel history with the published version was undertaken, and the changes identified were correlated with the peculiarities of the church-historical concept of the 40s. The proposed publication presents the results of the research conducted, revealing the significant changes made by the author in the published first part of the Gospel History, based on archival materials dating back to 1846.

The theological concept of Archpriest F. A. Golubinsky is outlined in his lectures on speculative theology. Golubinsky's theory of theology consists of three parts, where the first place is occupied by the section "On the existence of God," which examines in detail the evidence of the existence of God. F. A. Golubinsky prefaces his lectures on speculative theology with ontology, the doctrine of being as the first and fundamental concept for everything that exists. Here he clearly separates the existence of finite (created) beings and the existence of the Infinite, pointing to the fundamental properties of their existence: space and time for creation, omnipresence and eternity for the Creator. Analyzing the evidence of the existence of God, Golubinsky does not set out to prove this truth, because according to Father Theodore, every person is born with the idea of God. He calls this idea the axiom of consciousness. The proofs that are carried out are necessary for a person only as natural aids that help reveal the idea of the Infinite, which in itself is an organ of communion with God. He considered the most powerful proof of the existence of God to be the consciousness of God's action in oneself, when a person strives in his life to fulfill the will of God. The properties of God are divided into two parts: proper properties that belong to God in essence and perfections that belong to God as a Perfect Spirit. The properties of God include the idea that God is an absolutely necessary, unconditionally independent Being, the most perfect and infinitely perfect, omnipotent, as well as such features as eternity, immutability, incorporeality, immeasurability and omnipresence, inner and outer unity. The perfections of God are expressed in His Omniscience, Wisdom, holiness, and goodness. The works of God in relation to the world are divided into creation and Providence of God. God created the world not out of necessity, but out of free will, with the aim of discovering Himself, His perfections and bliss in moral beings. God's providence manifests itself in three actions, the first of which is the preservation of peace, the second is the governance of the world, and the third is the cooperation of God, that is, the combination of God's action with the action of forces created to maintain, strengthen, and guide them. This article has been prepared on the basis of the theses of the report "The Theological concept of the Proto. Feodore Golubinsky", delivered at the XV International Scientific and Theological Conference "Topical Issues of Modern Theology and Church Science" (September 28-29, 2023, St. Petersburg Theological Academy).

The theological legacy of the Martyr Ioann Popov is still poorly understood. Among the origins of his experimental psychological ideas, one can single out experimental psychology, fiction, as well as his deep roots in the academic tradition, dating back to his teacher, Mitr. Anthony (Khrapovitsky). Both criticize Kant's teaching, and, unlike him, recognize the reliability of inner experience. Popov offers a unique approach to morality based on an analysis of moral feelings and ideals, as well as a psychological view of a person, which he considers scientific in the spirit of the times.

The article discusses the question of which saint the blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky was named after in baptism. It is pointed out that V.A. Kuchkin's traditional version that this saint was the martyr Alexander of Rome, whose memory is celebrated on May 13 (26), does not take into account the various naming traditions that existed in Russia, which established the relationship between the birthday, the day of baptism and the day of remembrance of the heavenly patron saint. Taking into account these traditions, a new version is proposed.: Saint Alexander Nevsky received his baptismal name in honor of the holy Martyr Alexander, whose memory, along with St. Antonina the Virgin, is now celebrated by the Church on June 10 (23), and previously was celebrated on June 9 according to the old style. This hypothesis allows us to establish a connection between the dedication of the Alexander and Antonina’s Church in Selishe (in the modern city limits of Kostroma) and the history of the Holy Trinity Ipatievsky Monastery, founded, perhaps, as a place of special veneration for the memory of St. Alexander Nevsky.

The article is devoted to the period of work of Archbishop Mikhail (Mudyugin) in the Vologda department as the head of the diocese. The purpose of the article is to identify the personal qualities and features of the church ministry of an outstanding bishop on the basis of information contained in the archive of the Vologda diocesan administration. The topic is considered in the context of the socio-political realities that accompanied this activity.

The article is devoted to the process of forming the longitudinal planning axis of the ensemble of the Holy Trinity Ipatievsky Monastery. The conclusion about the use of optical illusions in the construction of the fortifications of the New Monastery City is also substantiated.

The article examines the influence of Orthodox camps on the personal, social and spiritual development of children and adolescents, the differences in educational approaches between Orthodox and ordinary children's camps, focusing on the spiritual, cultural and social aspects. The syncretic approach to organizing camps, combining elements of secular and religious education, is considered.

The article is devoted to the description of two commemorative table medals issued for jubilee dates by the Western American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The first was made in 1988 and is dedicated to the millennium of the Baptism of Russia and the 300th anniversary of the appearance of the icon of the Holy Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow". The second is dedicated to the significant celebrations that took place on July 2, 1994, associated with the glorification of Saint John (Maximovich), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966). For the first time, descriptions of these little-known commemorative medals are given, which are valuable examples of church applied and medal art of the Russian Orthodox Diaspora. In addition to the description of the medals themselves, brief information is given about the history of the Holy All-Sorrowful Cathedral, its community, and the events to which the medals are dedicated. The commemorative medals presented to the participants of the celebrations held in the Holy All Who Sorrow Cathedral in San Francisco witnessed not only the events being celebrated, but also the spiritual unity of the Russian people, manifested in the fervent confession of the Orthodox faith, which cannot be affected by either the tragic turns of Russian history or the vast distances between continents.

Marshal of the USSR Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky is known for his great achievements during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). However, his military talent was developed in previous conflicts, including the First World War (1914-1918) and the Russian Civil War (1917-1922). After graduating from the Kostroma Theological Seminary in 1915, Captain Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky left the active army in the autumn of 1917 due to the changing political situation. For about a year and a half, he worked peacefully as a teacher. In the spring of 1919, he was once again "under arms" on the side of the Soviet government, which he identified with the central government of the state after the revolutionary events. During the fighting, Alexander Mikhailovich proved himself to be a competent and decisive commander. At the same time, he continued to learn and teach his comrades-in-arms the art of warfare. During this period, his personal approach to the soldier as a representative of the new era was fully formed.

The article analyzes the attitude of the Orthodox community to the Russian-Japanese War, successes and failures in the actions of the army and navy based on the materials of the Kostroma Diocesan Gazette. The high patriotic upsurge of the initial stage of the war was accompanied by serious reflections on the spiritual and moral state of Russian society. The materials of the Kostroma Diocesan Gazette indicate an increase in criticism of the authorities, deepening pessimism and loss of faith in Russia's "special mission" in the Far East. Based on published sources, the author describes the forms of participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in helping soldiers and the variety of areas of social service of the Church.

The paper, written within the framework of the scientific project “Corpus Inscriptionum Rossicarum”, is devoted to the study of the oldest site of the ground necropolis of the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery. It was located at the southern wall of the Trinity Cathedral and was divided into several burial areas. The core of the area of sanctity was the burial of the founder of the monastery, St. Sergius of Radonezh, which took place at the inner southern wall of the wooden Trinity Church. The importance of this site increased after the construction of the stone cathedral, the burial and subsequent canonization of the disciple and successor of St. Sergius, St. Nikon of Radonezh and St. Serapion Archbishop of Novgorod. From the end of the 60s of the 16th century on the ground necropolis south of the Serapion pavillion the area of church hierarchs and from the end of the century — the area of the authorities of the Trinity Sergius Monastery are actively filled in. The burials in the zone of the nobility south of Nikonov's side chapel fit into the chronological interval from 1551 to 1615; it is not excluded that it could have existed in the late 15th century.

In this proposed article, the authors briefly describe the life of Major General N. T. Volkov and his role in the creation and maintenance of the Church of St. George the Great Martyr at the Military Academy of Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense named after Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko in Kostroma.