AbbessMagdalena of Sevsk

[Barbara]

Today is the repose day of Abbess Magdalena of Sevsk Convent. Who was she, as she is not a household name in most of our circles ?
I am fairly certain that she was the one who was honored with a vision of Elder Leonid of Optina maybe 7 years after his repose.

In it, the Elder was speaking to the Eldress, impatiently saying [comically, for us listeners !] something like, "Magdalena, I am waiting for you to come over here [to Heaven] ! Why are you taking so long ?! I have prepared a lovely cell for you here.
Hurry up !!"

To which the Abbess obediently replied with the approximate words, "I am coming, Father ! I'll hurry."
{When I find the exact quotation, I will amend this}

To understand this Heaven-to-earth conversation better, one must know that Sevsk was one of the main Convents of the region of Optina which was guided by an Optina Elder.
St Leonid, being the 1st Optina Elder, was the one who prepared the ground this way, by taking under his spiritual wings many nuns from Belev and other Convents of the general area. In time, as the Elder predicted in some cases such as Mother Anthia of Belev, these nuns were made Abbesses, so that they in turn instilled the Optina monastic model of [True] Eldership in their nuns. So it passed down through the generations - until the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution curtailed monasticism altogether.

Abbess Magdalena of Sevsk, faithful spiritual daughter of Elder Leonid of Optina, reposed this day in 1848.

[Barbara]

I found the information - it was right where I thought, but I didn't have time that day to pursue locating the right passage.
Here we go with the fullest story in English of Abbess Magdalena of Sevsk :

The predecessor of Abbess Magdalena at Sevsk, located near Optina Hermitage [its official name], was Abbess Paisia. Born in 1740, she became Abbess in 1779.

Aside : just think about how undeveloped the United States was in that year : how small in territory, how rural, and how rough and uncultured life was. But how advanced was Orthodox Russia with magnificent monasteries and convents, already in existence since the 1051 ! The gap between the 2 civilizations is incredible.

To resume, the ailing ascetic, Abbess Paisia, reposed July 30, 1838. Nun Magdalena was selected as her successor.
As a novice or nun, Magdalena had been sent to Sevsk specifically by Elder Zosima [Verkhovsky] of Turinsk and Zosima Hermitage near Verey - see threads on him. Since that latter Convent was established in late November 1826, we can safely assume that it was there - or at least sometime between the years 1826-1833 - that Nun Magdalena received the direction from Elder Zosima of where her spiritual future lay.

Together with a Nun Dorothea and other unnamed people, the group, as many pilgrims and travelers did in those days, walked overland to Sevsk from an unknown point of origin.
To be continued

[Barbara]

As the group was clambering down a mountain toward a river [locations not known], all members of the party beheld a vision. This by itself is rare. Usually, only one or two people might be granted to see a vision. In this case, ALL did.
They were shown a monastery in the style of the KievCaves Lavra. Inside, there was a synaxis [group] of Saints over whom the Queen of Heaven held her omophorion



The vision beckoned the tired travelers to continue to the Sevsk Convent.
However, when they arrived, the vision completely vanished. Thus revealed was a small, rundown Convent building.

This was their goal, Sevsk.

Surely the group must have felt dismay at this new sight after the glittering image they had been supernaturally shown of what they expected to become their spiritual refuge.

As soon as they walked into the Church, they felt that the wondrous vision had been accorded them in order to indicate that this was where they must stay, regardless of its unprepossessing appearance.

Then, later, as the years went by, the Convent expanded, even bearing a resemblance to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra in miniature.

Elder Macarius of Optina [ reposed 1862 ] wrote a letter marveling at the holy repose of his spiritual daughter, Abbess Magdalena.
The famous Elder told an unnamed monastic the following :

"Abbess Magdalena of the Sevsk Convent died August 25, 1862 at twelve o'clock. The Convent became orphaned !
Inconsolable lamentations in the whole Convent still continue. Even all the lay people are weeping over the loss.

Three hundred sisters found haven under her humble and wise governance. Without question, she was vouchsafed blessed eternity : she foretold her death and hinted about it.

At the very hour of her death, certain sisters saw a crown of stars hovering over her cell.

For several days before her death, the Abbot of Ploshchansk saw a dream : he saw that suddenly the heavens opened up and Fr Leonid (Leo) spoke to the Abbess from there :

"Magdalena ! How soon will you come [over to Heaven] to me ? I have been waiting for you for a long time, and have built a cell for you."

It seemed that she answered Fr Leonid, "Soon, soon, Father, I will be there"

The letter of St Macarius of Optina continued :

Now you know this joyful yet sad news. You will most likely shed tears of sorrow and joy for this most honorable mother.
While reading the touching description of her death, it was impossible for anyone to refrain from tears, especially thinking of her spiritual children who were stricken with sorrow."

From this heartfelt missive, we can see that the wise Optina Elder, despite his vast experience in the spiritual life, was nonetheless deeply touched and even perhaps awed by this holy Eldress' life and blessed repose.

After all, how many people merit the appearance of a crown of stars over their dwelling at the hour of their departure to eternal life ?

In fact, such a spectacular phenomenon did not occur at any of the Optina Elders' reposes. In fact, nor did any other types of spiritual signs.

Let it never be said that the Optina Elders did not greatly respect their female monastic counterparts !
Just in case the current school of rebels against traditional Orthodoxy tries to pull that assertion of a hat to defame the true Elders of Old Russia as 'oppressing women'...

[Barbara]

Let's go bac to Elder Macarius of Optina for a minute. His repose day was just a few days ago, Sept 20.

The astute Elder was appointed the spiritual father of Sevsk Convent of the Holy Trinity in 1827 at the age of only 40. That's young for a spiritual father in Old Russia, I suspect.
Note that this duty was taken up by Elder Macarius 7 years BEFORE he arrived at Optina in 1834. He had been at the Ploshchansk Hermitage for his entire monastic career beforehand.

To clarify events and spiritual personalities mentioned earlier - Elder Leonid, on the other hand, only arrived at Ploshchansk the next year, 1828, fleeing from discord at the St Alexander Svirsky Monastery in northern Russia. This Elder and the future Elder Macarius recognized a special light in each other. Though Elder Leonid transferred the next year, 1829, to Optina at the invitation of Abbot Moses [Putilov].

However, the future Optina luminaries Leonid and Macarius wrote letters in the intervening 5 years. They consulted on the spiritual direction of not only Sevsk, but a number of Convents and Monasteries which sought refuge under the spiritual wings of the first two Optina Elders.


St Macarius, the 2nd Elder in what would become a long chain of clairvoyant Elders at Optina

A rare picture of the Sevsk Convent :


Holy Trinity Convent where Abbess Magdalena served as Superior -- as the Church looks today