Elena of Diveevo

Venerable Elena of Diveevo (in the world Elena Vasilyevna Manturova) was born in 1805 in the village of Nucha in the Nizhny Novgorod province and fell asleep on 28 May 1832, at the Seraphim-⁠Diveevo monastery. She was an ascetic in the community of the Mother of God of Kazan, in the time of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. She is remembered on 28 May, in the synaxis of the saints of Diveevo and in the synaxis of the saints of Nizhny Novgorod. She was numbered among the saints venerated throughout the Church on 6 October 2004.

Childhood

She was the daughter of the titular councillor Vasily Manturov. She was orphaned early and was brought up by her elder brother, Mikhail. The young noblewoman was cheerful by nature and wanted a worldly life. But at seventeen, returning from her grandfather's funeral, in the town of Knyaginin she was frightened by a vision: a huge black serpent descending lower and lower. In fear, Elena cried out: "Most Holy Theotokos, save me" and promised in return that she would give her life to God. After this event her behaviour changed, she began to read spiritual books and to pray much.

She wished to enter a monastery quickly. Soon after the vision she went to Sarov, to Saint Seraphim, asking his blessing to enter a monastery. Venerable Seraphim insisted firmly that she marry, saying the bridegroom would be most pious. Returned home, she shut herself in her room, from which she scarcely came out for three years, living in it as a hermit, apart from all and everything. Only after that did Saint Seraphim bless her to put on monastic clothing and to stay three years in the community of the Mother of God of Kazan at Diveevo, awaiting the bridegroom. In the end she remained there until her death.

Her labour

After the consecration, in 1829 and 1830, of the churches of the Nativity of Christ and of the Nativity of the Mother of God, added to the Kazan church of the community, she was appointed church-⁠keeper and keeper of the vestments. For this she was tonsured a rassophore. From Saint Seraphim she received the obedience to die in place of her brother, Mikhail Vasilyevich Manturov, gravely ill but still needed for the setting up of the Diveevo convent. On 28 May 1832, after several days of illness, Venerable Elena fell asleep in peace and was buried near the grave of the founder of the convent, Venerable Alexandra.

The finding of the relics and glorification

On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 27 September 2000, the holy relics of the first founder, the schemanun Alexandra, of the schemanun Martha and of the nun Elena were found. Work began on 26 September, after the Liturgy and a molieben in the church of the Nativity of the Mother of God and a litany at the graves. When the digging began, it became known that early in the morning a visiting priest had seen three pillars: two above the graves of Mother Alexandra and Elena, and another to the right of Martha's grave. Indeed Martha had been buried to the right of the place where the cross stood.

On 22 December 2000 the venerable women, the founders of the convent, were glorified among the locally venerated saints of the diocese of Nizhny Novgorod. For three days beforehand a special order of life was kept in the convent, with memorial services in the three churches in the evening, memorial Liturgies in all the churches of the convent in the morning, and almost unceasing memorial services in the church of the Nativity of Christ for the repose of the schemanun Alexandra, the schemanun Martha and the nun Elena. The great service was at the cathedral of the Holy Trinity, with a hierarchal Liturgy concelebrated by more than a hundred and fifty clergy. At the Little Entrance the Act of canonization was read, and Metropolitan Nikolai blessed the people with an icon with the relics of Venerable Alexandra, Martha and Elena. In the evening, after the service, the relics were carried in procession along the Holy Ditch, with the singing of the paraklesis, and then for two days stood for veneration in the Transfiguration cathedral. On 24 December the shrines with the relics of the founders were moved to the church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, designated for them by Saint Seraphim.

On 6 October 2004 the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church decided that, together with two other ascetics of Diveevo, Alexandra (Melgunova) and Martha (Milyukova), Venerable Elena also should be numbered among the saints venerated throughout the Church. In April 2008 a new feast was established, the Synaxis of the Saints of Diveevo, in which Elena is also remembered. In honour of the holy women Alexandra, Elena and Martha, Bishop George consecrated a side chapel at the Kazan church on 21 August 2008. The day of the finding of the relics, in our source 26 August, is a joint commemoration and the patronal feast of the side chapel consecrated in their honour.