Pilgrimage is an ancient soul-saving tradition of Orthodox Christians. A pilgrimage is a journey to holy places: history and modernity. Pilgrimage trips

For modern people, pilgrimage trips are one of the integral attributes of church life. Many companies, both church and secular, today offer trips to shrines in Russia and abroad. Often it is with such a trip that a person’s acquaintance with the Orthodox Church begins. But does this acquaintance always entail churching? How to prepare for a trip so that it becomes a real pilgrimage, and not an entertaining journey? The rector of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Saratov, Abbot Pachomius (Bruskov), reflects on this in his article.

A scene that has become familiar to many priests. In the church, a woman comes up to me and asks: “Father, bless me on my pilgrimage to the elder.” I answer: “God bless. Why are you going?” And often I don’t hear an intelligible answer. “Well, everyone is going... There is no health.... I want to be healed, they say it helps” - these are the most common opinions on this matter. Meanwhile, every person going on a pilgrimage must ask himself two questions: what is a pilgrimage in general and why do I personally go to holy places? And try to give yourself an honest answer to them.

Worship the holy places

Pilgrimage to holy places is one of the manifestations of piety, caused by the desire to see great shrines, pray in places that are especially significant for the Christian heart, and thus give back to the Lord, Mother of God, visible worship of saints. WITH ancient times Christians went on journeys to see places associated with the earthly life of the Savior and to pray at the Holy Sepulcher. Also, from the first centuries of Christianity, monastic monasteries in Palestine, Egypt, and Syria arose and became places of pilgrimage for believers. Subsequently, other places of pilgrimage appear and become famous. This is Rome, Athos, and Bari, where pilgrims from all over the world go.

In Rus', since the time of Epiphany, pilgrimage has also become very popular. Russian people make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and other holy places. Absence modern means movement made such travel a feat, very difficult and dangerous for the life of the pilgrim. Gradually, national shrines arise in Rus' and become generally known: the Kiev Pechersk and Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Valaam, Solovki and other places associated with the places of life and exploits of the holy fathers.

Pilgrimage reached its heyday in Russia in the 19th century. Then there was, for example, a pious tradition of visiting the Kiev Pechersk Lavra at least once in your life. Thousands of pilgrims of all kinds social status and material well-being went on pilgrimage to best case scenario on horseback, and most often on foot with a knapsack of crackers on his back. These pilgrims not only themselves became familiar with the shrine, but also gave many people the opportunity to learn about the holy places. In all centuries, Russian people have lived in love with strangers. Hospitality was a special kind of piety, which allowed not only to listen to the pilgrim, but also to take part in his feat with a personal donation.

It was at this time that the activities of the Russian Spiritual Mission in the Holy Land reached their peak. Through the efforts of the head of the mission, Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), significant tracts of land in Palestine are being acquired as the property of our Fatherland, where not only churches and monasteries are being built, but also spacious hotels for pilgrims.

The revolution destroyed the traditions of pilgrimage in our country. Monasteries and churches were destroyed, sections of the Russian mission abroad were largely lost, and Russian people were deprived of the opportunity to freely make pilgrimage trips for many years.

Nowadays, the tradition of making pilgrimages is being revived; many people go to both well-known and little-known monasteries. There are many companies in this area that organize transport, accommodation, and visits to temples. But often the spirit of these trips is radically different from those made in past centuries.

And the point is not that living conditions have changed and modern people began to use high-speed transport. If in ancient times there had been such an opportunity to make movement easier, people would have used it too. Back then, not everyone walked, some rode in carts, which also made the journey easier. Nowadays, having to pay the amount of money you earn for a ticket can be perceived as equivalent to the efforts of ancient pilgrims.

The main difference, in my opinion, is that at that time pilgrimage was perceived as work, as service to God. The Christian perceived family, work, and relationships with neighbors as a field in which a person must sacrifice something, endure some hardships, and through this grow spiritually and become closer to God. The book “Frank Tales of a Wanderer to His Own” became widely known in the last century. spiritual father", the hero of which walked thousands of kilometers from central Russia to Siberia, visiting holy places. Of course, having accomplished such a feat, he perceived his pilgrimage differently than a modern person. And his main acquisition during his travels was not pleasant impressions and memorable souvenirs, but his skill in prayer.

And we often perceive pilgrimage and all other areas of our lives as a means to gain some benefit for ourselves personally, to receive pleasure, no matter sensual, mental or even spiritual. A consumerist, selfish attitude towards the world is typical to modern man. To return to the experience of the ancient pilgrims, you cannot go with the flow, you need to make an effort and try to change something.

Pilgrim or tourist?

Every Orthodox Christian When going on a pilgrimage, he must clearly determine for himself: why is he doing this? Why does he deprive himself of basic household amenities, give away money, waste time? What does this trip mean to him? Travel along the Golden Ring of Russia with a tour of historical and cultural attractions, which include temples, icons, and church utensils. Or is it a desire to learn more deeply about the life of the Church, to work for Christ. Although the first is not bad, the second is much more important.

Someone goes to a monastery to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit and get acquainted with monastic life. But some are drawn to pilgrimage by more mundane goals: to ask and certainly receive material goods, health, success in business. This is how it develops in the modern church environment special kind piety - the so-called “spiritual tourism”. This also includes trips to a famous or little-known elder, where for a material reward people hope to receive a guaranteed result through external, semi-magical actions. I went exactly seven times for a reprimand or treatment with a copy and you are guaranteed healing. But the question arises: what is the nature of this healing? What forces are behind the activities of this healer?

You cannot perceive spiritual life through the prism of material goods - health, luck or obtaining a profitable position at work. This is a big mistake, because while striving for material things, one may not notice more, not appreciate the spiritual gift that the Lord gives to man.

A person, going on a pilgrimage, must first of all ask himself: what is his relationship with God, with the Church. Pilgrimage is one of the forms of church life. But the spiritual life of a Christian begins not with pilgrimage, but with repentance. As the Gospel says: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” We must begin with reading the Gospel, with repentance, with Communion. In this case, a person will be able to correctly understand everything that he sees on the trip. And even when faced with everyday difficulties, incorrect (as it seems to him) behavior of priests, monks or laity, he will not be tempted by this, will not be upset.

Today you can often hear that many people began their church life with a pilgrimage. For example, on the recommendation of relatives or acquaintances, we went to Diveevo and became a church member. But the question arises: did they really become churchgoers? Have they accepted the experience and traditions of the Church, have they humbled themselves before its rules? Indeed, today, along with church Christians who attend divine services, receive communion, and confess, there is an environment of so-called near-church people. They think that they are within the boundaries of the Church and consider themselves deeply religious people. But at the same time, they do not participate in the life of the Church, do not confess, do not receive communion, or do this occasionally to solve personal problems. From this environment grows a whole generation of Christians who not only perceive Christian life in their own way, but also preach their attitude, which is far from the Gospel and the experience of the Church, to other people. Today, this is also helped by unlimited communication opportunities, as in real life, so virtual space, where people discuss trips, share their thoughts, and evaluate church life, knowing little about it.

Today there is developed business, aimed at pilgrims. Trip organizers gather everyone who can pay for the trip. At the same time, no one is interested in what is in the heads of these people, what mark the trip will leave on their souls.

Meanwhile, pilgrimage is one of the means of spiritual improvement of a person, which allows you not only to visit new places or worship at a shrine, but also to see your shortcomings, infirmities, as well as the power of God, His help and support. When a person on a trip endures everyday inconveniences and voluntary deprivations, he begins to have a deeper attitude towards life and feel gratitude for the simplest things. After all, even a piece of bread can be eaten in very different ways. For example, when Optina Pustyn was being revived, many people went there not on pilgrimage tours, but on their own - on buses, trains, and even had to walk several kilometers. And they came there to work for the glory of God, and not to admire the architectural monuments. Having worked all day at a construction site or in the field, they perceived the meager monastery food as truly sent by God. This is an invaluable experience, and a person who has not acquired it will not be able to truly appreciate what a pilgrimage is.

It is impossible, and there is no need, to close pilgrimage services or prohibit everyone from going on pilgrimage trips. But every Christian must understand what his heart is looking for on this trip. Then ask the priest to whom he is confessing for a blessing for the trip. Don’t just confront the fact: “Bless you, I’m going to a monastery or to an elder,” but try to explain in more detail the reasons for your decision. The priest will be able to advise what to pay attention to in the monastery, how to behave, how to prepare for this trip. Before the trip, you need to read something about the history of the monastery, about spiritual life, about prayer. Of course, not only ancient pilgrims, but also modern ones can and should try to pray more while traveling, including the Jesus Prayer. Then the trip will turn into a real pilgrimage.

If a person is going on a pilgrimage to a monastery, it is very important to try to join the monastic life, hidden from prying inattentive eyes. Why are springs, crackers, and blessed butter so popular? This lies on the surface and is accessible without spiritual labor. But one must be able to consider monastic life and virtues through spiritual work. Therefore, it is important to take a closer look, listen, and not succumb to the spirit of vanity that often arises in pilgrimage groups. Even if it didn't work once again swim in a spring, buy another souvenir in a candle shop, it’s not scary. A mindful pilgrim can reap immeasurably greater benefits to the soul.

And one last thing. A church person should perceive a pilgrimage trip as a kind of addition to his daily service, as an encouragement for work, as a gift sent from the Lord. And under no circumstances should pilgrimage replace everyday spiritual work, participation in the sacraments, and in the life of the Church.

Read where the routes of the most famous Christian pilgrimages are located and what traditions they are associated with. Find out how to make the pilgrimage correctly

What is a pilgrimage and who are the pilgrims?

A pilgrim in the general sense is a person going to a place that is sacred to him. One can call this a person returning, for example, to his hometown, to his place of birth, but in the basic sense of the word, pilgrimage is a visit to holy places associated with the religion that the pilgrim professes. The word is derived from the Latin “palma”, reminiscent of the palm branches with which people greeted the Lord Christ at His Entry into Jerusalem shortly before death on the cross.
We will tell you where the routes of the most famous Christian pilgrimages are and what traditions they are associated with.

Israel pilgrimage

The main pilgrimage in all centuries is the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to Jerusalem, to the places of Christ’s earthly life. Most of makes pilgrimages on Orthodox Easter. On Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire takes place here.
This is truly a miracle that people expect every year with faith and hope. Its meaning is the self-ignition of the lamp on the Holy Sepulcher in the presence of the Patriarch of Constantinople. They prepare for the service of Holy Saturday in advance, but no one knows at what hour it will descend Holy Fire. According to legend, one year he will not appear, and this will mean the onset of the end times, the End of the World.
Every year, on Saturday morning, the Ecumenical Patriarch with a retinue of clergy enters the Church of the Resurrection of Christ and undresses himself down to his white cassock in its center, at the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher (Edicule), which stands above the very place where Christ was resurrected, above the Stone of His Sepulchre. All light sources in the temple are extinguished - from lamps to chandeliers. The Patriarch, according to the tradition that emerged after the Turkish rule in Jerusalem, is searched for the presence of anything that would contribute to the ignition of the Fire. The sacristan brings into the Edicule cave a lamp, which is placed in the middle of the Holy Sepulcher, and the same torch of 33 Jerusalem candles. As soon as he enters there Orthodox Patriarch accompanied by the Primate Armenian Church, the cave with them is sealed with wax. Pilgrims fill the entire temple - words of prayers are heard here, confession of sins takes place in anticipation of the descent of the Fire. Typically this wait lasts from several minutes to several hours. As soon as flashes of lightning appear above Edicule, signifying the Convergence, a bell rings above the temple. Many millions of people over the centuries have witnessed this miracle, because even today scientists cannot explain it with anything other than God's power, flashes of lightning in the temple on Holy Saturday.

The patriarchs pass Jerusalem candles into the chapel window, and pilgrims and priests in the temple begin to light their torches from them. Again, from a few minutes to an hour the Holy Fire does not burn and pilgrims scoop it up with their hands and wash their faces. Fire does not ignite hair, eyebrows, or beards. All of Jerusalem is ablaze with thousands of candle torches. Flight representatives Local Churches They transport the Holy Fire in special lamps to all countries where there are Orthodox believers.

Pilgrimage to Bari to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is world famous and revered by all Christians. He lived in the 4th century, but even today he remains dear and beloved to many people, because he continues to hear our prayers, help those who turn to him, save them from death, poverty, melancholy and many troubles.
Immediately after he departed to the Lord, his body began to exude myrrh - a miraculous liquid that comes only from miraculous icons and holy relics. Soon he was canonized. The remains and bodies of saints are called holy relics.

The relics of Nicholas the Ugodnik were in his hometown, in the church in his honor, and in 1087, Italian merchants from the city of Bari deceitfully took the holy relics and took them to Italy. Here they are in a white marble closed sarcophagus in the basilica in honor of St. Nicholas. Many pilgrims from all over the world come here every day.

The relics constantly exude myrrh, stream myrrh. Miro is a wonderful fragrant liquid, the exact composition of which scientists still cannot name. Miro exude miraculous icons and the relics of some saints especially blessed by God. This substance is a fragrant oil, and it contains the essential oils of unknown plants, as if unearthly.

Pilgrimage to the relics of Spyridon Trimifuntsky in Corfu

Saint Spyridon is the second miracle worker after Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra. After for long years oblivion during the years of godlessness of the twentieth century, Russians again pray to St. Spyridon, and for last decades Testimonies of his miracles are multiplying.

Saint Spyridon is called a miracle worker, like Saint Nicholas. He is considered one of the great patrons of Greece; his relics rest on the island of Corfu. In all centuries, people turned to the saint and found help; in Russia of the twentieth century his name was forgotten, but today the veneration of the saint is being revived again.

The relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky are located on the island of Corfu and exude great miracles. They are a sign that the saint walks among people and helps them: it has been testified over the centuries that Spyridon’s shoes, worn on his holy relics, are changed annually and their soles are always worn out! This amazing fact strengthens people’s faith that the saint rises invisibly from the grave and himself walks around the world, appearing to people and strengthening them.

Other amazing facts about the relics of the saint: the saint’s body has a constant temperature of a living person, just above 36. His hair and nails continue to grow a little. And over the centuries, it happened many times that the key could not open the lock on the shrine (coffin) with the relics. Then everyone becomes a witness: the saint walks around the world and helps the suffering.

Pilgrimage to Saint James - Saint Jacques in Spain

The relics of Saint James, brother of John the Theologian, are especially revered in Spain. He preached in those places, following the wine route from Jerusalem (which is why he is revered as the patron saint of travelers and pilgrims). According to legend, after he was killed by Herod, his body was carried in a boat to the bank of the Ulya River. Now here is the city named after him, Santiago de Compostela. In 813, one of the Spanish monks received a sign of God: a star, with its light showing the burial place of the relics of Jacob. The name of the city built on the site of their discovery is translated from Spanish as “Place of St. James, designated by a star.”

From the 10th century, a pilgrimage began here, which by the 11th century acquired the significance of the second pilgrimage in status after visiting Jerusalem. Ancient pilgrimage traditions are still observed today: the pilgrim must reach the city on foot, walking for one hundred kilometers or pedaling a bicycle for two hundred kilometers.

God bless you!

Christian pilgrimage and modern tourism: history and modernity of pilgrimage.

The modern word “pilgrim” goes back to the Old Russian “palmovnik”, which, in turn, is derived from the Latin palmarius (“a person holding a palm branch”). This is what the pilgrims - participants in the religious procession in the Holy Land - were originally called. Those who sought to meet the Light in Jerusalem Christ's Resurrection, came in advance to spend the entire Holy Week in the Holy City. And since Holy Week is preceded by the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (otherwise this holiday is also called Vai Week, or in Russian Orthodox tradition - Palm Sunday), and the main event of this day was the religious procession to the walls of Jerusalem, the pilgrims who took part in this procession carried palm branches. Almost two thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Jerusalem greeted Christ with the same branches. As a rule, in addition to various relics, pilgrims took these palm branches home with them as souvenirs.

Subsequently, pilgrims began to be called pilgrims traveling not only to Jerusalem, but also to other Christian shrines.

Orthodox pilgrimage - origins

The Christian tradition of pilgrimage has a long history - in the 10th century it already spanned more than one century. From the very beginning of the existence of the Church, the life of believers included visiting places associated with the life of Jesus Christ, his Most Pure Mother, the holy apostles and martyrs. These places, which were already objects of worship by the first Christians, also soon began to be called holy. In 325, Emperor Constantine the Great issued a decree on the construction of Christian churches in holy places: in Bethlehem - at the birthplace of the Savior, and in Jerusalem - above the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher, and he declared the territory of Palestine the Holy Land.

Calling on its believers to make a pilgrimage, the Russian Orthodox Church also respects tourists visiting Christian shrines. The Church considers religious tourism an important means of spiritual enlightenment of our compatriots.

As a result, by the 4th century, thousands of pilgrims began to flock to Jerusalem and Bethlehem to worship the main shrines of Christianity, marking the beginning of a mass pilgrimage movement to the Holy Land. Jerusalem revealed its shrines to the whole world and regained its ancient name- before Constantine, during the time of the pagan emperors, it was called Aelia Capitolina. In the minds of Christians around the world, Jerusalem has become the Holy City, a place of worship of Christ.

The pilgrims of the 4th century also revered holy places associated with Old Testament, visited the burial places of the righteous of antiquity, prophets, kings and biblical patriarchs. The local population began to literally get lost in a sea of ​​pilgrims who spared neither effort nor money to perpetuate the memory of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. A great many churches and monasteries were built in Palestine, and for the needs of wandering pilgrims, the Church blessed the construction of inns, hotels, shelters, hospice houses and protected wells along the main pilgrimage routes.

At the 7th Ecumenical Council, which marked the victory over the heresy of iconoclasm, a determination was adopted according to which God should be served, and icons should be worshiped. This definition, which has the character of church dogma, is also connected with the topic of Orthodox pilgrimage. Pilgrims in the Byzantine church tradition are called “worshippers” - that is, people who travel for the purpose of worshiping shrines.

Since the definition of the Ecumenical Council was not accepted in the Catholic West, a difference arose in the understanding of pilgrimage within Christianity. In many European languages, pilgrimage is defined by the word “pilgrim,” which translated into Russian means only “wanderer.” Pilgrims in Catholic Church They perform prayers at holy places and practice meditation. However, the worship of shrines that exists in Orthodox Church, is absent in Catholicism. The same can be said about Protestants. Therefore, the traditions of pilgrimage journeys to holy places and, in general, the term “pilgrimage” itself in its direct meaning relate primarily to Orthodoxy.

Previous photo 1/ 1 Next photo

Russian pilgrimage

Russian Orthodox pilgrimage dates back to the first centuries of the spread of Christianity in Ancient Rus', that is, since the 9th-10th centuries. Thus, it is already more than a thousand years old. By the way, the word “pilgrimage” has synonyms: pilgrimage, worship, pilgrimage. The earliest words to denote pilgrimage and the name of a participant in this process were the words “wandering” and “wanderer,” found in the works of the Church Fathers, theological and church-historical literature. As a rule, a wanderer is a person who has devoted his entire life only to walking to holy places, leaving other activities - in contrast to a pilgrim who goes on a specific pilgrimage and after that leads his old way of life. And in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the heyday of Russian pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the word “admirer” was widely used in Russia. It very clearly shows the meaning of pilgrimage, which lies precisely in the religious worship of holy places.

Gradually, Rus' developed its own pilgrimage centers. Traveling to them has always been perceived as a spiritual and physical feat. That is why they often went on foot to worship. When going on a pilgrimage, Orthodox Christians receive a blessing to undertake it either from the diocesan bishop or from their spiritual mentor.

Thank you for your help in preparing the material “Pilgrimage Center of the Moscow Patriarchate”. The material quotes the expert opinions of the Deputy Chairman of the DECR MP, Bishop Mark of Yegoryevsk and general director“Pilgrimage Center of the Moscow Patriarchate” Sergei Yuryevich Zhitenev

A pilgrim is a person who consciously follows his chosen path, as opposed to an ordinary vagabond. Before this, he sets himself a certain goal, which will certainly be associated with sacred symbols. Studying the topic: “Who are the pilgrims?”, it should be noted that from Latin this word is translated as “palm tree” - palma (here we mean the palm branches with which the people met Jesus Christ in Jerusalem). A pilgrimage is a journey to the Holy Land and others associated with the Christian faith.

Pilgrims are...?

This Christian tradition lies the desire of believers to venerate the holy places associated with the earthly life of Jesus Christ, Him and the apostles, in order to immerse themselves in sacred waters and pray in front of the miraculous holy images. Other religions also have similar customs.

In Russia, pilgrimage to the Holy Land began from the very first times of the birth of Russian Christianity. The path was difficult and dangerous, and mainly it lay through Constantinople. By the 11th century, the Holy Land, Athos and their national shrines became the pilgrim routes. But already by XII century the passion for pilgrimage reached its climax, and the church authorities were forced to restrain their zealous worshipers.

By the 15th century comes crucial moment, when an Orthodox pilgrim begins to complain about his oppression by evil Arabs and Turks. By that time, Constantinople had fallen to the Turks, and the Christian shrines of the East were in the hands of Muslims.

Orthodox pilgrim

In the second half of the 16th century, pilgrimages to the Holy Land intensified again. There is even a detailed pilgrimage of the merchant Vasily Yakovlevich Gagara to Jerusalem and Egypt. He lived in Kazan and traded with Persian merchants. Until the age of 40, in his own words, he lived “badly and prodigally”; the result of this behavior was misfortunes that fell on his head one after another. His wife died, then the ship with the goods sank, and trade came to naught. However, after church repentance and the vow he made to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, in one year he acquired twice as much property as he had lost before.

However, most often the pilgrims were official people who were sent on errands and alms by the Moscow government.

The war with Turkey in the second half of the 18th century during the time of Catherine again made Orthodox pilgrimage difficult.

But to mid-19th century, the establishment of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem and the creation of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society played a huge role in strengthening pilgrimage.

Often this kind religious motives became a cover for aggressive trade purposes. The pilgrimage also played a huge role in preparing crusades. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims included the highest nobility, and warriors who sought what happened at the Holy Sepulcher, and merchants for trading purposes, and scientists, and adventurers, and magicians who sought miraculous knowledge in the East.

Pilgrimage today

Modern pilgrims - who are they? And is there a tradition of pilgrimage today? I must say that it is being reborn, only in new form, since people’s interest and faith in Christ do not disappear, but increase even more. This is now facilitated by a huge number of opening temples and monasteries, which are often the organizers of such trips around the world, but travel companies are also involved in this.

You can come to any Jerusalem or as a pilgrim. The Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem keeps statistics in which there is information that about half of spiritual pilgrims from all over the world are Orthodox from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. In addition to Palestine, Russian pilgrims visit the Greek Athos, the city where the relics of St. Nicholas the Pleasant are located, the capital of Montenegro, where the right hand of John the Baptist is kept, and other holy places of Christians.

However, pilgrimage has little in common with excursion tourism, since it requires preliminary work on spirituality in terms of cleansing the soul with repentance, awareness of one’s sins and humility; this is necessary before visiting such great shrines in order to deeply and reverently penetrate into the gospel atmosphere of the holy events of two thousand years ago.

Conclusion

Any Russian pilgrim, realizing the importance of this event, tries to properly prepare for this moment in advance, so he fasts for a while, confesses, takes communion, prays a lot and then, with his blessing, sets off on the trip.

The main thing is to understand that pilgrims are not ordinary tourists, but deeply religious people who do not go to relax and view shrines as museum exhibits, but to see something more intimate, hidden from ordinary eyes.

Note ed., – A pilgrimage is a journey to holy places. Pilgrimage to Orthodox Christianity often called “Orthodox tourism,” which is not entirely true, because pilgrimage is not very similar to a tourist trip. Pilgrims set out on the journey for the sake of prayer, communication with God and the opportunity to see Orthodox shrines. One must prepare spiritually for such a journey. Often pilgrims overcome difficulties, fast, and specifically take certain vows. Many people go on pilgrimage to work in a monastery or for missionary work, talking about Christ along the way. Pilgrimage – ancient tradition. Many churches and monasteries have special pilgrimage services. Pilgrimage traditions had already formed, and the first pilgrimages took place in apostolic times.

An ordinary nightmare

From the personal. 2003 The tenth anniversary of the death of Hieromonk Vasily and the monks Trofim and Ferapont. All of Moscow takes off and goes to Optina Pustyn. There are so many people visiting the monastery that some set up tents right on the square in front of the gate.

The decision to go is made spontaneously when one comes across a piece of paper with the travel schedule of a pilgrimage service with a nice name. Call:

- Yes, of course, there are places.

And we're going.

In a good way, we should have been on our guard as soon as it became clear that the bus was leaving the center of Moscow at 22:00 on Saturday. Moreover, there was an opportunity to leave for the whole weekend.

Theoretically, such a departure time made it possible to attend Vespers. In fact, we were just getting through the whole city to the landing site. And then... go back.

The third ring did not exist then, and the driver had no choice but to get out of the city along radii. Which he did until about one in the morning. So the commercial calculation to gather travelers from all areas, multiplied by the evening rush hour, cost us three to four extra hours of travel.

Five in the morning. The bus finally pulls up to the monastery. According to the guide, there is an hour left before the start of the early liturgy. Someone is trying to take a nap in a chair. The most experienced ones remember that immersing in the springs after communion is usually not blessed.

Hearing the question: “Where is the source?” – the accompanying girl is frankly scared. It was her first time on this route; she was provided with some information about churches and the schedule of services, but it was simply useless to pester her for everything else.

The group of the most awakened ones gets off the bus in a line and stretches along the road leading away from the gate. The outlines of the monastery slowly disappear in the thick pre-dawn fog. Fortunately, at this early hour, one of the locals comes across and, frankly stunned by the sight of the procession of twenty-five people, who by that time had tramped a good half way to Kozelsk, asks the question: “Where are you going,...good people?”...

The same road

Then we stand in lines endlessly – first for confession. (Actually, morning confession in the monastery is intended for those who go to the late liturgy, but we won’t have time for it - the bus will leave. Luckily, the queue lets us through).

Then - during the liturgy itself - behind candles, notes and prosphora. Even if the escort knew about the existence of a shop in the basement of the Kazan Cathedral, at five in the morning it would hardly have helped us.

Closer to noon, having galloped around Optina and, it seems, Skete, a group of completely exhausted and hungry people (they warned us that they wouldn’t feed us in the monastery and we had to take food with us) departed for Shamordino...

Shamordino. Mr. Meadow

Orthodox pilgrimage and Orthodox tourism

IN last years Increasingly, there is talk about the existence of two close, but still different phenomena - Orthodox pilgrimage and Orthodox (or “Orthodox-oriented”) tourism.

From the point of view of specialists, the second one is serviced by personnel trained in the specialty “hotel business”. That is, all the usual disciplines are studied - marketing, management, basics of pr. It’s just that the activity then turns out to be “thematic”.

For the user, the main difference is different. Pilgrimage is a feat where the main objective– visit services and shrines. The question of where you will eat/sleep, and how interested you will be, is decided secondarily on a trip for this purpose. (I remember how in the same Optina, groups of pilgrims spent the night on rugs right on the salt of the Vvedensky Church).

Orthodox tourism, in addition to a certain amount of comfort, involves the usual educational and educational program. That is, “look to the right, look to the left,” albeit with a special theme.

Neither mouse nor frog...

A separate problem is that the field in which most modern pilgrimage services operate is located exactly in the middle between these phenomena.

On the one hand, the trips they offer are declared as “pilgrimage”, and therefore most participants are focused on two things: 1) get to the place; 2) for as little money as possible. To be especially outraged by the level of comfort and quality of service in such a company is somehow “not comme il faut.” On the other hand, sending a group for a week to some Far Abroad without any amenities or documents is also unrealistic.

As a result, terms like “service agreement”, “transfer”, “hotel reservation” and the like begin to flicker on the horizon only during long-distance, especially foreign, travel. In the case of short-term domestic trips, it often happens that no papers are signed with the traveler at all, offering to “transfer the money directly to the tour guide on the bus.”

Meanwhile, one must understand that the “pilgrimage service” is the same travel company. And she works with tourist pilgrims, on the one hand, and with staff - drivers accompanying groups - on the other.

In the worst case, even if the number of groups on the route is limited, and their schedule is determined six months in advance, this personnel may turn out to be one-time hires.

In addition, often, a pilgrimage service (tour company) acts as an intermediary between customers of services (pilgrims) and numerous local sellers - carriers, hotels, tour guides, or a grandmother from the private sector in the vicinity of Diveevo, who rents out a corner for the night.

So it is quite possible to travel twice along the same route with the same service - and get a completely different set of information, services and impressions.

And in general, if you were taken to a place, but were told almost nothing, were misdirected and were not accommodated very well, be prepared for the objection “we only undertook to deliver you.”

And, it’s true, you don’t have a contract in your hands, and in all advertising brochures, among the services provided by the agency itself, usually only a “comfortable bus” is listed.

What to do?

• First things first, decide on your goals. You can start looking for a trip by typing the word “pilgrimage” into a search engine if you are really ready for a feat. That is, your goal is to visit the shrines and a night spent on the salt of a temple or two-story bunks of a hotel for workers will not bother you.
• In any case, you should ask about travel, accommodation and accommodation conditions in advance. I also had to see the hysterics of people who, as it seemed to them, were just buying a “cheap excursion” when checking into the monastery hotel.
• Practice has shown that the best trips to monasteries are organized from their farmsteads. Yes, in this case you will not receive any papers either, because formally the group will be voluntary, and the cost of the trip will be considered a donation. But the people who will take you are not personnel hired one-time for one trip. Most likely, they have been working at the temple for many years on this one route (and not on forty different ones). Moreover, they themselves have been to the monastery more than once as pilgrims and therefore are aware of not only the schedule of services, but they will tell you everything about local shrines, the location of candle and icon shops, and will even tell you the time when they are least crowded. In addition, household groups, more often than others, are accommodated in monastery hotels and fed in refectories.
• Absolutely perfect option pilgrimage - a group of parishioners who goes on a trip with a priest. Of course, such an event may not be the cheapest, not regular and quite troublesome to organize. But all the inconveniences are compensated by the situation when the trip is arranged with your own people, for your own people and exactly where you want to go. In general, the option when pilgrims are accompanied by a priest (now practiced for foreign trips and by some pilgrimage services) has many advantages. On site, the group “with the priest” can be allowed to enter the shrine without a queue. Yes, and a prayer service or litiya can be served without waiting for what is stated in the monastery schedule.
• In general, you need to listen most carefully to the schedule on site. It’s even more convenient to look for fellow travelers on the bus who are not going to the place for the first time. Of course, you are not required to follow your group in formation from two days to two weeks. A clear understanding of where and when everything is served and when the bus leaves will provide you with the optimal amount of freedom.

And happy pilgrimage.