How Schimonov Sergius forced the Sredneural Monastery to obedience: they spoke victims of violence

“The child was beaten for disobedience. The men held their arms and legs and beat a cable or a belt. Almost always with numerous witnesses. Before the eyes of other children, nuns, visitors to the monastery, ”recalls the novice of Sergius, excommunicated from the Church of Schimonakh. “And never one of the adult witnesses of this execution regretted monastic children and did not contact law enforcement agencies.”

It is not known if we would have heard this story if not for the coronavirus. It was he who last spring that provoked the conflict of Schigumen Sergius with the top of the Russian Orthodox Church. The spiritual father of many businessmen, officials and celebrities became a Covid dissident and called for ignoring the authorities to counteract the spread of a new virus.

Former policeman Nikolai Romanov was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison for murder.

In the colony, he read only one book, and in front of the other sidelski, quite quickly from a silent killer was transformed into a religious fanatic.

He later became a monk, and then the abbot of the monastery - the father of Sergius. The church leadership was annoying that he spoke against the canons and contradicted the state. But the "employer" turned to about. Sergius increased attention only in April 2020, when he cursed the authorities and personally President Putin for the closure of temples during self-isolation.

Beat mercilessly

On July 20, 2013, the Orthodox journalist Raisa Ilyin wrote an open appeal to the Minister of Social Policy of the Sverdlovsk Region Andrei Zlokazov, the head of the regional police department Mikhail Borodin and the head prosecutor of the region Sergei Okhlopkov demanding to pay attention to the activities of Father Sergius. Ilyina referred to the complaints of her parents, whose daughters unexpectedly went to the monastery, barely reaching the age of majority.

... there were cases of the announcement of the disappeared relatives on the All -Russian wanted list. People were found in an altered psychological, extremely aggressive state. Manipulation of consciousness until the loss of consciousness itself is apparently the only tool for “education” in Father Sergius.

... Romanov practices this type of punishment: naughty children and adolescents are taken out to the so -called Taigu, for 40 km on water from the village of Novosyolovo, for a month or two at the beginning of the teacher, who has a “blessing” of Romanov-to beat children mercilessly.

7 years have passed since the public application for the beating of children on the territory of the Sredneuralsky Convent, before the Investigative Committee drew attention to what was happening for a carefully protected barrier. Officially, the basis for conducting a pre -investigation verification, and then initiating a criminal case, was journalistic publications that went beyond the region. Seven former pupils of the "school" of Father Sergius agreed to testify to the investigator of the UK.

- The investigating authorities opened a criminal case on the fact of the torture of children on the territory of the Sredneuralsky Convent and the improper performance of their duties by officials of the preventive system, on the grounds of crimes under Part 2 of Art. 117 of the Criminal Code (torture) and part 1 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code (negligence), ”said Alexander Shulga, senior assistant to the head of the regional department of the UK. - According to the preliminary data of the investigation, from 2004 to 2019, the persons unsettled at the moment, being on the territory of the Central Urals Monastery in honor of the icon of the Mother of God the “Prime Minister of the Breads”, caused physical and mental suffering through the systematic cause of beatings and performing other violent actions to the seven children.

Criminal silence

“I lived in the monastery ten years ago, but I still remember how Father Sergius constantly humiliated and called me and other children,” Anton Kryzhanovsky told the new. -We talked about our childhood not so that someone would spare or be horrified. It is important for us that this does not repeat with others. On the territory of the monastery there are children who still experience psychological and physical violence.

Anton - Intersex. And this is not a sexual orientation, but a physiology due to an atypical combination of chromosomes and proteins in DNA. He was born and brought up as a girl Anastasia, but at the age of 13, puberty went according to the male type.

Relatives refused to perceive the child as a boy and handed him to the Orthodox shelter, where the physiological feature of the child was explained by the intervention of demons.

Father Sergius considered that this “demoniac” can be cured by prayer and obedience.

Anton in the monastery met with Seryozha Sch. a three -year -old boy brought from the Berezovsky orphanage in 2005, Romanov issued custody in the name of one of the nuns. Until adulthood, Seryozha lived in a monastery, practically without communicating with the outside world. Father Sergius constantly inspired him: "You will go into the world - you will die." From the monastery, Seryozha, after reaching youth, was transferred to Verkhoturye. Perhaps he would have lived there to this day, if once the nuns had not asked him to sign a power of attorney. Like, he has no documents, but they need to somehow deal with his apartment and money in the account. And Seryozha seemed to woke up, found a way to contact Anton and asked for help.

“When I took Seryozha from the monastery, the custody pursued us on the heels, they literally selected him,” Kryzhanovsky recalls. -Despite the assurances that he will be settled somewhere and all the problems will solve, they acted, to put it mildly, to flawlessly. For all their proposals, I had only one question: where were you before? You perfectly understood that

A person does not have a passport, there is no education, there is no way to get medical care ... He just came out in full zero from there. Everyone is selected in the monastery from the child.

Whom I love, I will punish

“In childhood, for the offenses of me, like many others, they poured a cable, poured a belt,” says Alena ( the name changed . - I. D. ), who lived in the monastery for several years. - With children, adults, at the guests of the monastery. The men, former criminals, held my hands and legs, and one beat. Planted in a shutter ( a closed room is about two by three meters. - I. D. ). We did not try to complain, they inspired us that this was the norm.

The children were explained that this is how Father Sergius is his love for them. They quoted the Bible: "Who I love, I will punish it." And the children believed that he really loved them. After beating and scolding, Father Sergius could hug and kiss the victim. What else does a crying child need?

- I was a thin teenager, like a boy. Thank God it did not attract the attention of men, ”recalls Alena. “But I know that other girls had difficulties with this.” Numerous men on the territory of the Convent showed an unambiguous interest in them.

According to former pupils, visitors to the monastery are very different people. Among them there are many military, high -ranking officials, businessmen ... All of them give a lot of money to the monastery for children.

“This is a very profitable sign: I have orphans here, I care about them,” the former pupils of the monastery say. - And some really out of pure motives donate to the monastery. It turns out that Father Sergius spends some part of charity money on us, and then reproaches us with the same money.

The criminal past of the disgraced monk, according to graduates of the Orthodox school, was also reflected in the monastery where reporting flourishes. But a special fad is the topic of sex. Children and adults inspire that relations between a man and a woman are dirt.

“Romanov loved to profess family people, pushing the details of an intimate life from them,” yesterday's children say. “And all this with us.” I could ask about virginity, about sexual fantasies, about types of sex. And, of course, humiliate for it.

Alena is sure that Nikolai Romanov is not crazy, but a powerful lover, longing for general adoration. With scandals, screams and humiliations, he breaks the dignity of any person. Desperate women affected by domestic violence are ideal candidates for the role of novices. It is easy to break children, especially abandoned by parents. So the stars came together: a man with a thirst for power met people waiting for a miracle and a strong leader who would make all decisions for them. A real cult of personality reigned in the Middle Ural Monastery.

Life in the system

Maria ( name changed. - I. D. ) has been trying to forget his life in the monastery for many years. Contrary to the suggestion that the only worthy way in the girl’s life is a service, was able to create a family. She still considers the monastery a dangerous and terrible place.

“Everything inside me has already burned out,” Maria admits, “but when I understand that in the life of today's children the same thing happens that happened to me, I am scared.” I believe that a fair trial of the facts of violence against children in the monastery should be, and Romanov must act as the defendant. First of all, because this is the only way to force to change the system of monastery shelters, in many of which it is secretly considered that to beat children is normal.

According to Maria, in these places both kids and adolescents live like small monks. They fast, pray, work a lot, observe all the prohibitions. Those who, due to age and temperament, cannot be so disciplined, suffer from punishments and beatings.

Why men live on the territory of the Convent, Maria does not understand.

As a person who is well versed in religious rules, she is sure that mixed accommodation in this system is prohibited. There should not be children there. If there is a shelter with the monastery, it should be in a separate territory. All the pupils of the monastery who testified to investigators or for some reason refused to talk about the past, still agreed in one-there was no place for children in the monastery. None of them stated that he was happy, growing up in the monastery.

“I remained a believer, although it is difficult,” Maria admits. - I had to go through adaptation after they inspired me that my main sin was a reluctance to go to the monastery. You have been building guilt around your whole life, trying to break yourself. After that, it is very difficult to recover.

According to the former novice, no inspections of the juvenile inspection (PD) and guardianship have never identified violations in the monastery shelter. Such things are akin to domestic violence, it is very difficult to prove them.

“The church will never investigate something inside itself,” Maria is sure. - We were lucky that there was a scandal with coronavirus. You see, many officials, guardianship officers, and police officers went here. Once on the social network “VK”, the PDN inspector ( Elena Nikolenko. - I. D. ) from Sredneuralsk marked a video message on her page, where she said that her daughter in this monastery was graduating from school. Accordingly, there were no complaints. She thought that the monastery was defending this way, but at the same time she herself showed what a huge conflict of interest here.

The guardianship authorities calmly gave the children to the monastery, not paying attention to violations.

“The guardianship is a family form of the device,” Maria explains. - The child is given to the family, and this is displayed in statistics. In fact, he finds himself in an Orthodox orphanage. He does not live with his guardian, he may not even know him. They intersect only at moments when it is necessary to demonstrate their “connection” to some official person. The child lives in the system, not in the family. This breaks, first of all, the very essence of guardianship.

There are many children on the territory of the monastery who lived and live here on the application of parents.

For example, mom arrives, writes on a simple leaflet a statement about the construction of a child in a boarding school, and that’s all. She leaves him there and may not take him home for years, and not even visit.

The child lives here without a legal representative. Why never paid attention to this?

“Romanov is not interested in money, he is interested in influence,” Maria is sure. - Perhaps that is why he gives out money so easily. He said that he bought an apartment to some of the children. Well, how did you buy it? .. They rewrote the apartment of one nun to a graduate of the monastery. Someone was given money for training, someone-for removing housing. He loves generous gestures. I think that there is more fanaticism than self -interest, he really thinks that he saves children. However, we can indirectly say that this is designed to attract philanthropists. Bring the choir of girls in snow -white handkerchiefs - it touches the hearts and opens the wallets.

"The wind of freedom turned his head"

Having learned about the accusations against the Orthodox shelter and the methods of education there, the disgraced scum Sergius traditionally responded to the preaching and mobilization of supporters. Former pupils of the monastery who declared beatings and tortures, the spiritual father called drug addicts. He also demonstrated happy children, saying that thousands of mothers want to send their children to his school.

-These are some kind of nonsense. Let it remain on their conscience. They [victims of violence] just need to discredit Father Sergius, so they did it. And in the monastery grace, order, it’s good there, ”Dmitry Sokolov from the Ural dumplings told reporters to reporters.

The nuns from the monastery in honor of the icon of the Virgin “The Sporage of Breads” laid out a letter on social networks, denouncing the former pupils, whom “the wind of freedom turned his head.”

QUOTE

From a letter to the nun to defense of Schimonakh Sergius

“Mommy with their children, who found themselves in difficult life situations, come for help,” writes one of the nuns. - These can be children from dysfunctional families, as well as children without parental care ... Many of the pupils of the monastery grew up and went into the world, but among them are those who begin to slander the monastery ... As a former employee of the Ministry of Social Protection of the Sverdlovsk Region (nun Maria Shirokova), I realize what assistance to the state of his service to his neighbor provides. People with their pain and life problems go to our monastery, since state structures often cannot provide alternative decisions in helping them and their families ... In this imaginary struggle for justice, neglecting the commandments of Christ, units of the former pupils of the monastery ... Those who have not learned spiritual values ​​and were incapable of independent life under Christian commandments. Most often, it was they who contrasted themselves with the general requirements of living in the monastery with their behavior. ”

“Half, organized against children in the monastery, is some kind of surrealism,” Vsevolod Moguchev, representative of Romanov, told Novivolod Moguchev. - For example, in the summer, a girl with the fourth stage of cancer died in the monastery. The state abandoned it, and Father Sergius took on all the expenses, allowed her parents to live here with the child. The death of the girl began to be used as an excuse for officials, social activists and journalists to organize injury against Father Sergius. This is the offensive of the Nazis on the monastery. Children from such attention are already in shock.

“Investigators are pestering them with questions: did they beat you, did they take off your panties, did they climb into your crib? From these conversations, children are closed, become uninhabited. Our smallest pupil after such "attention" began to be written. "

The monastery rejects all the accusations of former pupils. According to Vsevolod Mogechev, law enforcement officers several times came to the monastery according to such statements, and nothing has never been confirmed. Children at the monastery school are brought up by teachers with education. There is no punishment system, since the only method used here is to work with children is patience.

The phone does not lead to the temple

Christina Samushkina grew up in a family without her mother. Dad was at work almost all the time, because her grandmother raised her. Relatives were looking for where to attach a girl for the summer, and they were recommended by a children's Orthodox camp on the territory of the monastery under construction in Sredneuralsk. Seven -year -old Christina spent summer at the female courtyard, and when she returned home, her grandmother died very soon.

The father had a hopeless situation. When Christine was five years old, she was raped by a neighbor, he was condemned and sent to the colony. The father of the rapist could not put up with this and began to pursue the girl, constantly frightening and threatening her life.

“I changed many kindergartens, because this man came to the group and threatened me with a knife there,” recalls Christina. - While the grandmother was alive, it was easier to cope with these threats. But then it became completely difficult. I walked from school, stopped near the stall, and suddenly someone pulled me behind the pompon. I turned around and again saw a knife directed at me. She screamed and ran with all her might. She hid in some porch, hid in a corner there ... Alien people saved me. But this case forced my father to somehow resolve the issue with my safety. At work, he was confronted with a choice: either work or daughter do.

Dad gave Christina to the monastery. Говорил, что на неделю, пока все вопросы утрясет, но семь дней превратились в семь лет. Он часто навещал дочь, и его приезда ждала не только она.

— Моего папу очень любили другие дети, — улыбается наша собеседница. — Они писали записочки со своими желаниями, отдавали ему, а он в следующий приезд привозил, что они попросили.

Сначала в монастыре было хорошо. Христина всегда любила природу, поэтому здесь было чудесно: дети ходили в лес за грибами и ягодами, на скотном дворе ухаживали за козочками, играли с собачками. Но пришел момент, когда за малейшую провинность стали наказывать.

— Монахини били ремнем, но я думала, что это нормально, я же провинилась, — говорит девушка. — А потом Романов стал заставлять мужчин бить нас. Я помню, как он вызвал меня в храм, я подошла, рядом стояла матушка Варвара. Он начал на меня ругаться, я стащила конфеты или апельсин. В наказание отправил к иконе делать поклоны. После этого я вернулась к нему, а он вызвал из толпы послушника Алексея и приказал избить меня. Мы ушли в другое помещение. Алексей поставил меня лицом к двери, а игуменья взяла за руку, чтобы поддержать. Алексей бил меня ремнем, а Варвара жалела. Мне кажется, ей действительно иногда было нас жаль, но перечить Романову она не смела.

— Нас били чаще всего при свидетелях, — продолжает бывшая послушница. — Хорошо помню, как меня привезли из больницы, я пошла в храм Спорительница хлебов, а навстречу мне как раз шла монахиня. «Ох, как тебе повезло, там сейчас в храме такое происходит, все летают на люлях!» — задорно сообщила она. Я подошла к крыльцу, когда начали выходить плачущие и согнувшиеся от побоев девочки. Они мне потом рассказывали, что перед тем, как их начали бить, Романов сделал объявление, чтобы каждого посетителя проверили на наличие телефонов и камер и тех, у кого они есть, вывели из храма.

Нам внушали, что побои нужны для большего послушания. Одна из девочек, избитых в тот день в храме, получила вообще ни за что. Она просто стояла рядом, когда провинившихся готовили к экзекуции. Ее просто подтолкнули в эту группу со словами: «Тебе тоже полезно». Мне кажется, что у сестер в монастыре с годами происходит какая-то личностная деформация, им даже интересно наблюдать за страданиями других. Чтобы выплеснуть накопившуюся агрессию, они даже наговаривали Романову на нас.

«Но если вдруг кто-то несмело пытался сказать, что он ни в чем не виноват, это порождало еще большую злость в насильниках — не смей перечить, глаза в пол!»

В монастыре Варвара и ее сестра Нина мне говорили, что ты можешь, сколько угодно жаловаться отцу, он знает, какие у нас методы воспитания, и он это одобряет. Я помню, как бегу к папе, когда он приезжает, и вроде я рада, но тут же примешивается чувство горечи: «Папа, как же так? Почему ты им позволяешь меня бить?» — но вслух я ничего не говорю.

В этом монастыре всегда было много мужчин. Я помню, что в 2005 году мы с соседкой по келье ходили в гости к послушнику Константину, у него в комнате жили два хомяка. Они были чудесные, мы их любили кормить, гладить. А Константин в это время едва заметно поглаживал нас и напряженно дышал в шею. Я старалась отодвинуться от него подальше. Через какое-то время моя 12-летняя соседка пропала. Ее избили и закрыли в затвор, как мне объяснили, она совратила Константина.

Куда потом из монастыря исчез этот 30-летний педофил, я даже не знаю. Может, Романов спокойно выпустил его в мир?

В 2009-м Христину изгнали из монастыря за то, что попав в больницу, она переоделась в бриджи и футболку, которые ей одолжила соседка по палате — у послушницы не было сменной одежды. Увидев в больничных стенах ребенка в брючках, монахини рассердились. После выписки Христину ждала порка, стояние на горохе (при этом монахиня давила на девочку, что бы ей было больнее стоять), сто поклонов и изгнание.

Вернувшись к папе, она обнаружила, что совершенно не приспособлена к жизни вне стен обители. Она не могла даже перейти дорогу, все время крестила дорожное полотно и проезжающие автомобили, думая, что так их остановит. Папа, увидев это в окно квартиры, выскочил на улицу, чтобы помочь дочери…

Позже отец попросил принять дочь обратно. Ее взяли, но «счастье» длилась недолго: Христину изгнали через год за то, что она оттолкнула руку пытавшей ударить ее монахини.

— В 2010 году я убирала у отца на антресоли и выпал конверт, — вспоминает Христина. — На нем был написан адрес в другом городе и фамилия незнакомой мне женщины. Но ее звали Ирина! Так же, как звали мою маму в свидетельстве о рождении. Я заволновалась, а вдруг это она? Потом села и написала ей большое письмо, где, как и любой ребенок, добросовестно рассказала, как я жила все эти 10 лет с рождения. А потом мама мне позвонила в канун моего дня рождения…

Получив письмо дочери, Ирина озаботилась ее обучением, чтобы Христина могла получить аттестат о среднем образовании. А еще мама отправила обращение Павлу Астахову (в те годы детскому омбудсмену), где подробно изложила факты насилия из биографии своей дочери в период проживания в монастыре.

Астахов письмо получил. И даже как-то вяло отреагировал. А что произошло потом? NOTHING.

Примерно так же на обращения родителей все эти годы реагирует и нынешний детский омбудсмен по Свердловской области — Игорь Мороков. В многочисленных материалах журналистам он рассказывает примерно одно и то же: да, в монастыре был, и не раз, ничего подозрительного не заметил…

— Через десять лет после изгнания из монастыря я записала видео, где рассказала об издевательствах над детьми, — говорит Самушкина. — Прикрываясь никами, преданная Романову свора начала меня оскорблять и угрожать расправой. Позже у меня случился нервный срыв, и я удалила видео. Почему я решилась рассказать о насилии? Я увидела апрельскую проповедь Романова, где он призывал людей не верить в коронавирус. В этот момент внутри меня произошел взрыв. В монастыре я чуть не умерла от пневмонии, потому что Романов не благословлял поездку к врачу. Меня увезли на скорой, когда я уже потеряла сознание от жара. В этих стенах умерла моя духовная мать Татьяна от лейкемии. Если бы он не отрицал лечение, она могла бы еще жить. Я поняла, что многие, услышав эту проповедь, поверят ему, и смертей от коронавируса будет больше, потому и заговорила…

***

Сегодня сложно прогнозировать перспективы уголовного дела по факту истязания детей на территории монастыря. Бывшие воспитанники, заявившие о насилии, все как один рассказывают о давлении со стороны представителей Среднеуральского монастыря. Их уговаривают забрать заявления из Следственного комитета. Некоторых откровенно преследуют, заставляя скрываться, переезжая с места на место. Не многие выдерживают этот пресс, понимая, что никто не может их защитить. Хуже всего приходится тем, чьи родители остались на территории монастыря, их жизнь в опасности.