Far from our native land ... We could not catch the desired radio wave for a long time. Then suddenly the room was filled with a muffled sound of an organ coming from under the ground, then someone's voice burst in, then applause, laughter, crackling, broken jazz music. Finally, we succeeded. First came very

The magazine The Sixth Sense (2/2010) published two publications, "two lines on the same subject." And the topic itself is stated in the heading “Feeling of the Motherland”. The author of the first publication is Alexey Korovin, the second (opposing the first) is Arseniy Zamostyanov.

I was forced to take up the pen by a serious disagreement with the first author and some, but significant disagreement with the second.

I must say right away that the subject of my reasoning - how to put it - is a kind of sluggish patriotism of both authors. The phenomenon is interesting and very revealing.

But - in order.

At first, I was surprised in the article by Alexei Korovin with the term “best people”, which he used several times in a small publication. What are these best people? I remember that in the 19th century N. Chernyshevsky coined this term to define active socialists. True, F. Dostoevsky called these best people demons and prophetically saw in them those who would "fill the world with blood." What happened.

Who are the "best people" in this interpretation?

We read: “We are talking about our best people, smart women, entrepreneurs. It was they who in the 80s and 90s were spinning like a squirrel in a wheel, far from always caring (my italics - M.Sh.) about their own pocket. Whether they have the strength and desire and - most importantly! - faith in Russia, they would be able to turn everything upside down and change a lot in our society. True, there is no guarantee that these changes would be for the better. Further, the author clarifies even more directly: the best people are “wealthy domestic people”.

It would seem, what is there to talk about? The term is obviously, to put it mildly, imprecise.

A. Zamostyanov reasonably objects, and I agree with him in everything (except for the last two paragraphs), but there is a feeling of understatement. Firstly, the very fact of introducing the term "best people" - is it legitimate? I think it just shouldn't be. After all, if we accept it, then we must accept another term: "worse people." That is, we take on the function of judging and passing judgment on our neighbor. And having assumed the right to judge, we inevitably condemn, and this is a great sin, which, as you know, is a violation of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." We are somewhat allowed to say “the best artist”, “the best shoemaker”, “the best businessman”, that is, to express our attitude to human activity, but we are not given to judge the person himself. It is not given to us to judge the image of God that is in every person. And the Lord unequivocally said: "Vengeance is mine and I will repay." A. Zamostyanov is right, but, in my opinion, he speaks too softly about pride, about “the idea that I am better than the country. That in general I am better than anyone and anything. Thus, the very reasoning about someone's "better" for a Christian is unacceptable. The Lord did not wash the feet of his disciples for the sake of a whim. Secondly, it is interesting to find out on what criteria conclusions are based that some people are better (that is, the highest grade), while others are worse (second grade, and so on). Actually, And Korovin indicated these criteria (and I have already quoted). This is the mind, enterprise, diligence, material solvency and care is not always about one's own pocket. The best, highest quality is embodied in its ultimate version - ideally. For a Christian, the ideal is God, Christ.

In the above virtues of the "best people" there is no such ideal. Consider A. Korovin's criteria. Mind? Yes, this is a gift from God, but it is not the highest hierarchical value. Mind is an instrument that equally successfully serves both good and evil. The so-called Age of Enlightenment, in line with which the Western public consciousness remains to this day, deified the human mind. Historical practice quickly proved the absurdity and fatality of this satanic idea, but the inertia of thinking is so great that this global lie continues to dwell in millions of heads.

Entrepreneurship and hard work? Yes, these are certainly good qualities, however, as in the question of the mind, the question arises: for what? And again, we can state the relativism of these virtues in a moral sense: even criminals can be enterprising, and diligence can be directed to the construction of another tower of Babel. I think that, for example, the creators of television programs that corrupt the people are not deprived of the quality of diligence (especially if for good money): the work is being done hoo-hoo, what a large-scale and systematic one.

And here is the main criterion: material solvency. If a very smart, enterprising and hardworking person, for some reason (he fell ill, an accident occurred, failed to be immoral enough to suppress a competitor, etc.) did not get the appropriate capital as a result of his activities, then it is unlikely that A. Korovin would classify him as one of the "best" people. Thus, the best people are rich people who have managed to achieve success due to their own merits. Well, it is said frankly and frankly, in an American way. After all, the basis of the prosperity of the United States, the basis of their constitution is the European Enlightenment idea: "Virtue should not overcome vice, but another vice."

Socio-Darwinism is the norm in Western civilization, and "best" is logically synonymous with "strongest." But what does Christianity have to do with it? The author of the article quotes the Holy Scriptures, as if wishing to have the right measure in hand, having a somewhat Christian attitude towards the Fatherland. Sheer inconsistency. F. Nietzsche was more precise: he declared himself an anti-Christian and stated bluntly: "The weak and unsuccessful must perish - this is the law of our philanthropy."

He, Nietzsche, being nevertheless an intelligent person, determined: all aspirations on earth are following the instinct of power. I think that this is true for the horizontal level of human existence. There is administrative power, there is the power of money, there is the subtle power of art, there is the power of the priesthood, and so on. Today is the day when money rules. The miserable dream of a contemporary is significant: capitalism with a human face. And quite logically, a new idol (the best person) appeared - a successful bourgeois entrepreneur. The author writes that the best people "in the 80s and 90s were spinning like a squirrel in a wheel." And what kind of process was going on in the country during these years? Redistribution of property. Privatization, the seizure of what does not belong to you. The period of primitive accumulation of capital, which, in the fair opinion of K. Marx, never passed without blood and crimes. This is the period of the collapse of the state and its institutions. What did the "best" people do? Developed science, technology, strengthened the army and justice? No, they were not up to it. It was necessary to carry out the initial accumulation. This is what they were doing.

And this was the general general trend.

Business has become the measure of a person's worth. Now it is somehow embarrassing even to express any critical attitude to the very idea of ​​business. I give the floor to an outstanding businessman (I think it was Rockefeller): "Business is the ability to withdraw money from someone else's pocket in a legal way." As you can see, this thesis is not endowed with moral merits. And what can one object to when Christ said bluntly: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24). The Lord said even more clearly: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25). And about who is the best among people, He also spoke very clearly: "... whoever wants to be great among you, let him be your servant ..." (Mark 10:43).

There is a lot to be said on this topic. But enough. I dwelled on it insofar as the main theme of my statement follows from it.

The false premise of “better” people inevitably dictates a false and dubious conclusion.

Actually, arguing that Russia is not good enough for the “best” people, one can come to the logical conclusion that there is nothing wrong with leaving “this country”. “The fish is looking for where it is deeper,” writes Alexei Korovin, “and the man, where it is better. A man is not a fish, but I will not turn my tongue to condemn these people. There is no need to condemn people, but their position can and should be. At first glance, if the country is so bad, why protect it? Let him go into oblivion if he does not want and does not know how to live and survive!

Logically. But only outwardly, but in fact, deeply immoral. True, A. Korovin gives the reason why he has not yet left Russia: “Where he was born, he fit into the business there.” I think that the root mistake is that a person today began to perceive himself as autonomous from Russia: here is separately “this country” - and here I am (besides, “the best”). I may be in this country, I may not be. I am not a part of it, not its belonging, but a certain employee in it, a companion, a consumer. However, personality is not only today's psychosomatic unit. Personality is a link between the centuries-old past and, let's hope a little, a fairly long future. The link on which responsibility lies both to those whose blood, traditions, troubles and victories I contain in myself, and to those whom I either deprive of all this, or to whom I carefully transfer, strengthening and developing, what I received as will. Inwardly leaving the Motherland and the people, we destroy our family. Infertility is the opposite of fertility. "Honor your father and your mother, may it be good, and may you be long on earth." After all, the Lord speaks of honoring any parents. He doesn't say, "Honor good parents." He directly connects the attitude towards parents with future earthly longevity. Our people, our clan, Motherland - these are the parents, without whom there is no our longevity. Let us recall the words of N. Gogol: "If you do not love Russia, you will not love your brothers, you will not be inflamed with love for God, and if you are not inflamed with love for God, you will not be saved." Here we are talking about eternity. Gogol closely links the idea of ​​salvation with the idea of ​​love for Russia. The path to the heavenly fatherland, according to Gogol, lies through the earthly fatherland. One must love one's neighbor, family, family, Motherland, and only then will love for God ignite. Denying the homeland, putting forward irreconcilable claims against it, we begin to look for another homeland, someone else's homeland, and having found it, we serve it. According to the formed public opinion, this is quite normal and acceptable.

Well, what if there's a war? Going over to the side of the enemy is called the shameful word "betrayal". And there is no need to explain anything here. “I gave birth to you, I will kill you,” says Bulba, and the terrible truth of these words is clear to the heart.

One might seem to object: now is peacetime, and therefore it is inappropriate to talk about betrayal. Is that so? I dare say that the war did not stop. She changed forms. Western politicians, especially openly, say that much greater results can be achieved without throwing their army at the enemy. You can conquer a country without crossing borders. There is also a name for this kind of activity: information warfare. After the Second World War, such a war, painted like clockwork, in the well-known plan of Dulles, was waged against the system of socialism and ended victoriously. Now another goal has been set in the United States: "the mutation of the Russian spirit." And Z. Brzezinski publicly declared: "After the destruction of socialism, enemy number one is Orthodoxy."

According to the conclusions of S. Huntington (American political scientist, author of the sensational book "The Clash of Civilizations"), there are three factors that form civilization: blood, language and religion. In the first place, he rightly puts religion, in the second - language, and only in the third - blood. The mutation of the Russian spirit for a long time is carried out through the destruction of the Orthodox faith. Russian sobornost degenerates into pragmatic egoism. Sexual promiscuity is being implanted (remember the oriental wisdom: “If you want to destroy the clan, corrupt the woman of the clan”).

The task of the information war is to make a person lose himself as an integral unit, when, in particular, separation from the Motherland splits our soul, because the Motherland is in me, it is impossible to lose it, along with it we lose ourselves. Despair and disbelief in the people and the Fatherland are being introduced into the consciousness. Pessimism about one's own capabilities (how many disaster films pour into the souls of viewers! In the US, the demonstration of such films is extremely limited). They are striving for the idea of ​​existence in the world of triumphant evil to take root in the consciousness and subconsciousness, in which, if you want to live, then live like a wolf ... The program of the information war is well developed and paid for. Its special point is the consistent support of the comprador bourgeoisie, that is, that social stratum for which the interests of business are higher than the interests of the Fatherland. This is a layer of traitors to national interests in the conditions of the conquest of the colonial state. Yes, everything has been done and is being done to deprive the people of Russia of the spirit, and therefore of life, for a body without a spirit is a corpse. Yes, the Fatherland is in danger, yes, the Russian people has degenerated and continues to degenerate, they are dying on a much larger scale than if they had been starved in concentration camps. But what follows from this? For a fish that is looking for where it is best, the conclusion is obvious.

But for those who expressed the spirit of the nation, the problem was seen differently:

Two feelings are wonderfully close to us,
In them the heart finds food:
Love for father's coffins,
Love for native land.

Living shrine!
The earth would be dead without them
Like (...) desert
And like an altar without a deity.

Yes, of course you can say “leave” and shake hands, but why gild the pill? Betrayal is betrayal, because according to A.S. Pushkin, without love for the Fatherland, the earth is dead.

Arseny Zamostyanov, with whom, I repeat, I agree in many respects, summing up my thoughts, says that in the 20th century we defended not only minerals, but also language, literature, and songs ... And further: “For me, inferior is better, but mine." At first I couldn't believe my eyes. Why such humiliating modesty? Is it our language, literature, religion - “poor, but our own”? It is understandable when F. Dostoevsky said that in the field of enlightenment Russia stands above other peoples, because Christ enlightened her. However, there is a lot of evidence "from the side." Thomas Mann called Russian literature a saint. Rilke said about Russia that it alone borders on the sky ... Russian culture, which is respected abroad, is inferior?!

Yes, Russia is sick. Possibly fatal. But great Russia is sick, and it is blasphemous to apply the epithet "poor" to it. She's not even bad. She is “bad”, that is, insignificant. Yes, how is it possible? Well, there is already every reason for fish to swim to other depths. Further, Arseniy Zamostyanov compares the feeling of the Motherland with an ear for music. What to do - some have it, others do not. As you can see, the judgment is devoid of moral coordinates. What to do: one person has a conscience, and the other does not. It is also like a musical ear. Let's be tolerant! But tolerance towards evil is already a form of complicity and silent support of evil.

And this author ends his article with a quote from A.S. Pushkin: "Each artist must be judged according to the laws that he himself recognizes over himself." That is: "You love your Motherland - I judge you according to the law of this love, betray your Motherland - I judge you according to the logic of your betrayal."

I dare to note that Pushkin spoke about the work of the artist. And about the laws of creativity, about its aesthetics, and by no means about the moral or civil position of a person. And, being a great patriot, he unequivocally called the slanderers of Russia slanderers.

Russia is sick. And here two logics are really possible. There is only one logic: to get rid of the Motherland and dump, handing over, like a mother, to a nursing home, or to act like Vysotsky’s friend does to a friend: “And when you fell off the rocks, he groaned, but held on.”

I seem to have said everything I wanted to, but I think it is very appropriate to recall today the poems of the great Russian poet Anna Akhmatova. I think that today they are even more relevant than in the year they were written:

We know what's on the scales now
And what is happening now.
The hour of courage has struck on our clocks,
And courage will not leave us!
It's not scary to lie down under the bullets of the dead,
It is not bitter to be homeless.
And we will save you, Russian speech,
Great Russian word!
We'll carry you free and clean
And we will give to our grandchildren, and we will save from captivity
Forever!

Mikhail SCHEPENKO,
artistic director
Moscow Theater of Russian Drama
"Chamber Scene"
Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation

I would like to sincerely thank you, Mikhail Grigoryevich, for the strict review of an attentive reader. Your answer is full of sound arguments and personal experience.

However, the style of your remarks, in my opinion, is not devoid of some excessive rigidity, bordering on prosecutorial condemnation. Either this is a kind of surgery of Christian love, or a certain lack of it.

How do you think? Yes, indeed, it is difficult to distinguish between a person, as the image of God, and sin. This is the great art, which, alas, has not yet been achieved, perhaps, by none of us. But this, as they say, is the work of a lifetime.

Let me make two comments. For me, patriotism, Motherland and even the state are the most important, key concepts. But are they a moral absolute, such as, for example, conscience? Not sure. This is a long conversation in which one can recall, for example, the dispute over the publications of Father Superior Peter (Meshcherinov) and Archpriest George (Mitrofanov). With all my heart I am against their anti-patriotic concept, but I cannot consider their position as immoral either.

I don't know if it's worth uttering the scandalous word "tolerance" here, but I think it must be admitted that this question, given the variability of historical circumstances, is ambiguous.

As for the expression “better poor, but our own”, then, of course, it does not mean that we attribute Russian to the category of “bad”. Simple and inferior, but my own for me - a horse-drawn patriot! - better than someone else's.

Does not accept someone else's soul.

Your Arseniy Zamostyanov

• EARTH
  AGRICULTURAL PURPOSE - land provided for the needs of agriculture or intended for these ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  RECREATIONAL PURPOSE - lands allocated in accordance with the established procedure, intended and used for organized mass recreation and tourism of the population. To them …
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  ENVIRONMENTAL PURPOSE - lands of reserves (with the exception of hunting); prohibited and spawning zones; lands occupied by forests that perform protective functions; other …
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  NATURAL RESERVE FUND - lands of nature reserves, natural monuments, natural (national) and dendrological, botanical gardens. The composition of the Z.p.-z.f. includes land with ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  DAMAGE - see DAMAGE TO THE EARTH ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  HEALTH PURPOSE - land plots with natural healing factors (mineral springs, deposits of therapeutic mud, climatic and other conditions), favorable ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  GENERAL USE - in cities, towns and rural settlements - lands used as means of communication (squares, streets, alleys, ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  LAND PRICE - see LAND REGULATION PRICE…
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  SETTLEMENTS - see URBAN LAND ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  MUNICIPALIZATION - see MUNICIPALIZATION OF THE LAND ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  FOREST FUND - lands covered with forest, as well as. not covered with forest, but provided for the needs of forestry and forestry ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL PURPOSE - lands on which (and in which) historical and cultural monuments, places of interest are located, including those declared ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  RESERVE - all lands not provided for ownership, possession, use and lease. include lands, ownership, possessions…
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  RAILWAY TRANSPORT - federal lands provided free of charge for permanent (unlimited) use to enterprises and institutions of railway transport for the implementation of assigned ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  FOR THE NEEDS OF DEFENSE - lands provided for the placement and permanent activity of military units, institutions, military educational institutions, enterprises and organizations of the Armed ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  URBAN - see URBAN LAND ...
• EARTH in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
  WATER FUND - lands occupied by reservoirs, glaciers, swamps, with the exception of the tundra and forest-tundra zones, hydraulic and other water management structures; a …
• EARTH in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
  Old Russian regions formed near the old cities. Z., often for a very significant distance from the city, was the property of its inhabitants and always ...
• NATIVE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  , -th, -be. 1. Consisting in direct (blood) relationship, as well as in general in relationship. Native sister. R. uncle. Stay at…
• EARTH
  ? Old Russian regions formed near the old cities. Z., often for a very significant distance from the city, was the property of its inhabitants and ...
• NATIVE in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
  native "th, native" I, native "e, native" e, native "go, native" th, native "go, native" x, native "mu, native" th, native "mu, native" m, native " th, native "yu, native" e, native "e, native" th, native "yu, native" e, native "x, ...
• NATIVE in the Popular Explanatory-Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Russian Language:
  - "th, -" th 1) Being in consanguinity in a straight line, as well as in any relationship in general. Native father. Native mother. …
• NATIVE
  Syn: See...
• EARTH in the Thesaurus of Russian business vocabulary:
  
• NATIVE in the Russian Thesaurus:
  Syn: See...
• EARTH in the Russian Thesaurus:
  ‘property’ Syn: possessions, …
• NATIVE in the Dictionary of synonyms of Abramov:
  kindred, kinsman, near, near, blood. Brothers of the same womb, of the same blood. They are flesh of our flesh, bone of our bones. See close,…
• NATIVE
  priceless, dear, precious, dearest, consanguineous, desired, blood, beloved, dear, beloved, one-womb, paternal, paternal, intimate, kindly, darling, kinsman, kindred, relatives, own, ...
• EARTH in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language:
  property Syn: possessions, ...
• NATIVE in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
  1. m. Use. as an affectionate address to a father, brother, husband, man, boy, etc. 2. adj. 1) a) Located in ...
• NATIVE in the Dictionary of the Russian language Lopatin.
• NATIVE in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language.
• NATIVE in the Spelling Dictionary.
• NATIVE in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Ozhegov:
  (in circulation) dear, dear native by birth, in spirit, in habits R. region. Homeland. R. language (the language of its ...
• NATIVE in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language Ushakov:
  native, native. 1. Being in a blood relationship in a straight line. Native father. Native son. Native grandfather. Native great-grandfather. Birth mother…
• NATIVE in the Explanatory Dictionary of Efremova:
  native 1. m. as an affectionate address to a father, brother, husband, man, boy, etc. 2. adj. 1) a) Located ...
• NATIVE in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language Efremova:
  I m. Used as an affectionate appeal to a father, brother, husband, man, boy, etc. II adj. 1. Being in the blood ...
• NATIVE in the Big Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
  I m. It is used as an affectionate appeal to a father, brother, husband, man, youth, boy, corresponding in meaning to the words: dear, dear, beloved. …
• RUSSIAN PROVERBS in Wiki Quote.
• PEASANTS in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron:
  Contents: 1) K. in Western Europe. ? 2) The history of K. in Russia before the liberation (1861). ? 3) The economic situation of K. ...
• DIE BUT NOT NOW at the Wiki Quote:
  Data: 2009-03-13 Time: 18:40:59 * Vodka martini and plenty of ice if available. * You know, Zao, I even missed…
• HOUSE M.D. at the Wiki Quote.
• THE USSR. LITERATURE AND ART
  and art Literature Multinational Soviet literature represents a qualitatively new stage in the development of literature. As a certain artistic whole, united by a single socio-ideological ...
• THE USSR. NATURAL SCIENCES in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
  Sciences Mathematics Scientific research in the field of mathematics began to be carried out in Russia since the 18th century, when L. ...
• JAPAN*
• FRANCE* in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron.
• FINLAND* in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron.
• FEUDALISM in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron.
• TRADE in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron:
  (theory). ? T. is understood as fishing activity aimed at overcoming obstacles that separate producers and consumers in time and space. This is …

“So for the great prince Alexander had a lot of brave ones, as if Davyd had the king of Silini and the kruptsni in ancient times; so is the howl of the Grand Duke Alexander, a gigantic spirit of the warrior: beating their hearts, like a lion, and roaring: “O our prince, honest and Dragny! Now is the time to lay down your head for you and for Russia. Life of Alexander Nevsky "About the Great Prince Alexander".

“... It's time to "collect stones"! This year, the Blessed Ring of the Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia was closed, and another significant project of the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia" continues its implementation on the installation of foundation stones for the monument to Alexander Nevsky. Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky in the monumental appearance of monuments and his heavenly light will rise on our Russian land from Pereslavl-Zalessky to Lugansk and Donetsk. And he will protect our land from enemies and troubles, to the glory of God! .. "

The minibus of the delegation of the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia" was rapidly moving to the south of our vast country. The magnificent highway M4 "Don" encircled the expanses of the Tula, Lipetsk, Voronezh regions with a majestic ribbon. Ahead lay the lands of the Great Don Army. After the bad weather in Moscow, we escaped from the captivity of snow and traffic jams in the capital, passed the border of the cold front, and now it was getting warmer and warmer with every tens of kilometers. And it was warm at heart from the fact that we were traveling with a noble mission. On the long-suffering Luhansk land, on November 8, at the Alexander Nevsky Church in the capital of the Lugansk People's Republic, the foundation stone of the monument to the holy noble prince, great warrior and diplomat, prayer book and builder of the Russian land, Alexander Nevsky, will be installed.

Somewhere beyond the horizon to the right of our route lay the military fields of the great victories of Russian weapons - the Kulikovo and Prokhorovka fields. We went to the Donbass, which has become a new military battlefield of the Russian World with universal evil. The grandiose project of the International Center "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia" - "The Name of Russia - Alexander Nevsky" began its procession in the year of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory of the Soviet People over Nazi Germany. The installation of foundation stones on the sites of future monuments to Prince Alexander Nevsky, as a symbol of the unshakable Russian spirit, along the perimeter of the Russian land will become a spiritual belt guarding the Orthodox faith and a symbol of the unity of our people. As planned by the organizers of the project, monuments to Alexander Nevsky will be erected in places of military glory along the borders of Orthodox Russia, and this action will end in 2021, on the 800th anniversary of the great Russian prince.

Granite natural centuries-old stones from the homeland of Alexander Nevsky in Pereslavl-Zalessky, where the great saint Alexander received princely tonsure, will be consecrated and sent in procession to their places of installation.

Then, in Star City, after the opening of the foundation stone at a solemn rally, the director of the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia" Vladimir Berezovsky in his speech noted:

“... The time has come to “collect stones”! This year, the Blessed Ring of the Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia closed, and another significant project of our Center continues its implementation. Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky in the monumental appearance of monuments and his heavenly light will rise on our Russian land from Pereslavl-Zalessky to Lugansk and Donetsk. And he will protect our land from enemies and troubles, to the glory of God! .. "

A huge thickness of years separates us from the era of Alexander Nevsky. The famous prince is better known to people of the 20th century from historical novels, fictionalized biographies, paintings by Nicholas Roerich, Pavel Korin, and a film by Sergei Eisenstein.

But it should be noted that Alexander Nevsky, a statesman and commander of Medieval Russia, appeared to us by God's will, as the patron and defender of our land.

“The observance of the Russian land,” wrote the historian Sergei Solovyov, “from trouble in the east, the famous feats for faith and land in the west brought Alexander a glorious memory in Russia and made him the most prominent historical figure in ancient history from Monomakh to the Donskoy.”

In the chronicle legend that has come down to us about his exploits, it is said that he was "born by God." Winning everywhere, he was not defeated by anyone. A certain knight, who came from the west to see Nevsky, said that he had traveled through many countries and peoples, but had never seen anything like this "neither in the kings of the king, nor in the princes of the prince." Batu Khan himself allegedly gave the same review about him.

Initially, Alexander Nevsky was buried in the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir. In 1724, by order of Peter I, the relics of Alexander Nevsky were solemnly transferred to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (since 1797 - Lavra) in St. Petersburg.

According to the results of a large-scale poll of Russians on December 28, 2008, Alexander Nevsky was chosen as "the name of Russia."

Alexander Nevsky played an exceptional role in Russian history in that dramatic period when Russia was attacked from three sides, he was seen as the founder of the line of Moscow sovereigns and the great patron of the Orthodox Church.

Alexander Nevsky, who never lost a single battle in his entire life, showed the talent of a commander and diplomat, making peace with the most powerful (but more tolerant) enemy - the Golden Horde, and, repelling an attack from the West, at the same time defended Orthodoxy from Catholic expansion.

On the Don land in Donetsk (Rostov) our delegation made its first stop. Our group included: Leonid Vasilyevich Kolobov - representative of the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia" in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, Oleg Mikhailovich Koshelev - Chairman of the Board of the Public Organization of Veterans "Combat Brotherhood" in the city of Pereslavl, Andrey Valeryevich Okhapkin - ex - Mayor of the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, project participant, Vladimir Kazmin - member of the Union of Writers of Russia, member of the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia", Sergey Iosifovich Zalessky - representative of the Golden Russia Fund for Supporting Environmental Programs with his son, a Yunarmist Grigory and our combat driver Andrey Valentinovich Petrenko - a member of the Federation of Balloonists of Russia.

Ahead, in the twilight of the night beyond the Izvarino border crossing, lay the disturbing silence of the Luhansk land. Since there was already a curfew in the Luhansk People's Republic, we decided to wait until morning and then continue our journey to Lugansk, where Vladimir Vasilyevich Berezovsky, director of the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia", was waiting for us. The leadership of the International Center carried out a lot of preliminary work on the preparation of the solemn event in Lugansk, where this event in the Luhansk People's Republic was given great importance at the state level.

At dawn, when the sun came out from behind the horizon, illuminating with its light the spurs of the Donetsk Ridge, the steppe expanses and the man-made pyramids of waste heaps, we continued our way along the war-scorched Lugansk land. We drove through the heroic cities of Krasnodon and Molodogvardeysk, stopped at Novosvetlovka, shot by Bandera neo-fascists, where we bowed to a burned tank of militiamen. Here in the summer of 2014 there were fierce bloody battles, the Ukrainian security forces and Bandera tried to cut the only road that connected Luhansk with Russia - this road became the "road of life", despite the heavy casualties, then the militias of the Lugansk region survived and won!

A peaceful, but frontline city, the capital of the LPR, Luhansk, met us with the morning bustle and the cleanliness of its streets and avenues.

Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Luhansk was founded in 2000 and fully completed in 2003 by architect Anatoly Bondarev. The temple is decorated with 6 domes, four of them have belfries, the total area is 306 m². Located on Budyonny Street, on the territory of the park of the University. V.I Dal.

A high staircase leads to the central entrance, under which on the lower tier there is an entrance to the limit of the holy blessed Matrona of Moscow, a famous Christian ascetic of the 20th century.

The bell ringing of the temple announced the beginning of the solemn consecration of the foundation stone of the monument to the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky. The solemn ceremony was attended by the head of the LPR Igor Plotnitsky, the leadership of the republic, representatives of the public and the clergy, with a large gathering of people. The rite of consecration of the place of installation of the foundation stone was held by Metropolitan Mitrofan of Lugansk and Alchevsk.

“Saint Alexander Nevsky occupies a special place in the history of our Fatherland, because he very harmoniously combined the wonderful gifts of a statesman, politician, warrior, and at the same time a deeply believing spiritual person who, all his life, ruling his people, tried to follow the commandments of God. It is no coincidence that the name of Alexander Nevsky has become a symbol of Russia, because his feat, his life is an example for everyone,” Bishop Mitrofan said, addressing those present.

“His memory reminds us of the unity of the peoples of Holy Russia. What should we pray for, ask God for there to be no division, but unity,” the metropolitan said.

The monument to the Grand Russian Prince is planned to be erected in 2017 with the direct participation of the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia" as part of the All-Russian Action Plan for the preparation of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Prince Alexander Nevsky.

The head of the LPR, Igor Plotnitsky, in his speech at this celebration said:

“Today we have become even closer to Russia, to the Russian world. Because today on the land of Lugansk there is a foundation stone of the holy noble Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, which symbolizes the spiritual relationship between us and our great Motherland. Today's celebration once again shows that there are no barriers for people who follow the path of truth, faith and justice…”.

In his speech, Vladimir Berezovsky, director of the International Center, noted:

“As part of the project “The Name of Russia - Alexander Nevsky”, the foundation stone came from the homeland, where he was born - the legendary city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, came to you - my fellow countrymen.

In September 2015, the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects "Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia", on the basis of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Nevsky, began to implement a project to install foundation stones from the homeland of the defender of Russia in cities where erected monuments and busts to the holy noble grand duke.

The first foundation stone in Donbass was set in the Donetsk People's Republic. On September 8, 2015, on the day of the celebration of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, after the service and the procession at the Alexander Nevsky Church and the Vladimir Cathedral on the Red Square of Pereslavl-Zalessky, a ceremony was held to consecrate the stone for the heroic Donbass.

On September 12, 2015, on the day of memory of the blessed prince, he was laid at the site of the future installation of the monument on the territory of the Donetsk Higher Combined Arms Command School (DonVOKU).

Then, in May 2016, in Pereslavl-Zalessky, a solemn ceremony of consecrating the foundation stones by Bishop Feodor of Pereslavl and Uglech for Lugansk, Matveev Kurgan and Star City took place. And now we see this sacred stone here in Lugansk…”

After the solemn rally, a flock of pigeons flew up into the sky and white balloons released by young schoolchildren as a symbol of peace and prosperity, which is so lacking in Lugansk.

The administration of the Head of the LPR Igor Plotnitsky hosted a reception at the state level, where issues of further cooperation were discussed. Participants of the project for strengthening civil peace in the Luhansk region were awarded the LPR government award with the anniversary medal "70th Anniversary of Victory". The leadership of the republic was presented with books by the project participants from the delegation of the International Center.

In the evening of the same day, our delegation set off to the next point of our journey - the village of Matveev Kurgan, Rostov Region. The road went through the Lugansk cities of Krasny Luch and Miusinsk. We entered the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, the city of Snezhnoye. Here, on the legendary land of the Mius Front on the Saur-Mogila mound, both in the distant 1943 and in 2014, there were bloody battles with the enemies of the Russian land: in 1943 - with the Nazi fascists, and in 2014 - with Bandera nationalists. We rode along the road warped by shells and rockets, we rode through the groaning expanses of Donetsk, we rode through the time of pain and unfading glory that permeated this great space ...

After customs formalities at the Uspenka border crossing, our minibus ran along the Rostov, Don region.

Fields and villages of the Matveyevo-Kurgan region are spread on the land covered with the immortal glory of the victory on the Mius-Front.

Among the events of the Great Patriotic War, an important place is occupied by the fighting of the Soviet troops on the Don. They lasted about two years, from October 1941 to August 1943.

We know from the annals of the last war that in February 1943 the troops of the Southern Front liberated Rostov and most of the Don land from the Nazi invaders. The liberation of Taganrog and the southwestern part of the Rostov region occurred later in subsequent battles. The Nazi command strengthened its position on the Mius Front. There were fierce battles. Here, on the Mius, the Nazis hoped to take revenge for the defeat at Stalingrad, but they were utterly defeated, and after our soldiers captured the key height of Saur-Mogila, the Nazis were expelled not only from the Don land, but from the Donbass.

The Matveyevo-Kurgan Orthodox Parish of the Church of Blessed Paul of Taganrog was included in the project for the installation of foundation stones from the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky in those cities and towns where it is planned to erect a monument to the great Russian prince Alexander Nevsky not by chance. This temple was erected as a temple-monument to the soldiers who died on the Mius-Front. On the territory of the parish, it is planned to build chapels-tombs for the remains of soldiers, who are annually found in large numbers by search parties during the “Memory Watch”.

It is necessary to tell the prehistory associated with the event of laying the stone.

“Our temple is located on the border with the Donetsk People's Republic, and we see that in modern conditions the only salvation for our people is a union based on historical memory. The personality of Alexander Nevsky, thanks to the grace of God's help, gathered scattered principalities around him and did not allow our Fatherland to perish.

And in our years, weighed down by fraternal enmity, the holy prince will strengthen his spiritual strength by uniting the fraternal peoples,” wrote the rector of the Matveyevo-Kurgan deanery, priest Igor Milyaev, in his message addressed to the director of the International Center for the Development of Socially Significant Projects “Holy Laurels of Orthodox Russia” Vladimir Berezovsky with a request to include it in the project. This request has been reviewed and approved. And on November 9, 2016, a magnificent act of installing the foundation stone in Matveyev Kurgan should take place.

This was done thanks to the active support of Anatoly Safronov, Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Southern Federal District, and Alexander Rudkovsky, Head of the Matveyevo-Kurgan District Administration.

On May 31, 2016, a meeting was held between the Head of the Administration of the Matveyevo-Kurgansky District Alexander Rudkovsky and the deanery district Priest Igor Milyaev on the topic of installing a monument to the Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky.

With the blessing of His Eminence Mercury, Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk, work was carried out to design and prepare a site for a monument to the great saint and commander of the Russian land. It was decided to rename the square adjacent to the territory of the Church of the Righteous Paul of Taganrog in honor of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky and set the foundation stone for the future monument in the center, as well as to unite the territories of the temple and the square. Thus, the territory of the parish and the square of Alexander Nevsky will become a single pedestrian park area in the central part of the village of Matveev Kurgan.

At noon in the park on November 9, 2016, a solemn consecration of the site for the installation of the foundation stone took place.

The ceremony, together with our delegation, was attended by the head of the district administration A.A. Rudkovsky, the dean Fr. Igor Milyaev, community members and clergy.

To the sound of bells, a religious procession consisting of Cossacks and guests of honor marched from the church of St. Bl. Pavel Taganrogsky along the alley to the foundation stone and carefully, slowly, they removed the cover from it. Then the priests held a prayer service and consecrated the place for the installation of a granite foundation stone with a black slab fixed on it with an explanatory inscription. Then a rally took place, during which the significance of what was happening was especially emphasized.

“It is very symbolic that the monument to the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, the defender and gatherer of the Russian land, will stand between the Temple and the mass grave of the liberators of our region,” Alexander Rudkovsky noted in his speech. “This is not just a tribute to the great past, but also a call to us and our descendants to defend Russia, to strengthen the unity of its people!”

Director of the International Center V.V. Berezovsky spoke at the solemn rally:

“The first foundation stone began its Way of the Cross in the year of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory of the Soviet People in the Great Patriotic War, on the day of the celebration of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Then our grandiose project started. And by the will of God, one of these stones found its place on the Don land, here in Matveyev Kurgan, next to the burial place of soldiers who gave their lives for their friends and the Russian land in the righteous struggle against fascism during the Great Patriotic War. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and officers died on the Mius Front, and it is not by chance that a monument to the holy prince of great Russia, Alexander Nevsky, will stand here, as the personification of the glory of Russian weapons and future victories with the enemies of our land. Keep us holy noble prince! I am sure that our common deeds will serve the spiritual and moral education of the younger generation.”

The celebration ended with the sounds of the Anthem of Russia and the raising of a huge copy of the Banner of Victory in the park by the Young Guards - a demonstration of the connection between times and generations in the unfading glory of our distant ancestors.

The name of Alexander Nevsky, as a warrior and defender of the Russian land, did not accidentally flare up again on our banners.

Save, Saint Alexander, us and Orthodox Russia!

Vladimir Kazmin, poet, member of the Writers' Union of Russia