St. Elizabeth the New Martyr: the Quest to Restore the Order of Deaconesses

THE CHURCH ACROSS TIME St. Elizabeth the New Martyr: The Quest to Restore the Order of Deaconesses

Elena B. and Nadezhda A. Beliakova

St. Elizabeth Fyodorovna (1864–1918) and charity. In his memoirs, Eliza- occupies a special place in Russian beth’s brother Ernest wrote that she history. had noticed that Russian nuns did lit- tle besides needlework, while nurses In 1884, Princess Elizabeth of Hesse were often so uninhibited that many and by Rhine, who was known as people regarded them negatively. Ella, married Grand Duke Sergei Al- This was why she decided to establish exandrovich, brother of the Russian something between a monastery and a Emperor Alexander III. She was the community of sisters of mercy. second child of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse, and his first wife, Princess At the same time, Elizabeth became Alice of the United Kingdom. Prin- very familiar with the activities of cess Ella was raised in a deeply Chris- Western European deaconesses. The tian tradition of serving people. After Russian church press was also cov- seven years of marriage, Elizabeth ering this topic. In January 1906, Tsar converted to Orthodox Christianity. Nicholas II authorized a Preconciliar It was a carefully considered step Commission of the Russian Orthodox for her. In 1892, she established the Church to discuss necessary church re- Elizabeth Society—a charity to help forms. A presentation made by Arch- children of poor mothers—and very priest A. P. Maltsev, rector of the Or- soon branches of the Society were thodox Cathedral in Berlin, was titled, established in 224 Moscow parishes. “Our Mission Abroad Including the Elizabeth also headed the Women’s Order of Deaconesses.” In his presen- Committee of the Red Cross, and after tation, Maltsev spoke in detail about the beginning of Russo-Japanese War how priests in Switzerland, Norway, she organized the Special Committee Austria, England, Italy, and Greece to Assist Soldiers. served the poorest and how they organized shelters and schools. He also In 1905, Elizabeth’s husband was as- informed the Commission about the sassinated. Four years later, she sold charitable work of deaconesses, who all her jewelry to fund the opening belonged to different social classes and of the Convent of Saints Martha and were not bound by monastic vows, not- Mary in Moscow on February 10, ing that “it would be highly desirable 1909. The convent had a dual pur- to restore this forgotten but very useful pose, focusing on spiritual growth institution [in the Russian Church].”

22 Another call for the restoration of the ancient ecclesiastical rank of deaconesses came from Mother Catherine (Countess Efimovskaya, 1850–1925), abbess of Lesna Monastery. The Le- sna community had been established in Siedlce Province in western Russia (now Poland) in 1884 by Archbishop Leonty in order to strengthen Ortho- doxy in an area dominated by Greek Catholics. Mother Catherine was an energetic and talented woman with a medical degree. She and her nurses of mercy cared for sick peasants, and organized an orphanage and a school for children of all faiths. Mother Cath- erine believed that deaconesses could play an important role in society and that a number of social problems could be solved with their help. Fur- thermore, she thought that orders of deaconesses could attract educated women who otherwise would not be interested in joining a monastic community. In her 1905 memorandum on the foundation of a community of women deacons, she wrote: they would decide whether to stay or St. Elizabeth the leave. All of them went through both New Martyr. Due to the common belief that medical and religious training. monasticism is a strictly egocen- tric life aimed at individual salva- The Typikon of the Convent of Saints tion through fasting and prayer, it Martha and Mary was written by its is completely alienated from the confessor, Mitrofan Srebryansky. Due world. Our monasteries do not to Elizabeth’s reputation, the convent meet the high aspirations of edu- grew rapidly and soon it opened up cated Christian women who want new charitable institutions. In her to dedicate their lives to helping 1910 report, Elizabeth wrote: people, so they are usually completely filled with uneducated Every kind of charity we under- common girls. Many of them sim- took arose as an answer to calls ply seek improvement of their ma- for assistance from the poor, the terial being or social status. The sick, and the helpless. Some calls few intellectual women who do required visits to people’s homes join monasteries for some special in order to see firsthand the extent reason become completely lost for of their need and estimate what the mission of educating others should be done in order to help; and have no influence on society. others had to be treated for dis- eases and hunger; still others had Women could join the Lesna commu- to be saved from horrible living nity for a certain period after which conditions in order to enable them

The Wheel 8 | Winter 2017 23 to get stronger morally and learn an abbess, after which she asked the basic literacy and things that every Synod of the Russian Church, on be- Orthodox Christian ought to know. half of the convent, to grant the sisters While coming to these needy with the official title of “Sister-Deacon- all possible assistance, the monas- esses.” She was well aware that the tery has been gradually expand- status of the monastery relied only ing its medicinal, educational, on her authority, and so she wanted and compassionate services. . . . to secure its legitimacy, writing in a Our sisters visit needy people not letter dated January 1, 1912, that “this only for the sake of observing their order should be a specific part of the poverty, sometimes blatant and Church structure; otherwise it will terrible, but also from the desire fluctuate and, after my death, who to provide fraternal comfort and knows? It might be transformed into to embrace the poor, the sick, and a traditional Orthodox monastery or the helpless, following the exam- community.” Predictably, some mem- ple of the holy Myrrhbearers and bers of the clergy accused her of Prot- the holy deaconesses who would estantism. However, Metropolitan come to the suffering and sinners, Vladimir of Moscow supported Eliz bringing them the joy of the Holy abeth and filed a petition to the Synod Gospel. . . . In Moscow alone there asking it to award the title of “Deacon- are about 100,000 needy families, ess” to the sisters of the convent. and up to 40,000 children in need of help. . . . That is why these visits It should be noted in passing that are becoming an internal mission, Elizabeth was against the restoration to which our sisters have avowed of the liturgical function of deacon- themselves, devoting themselves esses that existed in the early church to serving the Lord and the Holy because, as she put it in an explana- Church. To find a perishing soul tory note on the purpose of the con- and help its salvation is a great vent: “The conditions of Church life deed of Christian benevolence and have changed. The consecration of a true image of Christianity. the ancient deaconesses was neces- sitated by their participation in the Thus, the modes of charity and assis- baptism of adult women, the an- tance that were practiced by the sis- nouncement of the baptized, and ters of the convent originated from a the old ritual of Communion, when deep understanding of the reality of a woman could enter the altar area. life in Russia. Elizabeth observed the Today, this is no longer needed, but contrast between the beauty of the Or- there is a need to preach the Chris- thodox tradition and the detachment tian faith and help others following of the Orthodox world from the grief the example of the ancient diaconate and distress of others, and this fuelled on behalf of the Church and for the her desire to find adequate ways to sake of Christ.” serve all those in need. The Typikon of the Convent of Saints The sisters of the convent wore special Martha and Mary was sent for review habits and were tonsured as “Sisters of to the church historian Alexey Afa- the Cross” in a rite designed by Bishop nasievich Dmitrievsky and canonist Tryphon of Dmitrov (Prince Boris Pet- Ilya Stepanovich Berdnikov. In his rovich, Grand Duke of Turkestan). letter to Elizabeth, Professor Dmi- On April 10, 1910, Elizabeth became trievsky wrote: “On the basis of a care-

24 ful study of the Church’s canons and madding crowd. . . . If, however, ancient Christian liturgical practice, I the future Council of the Russian have come to the conclusion that the Church recognizes the need to re- restoration of the order of deaconesses store the order of deaconesses in would not contradict Orthodoxy and full, I, as a loyal daughter of the is desirable in the interests of modern Church, will be ready to obey. life. Moreover, based on the canons, Your Highness, I . . . agree with your In his report “On Deaconesses” classification of deaconesses: (1) dea- prepared for the Holy Synod, Dmi- coness-sisters are not part of the clergy trievsky argued for the importance and can leave the community and of a complete restoration of the an- even marry, and (2) deaconesses in cient ecclesiastical rank of female dea- the proper sense belong to the clergy cons. He believed that deaconesses and receive ordination.” should be ordained only after they had reached forty years of age. The In her response, Elizabeth explained cheirotonia (laying on of hands) should to Dmitrievsky her preference for dea- take place in accordance with early coness-sisters: Christian manuscripts that describe the ordination rite for deaconesses in To tell you the truth, I do not stand which, at the end of the rite, a female for the second form. It’s not a good deacon received the deaconess’ stole time to give women the right to as a sign of her ecclesiastical rank: participate in the clergy; humility “Having overcome longtime temp- is achieved with difficulty, and tations, they should be elected for all the participation of women in senior positions in the monastery, the clergy could bring instability. carry monastic obedience serving the Wasn’t it already an issue (in an- clergy in the church and the altar area, cient times) that they had a litur- and—as faithful and honest women— gical role in the administration of be trusted to superintend deaconesses baptism? I also know for sure that of the first category.” Dmitrievsky be- the question of the restoration of lieved that “the institution of female deaconesses got many church peo- deacons would free those who decide ple confused by the idea of their to join monastic communities from ordination and participation in arduous monastic vows that require the clergy, while the essence of the severe feats of self-denial and self-re- matter remains the same: deacon- straint with the obligation not to eat ess-sisters do the same mercy work animal food even on the days permit- as ordained deaconesses. When ted by the Church. All this certainly I showed our Typikon to many would ensure institutional vitality people, including the Church hier- and its growth, especially among Or- archy, they all approved it for the thodox intellectuals.” reason that deaconesses would not be part of clergy and, instead of or- The decision of the Synod was not dination, would receive the man- favorable, however. On November tle. And in fact, after many years of 9, 1911, the Synod declared that “the serving the needy under the direc- sisters of the Convent of Saints Mar- tion and the cover of the Church, it tha and Mary who have already been is gratifying to be able to dedicate ordained as deaconesses for life may the last years of one’s life to the as- keep their titles. . . . The question of cetic feat of praying, away from the the restoration of the ancient wom-

The Wheel 8 | Winter 2017 25 Cathedral of the Holy Protection in the Convent of Saints Martha and Mary.

en’s ministry in the Orthodox Church man of the Department, Metropolitan should be decided at the forthcom- Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky), prepared a ing Local Council of the Orthodox report on the restoration of the ecclesi- Church.” This idea belonged to Met- astical rank of deaconesses. In January ropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) while 1918, however, he was martyred by Bishop Hermogenes (Dolganev) de- unidentified Bolshevik gunmen, and clared the decision of the Synod to so the members of the Department be contrary to the canons. The matter considered his report as a testament of was referred to the Emperor, Nicholas the slain. In his report, Metropolitan II, who issued the following resolu- Vladimir reminded the Council about tion: “We fully agree with the dissent- ing opinion of Metropolitan Anthony the nurseries and communities of St. Petersburg.” (the houses of virgins and homes of deaconesses) of the ancient uni- This setback did not discourage Eliz- versal Church—for example, the abeth. Her community continued its abode of widows and virgins on multifaceted activities, including the the Aventine Hill in Rome that was publication of children’s books, illus- established by St. Paula and spiri- trated books for adults, and postcards. tually guided by St. Jerome. And Elizabeth was personally involved in now here, in this ancient capital, these publications. During the First we find a similar convent of mercy World War, Elizabeth and the sisters founded and directed by one of actively helped the wounded and those chosen ones who, from royal prisoners. palaces, condescended by the sor- rowful path of the Cross to humble The Local Council of the Orthodox ascetic cells, and dedicated herself Church opened in August 1917, and to God. I am referring to the Con- the question of deaconesses was on vent of Saints Martha and Mary, the agenda prepared by the Depart- which operates according to a spe- ment of Church Discipline. The Chair- cial semi-monastic Typikon under

26 the leadership of the Metropolitan Despite this, the legacy of Elizabeth of Moscow. Kindhearted Russian has survived. In the times of terror Orthodox women and girls are launched by the Bolsheviks after gathered there. They have decided the 1917 revolution, women secretly to devote their lives to the Church, practiced Christian ministry. While to bring mercy and grace to the conducting research in the archives bodies and souls of others. Spend- of the Soviet secret police, the his- ing their time in a monastic man- torian Nina Pavlovna Zimina dis- ner, working, praying, and learn- covered a document of “Provisions ing the Word of God, these sisters on Deaconesses,” composed in Ufa. appear everywhere there is sorrow Zimina has established that, in the and sickness, misery and woe, pov- 1920s, small groups of deaconesses erty, need, and deprivation. They in Tashkent and Ufa—probably or- come in the name of Christ as silent dained by Bishop Andrew of Ufa— angels of mercy and offer all possi- assisted prisoners of the Gulag. ble help and words of comfort. O Lord, let such institutions multiply In 1918, in Moscow, women from dif- and develop in other areas of our ferent parishes formed an organization suffering Russia. Such communi- to coordinate their charitable work: ties could be excellent training in- “Often we do not know what is going stitutions to prepare experienced on in a nearby parish and do not use and trustworthy deaconesses who, the good experience of others or we re- after reaching the age of forty, peat their mistakes.” Seventeen women would serve in our parishes not signed a petition to the Council of the only as assistants to the shepherds United Parishes in Moscow appealing of the Church, but also in mission- for approval of a Union of Orthodox ary, educational, and charitable Women that would consolidate the capacities. Even though we know efforts of women from different par- from church history that in ancient ishes. It was granted and the official times deaconesses mostly served launch of the union took place in the as members of the clergy, we also Cathedral Chamber of the Diocesan know that the nature of women’s House on June 24, 1918. The chairman ministry has always conformed to of the council, Alexander Dmitrievich the needs of the Church in each Samarin, delivered a welcome speech, historical period. which was followed by a presentation by council members P. I. Astrov and The Department of Church Discipline M. N. Krivoblotskaya. continued to consider the establish- ment of the ecclesiastical rank of dea- The goals of the union were explained conesses not only after the death of its by Krivoblotskaya, who told those president, but also after the arrest and gathered that the idea for its establish- subsequent martyrdom of Elizabeth in ment came from the female students July 1918. A report on the restoration of the priest A. M. Ivanntsev-Platonov. of the ecclesiastical rank of deacon- She believed that women should carry ess was prepared by the department out their work under the guidance of based on the Typikon of the Convent their priests, and their activities should of Saints Martha and Mary, but it was be imbued with a spirit of meekness, never submitted to the Council, be- love, and humility, without any sign cause the Bolsheviks forced it to cease of political struggle or condemna- its work. tion even if such were justified. Mu-

The Wheel 8 | Winter 2017 27 tual relations of the members of the for Assistance to Prisoners was by then Union had to be based on principles already operating: “Heard: The report of sisterhood, including equality of all of the Union of Orthodox Women in members regardless of social, finan- Moscow on the activities of the Depart- cial, and educational status. Another ment for Assistance to Prisoners from important presentation was made by 16 July, 1918, to date. The Department S. D. Samarina. She proposed to es- has provided assistance to prisoners tablish departments within the union: in the form of money, food, clothing, one for gathering data on women’s and books. Concluded: To express of- work in parishes; another for the ed- ficial gratitude to the Department of ucation of children; a Department for the Union of Orthodox Women. Sig- the Religious and Moral Education natures: Tikhon, Arseny, Cyril, Euse- of Women; a Library Department; a bius, N. Lyubimov, P. Mirtov, Prot. A. Department for the Assistance of the Stanislavsky, P. Kuleshov.” Needy; a Department for Assistance to Prisoners of Faith; and a Depart- Today, as Russia faces numerous so- ment for the Breeding of Silkworms, cial issues, while the number of new “which is easy to do on church prop- women’s monasteries grows and oth- erties in order to earn money using ers are being refurbished, the legacy the high demand for silk cocoons.” of St. Elizabeth is as important as ever. Whether these monasteries will A document issued by Patriarch take a path of sacrificial service to the © 2017 The Wheel. Tikhon of Moscow and the Supreme needy or will again encounter insur- May be distributed for noncommercial use. Church Council, dated April 24–May mountable obstacles remains an open www.wheeljournal.com 7, 1919, indicates that the Department question.

Nadezhda A. Beliakova is a senior researcher at the Center of Reli- gion and Church Studies at the Institute of Global History (Russian Academy of Sciences) and an associate professor in the Department of Theology at National Research Nuclear University. Her academic interests include daily church life in the USSR, religious aspects of the Cold War, and the role of women in the history of the church. She has authored or coauthored books on the relationships between Christian churches and Communism, on women in evangelical communities in the USSR, and on women in the history of the Rus- sian Orthodox Church in the twentieth century.

Elena B. Beliakova is a lead researcher at the Center for the History of Religion and the Church at the Institute of Russian History (Rus- sian Academy of Sciences) and a professor of church history at Mos- cow State University and St. Philaret Theological Institute. She spe- cializes in canon law and the history of Russian Orthodox Church, and has authored monographs on Russian canon law, church ju- risdiction, issues of discipline related to the Moscow Council of 1917–18, and the status and rights of women in the Russian Church.