"That's what we and the temple"

A monologue of a priest from a temple in the center of Moscow, where the protesters hid from the Russian Guard and the police

From two o’clock in the afternoon on July 27, a mass protest rally takes place in the center of Moscow, the participants of which require the admission of independent candidates for elections to the Moscow City Duma. Employees of the police and the Russian Guard who went out onto the streets are harshly detained: they blocked access to the city hall, whose buildings wanted to gather protesters. After Tverskaya Street was taken under control by security forces, the participants in the shares diverged in the center of Moscow-someone went to trumpet and clean ponds, someone to the old and new Arbat. The number of those gathered is difficult to assess, but these are thousands of people. By 17:50, about 600 participants were detained . In the process of crowding out the protesters from the Tverskaya, some of them were in Stoleshnikov Lane next to the monument to Yuri Dolgoruky. Someone took refuge in the temple of Cosmas and Damian located here in Shubin. Local clergymen let people into the temple and prayed along with the protesters about the world. Medusa was recorded by a monologue of one of the priests - Hieromonk John .

Hieromonk John - in the world of Giovanni Guyt, cleric of the Temple of Cosmas and Damian in Shubin. Italian and Russian historian, researcher of Eastern Christianity, author of books on Armenian history. As well as spiritual works in Russian and translations of Russian spiritual literature.

Our temple today was at the center of political confrontation for a simple reason. The manifestation was supposed to be on Tverskaya, and the countertops, where we are - the closest pedestrian lane. So it turned out simply geographically.

The temple was open today as usual. It is always open, and we always let everyone go. To let everyone be our duty. That's why we are the temple. Therefore, today we have not done anything special and special.

When riot police appeared in the lane, a rather large number of people spontaneously came to us - probably more than a hundred. Mostly youth. Not sure, but I believe that many of them wanted to find asylum with us. Someone came to us because he was just scared. Someone was afraid that he would be detained.

People went through the gate, and someone probably jumped over the church fence. But for us all this is not so important. A person comes to the temple and always has the right to be accepted with love. Regardless of his political views.

For some time, people were just in the temple, and then we invited everyone together to pray for the world. Such a prayer was chosen precisely because of what is happening on the streets. They served a prayer for peace, about the softening of evil hearts. I must say, people prayed with great pleasure and interest.

Then, when they had the opportunity [to leave the temple], people began to disperse and go out to the countertops. Now in the temple there are already much fewer people. It seems that on the street everything is more or less calmed down.

It seems to me that the clergyman must always accept everyone in any situation. I talked with the youth who remained on a prayer. It seems to me that it is very good that there are such active youth. In my opinion, it is good when a person knows what he wants, and is ready to defend important things for himself.

Pavel Merzlikin recorded