Pimen of Ugresha

Venerable Pimen of Ugresha (in the world Pyotr Dmitrievich Myasnikov, 1810 to 1880) was an archimandrite and, for many years, abbot of the Saint Nicholas Monastery at Ugresha, near Moscow, which he turned into one of the greatest spiritual centres of the Moscow region. A disciple from youth of great ascetics, he introduced cenobitic life in the monastery and built churches. The Russian Church numbered him among the venerable saints in 2004, and his relics rest in the monastery's cathedral.

Childhood and calling

He was born at Vologda on 10 August 1810 (by the records, on 13 August 1809), the only son, apart from sisters, one of whom also became a nun, of Dmitry Afanasievich and Avdotia Petrovna, rich and pious people of the merchant class. His father was churchwarden of their parish. His only teacher was the "seamstress Pelageya Egorovna", who taught him to read. He spent every free moment in church. At eleven he read the Bible freely, read the book "Spiritual Alphabet", and at seventeen had already resolved to become a monk.

In 1830, in the Semigorodnaya hermitage, he met Dimitry Brianchaninov. The spiritual conversation with him made a strong impression and strengthened his resolve to withdraw to a monastery. After Dimitry Brianchaninov was tonsured with the name Ignatius, he lived for a time with the Myasnikovs, because his parents refused to receive the newly tonsured monk. In June 1832 Pyotr entered the Kirillo-⁠Novoezersk monastery, where the abbot was then Hegumen Arcadius, chosen at the instruction of Archimandrite Theophan of Novoezersk, a disciple of Venerable Theodore of Sanaksar. As a novice he was assistant cellarer and prepared the vestments for services. Many years later he recalled in detail what he had seen there.

In the same year, 1832, Pyotr Myasnikov visited Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in the Lopotov monastery, of which he was abbot. On leaving, Father Ignatius gave him letters to Optina, for Elder Leo and for Hieromonk Hilarion, who was then sacristan at Optina, and the next year, moving to Optina, he became the cell attendant of Hieromonk Hilarion.

At Ugresha

When, on the recommendation of Hegumen Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Hieromonk Hilarion was named in 1834 abbot of the Saint Nicholas monastery at Ugresha, he arrived at the new place of service with his cell attendant. In his "Memoirs" Pimen writes that he fulfilled the obedience of cell attendant to Father Hilarion for five and a half years, with no cell of his own, living in the anteroom behind screens. For lack of people he had several obediences: cell attendant of the abbot, refectorian, cellarer of the cellar and, for want of a cellarer, cellarer, and candle-⁠keeper.

On 26 March 1838, on Lazarus Saturday, Hegumen Hilarion tonsured the novice Pyotr into the mantle, with the name Pimen, in honour of Venerable Pimen the Great. On 23 February 1839 he was ordained hierodeacon, on 25 April 1840 hieromonk, and on 26 February 1844 named treasurer. On 16 November 1852, after Hegumen Hilarion asked to retire, Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) entrusted the governance of the monastery to Father Pimen. The first thing he did was to introduce cenobitic life in the monastery, which the metropolitan had long requested and to which Father Hilarion had objected. On 16 October 1853 the Ugresha monastery was changed from one with a fixed number of monks to a cenobitic monastery, and Hieromonk Pimen was raised to hegumen and named its head.

By Father Pimen's labour five churches were built in the monastery: the cathedral of Saint Nicholas in 1843, the church of Venerable Mary of Egypt in 1851, the church of the Dormition in 1852 and in 1860 the church of the Mother of God of Sorrows and the church of the skete of Saints Peter and Paul. All were consecrated by Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow. A few days before the death of Archimandrite Pimen the foundation of a great Transfiguration cathedral was laid. The righteous death of Archimandrite Pimen followed on 17 August 1880.

Veneration and a miracle

His veneration began right after his blessed repose, and many pilgrims came to his burial place. The chapel over his grave was never empty, many bringing him their prayers, sighs, sorrows and joys. After the October revolution the chapel in the brothers' cemetery was destroyed, and the crypt in which Archimandrite Pimen lay was desecrated and abandoned. Veneration was renewed with the reopening of the monastery, in 1990. One of those who worked for the renewal of the monastery was Taisia Danilovna Sycheva (1931 to 1999), who for years prayed for the repose of Archimandrite Pimen's soul and ordered memorial services. In her last years she suffered from a grave illness and, in illness, always asked help of Archimandrite Pimen, feeling that by his intercession her sufferings lessened, so that she bore the pain without strong medicines.

In October 1998 the nun Theophania (Tarasova) came on pilgrimage to the Ugresha monastery. On the morning of 7 November she lost consciousness and was taken in a very grave state to the neurology department of the Dzerzhinsky hospital. She could neither speak nor move. In the doctors' view it was the result of an acute disturbance of cerebral circulation and there was almost no hope of recovery. It was planned to tonsure her into the great schema before death. Those close to her prayed fervently for her recovery, ordered molebens in the Ugresha monastery and asked help of Archimandrite Pimen. Several times the monastery's priests served memorial services for him at the request of those close to her. To the doctors' surprise, the eighty-⁠year-⁠old nun began to recover quickly, her speech became clear again, and on 27 November she left the hospital healthy. Those close to her see in this healing the unmistakable intercession of Archimandrite Pimen.

At the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2004 it was decided to number Archimandrite Pimen, earlier glorified as a locally venerated saint of the Moscow diocese, among the saints venerated throughout the Church and to enter him in the calendar of the Russian Church. The commemoration of Venerable Pimen of Ugresha is kept on the day of his repose, 17 August (30 August by the new calendar). His relics rest in the Transfiguration cathedral of the Saint Nicholas monastery at Ugresha.