Death of the noblewoman Morozova. Boyarina Morozova. Life and historical facts from primary sources. Along the Cross Procession Vereya-Borovsk

Boyarina Morozova Feodosia Prokopyevna (born May 21 (31), 1632 - death November 2 (12, 1675) - supreme palace noblewoman. She was arrested for her adherence to the “old faith”, exiled to the Pafnutievo-Borovsky Monastery and imprisoned in the monastery prison, where she died of starvation.

What is known about Feodosia Prokopyevna

The image of the noblewoman Morozova in national memory is connected with the painting by V. Surikov, beloved by the people. Even the writer V. Garshin, having seen the artist’s painting 100 years ago at an exhibition, predicted that descendants would not be able to “imagine Feodosia Prokopyevna otherwise than how she is depicted in the painting.” It is difficult for a contemporary to be impartial, but we understand that Garshin, as it turned out, was a good prophet. Many people imagine the noblewoman Morozova as a stern, elderly woman, as in the picture, who fanatically raised her hand in a double-fingered motion. Well, Surikov knew history well and, in the main, did not go against the truth, but he needed the details of fiction for the sake of symbolic generalizations.

Boyarina Morozova was not old - look at the dates of her life. The noblewoman was arrested 4 years before her death, then she was not even forty, but the people’s memory could only capture the martyr for the idea as having lived, wise and alien to any frivolity.

Why did the glory of the noblewoman Morozova cross centuries? Why, among thousands of sufferers for the faith, was this woman destined to become a symbol of the schismatics’ struggle against the “Nikonians”?

In the artist’s canvas, Feodosia Prokopyevna addresses the Moscow crowd, the common people - a wanderer with a staff, an old beggar woman, a holy fool, and all those who actually represented the social stratum of fighters against new rituals. However, Morozova was not an ordinary disobedient woman. The Miracle Monastery, where she was taken, was located in the Kremlin. It is not known whether the tsar watched from the palace passages as the people saw off his favorite, as she proclaimed anathema to the “wicked,” but there is no doubt that the thought of Morozova haunted him and gave him no rest.

Painting by V. Surikov “Boyaryna Morozova”

Morozov family

The noblewoman stood too close to the throne, knew the tsar too well, and besides this, the Morozov family was one of the most noble. There were less than ten such high-ranking families in Russia; at least the Romanovs, to whom Alexei Mikhailovich belonged, had no more rights to the throne than any of the Morozovs. One can guess to what extent the tsar felt uncomfortable when giving the order to arrest the noblewoman. However, there were other things to worry about.

The Morozov brothers, Boris and Gleb, were relatives of the Tsar’s father Mikhail and in their youth served as bedsitters for the elder Romanov, this was an exceptional position at court. When 17-year-old Alexei was crowned king in 1645, Boris Morozov became his closest adviser. It was the boyar who chose Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya’s wife for the sovereign and played the first role at the wedding - he was with the sovereign “in his father’s place.” Ten days later, Boris Morozov, a widower and already an elderly man, married the Tsarina’s sister Anna for a second marriage and became the Tsar’s brother-in-law.

From his exceptional position he was able to extract everything he could. And if a good fortune for a gentleman of that era was considered to be the ownership of 300 peasant households, then Morozov had more than 7,000 of them. Unheard of wealth!

The career of Gleb Ivanovich, a very ordinary man, completely depended on the success of his brother. The younger Morozov married the unborn 17-year-old beauty Feodosia Sokovnina, who was very friendly with the queen. Boris Ivanovich died without leaving heirs, and all of his huge fortune went to his younger brother, who also died soon, making his widow and the youth Ivan Glebovich the richest people in the Russian state.

1) Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov
2) Boyarina Morozova visits Archpriest Avvakum

The life of noblewoman Morozova

Boyar Morozova was surrounded not just by wealth, but by luxury. Contemporaries recalled that she rode in a gilded carriage, which was drawn by 6-12 best horses, and about 300 servants ran behind. On Morozov’s Zyuzino estate, a huge garden was laid out where peacocks walked. Considering all this - Morozova’s successful marriage, luxurious life, personal friendship with royal family, - one can understand Archpriest Avvakum, who saw something absolutely exceptional in the fact that Theodosia Prokopyevna renounced “earthly glory.” The noblewoman in fact became an ardent opponent of church reforms. The temperament of a public figure raged within her, and she was able to fully realize herself by defending the old faith.

The house of a rich and influential noblewoman turned into the headquarters of opponents of innovations, critics of amendments to church books, the leader of the schismatics came here and lived for a long time, receiving shelter and protection. All day long Morozova received wanderers, holy fools, priests expelled from monasteries, creating a kind of opposition party to the royal court. The noblewoman herself and her sister Princess Evdokia Urusova were blindly devoted to Avvakum and listened to the fiery preacher in everything.

But it would be wrong to assume that noblewoman Morozova was a fanatic and a “blue stocking.” Even Avvakum noticed that she had a cheerful and friendly character. When her old husband died, she was only 30 years old. The widow “tormented” her body with hair shirt, but hair shirt did not always help to pacify the flesh. Avvakum in his letters advised his pupil to gouge out her eyes in order to get rid of the temptation of love.

The archpriest also accused the noblewoman of stinginess in relation to their common cause, but, most likely, it was not just stinginess, but the thriftiness of the mistress. Morozova selflessly loved her only son Ivan and wanted to transfer to him all Morozov’s wealth safe and sound. The noblewoman's letters to the disgraced archpriest, in addition to discussions about faith, are filled with purely feminine complaints about her people, discussions about a suitable bride for her son. In a word, Feodosia Prokopyevna, possessing enviable strength of character, had very human weaknesses, which, of course, makes her asceticism even more significant.

The noblewoman, being a close friend of the sovereign's wife, had a strong influence on her. Maria Ilyinichna, of course, did not oppose her husband’s reforms of the church, but in her soul she still sympathized with the rituals of her parents and listened to the whispers of Feodosia Prokopyevna. Alexei Mikhailovich hardly liked it, but the tsar, who loved his wife, did not allow attacks against the noblewoman, although the latter became increasingly intolerant of innovations and openly supported the tsar’s enemies.

1669 - the queen died. For another two years, Alexei Mikhailovich was afraid to touch the rebellious noblewoman. Apparently, there was sadness for his untimely departed wife, but most of all the sovereign was wary of the indignation of the old boyar families, who could see in the encroachment on Theodosia Prokopyevna a precedent for reprisals against high-ranking families. Meanwhile, Morozoav took monastic vows and began to be called nun Theodora, which, of course, strengthened her fanaticism and “standing up for the faith.” And when in 1671, the tsar, finally consoled, played a wedding with Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, noblewoman Morozova did not want to come to the palace, citing illness, which Alexei Mikhailovich considered an insult and neglect.

Torture of the noblewoman Morozova - drawing by V. Perov

Arrest

It was then that the sovereign recalled all the past grievances to the boyar Morozova; Apparently, it was also affected by the fact that the king, like a mere mortal, did not like the friend of his beloved wife and, like any man, was jealous of her. The autocrat unleashed all his despotic power on the rebellious noblewoman.

On the night of November 14, 1671, Morozova was escorted in chains to the Chudov Monastery, where they began to persuade her to take communion according to the new rite, but Elder Theodora answered firmly: “I will not take communion!” After torture, he and his sister were sent away from Moscow to the Pechersky Monastery. There, the conditions of the prisoners were relatively tolerable. At least the noblewoman could maintain communication with her friends. Servants could visit her and bring her food and clothing.

Archpriest Avvakum continued to pass on instructions to his spiritual daughter. And she just needed warm, compassionate support - the noblewoman’s only, dearly beloved son died. The grief was also increased by the fact that she could not say goodbye to him, and what was it like for her, nun Theodora, to find out that her son was given communion and buried according to new “unholy” rites.

The new Patriarch Pitirim of Novgorod, who sympathized with the supporters of Avvakum, turned to the autocrat with a request to release Morozova and her sister. In addition to considerations of humanity, there was also a share of political intent in this proposal: the imprisonment of the boyar, her sister and their friend Maria Danilova, who was firm in her faith, made a strong impression on the Russian people, and their release would rather attract to a new ritual than deterrence. But the sovereign, not cruel by nature, this time turned out to be adamant. The version again suggests itself that he was burning with some kind of personal resentment towards Morozova, or perhaps he felt awkward in front of Feodosia Prokopyevna because of his marriage to the young beauty Naryshkina and wanted to forget about the past. However, why guess?..

Death of the noblewoman

Having considered the circumstances of the execution of the hated noblewoman, Alexei Mikhailovich decided that the prisoners should not be burned at the stake, because “even death is red in the world,” but ordered the Old Believers to be starved to death, throwing them into the cold pit of the Borovsky Monastery. All the property of the noblewoman Morozova was confiscated, her brothers were first exiled, and then they were also executed.

Drama last days Morozova defies description. Poor women, driven to despair by hunger, asked the jailers for at least a piece of bread, but were refused. Princess Urusova was the first to die on September 11, followed by Feodosia Prokopyevna who died of exhaustion on November 1. Before her death, she found the strength to ask the jailer to wash her shirt in the river, so that, according to Russian custom, she would die in a clean shirt. Maria Danilova suffered the longest, for another whole month.

The once great Morozov family ceased to exist.

Supreme palace noblewoman, close associate of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. An active supporter of the Old Believers. For her beliefs she was imprisoned, where she died of starvation. Pictured on famous painting V. Surikov “Boyaryna Morozova”.

May 21 (31), 1632 in the family of a prominent statesman, a relative of the queen of the royal okolnik Prokopiy Fedorovich Sokovnin, a daughter was born, named Theodosia (given by God). A few years after her birth, “The Quietest,” the second Tsar of the Romanov dynasty, ascended the throne. The years of his reign were marked by many events. One of the most impressive moments is the confrontation between the Tsar and the noblewoman Morozova.

But this happened much later. And while the girl was growing up, her parents dreamed of a profitable match for her. At the age of 17, happiness smiled on her - Gleb Ivanovich Morozov, the younger brother of one of the richest and most influential people of that time, Boris Ivanovich Morozov - a relative of the Tsar, the Tsar's sleeping bag and the Tsarevich's uncle, the owner of a huge fortune and largest landowner of its time.

Feodosia’s parents, although of noble Moscow origin, considered it a great honor to become related to the Morozovs. After all, the Morozov family, in addition to wealth, was very noble, and in those days there were slightly less than a dozen such surnames. And each of them had equal rights to the throne. After the death of his childless elder brother in 1662, Gleb Ivanovich became the heir to his entire fortune - lands, peasants, iron and brick production and salt mines.

The happy marriage of Feodosia with Gleb gave them a son, Ivan. But family life ended when Gleb Ivanovich Morozov also died shortly after Boris’s death. And the young thirty-year-old noblewoman became the widowed manager of the brothers’ common fortune with her young son Ivan Glebovich. At court, Feodosia Prokopyevna was the supreme noblewoman, the tsar's close associate and friend of Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna. The Zyuzino estate near Moscow (now within the boundaries of Moscow), in which the widow and her son lived, was furnished according to Western standards, beautifully and with amenities, peacocks walked in the huge garden - an unheard-of luxury at that time.

The young woman, despite all the privileges of a luxurious life, had enough worries. After all, she had to manage the huge inheritance herself, without relying on the help of numerous relatives. Doting nothing on her son, she cared about preserving and increasing the wealth left to him by his father and uncle. Like any mother, she dreamed of finding him a good match and consulted on this issue with her confessor. She was predicted to be happy rich life, but the active and active noblewoman decided to devote herself to the fight for the faith.

IN mid-17th century century, the church split into two irreconcilable camps - Archpriest Avvakum stood for the interpretation of the original Russian church books and two-fingered, and the patriarch - for their Greek presentation and three-fingered. Many prominent figures from the top, not to mention the common people, did not accept the new church concept. They stood for the old faith of their fathers and grandfathers. Boyarina Morozova also joined the Old Believers, who from childhood was distinguished by deep piety, religiosity and observed all fasts. And after the death of her husband, she constantly wore a coarse shirt made of goat hair (hair shirt), which served as a constant reminder of humility and patience. Archpriest Avvakum saw in this the “finger of fate” - his faith was true, even if the queen’s friend and the richest woman in Muscovy decided to renounce royal privileges, earthly blessings and devote herself to the holy cause - upholding the Old Believer canons.

In the 60s of the 17th century, the house of noblewoman Morozova became the center of schismatic meetings. Persecuted zealots of the old faith rushed under his roof in an endless stream. A kind of opposition center opened its doors wide to wanderers, priests expelled from monasteries, and holy fools. A compassionate woman came to the defense of the weak and persecuted. All day long the noblewoman talked with them, fed them, and left them for the night. Archpriest Avvakum himself and his wife stayed with her and lived for a long time. The priest's fiery speeches did not allow her mind and heart to cool down, constantly maintaining the fire of fanaticism. But this was not sullen fanaticism. According to the observations of contemporaries and archpriest Avvakum, the noblewoman was friendly, cheerful, and friendly. After the lifelong imprisonment of the leader of the Old Believers in a distant monastery, Feodosia Prokopyevna organized active correspondence with him. Her letters are full of anxiety about the fate of her son, household chores, and there is not a word of mention in them about issues of faith.

The example of a selfless struggle against secular and ecclesiastical authorities created an aura of piety for the boyar and inspired many followers. Princess Evdokia Urusova, her sister, noblewoman Marya Danilova, and some other women of “high society” became ardent adherents of the Old Believers. Boyarina Morozova so demonstratively opposed church reforms that not only the court and church officials, but also the Quiet One himself became worried. She was saved from the tsar's wrath only by the kind attitude of Queen Maria and Romanov's fear of going against such an influential family as the Morozovs. Although once in 1666 all her property was taken away from her and transferred to the royal treasury. Then, thanks to the intercession of the queen, some of the estates were even returned.

No one succeeded in endlessly ignoring the tsar's innovations and openly going against the will of the tsar. Boyarina Morozova was no exception. In 1699, Maria Ilyinichna died, but for another two years the tsar was afraid to touch the influential noblewoman, not wanting to spoil relations with the old boyar families. At this time, Morozova became the nun Theodora, having taken monastic vows, and completely withdrew from secular and court life, stopped attending the Reformed church and became even more active in preaching the Old Believers. The last straw of the sovereign’s patience was Morozova’s refusal to attend royal wedding with Natalia Naryshkina, and the wrath of the autocrat, which had been suppressed for so long, fell upon Feodosia Prokopyevna. Nevertheless, before applying harsh measures, he tried once again to persuade Morozova to renounce her schismatic beliefs with the help of boyar Boris Troekurov, son-in-law Prince Pyotr Urusov, and relatives the boyars Rtishchevs. But it was all in vain.

In the late autumn of 1671, Archimandrite and Duma clerk Illarion Ivanov came to the noblewoman’s house with a royal decree on her imprisonment in the Chudov Monastery. Both sisters (they were in the house) showed contempt for those who came, and Morozova did not even get up from the chair on which she was sitting. So with the chair, she had to be carried into the people's quarters from the boyar's mansion. They tried to persuade her to take communion with the new rite in the monastery, but the zealous supporter of the schismatics did not heed the persuasion. After torture and useless persuasion, Theodosia (nun Theodora) was sent to the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, and Evdokia Urusova to Alekseevsky.

It was this event that was captured in the painting. Boyarina Morozova in a sleigh makes the sign of the cross with two fingers at the people who came to see her off. This image is familiar from childhood - the spirit of an unbroken Russian woman, ready to give all earthly goods for the true faith. The artist slightly departed from the truth, depicting the noblewoman much older than her years, but this detail further emphasizes the rebellion and determination of the strong-willed nun. The picture is full of expression. played on contrasts - a richly dressed, shackled noblewoman and a motley gray mass of people, most of whom sympathize with her, evoke a storm of emotions and prompt reflections on the nature and qualities of the completely unknown human soul.

In the Pechersky Monastery, the noblewoman Morozova was overtaken by terrible news - her only son Ivan died, and all her property was transferred to the royal treasury. Even Patriarch Pitirim worked for the disgraced sisters, asking for the release of the foolish women who had foolishly become bogged down in schismatic delusions. However, the king was firm - he suffered too many troubles from “unreasonable women” and appointed Pitirim himself to conduct the investigation. After the patriarch’s useless admonitions, the sisters were tortured on the rack, but physical suffering could not break their spirit. They were expected to be publicly executed at the stake, but this was opposed by the Tsar’s sister Irina Mikhailovna and the boyars, rightly believing that the shameful execution of representatives of the aristocracy should not undermine the prestige of the nobles. The execution was changed to exile and at the end of 1674 the sisters were sent to an earthen prison. The most sophisticated revenge on the rebellious sisters is worldly oblivion and painful death from hunger. The rebellious aristocrats, slowly fading away, spent almost whole year. The pleas of at least a tiny piece of bread from women distraught with hunger did not move the jailers.

Princess Evdokia Prokopyevna Urusova was the first to break down. In September 1675, she quietly left without renouncing her convictions. Feodosia Morozova (nun Theodora) outlived her sister by almost two months, and in early November of the same year, she asked the jailer to wash her rotted shirt in the river so that Orthodox tradition to die in clean underwear, she also died. They were buried like that, without coffins, without a funeral service, wrapped in matting in Borovsk captivity. Now a chapel has been built on the site of the supposed burial of the martyrs of the old faith.

The feat of an amazing woman - the noblewoman Feodosia Morozova, who renounced worldly goods and accepted martyrdom in the name of her convictions and faith - is unparalleled.

Relevant to populated areas:

Born in Moscow on May 21 (31), 1632. On the night of November 15-16, 1671, Feodosia Morozova and her sister Evdokia Urusova were taken into custody and imprisoned in the Chudov Monastery. After interrogations by Archimandrite Joachim and Metropolitan Pavel Krutitsky, on November 19, 1671, they were transported to the courtyard of the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery.

MOROZOVA FEODOSIA PROKOPEVNA

(b. 1632 – d. 1675)

Russian noblewoman-Old Believer, who became a symbol of the schismatic movement.

“The beauty of your face shone like the holy widow Judith of old in Israel, who defeated Nechadnezzar’s prince Olefernes... The words of your mouth, like precious stone, are amazing before God and people. The fingers of your hands are thin-boned and active... Your eyes are lightning-fast, they keep away from the vanity of the world, only looking at the poor and wretched.” This is the umpteenth time that V. I. Surikov has read the ancient text. It was a psychologically subtle literary portrait of the noblewoman Morozova, created by Archpriest Avvakum. Picture about times church schism completely ready. The only thing missing is the face of a martyr for the faith. The artist felt that her face should have such power so as not to get lost in the crowd of onlookers - sympathetic, indifferent, hating. Surikov found the fury of the spirit and renunciation of everything earthly in the profile of the young monastic reader. Thus, the unknown image of the noblewoman acquired a specific appearance. The tenacity of faith, the cruel lot of martyrdom, turned the face of a young woman into the burning face of an old fanatic. Her eyes blaze like coals, her hand either overshadows or curses the crowd with a two-fingered cross, and she herself is like a “black crow in the snow.” Thus, thanks to painting, noblewoman Morozova, whose memory among the people has crossed the centuries, received a monument worthy of her devotion to faith.

Feodosia came from a noble Sokovnikov family. She lived in comfort and prosperity. She was pretty, so she didn’t stay too long with girls. At the age of 17, she was given in marriage to a rich, childless widower, Gleb Ivanovich Morozov, whose family was not inferior in nobility to the royal family. His brother, Boris Morozov, was the tsar's tutor, brother-in-law and closest adviser, and Gleb also occupied a prominent place at court. And the young noblewoman Feodosia Prokopyevna herself was friends with Tsarina Marya Ilyinichna from the Miloslavsky family.

Young Theodosia was not asked whether her 50-year-old husband loved her. She was obedient to her daughter and wife. Less than a year has passed since my son Ivan was born. Life flowed smoothly. What worries could a noblewoman have, in whose mansion 300 servants are bustling around? Mothers and nannies are busy with their children. Wealth flows into the house, thanks to the husband's worries. Chests are filled with expensive clothes and jewelry. If the noblewoman wants to leave the house, they will harness six or even twelve horses into a carriage decorated with silver and mosaics, and a hundred will run after them, and at the grand exit, three hundred servants and slaves. Live without thinking about anything.

At the age of 30, Feodosia Prokopyevna remained a widow. Boris Morozov took informal custody of her and her young nephew. He was a sedate man, married for the second time to the Tsar’s sister Anna, and childless. The boyar loved to have conversations with his daughter-in-law, who was smart and well-read for women of that time. It was an anxious time, they were waiting for the end of the world and the Last Judgment. Boris Morozov called Theodosius “a spiritual friend, a soulful joy,” and after long conversations he admitted: “I enjoyed more than honey and a hundred of your spiritually beneficial words.” It is unknown what topics they touched on, but, apparently, the noblewoman had courage of judgment and depth of thought.

Boris Morozov died childless, leaving all his property to his widow and only nephew. Morozova now became equal to the tsar not only in nobility, but also in wealth. With such wealth, what business did the boyar have with the religious disputes between Patriarch Nikon and the dominant church subject to him with the schismatic archpriest Avvakum, the champion of the “true” faith? Before 1664, there is no clear evidence of Morozova’s adherence to the Old Believers. There is only an assumption that a lonely woman was not indifferent to the stately, handsome, independent Nikon. And she went against the “Nikonian” church because of the patriarch’s offensive disregard for her feelings. And then the passionate accusatory speeches of Archpriest Avvakum burst into Morozova’s restless soul.

Back in the 1640s. both church ministers belonged to a circle of zealots of piety and tried to increase their authority official church, improve the literacy of the clergy, correct errors that have crept into liturgical books due to the fault of copyists, and make church services understandable to parishioners. Only Nikon, having gained the royal favor, became the patriarch and authoritatively and single-handedly destroyed ancient customs and rituals. But with his acquisitiveness he aroused the hatred of the courtiers and discontent among the people, for whom the old faith was kinder than the “Latin” one. Thus began in Rus' a movement known as schism, or Old Believers.

Avvakum became the leader of the schismatics, accusing heretics who had succumbed to Nikon. They say that church books are copied in the Greek manner, instead of the usual “Isus” it is written “Jesus”, “Hallelujah” must be sung in the old way twice, as well as being baptized with two fingers, and not with a “pinch”.

Morozova often met an angry Old Believer in her house cousin F. M. Rtishcheva. I listened to his speeches in which, citing the example of Christ, he called for the creation of communities where everyone - from boyars to beggars - would be equal. He wrote to Morozova: “Are you deceiving us like a noblewoman? May God spread the sky to us the same way, and the moon and the sun shine equally for everyone, and so the earth, and the waters, and everything that vegetates at the behest of the mistress serve you no more, and no less for me.” Avvakum's sermons were so convincing that the noblewoman succumbed to them, and then her sister, Princess E. P. Urusova. They became ardent, enthusiastic adherents of his teachings.

Avvakum settled in Morozova’s house and preached here. The noblewoman, as a woman, could not resolve any church disputes, but she opened her heart to piety and charity. She opened the doors of her rich house and granary not only to schismatics. Clothes, alms and food were provided to all the persecuted and rejected, the wretched and holy fools. She ransomed those sentenced to public execution for non-payment of debts, and helped the suffering in almshouses and dungeons.

Morozova’s actions and speeches caused condemnation in her circle. They established surveillance over her and reported to the tsar that the noblewoman “vilifies the holy church with obscene words, and does not submit, and the holy mysteries according to the newly corrected service books which the priests serve - she does not receive communion from them, and utters terrible blasphemies...”. For some time, the tsar's threat to take away her best estates forced Morozova to weaken her zeal. But Habakkuk’s “strong” admonitions, and then excommunication by decision of the council of 1666–1667. all schismatics from the church and the exile of like-minded people to Pustoozersk forced the noblewoman to again take the path of true piety. Now she consciously made a choice between wealth and nobility, soul and faith.

Habakkuk sent letters from exile with exhortations and teachings. The texts were full of affectionate words: “my light”, “my dear friend”, “my sweet-voiced gusset”, “dove”, “interlocutor for angels”. But having learned that the noblewoman had gotten together and sinned with the holy fool Fyodor, he became angry as with his wife: “I know what happened between you and Fyodor. I did it as I wanted. Yes Holy Mother of God That evil union was dissolved and you damned ones were separated... your filthy love was torn apart. Stupid, crazy, ugly! Gouge out your eyes. Make a hat so that you can cover your entire face..."

Morozova thought no more about the vanity of the world, and in 1670, under the name of Theodora, she secretly took monastic vows as a nun. She firmly decided to stand for the faith, retired from the household affairs in her numerous estates and stopped appearing in the palace. Meanwhile, the persecution of schismatics intensified: they were hanged, their tongues were cut, their hands were chopped off. The Tsar tolerated Morozova’s disobedience for a long time. Maybe in memory of his deceased wife, whose best friend she was, maybe he hoped that the woman’s whim would pass. The “fiery rage” of Alexei Mikhailovich fell upon the noblewoman for open disobedience to the royal will. In January 1671, Feodosia Prokopyevna flatly refused to attend the wedding of the Tsar with the young beauty Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, the future mother of Peter I. But Morozova, among the first noblewomen, was supposed to “speak to the Tsar’s title,” call him faithful, kiss his hand and, along with everyone else, accept the bishop's blessing according to the new custom. The Emperor, nicknamed the Quietest, did not forgive open rebellion. He sent the boyars several times with orders to submit to his will, but Morozova did not back down. Since then, for thousands of Old Believers, it has become a symbol of the schismatic movement.

On the night of November 16, 1671, Archimandrite Joachim of the Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin and Deacon Larion declared the rebellious royal decree: “It’s time for you to be on top! Get down! Get up, get out of here!” This “go” meant deprivation of all rights and freedom. Together with his sister, Princess E.P. Urusova, and the wife of the Streltsy colonel, M.G. Danilova, noblewoman Morozova was taken under guard to the Chudov Monastery. Here they shackled her legs, arms, and neck in “horse irons”, and then on an ordinary sleigh, like a commoner, they took her across all of Moscow for the amusement of onlookers to the distant Pechersky Monastery. But first, the boyar had to endure mortal torment and humiliation, just like her like-minded women. She hung on a rack with her arms twisted, froze naked in the snow, and was beaten with whips. She endured everything and did not retreat.

The clergy demanded a fire for Morozova, but the boyars opposed. They asked for mercy for Feodosia Prokopyevna in memory of the faithful service of Gleb and Boris Morozov. And the king showed his “mercy”. He replaced the public execution, which could elevate the martyr and give her an aura of holiness, with an earthen prison in Borovsk. The security, bribed by fellow believers, did not show much cruelty. The prisoners received letters, clothes, food. In this pit, Morozova learned about the sudden death of her only son and that the tsar had distributed all her property and estates to the obedient boyars. But it was not about wealth that the prisoner wept and fought against the earthen walls. She grieved that she could not say goodbye to her son, that someone else’s hands had closed his eyes, that they had given communion to the dying man and buried him according to a new rite.

Soon the tsar was informed of a relaxation in the maintenance of Old Believers. He ordered the security to be changed and tightened. In a deep five-foot pit, in darkness and sewage, suffocating from the stench, three women were dying of starvation. Princess Urusova was the first to die. On the night of November 1–2, 1675, noblewoman Morozova died. Her only request to the jailers was to wash her shirt, so that, according to Russian custom, she would meet death in clean linen. A month later, Maria Danilova died.

The ancient Morozov family no longer existed. The siblings of the disgraced noblewoman were also punished - they were executed in exile. The steadfastness of Theodosia Prokopievna shocked her contemporaries not only with martyrdom, but also with the fact that such behavior for a woman from the court nobility was out of the ordinary: to exchange nobility and wealth for faith! And she was not executed as an atheist. Believers in the merciful Christ executed an Orthodox Christian woman only because she defended the right to pray to God in her own way!

From the book The History of the Decline and Collapse of the Roman Empire [without an album of illustrations] by Gibbon Edward

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Among them, the martyrs of the Russian Old Believers, one of the first places was taken by the noblewoman Feodosia Prokopyevna Morozova with her sister Princess Evdokia Urusova.

This is what Archpriest Avvakum tells about the fate of these spiritual daughters of his in one of his most striking works - “The Life of Boyarina Morozova.”

The jealousy of the noble noblewoman Theodosia Morozova for the schism created a great temptation in high Moscow society, and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich repeatedly sent to her (including her uncle Mikhail Alekseevich Rtishchev) with admonitions. As punishment, he ordered half of the estates to be taken away from her. But Tsarina Marya Ilyinichna stood up for her. While she was alive (until 1669) and for some time after her death, noblewoman Morozova continued to freely profess the Old Believers. She was surrounded by fugitive nuns and holy fools; and some mother Melania, with the help of a certain father Dosifei, secretly tonsured her to the rank of monk. But in 1671 the king married again. Feodosia Morozova did not take part in the marriage ceremonies, which was usual for noblewomen, citing her sore legs. The king was angry. Sending messages to her from the king with convictions and threats resumed. Boyarina Morozova said that she wanted to die in her father’s Orthodox faith and loudly denounced Nikon’s delusions of the highest clergy.

Boyarina Morozova visits Avvakum in prison

In the winter of 1672, Prince Urusov, after one visit to the royal palace, informed his wife Evdokia that great troubles lay ahead for her sister. (He apparently did not know that his wife was also a schismatic.) “Go, say goodbye to her,” said the prince, “I think that today there will be a parcel for her.” Evdokia warned her sister Theodosia about the impending disaster and, deciding to share her fate, did not return home. They were mutually blessed and prepared to stand up for the right faith. At night, indeed, the Miracle archimandrite Joachim and clerk Ivanov came to take away the stubborn noblewoman Morozova. They found Princess Urusova with her and asked how she was baptized; She folded two fingers in response. The puzzled archimandrite hurried to the king. Having learned that Princess Urusova, although she had hidden it until now, was also maintaining a schism, the Tsar ordered both to be taken.

Feodosia Morozova refused to go herself: she was carried away in a chair. The noblewoman's young son, Ivan, barely had time to say goodbye to his mother. Both sisters were shackled and taken into custody. This was the time of interpatriarchy after the death of Joasaph. The locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Pavel Krutitsky, tried to persuade Morozova and Urusova. But the sisters called all the highest Russian clergy heretical. The next morning they were separated: Theodosia was chained to a chair and taken on a sleigh past the Chudov Monastery under the royal passages. Believing that the tsar was looking at her from these passages, noblewoman Morozova raised her head high. right hand with two-fingered addition. She was placed in the courtyard of the Pechersk Monastery under strong guard. And Evdokia was imprisoned in the Alekseevsky Monastery, where she was forced or carried to church services. Many boyars' wives came to the monastery to watch Urusova being dragged to the church on a stretcher. A follower of noblewoman Morozova, Marya Danilovna, was also captured.

Feodosia Morozova's son, Ivan, fell ill from grief. The king sent his doctors to him, but he died. All the estates and horse herds of Morozova were distributed to the boyars; and expensive things are sold out. Feodosia Prokopyevna with humility suffered the news of her son's death and complete ruin. Her two brothers, Fyodor and Alexei, were sent to voivodeships in distant cities.

Boyarina Morozova. Painting by V. I. Surikov, 1887

When Pitirim was elevated to the patriarchate, he began to ask the king to forgive the sisters. “You,” the king answered, “do not know all the cruelty of Morozova. Nobody gave me as much trouble as she did. Call her and ask her yourself. Then you will recognize all her tenacity.”

That same evening, the shackled noblewoman Morozova was brought to Chudov, where the patriarch was waiting for her.

- How long will you remain in madness and outrage the king with resistance? - exclaimed Pitirim. - Feeling sorry for you, I say: join the Catholic Church, confess and take communion.

“I have no one to confess and receive communion from,” answered Feodosia Morozova.

– There are many priests in Moscow.

- There are many priests, but there is no true one.

- I myself will confess you, and then I will serve (mass) and give you communion.

“Are you going to be at odds with them,” answered the noblewoman Morozova. - When you adhered to the Christian custom of the Russian land handed down from the fathers; then he was kind to us. Now he wanted to do the will of the earthly king, but despised the heavenly one and placed the horned hood of the Pope on his head. For this reason we turn away from you.

The Patriarch considered the noblewoman to be damaged in her mind and wanted to forcibly anoint her. Morozova herself did not stand; The archers held her bent by the arms. But when the patriarch approached, she suddenly straightened up and prepared to fight. The Patriarch, having dipped his knitting needle in oil, already extended his hand. But Feodosia Prokopyevna pushed her away and screamed: “Don’t destroy me, a sinner! You want to destroy all my unfinished work! I don’t want your shrine!”

The Patriarch became very angry and (according to Avvakum) ordered Morozova to be thrown to the floor and dragged over there with a chain by the collar, so that with her head she counted all the steps of the stairs. They brought Princess Urusova to the patriarch. He also tried to anoint her with oil; but she acted even more resourcefully. Evdokia suddenly threw the veil off her head and appeared bare-haired. “What are you doing, shameless ones? - she cried. “Don’t you know that I’m a wife!” - which led the spiritual ones into great confusion.

Hearing the patriarch’s story about his failure, the king remarked: “Didn’t I tell you what her cruelty is? I’ve been putting up with her for so many years now.” The next night, Feodosia Morozova, her sister and Marya Danilovna, were brought to the Yamskaya courtyard and subjected to fiery torture in the presence of princes Ivan Vorotynsky and Yakov Odoevsky, persuading them to reconcile. But the sufferers endured all the torment. The king did not know how to break the stubbornness of two noble women, which could serve as a great temptation for others. At the Pechersk courtyard, many secretly penetrated to the noblewoman Morozova, consoled her and brought her food supplies, and the tsar ordered her to be transported to the country Novodevichy Convent, kept there under a strong command and dragged by force to church services. But noble wives flocked here in such numbers that the entire monastery courtyard was filled with carriages. The Tsar ordered Morozova to be transported back to the city. His older sister, Irina, began to blame him:

“Why are you pushing the poor widow around from place to place? Not good, brother! It wouldn’t hurt to remember the service of Boris Morozov and his brother Gleb.”

Alexey Mikhailovich flared up. “Okay, sister,” he exclaimed, “if you worry about her, then her place will be immediately ready!”

Feodosia Morozova was transported to the Borovsky prison and put in a pit along with Urusova and Marya Danilovna. No one was allowed to see the prisoners; they were given the most meager food. Old printed books and old icons were taken away from them and only the most necessary clothes were left. But nothing broke their resolve. The imprisonment became more and more severe, and less and less food fell into the pit. The end of their suffering has come; Evdokia died first, followed by Theodosia and Maria (October and November 1672). Habakkuk describes touchingly last minutes noblewoman Morozova and her request to one of the watchmen to secretly take and wash her extremely dirty shirt on the river in order to put on a clean one before death. The compassionate watchman fulfilled this request. The body of Feodosia Prokopyevna was wrapped in matting and buried next to Evdokia.

Based on materials from the book by D. I. Ilovaisky “History of Russia. In 5 volumes. Volume 5. Father of Peter the Great. Alexey Mikhailovich and his immediate successors"

In the photo: painting by V. I. Surikov “Boyaryna Morozova”.

Gleb Ivanovich Morozov, a noble boyar close to the court of Mikhail Fedorovich, and then Alexei Mikhailovich. He is known, however, not for his court career and not for the fact that he was known as one of the richest people in the Russian kingdom, but for the fact that after the death of his first wife he married the 17-year-old beauty Feodosia Sokovnina, who went down in Russian history under the name noblewoman Morozova.

There were many women who bore the Morozov surname in the centuries-old history of the family. But historically it was assigned to Theodosia Prokofievna, the famous schismatic, spiritual daughter of Archpriest Avvakum, noblewoman Morozova, who became the heroine of the famous painting by artist Vasily Surikov.

Boyarina Morozova in family life

The family life of Gleb Ivanovich Morozov with his first wife Avdotya Alekseevna could be called happy - they lived in perfect harmony for thirty years - if not for one sad circumstance: they had no children. That's why, when young noblewoman Morozova gave birth to a son, Gleb Ivanovich was incredibly happy. His beloved brother Boris, who had accumulated a considerable fortune, also had no children; Gleb Ivanovich himself was by no means a poor man, so the newborn Ivan Morozov became the richest heir from infancy.

Real luxury reigned in the Morozov family. And not only in their Moscow house, but also in estates near Moscow, which was perceived by contemporaries with surprise and distrust. In those days, boyar estates had only an economic purpose; it was not customary to decorate and improve them.

For the first time he broke the ancient tradition: having visited Europe and seen luxurious country estates, primarily Polish, he built his Izmailovo estates near Moscow and, the latter was called the eighth wonder of the world by foreign guests.

Advisor to Alexei Mikhailovich, who was his “uncle” and mentor in childhood, also arranged his own with pomp, where he invited the tsar himself. Gleb Morozov, who also participated in foreign campaigns as part of the royal retinue and had seen enough of the estates of Polish magnates, followed his brother’s example. In the village of Zyuzino, according to surviving evidence, peacocks and peahens walked around the manor's courtyard, and the noblewoman Morozova rode out in a silver carriage drawn by six thoroughbred horses, accompanied by hundreds of servants.

Widow

After the death of her husband and his brother, noblewoman Morozova remained the owner of a huge estate, but not a simple widow, but a “matter,” as they said then, that is, a widow-mother managing the estates until her son came of age and preserving the inheritance for him. She herself did not need countless riches - anticipating the royal disgrace, she cared only about the happiness of her son and sought to marry him as soon as possible. But even in those days it was difficult for a rich heir to choose a suitable bride: “The girls who are of a better breed are worse, and those girls who are of a worse breed are better.”, - the loving mother worries.

Boyarina Morozova and Archpriest Avvakum

Boyarina Morozova shared her worries and sorrows with her longtime friend, mentor and spiritual father - Archpriest Avvakum, well-known representative Old Believers, who did not accept church reform, for which he was subsequently exiled and executed. Boyarina Morozova completely shared his views and also suffered and suffered martyrdom for her faith.

He was deliberately strict with his spiritual daughter, although in the depths of his soul he loved her, happily stayed in her large hospitable house and called her “a cheerful and amiable wife.” Feodosia Prokopyevna remained a young widow - she was only thirty years old, and nothing human was alien to her. She wore a hair shirt to get rid of temptations, but this did not always help, and the archpriest wrote to her in response to complaints: “Stupid, crazy, ugly, gouge out your eyes with a shuttle!” He also reproached his spiritual daughter for stinginess, having learned that she had donated eight rubles to the church - a considerable amount in those days, when everything was calculated in pennies and half-rubles, but Avvakum knew about the gold and jewelry hidden by the noblewoman from the authorities: “Alms flow from you like a small drop from the depths of the sea, and then with a reservation”, he writes angrily.

Thanks to the correspondence preserved in ancient literary monuments, we can more clearly imagine the character of the noblewoman Morozova - she was not at all a religious fanatic, as legend often portrays her, but an ordinary woman and mother, taking care of her son and the household, with her weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages.

Opal

The virtues of Feodosia Prokopyevna include, first of all, strength of spirit - despite the habit of living in luxury, she voluntarily renounced all earthly goods, “shook off the dust” of wealth and became equal to ordinary people, secretly becoming a nun under the name of Theodora.

Less than a year after taking monastic vows, Archimandrite of the Chudov Monastery, and later Patriarch of Moscow Joachim, appeared in Morozova’s house by order of the tsar. He interrogated Feodosia and her sister Evdokia Urusova and initially left them under house arrest, but two days later the noblewoman Morozova was transported under guard to. It was this moment that was captured in Surikov’s immortal painting - but the artist depicted his heroine as proud, stern and irreconcilable, and yet she was characterized by suffering and doubts.

Already in prison, Morozova learned about the death of her beloved son and was so sad for him that Archpriest Avvakum again made her a suggestion in a letter: “Don’t worry about Ivan, I won’t scold him”. They tried to make a saint out of the sufferer for the faith, and the chronicler, to please the hagiographic canon, says that from the rack the disgraced noblewoman “victoriously denounced” her tormentors. However, the moment when the noblewoman began to cry and said to one of the executioners: “Is this Christianity if you torture a person?”

The martyrdom of noblewoman Morozova

After being tortured on the rack, the unfortunate noblewoman was tormented by hunger, and she cried out to her guard: “Have mercy, servant of Christ! Have mercy on me, give me a little roll!” Then she asked for at least “a little crackers”, at least an apple or a cucumber - but all in vain.

The king did not want to arrange public execution nobles Morozova and Evdokia Urusova, because he was afraid that the people would be on their side, and doomed the women to a slow, painful death from hunger. Even after death, they were kept in custody - for fear that the Old Believers would dig up their bodies “with great honor, like the might of holy martyrs”.

The sisters were buried secretly, without a funeral service, wrapped in matting, inside the Borovsky prison. Boyarina Morozova died on the night of November 1–2, 1675. After her death, all the untold wealth and estates of the Morozovs went to the state.

Sasha Mitrakhovich 14.11.2018 20:37

In the photo: Painting by Vasily Perov “Torture of the noblewoman Morozova”.

The fate of Feodosia Prokofyevna Sokovnina takes a sharp turn for the first time in 1649, when she, a 17-year-old girl, becomes the wife of the Tsar's bedchamber Gleb Ivanovich Morozov.

In 1653, the reforms of Patriarch Nikon began. Their essence (except for changes in church books and the order of worship) boiled down to the following innovations: the sign of the cross was prescribed to be made with three fingers, not two, the procession around the church should be carried out not in the direction of the sun, but against the sun, in some cases, bows to the ground were replaced by waist bows, the cross Not only the eight- and six-pointed one was revered, but also the four-pointed one, and the exclamation “Hallelujah” was required to be sung three times, not two.

Innovations split Russian society of that time - from the nobility to the townspeople and peasants - into two camps. The government of Alexei Mikhailovich consistently supported church reforms, and at first the repressions were directed only against the leaders of the schism. A decade later, when Patriarch Nikon, after a conflict with the tsar, was deprived of his chair and removed from business, Archpriest Avvakum, one of the leaders of the schismatics, was returned to Moscow for some time and tried to win him over to the side of the official church. Avvakum refused to accept the reforms, but during this time many new eminent supporters joined the ranks of the Old Believers.

The most famous spiritual daughters of the archpriest were the sisters Feodosia Morozova and Evdokia Urusova. And at this moment the fate of the noblewoman takes a sharp turn for the second time. Morozova’s house becomes the center of the Old Believers: schismatics persecuted by the tsar come and live here secretly, a huge number of letters are sent from here in support of the “faith of the fathers,” some of which are written by the noblewoman herself.

Morozova's role as one of the leaders of schismatics and her stubborn unwillingness to submit to the reforms carried out by the tsar make her position precarious. In 1665, the tsar made an attempt, without resorting to extreme measures, to intimidate the noblewoman Feodosia, and significant amounts were confiscated from her. land holdings, left after the death of her husband. But after the queen’s intercession, most of Morozova’s estates were returned.

In January 1671, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich married a second time - to the young Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. Feodosia Morozova, due to her position as one of the most noble women at court, was obliged to attend the wedding. However, she deliberately avoided participating in the wedding, which was the last straw for the king.

In November 1671, noblewoman Morozova and her sister Princess Urusova were arrested. They rejected all attempts to force the sisters to accept the church reforms of Patriarch Nikon and cross themselves according to the new rules with three fingers. While in captivity, Morozova learned of the death of her only son.

The tsar's henchmen proposed to burn the schismatics, but the boyars did not agree to the execution of noble prisoners. Then they began to torture them. Women were lifted on the rack and then thrown naked on the ice. The woman, exhausted by torture, reproached the executioners with tears in her eyes: “Is Christianity dead to death?”

Without breaking their commitment to the old faith, the tsar’s henchmen imprisoned Morozova in the Novodevichy Convent. All the nobility of Moscow flocked there to see with their own eyes the “strong patience” of the noblewoman. The Tsar decides to remove the Sokovnin sisters away from the capital, exiling them to Borovsk.

But even there they did not resign themselves: they continued to correspond with like-minded people, and they were often visited by famous Old Believers. In the end, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich decided to put an end to this protracted confrontation. Morozova and her sister were thrown into a pit and began to starve.

Princess Urusova held out in these unbearable conditions for two and a half months. Dying, she asked her sister to read the funeral service, and she herself served with her. “And so they both served, and the martyr above the martyr in the dark dungeon sang the canon, and the prisoner above the prisoner shed tears.”.

Urusova died first. Boyarina Morozova died after her on November 2, 1675. And she was secretly, without a funeral service, buried next to her sister. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, fearing the indignation of the Old Believers, did not allow the death of the rebellious noblewoman to be announced for three weeks. The location of the graves of the martyrs was classified.

Sasha Mitrakhovich 16.02.2019 13:32