The same righteous man

Savva Yamshchikov: "And this is the greatest happiness - memory"

On July 28, the exhibition “Life in the name of faith and love” was opened in the Pskov Museum-Reserve, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Archimandrite Alipi, the governor of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, in the world-Ivan Mikhailovich Voronov.

The artist, a warrior who went through the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, the clergyman, Archimandrite Alipius inscribed in the history of Russian culture several beautiful, bright pages. Having accepted tonsure in 1950, he worked on the post-war restoration of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, from 1959 to 1975 he served as governor of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, making a lot to preserve his values. Alipius did not allow the monastery to close the years for the Church of the Khrushchevsky thaw1, thanks to his efforts in 1973, treasures returned to the paces, taken out of the monastery of the monastery in 1944

Archimandrite Alipius is also known as a collector and connoisseur of Russian and European painting. In 1974, he transferred part of his collection as a gift to the Russian Museum, the rest of the will after his death in 1975 passed to the Pskov Museum-Reserve.

The exhibition “Life in the name of faith and love” presents 45 paintings from the collection of Archimandrite Alipi. Among them are paintings that are of world significance, such as “Lot with daughters” by Johann Rotmeier (1654-1730). In the same hall, the ancient books of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery from the museum funds and photographs of Boris Skobellitsyn and Mikhail Semenov are exhibited.

“I am now looking at this exhibition and see one thing: people like Archimandrite Alipius will help us compete with the lawlessness that came to our land,” said Savely Vasilievich Yamshchikov, who worked well with him, who worked with him well at the opening of the exhibition of art critic and restorer. The life of Alipia, which he, living in an atheistic state, devoted entirely to serving the spirit, can teach persistence. The main thing is not to forget.

In the State Archive of the Pskov Region, among reports on the progress of restoration and annual reports of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, citizens' petitions are stored to prohibit the bell ringing in Pechora, reports on the attacks on the monastery (breaking glasses, walking teenagers in roofs), an open letter of Archimandrite Alipia to the editorship The slanderous articles published in the newspaper (May 1970), the reports of Archimandrite, including the unjustly overstated taxation of the monastery. A dry list of documents draws a difficult picture of the everyday life of an ascetic. Today it is already difficult to imagine, but you can still remember.

“And this is the greatest happiness - memory,” Savely Vasilievich is sure. - Do not forget about memory. If we do not have memory, other exhibitions will open here. ”

Savva Yamshchikov, one of the most faithful and consistent defenders of the Russian cultural heritage, no accident spoke of memory. In many ways, it was thanks to his efforts, his perseverance and perseverance, the Alipy collection was in the Pskov Museum. But Savely Vasilievich did not receive an invitation to the opening of an exhibition dedicated to his friend and ally. In his 65 years, he himself devotes most of the time to the perpetuating of the names of the ascetics of Russian culture - the discovery of memorial boards, writing books. So that they do not forget.

“And this morning, praying on the day of the 90th anniversary of our dear priest, and we pray for him constantly,” says Yamshchikov, “I want to say that people like Archimandrite Alipius are lights, these are the very righteous people, from the proverb that Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn loves to quote -“ There is no village without a righteous person. ” These are the very righteous, thanks to which there is a huge village called Russia. ”

Svetlana Prokopyeva.

1 It is said that when an indication of the closure of the monastery and the dissolution of the brethren arrived in the monastery, the Alipius broke and burned the paper with the signature of Khrushchev in the eyes of the couriers. “I’d better go to martyrdom than to close the abode,” Archimandrite said to the dumbfounded people in civilian clothes. The monastery was not touched.