Recently, by God’s providence, another beam of light has shone upon the “gentle and gracious monastic figure of the renowned Bigorski Abbot and founder, Archimandrite Arsenij.” The great friend and collaborator of our Holy Monastery, Mr. Filip Filipov from Sofia, originally from the Macedonian region of Reka, a historian by profession, discovered a particularly valuable document in the Sofia National Library — a letter from Abbot Arsenij to the Pro-Abbot of the Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos, Hieromonk Ilarion. This letter further confirms the spiritual greatness of the saintly Bigorski abbot, his all-encompassing spiritual and paternal care, and his tireless drive to act for the salvation of the souls of his fellow men.
The letter is written on a sheet of paper, four pages long. It is dated March 25, 1834, five years before the repose of Archimandrite Arsenij, by which time he was already of quite advanced age. The language of the letter is Church Slavonic, with notable influences from the local vernacular, including some Turkish loanwords.
From the content of the letter, it is easy to deduce that the then Pro-Abbot of Zograf was a former brother of Bigorski Monastery (“this is your homeland and here is your repentance”), a spiritual child of Father Arsenij. Indeed, he addresses him as such: “This prayerful letter is to be delivered to Kyrios Kyrios Ilarion… our beloved child in Christ”; and elsewhere: “My spiritual child and beloved brother, as your spiritual father, I, a sinner, have a great desire to see your honorable face…” It is also evident from the letter the deep connection between the Bigorski Monastery and Mount Athos, particularly with Zograf Monastery. Guided by the spirit of God’s wisdom and a desire for the salvation of his people, Archimandrite Arsenij sent many of his spiritual children and students to the Garden of the Most Holy Mother of God to gain the necessary knowledge and experience to help their oppressed people in the western part of Macedonia. Paraphrasing St. Paul, he writes with pastoral sorrow: “It is of no use for a man to save himself alone, but to save other souls for whom Christ died.”
As a good spiritual father and pastor, he cared for gathering his children, for whom he also provided material support for their education, urging them to return to their place of struggle to contribute to the spiritual renewal of their suffering people. Among his spiritual children is the name of the great ecclesiastical figure and revivalist, Archimandrite Anastasios of Zograf.
However, what is especially important and testifies to the mighty spirit of Abbot Arsenij is the fact that despite the great need and lack that his own monastery faced, he still contributed with all his efforts to the spiritual renewal of Mount Athos, especially Zograf Monastery. He sent many of his spiritual children there, who eventually became prominent abbots, spiritual fathers, treasurers, and teachers, greatly contributing to the material and spiritual elevation of Mount Athos during that period.
It is also very interesting that part of the letter speaks about the production of halcography (copper engravings) with images of saints. It is known that the Bigorski Monastery, during the time of Abbot Arsenij, printed paper icons featuring its patron, St. John the Forerunner.
The words of Father Arsenij reveal his deep humility and the severe material poverty of the Bigorski Monastery.
This humble letter speaks volumes about the enormous significance and role that the Bigorski Monastery played during the period of the Revival, nurturing figures who would be key players in the formation of the national consciousness, language, culture, and statehood.
Below is the full transcription of the letter from Archimandrite Arsenij:
Сїе молитвеное посланїе да вручится Кирїю Кирїю Iларїωну священосхимонахъ, проигумену Зωграфскому Монастирю, Святому Геωргїю намъ же во Хрїстѣ любезному чаду.
Во Святую Гору, у Монастиръ Зωграфъ
Вашегω высокопреподобїю всеусерднω
молитвую, и всякагω благополучїя
и душевнагω спасенїя вседушевно
вамъ желаю
Со симъ моимъ молитвенымъ настоящимъ отеческимъ писанием, засвѣдѣтелствую Вашему Высокопреподобїю, якω радостнω приахомъ многожелателное намъ Вашегω честное посланїе и не малω возвеселихомся, ω Ваше пришествїе и ω Ваше здравїе. Аще вопросите ω насъ, живи и здравы сме до нинѣшнягω часа, и молиме Господа Бога нашегω Iисуса Хрїста и Пречистую Матер егω и Приснодѣву Марїю, и святагω Iωанна Предтечи ω Вашемъ многолѣтномъ тѣлесномъ здравїемъ и душевномъ спасенїемъ. Ѕѣлω ωскорбихомся ω ωскудѣнїе Святую Гору и ω нынѣшная тежина, и Богъ премилостивїй съ молитвами Пресвятыя Богородицы, да дастъ умноженїе и ωтъ невидимо нѣкоя лѣснота.
Чадо мое духовное, и брате мое любезнѣйшїй, якω отецъ духовный великω желанїе имамъ азъ грѣшнїй да видамъ твое честное лице, и да молитвую еще во сей животъ и акω е возможнω овая пролетъ да дойдешъ да се видиме, и да исполниме нашетω великω желанїе, и да учрездимся душевнω и тѣлеснω. Дошелъ и Захарїа и не беше праведнω да приимемъ егω, заради беганѣто що сторилъ и други безпутый, но ваши честный посланїй оумолиша насъ да приимемъ егω, и приахомъ егω и сопричтихомъ со братиами, якωже и прежде. Ни донесолъ и по еднω рало кондури, мене еднω и духовнику нашу хаџи Серафиму, и по еднω рало бройнички черни, и благодариме вашему дару и вашегω благоразумїю, и Богъ да отдастъ вамъ за вашегω благотворенїе велика мзда на небесехъ и неизреченую радосъ.
И благодариме васъ оти радите за нашъ монастиръ, но молиме васъ да понуждавате и други наши оученици що суть оу скить ξеноф(онт)ски, единъ нарицается Неофитъ їеромонахъ, иже бяше прежде имя ему Никодимъ, а другїй Григорїа їеродїаконъ, емуже имя бяше Гаврїилъ, и да понуждавате имъ да си дойдатъ назатъ оу метаниата, отї якоже глаголетъ святый апостолъ Павелъ, нѣстъ полза спастися самъ человекъ но да спасетъ и други души, за имже Хрїстосъ оумре, зато молимъ васъ да понуждавате ими да си дойдетъ назатъ отї ω ефимерїй сме скудны. Извѣстнω ти будетъ отї наречафме есенеска со единъ таξїдїотъ ωтъ Лавра именемъ Тимоѳеа їеромонахъ и наречафме четири стаби (…), и той го пущиле таξїдїотъ во Велико Турново, и ни пиша една книга ωтъ Солωнъ, отї испиталъ сите щамбаџий и нашолъ еденъ по искусенъ во Кареа нарицаемый Кѵрїллъ и ценилъ четирите щамби, хиляда и сто гроша, и мїе да найдиме трите бакири и другиотъ да гω даватъ той така го цениле, и мие сакаме мошни арни щамби, и за бакирите ке чиниме чаре, и за парите, токω сакаме да видиме една книга ωтъ негойте щамби, за то ти се молиме да чиниш толко захметъ да одишъ да ти даватъ щамбачиата Кѵрїллъ една книга щамбосана що святый да биде нека биде, токω мие сакаме да му видиме марифетотъ, и да ния пущишъ вамω со еднω твое честное посланїе, и така акω ни бетендисатъ да барамъ бакири, токω ти се молиме да чинишъ толкω захметъ за ова святое место, отї ова ти естъ отечество, и овде ти естъ твоя метания.
И ти се моля да ми пишишъ каде естъ Анатолїа сега за да му пишамъ една книга, отї акω не пракятъ той, то я требитъ да му пракя. И Iларїωна го прощавамъ и го благословуамъ, токω не сторїа арнω отї я имъ платифъ борчъ и оуще не можа да куртулиса ωтъ негω, и плакя до денеска файде за тие пари, за те и найде наказанїе обата.
Такω и благодатъ святому Iωанну да будетъ съ вами и съ нами до вѣка, аминъ.
1834 года, Мартїа во ке‘ денъ
Вашегω преподобїя молитвеникъ къ Богу теплейшїй,
Игуменъ Арсенїа Архимандритъ
со братиами
Хаџи Серафимъ духовникъ молитвуетъ тя
Ѳеодосїа їеромонахъ цѣлуетъ тя во Хрїстѣ
Аврамїа їеромонахъ такω
Мїхаилъ їеромонахъ такω
Дїонѵсїа їеромонахъ такω
Д(…)лъ їеромонахъ такω
(…)лъ їеродїаконъ полоннω лобизаетъ святая твоя десница
Ѳеофанъ монахъ еклисиархъ такω
Данїилъ монахъ зуграфъ такω
Захарїа монахъ такω
Трифилїа монахъ такω
Iларїωнъ монахъ такω
хаџи Генадїа монахъ такω
и прочїй монастирски такω.
English Translation of the Letter:
Prayerful Letter to be delivered to Kyrios Kyrios Ilarion, Hieroschemamonk, Pro-Abbot of the Zograf Monastery, dedicated to Saint George, our beloved child in Christ.
To the Holy Mountain, to the Zograf Monastery
With utmost devotion, I pray for your reverence, wishing you every blessing and the salvation of your soul from the depths of my heart.
With this, my present fatherly letter of prayer, I bear witness to Your Reverence that we joyfully received your long-awaited honorable letter and were greatly cheered by your arrival and your health. If you ask about us, we are alive and well up to this very hour, and we pray to our Lord Jesus Christ, to His Most Pure Mother, the Ever-Virgin Mary, and to Saint John the Forerunner for your long physical health and salvation of the soul. We grieve deeply for the poverty in the Holy Mountain and the current hardship, but may God, the Most Merciful, through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, grant increase and relief from these unseen trials.
My spiritual child and most beloved brother, as your spiritual father, I, the sinner, have a great desire to see your blessed face and to pray once more in this life. If possible, come this spring so we can meet, fulfill our great wish, and be strengthened both spiritually and physically. Zachariah also came, but it was not right to accept him due to his flight and other improper actions. However, your blessed letter convinced us to accept him, and we received him and reinstated him among the brothers as before. He also brought a pair of shoes, one for me and one for our spiritual father Hadzi Seraphim, as well as a black prayer rope. We thank you for your gift and your wisdom, and may God repay you for your charity with a great reward in heaven and unspeakable joy.
We also thank you for your efforts for our monastery, but we ask you to urge our other disciples who are in the Xenophontos skete — one is called Neophytos, a hieromonk, whose former name was Nikodimos, and the other, Grigorios, a hierodeacon, whose name was Gabriel — and ask them to return to their repentance. As the Holy Apostle Paul says, “It is not enough for a man to save himself, but to save other souls for whom Christ died.” Therefore, I implore you to encourage them to return to their repentance because we are in need of clergy.
Be aware that we spoke last autumn with a traveling monk from the Lavra named Hieromonk Timotheos, and we discussed four stamps (for engraving). He left them in Veliko Tarnovo, and he wrote us a letter from Thessaloniki saying he inquired of all the engravers and found the most skilled one in Karyes, named Kyrillos, and he estimated the four stamps to cost one thousand one hundred groschen. We are to find the copper for three of them, and the fourth will be provided by the engraver, as it was valued. We desire very good stamps, and we will make arrangements for the copper and the money, but we want to see a book printed with these stamps. So, I ask you to do us the favor of going to Kyrillos and obtaining a book printed with his stamps, showing that it be of a saint, as we wish to see his craftsmanship. Then, if we are pleased, we will seek the copper. I ask you to do this favor for this holy place, for this is your homeland, and here is your repentance.
I also ask you to write to me where Anastasios is now, so I may write him a letter, for if they do not send it, then I must send it to him. I forgive Ilarion and bless him, but he did not act well, for I paid his debt, and still, he could not free himself from it. I continue to pay for that money until today, and that is how both found punishment.
May the grace of Saint John be with you and with us forever, Amen.
March 25, 1834
Your devoted prayerful servant to God,
Archimandrite Arsenij
With the brothers
Hadzi Seraphim, the spiritual father, prays for you.
Hieromonk Theodosios greets you in Christ.
Hieromonk Avramios also.
Hieromonk Michael also.
Hieromonk Dionysios also.
(…) also.
Hierodeacon (…) kisses your holy right hand.
Monk Theophan, the ecclesiarch, also.
Monk Daniel, the iconographer, also.
Monk Zachariah also.
Monk Trifilios also.
Monk Ilarion also.
Hadzi Genadios also.
And the rest of the monastic brothers likewise.
