S Prazdnikom! С Праздником!

1/14 October Holy Protection Покров Пр. Богородицы

This is the Church of the Holy Protection--the smaller of two churches standing side-by-side within the walls of Pokrovsky (Zhensky) Monastery. In the lower part is the chapel of St. Matrona, where her holy relics lie. The upper, main church had been blocked off and closed when I first got here--they were renovating it precisely in time to be finished today, their Feast Day.

I got over to the Monastery none too early this morning--I was absolutely exhausted from teaching all day yesterday and then going straight to vigil--all this with a really bad cold.

So when I got there there the usual line was about 4 times as long! (Not like in this particular picture, taken earlier). I wasn't sure whether the line was waiting for the icon of St. Matrona (outside), or whether it was waiting to get into the church--in which case, the latter was hopeless. I decided to park myself as near as possible to the church doors, so at least I could hear some of the service and see the entrance! There were about 4 security guards there, keeping everyone out. There were a few people already in the entryway of the church, going up the inside steps, and, oddly enough, people seemed to be trickling back out. No one seemed to know just what was going on, or whether we could get in...

I was partly getting annoyed and partly amazed that security guards would be keeping people out (though, considering the unbelievable crowds--like, imagine Pascha at Holy Epiphany and at least double it--I suppose there has to be some kind of crowd control) when.... I got to see the lighter side of the guards. Suddenly one of them came down the steps towards us, looked at all the crowd, looked again, threw up his arms and laughed, and said, "Twenty people." You could see he felt sorry for everyone. Immediately I was just about squashed and being carried almost off my feet by the press of the enormous crowd, all trying to be the first to get through the small gateway. The "twenty" people got through and the gate closed just in front of me. Two guards started loudly telling people to push back. I was crestfallen. I prayed that the gates won't close in front of me to get into the Kingdom of Heaven! Then I prayed to the Mother of God to please let me in, even though I hadn't been waiting in line for hours the way the others had.

After 5 or 10 minutes, the guard came down again and said, "20 people." Again, I was suddenly being pressed by the crowd so hard that I began to understand how people's ribs could get broken in large crowds. I was moving--not on my own two feet, but by the press of the crowd, towards the little gate in front of me. Would I make it before the guard shut it again? ... YES! Just barely, as they were shutting the gate again, I got through--though my pocketbook almost didn't make it--I had to pull it hard to get it, too, past the people.

So, I got in! I was so happy! It was beautiful--heavenly. It's a very small church by Russian standards. The iconostas is actually semi-circular. As you can see, there are icons of the Apostles at the top of the iconostas, cut out and looking up to the Ascended Christ. If you double-click on the picture it might come up bigger, actual size. I was not actually in this main part of the church, but in the right side-chapel, dedicated to the Holy Apostles. They are connected by an archway, so I could see the left part of the iconostas, and everything that was going on in the very front of the church. I felt so happy to have gotten in--I was just basking in the beauty of it all.

The original iconostas must have been destroyed by the Bolsheviks, because this one is all "new" -- as is the case here, most newly-painted icons are in a more traditional style than their 19th-century (or earlier) counterparts. The original frescoes were still on the ceilings, however--I love them! They are scenes from the life of the Saviour and of the Apostles, complete with the chapter and verse written under each scene. It was like being inside a Bible story book! There was a lot of Baroque carved and gilt ornamentation, especially around the little shrines, with small signs posted near the large wall-icons asking people not to touch the gilding with their hands. It was all just newly-finished.

The picture doesn't really give the feel of it, because there were the two side-chapels--tiny little things, like, the whole altar of one was probably just big enough for one person to get into, but what we don't have at Holy Epiphany is the side chapel and the walls between the side-chapel. It's not a complete wall--you can walk through to the main church through a big archway.

The nuns sang beautifully--simply and clearly. Near the end, however, they progressed to something very complicated--I marvelled to hear these nuns suddenly singing diva virtuoso stuff! And you should have heard the priests (lots!) sing when they came out for the Little Entrance--best I've heard except in San Francisco. I got a little sound clip of it if I can put it on here....

After the Liturgy everyone started singing a wonderful little song to the Mother of God. It went like this (in 3/4 time):

Радуйся, Радосте наша!
Покры (?) нас от всякаго зла
Честным Твоим омофором.

(drat--doesn't seem to be a way to upload a sound clip into this blog...)

They sang that over and over again--it was very touching and very Russian!

I think there was also a Procession of the Cross--almost everyone went downstairs (out). I wasn't sure, though, and didn't go out because it was so hard to get in. I was able to get a prosfora and a little icon.

Finally went home, just in time! It was snowing when I left the church! Really coming down. Now it sounds more like rain again, though. Yuck.

Till next post,

Love,

Dimitra/Mom