Kazimirchak-Polonskaya, Elena Ivanovna

Elena Ivanovna Polonskaya was born in the village of Selets of Vladimir-Volynsky district of Volyn province (now - the village of Selets of Vladimir-Volynsky district of Volyn region of Ukraine ), where her parents - Ivan Mikhailovich Polonsky and Evgenia Nikolaevna Zhitinskaya (from the Russian noble estate ) - owned the estate.

In 1920 she graduated from the Lutsk girl’s gymnasium with excellent marks.

In the 1920s and 1930s, she was an active participant in the Russian student Christian movement .

In 1922 - 1927 she studied at the University of Jan Casimir in Lviv .

In 1928 he became assistant professor of at the Lviv Observatory .

In 1932 - 1934 - supernumerary assistant of the the University of Warsaw .

In 1934 she defended a doctoral dissertation in Warsaw on the topic “O ruchu planetocentrycznym komet” (“On the planet-centric movement of comets”), receiving a degree and a title of Doctor of Philosophy .

In 1936 she married Leo (Leon) Kazimirchak - an ichthyologist scientist, an employee of the University of Warsaw.

May 14, 1937 gave birth to a son, Sergei (named after his spiritual father, Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov).

In 1940 - 1941 - senior researcher at the Astronomical Institute at Lviv University.

May 9, 1945 - came with her mother and son from Poland to the USSR for permanent residence.

In 1945 - 1948, he was a senior lecturer at the Kherson Pedagogical Institute ( mathematical analysis and astronomy).

July 7, 1948 - the sudden death of his son Sergei.

Since 1948 - researcher , then senior researcher at the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Leningrad.

In 1950 she defended her thesis on the subject "Close proximity of comets to planets and planet-centric movement of comets"; awarded the degree of candidate of physical and mathematical sciences. Concurrently enrolled as a full-time teacher at the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute. M.N. Pokrovsky .

In November 1951, in connection with the campaign of "purges" in the fight against " enemies of the people, " she was dismissed from her job under the formal pretext of "staff reduction."

In 1952 she was arrested on suspicion of "espionage activities", from January to August she was in places of detention of the Ministry of State Security of the USSR . She was acquitted and released for lack of evidence.

In 1953 - 1956 she was an assistant professor of higher mathematics at the Odessa Pedagogical Institute .

In 1956 she returned to Leningrad and continued to work at the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy of the USSR Academy of Sciences .

Since 1964 - member of the International Astronomical Union .

In 1968 she defended her doctoral dissertation on the topic "The theory of motion of short-period comets and the problem of their evolution"; awarded the degree of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

In 1968 she became a laureate of the prize of the USSR Academy of Sciences. F. A. Bredikhin , awarded "for an extensive series of works for the period 1961-1968, devoted to the construction of numerical theories of the motion of short-period comets, the problem of the evolution of their orbits on a secular scale, and the study of the passage of comets."

In 1967 - 1985, she took an active part in organizing and conducting all-Union and international astronomical seminars and symposia.

Since 1970 - an active member of the Society of Soviet-Polish Friendship (in particular, accompanied the famous Polish pianist Vitold Maltzuzhinsky on his tour trips to Leningrad).

Since 1972 - an honorary member of the All-Union Society of the Blind (in particular, she participated in the publication of works on higher mathematics and programming in Braille ).

In 1976 - 1978 she was the chairman of the scientific group on the dynamics of small bodies at the Astronomical Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences .

In 1978, the name of E.I. Kazimirchak-Polonskaya was named the small planet No. 2006 - (2006) Polonskaya .

Since 1980, she worked actively in the field of the history of the Russian Church and biblical studies (original works and translations - E.I. Kazimirchak-Polonskaya was fluent in Polish , French and German ).

In 1987 she took monastic tonsure with the name Elena.

Toward the end of her life, Elena Ivanovna almost completely lost her sight, but, having a brilliant memory, she read a course of generally accessible lectures on the life and work of Prot. Sergius Bulgakov at the Leningrad Theological Schools . She dictated the texts of her latest scientific works to assistants.

Died on August 30, 1992. She was buried in the cemetery of astronomers on the territory of the Pulkovo Observatory near St. Petersburg.

The main scientific works of Kazimirchak-Polonskaya are devoted to the study of the motion of small bodies of the solar system , in particular, the evolution of cometary orbits . She paid special attention to short-period comets . Elena Ivanovna found that the characteristic laws of motion of such comets are their rapprochement with large planets , mainly with Jupiter . Having established that a number of comets from the families of Saturn and Uranus are captured by Jupiter, she determined the types of changes in cometary orbits.

She published the history of studies of the movement of comets and their rapprochements with Jupiter for 200 years; set new tasks for the study of the motion of celestial bodies using computers .

She developed a new effective method for numerically integrating the differential equations of motion of a small body with a variable step (taking into account all planetary perturbations and non-gravitational effects), on the basis of which she studied the motion of Wolf’s comet between 1884 and 1973 with high accuracy. She constructed the exact numerical theory of the motion of the comet Ashbrooke - Jackson for 1949 - 1979 .

She studied the evolution of the orbits of about 40 short-period comets, taking into account all the tangible planetary disturbances in the period from 1660 to 2060 . It has shown that the comet rapprochements with Jupiter and Saturn are not rare, random phenomena (as previously thought), but are subject to complex laws. Determined the general laws of evolution and transformation of cometary orbits. She proposed a new numerical theory of multi-stage capture of comets by external planets over long periods of time and confirmed it with a number of examples.

Together with I. S. Astapovich , N. A. Belyaev and A. K. Terentyeva, for the first time, she studied the disturbed motion of the Leonid meteor shower in the period 1700 - 2000 , as well as other swarms , revealed details of their structure, correctly predicted the moment of maximum intensity Leonid in 1966 year ^[1] .

From the moment she converted from atheism to Christianity in her youth, Elena Ivanovna was a deeply religious person all her life.

In 1923, she participated in the first congress of the Russian Student Christian Movement ^[2] (RSHD) in the city of Prerov ( Czechoslovakia ). In 1926 - 1928 she was an active member of the RSHD and its representative in Poland and Belarus . She edited the religious and political magazine “At the Frontier”.

She was a participant in the summer apologetic courses in Paris , founded by prot. Sergius Bulgakov (her spiritual father). She attended classes at the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute .

August 29 (September 11), 1927, in memory of the Beheading of John the Baptist , Fr. Sergius blesses Elena Polonskaya for monasticism in the world.

However, after several years, Elena, in the expression of another spiritual daughter of Fr. Sergius, nunnery of John (Reutlinger) , “broke” ^[3] : in 1936 she gets married. Her family life was short: due to circumstances, she was separated from her husband on the eve of the Warsaw uprising and never saw him again. In 1948, already in the USSR, her only son Seryozha died.

In 1952, for her ideological and religious convictions and missionary activity ^[4] she was repressed by the denunciation of a clergyman who violated the secret of confession .

In the 1970s, she organized two secret home-based missionary circles ^[5] for classes with young people and representatives of the middle and older generations (reading and interpreting the Gospel , lectures on apologetics , patristics , church history , discussions on various spiritual and religious topics) . Some of the members of these circles subsequently became clerics.

In the 1980s, with the blessing of the Leningrad and Novgorod Metropolitan Anthony (Melnikov), she wrote a study about the life and work of her spiritual father, Prot. Sergius Bulgakov . At the same time, with the blessing of the rector of the Leningrad Theological Schools, Archbishop Kirill of Vyborg (now the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia), she translated into Russian several theological works of foreign theologians.

In 1987, with the blessing of the Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod Alexy (Ridiger), she received monastic tonsure ; the monastic vestments, along with his blessing for tonsure, were sent to her by the old and well-known elder of the Pskov-Pechersky monastery, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) .

In 1988-1989 she gave a course of lectures on Prot. Sergius Bulgakova in the community she created in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the walls of the Leningrad Theological Academy .

Astronomy. History of Science

• Kazimirchak-Polonskaya E. I. Review of studies of close approximations of short-period comets with Jupiter (1770-1960) // Transactions of Institute of Theoretical Astronomy . L .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR , 1961. Issue. 7.P. 19-190.
• Kazimirchak-Polonskaya E. I. The main tasks of the study of the comet proximity to large planets. M .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1961 .-- 311 p.
• Kazimirchak-Polonskaya E.I., Belyaev N.A., Astapovich I.S., Terentyeva A.K. Investigation of the disturbed motion of the meteor swarm Leonid // Astronomical journal . M. , 1967. T. 44. No. 3. S. 616-629.
• Kazimirchak-Polonskaja EI, Beljaev NA, Astapovich IS, Terenteva A.K. Investigation of perturbed motion of the Leonid meteor stream // Physics and dynamics of meteors / Eds. L. Kresak and PM Millman . - Proceedings of the Symposium of the International Astronomical Union Symposium / International Astronomical Union (No. 33). Dordrecht - Holland : Reidel , 1968. P. 449-475.
• Kazimirchak-Polonskaya E.I. Capture of comets by Jupiter and some patterns in the secular evolution of cometary orbits // Astrometry and Celestial Mechanics. M. - L. , 1978. Issue 7. S. 340-383.
• Kazimirchak-Polonskaya E. I., Belyaev N. A., Churyumov K. I. F. A. Bredikhin , an outstanding pioneer of comet astronomy // Recent advances in the theory of comets and the dynamics of small bodies in the Solar System (Thematic collection of the Astronomical Section of the VAGO CS: The first Bredikhinsky readings). M. , 1986. S. 6-11.

The history of the church. Memoirs. Letters

• Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya), mon. About the collection of S. N. Bulgakov “Two cities”. To the 125th anniversary of the birth of prot. Sergius Bulgakov // The Way of Orthodoxy. M., 1996/1997. No. 5. 48-55.
• Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya), nun. Professor Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov (1871-1944) [bibl. 410] // Theological works. M., 1986. No. 27.108-170, 173-194
• Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya), nun . Holy noble Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky - a zealot and defender of the Orthodox faith // St. Petersburg diocesan sheets. Vol. 23. - SPb., 2000. - S. 9-20.
• Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya), nun . Professor Archpriest Sergiy Bulgakov (1871-1944) // Theological works . M. , 1986. No. 27. S. 108-170, 173-194. Reprint - M .: A publicly accessible Orthodox university founded by prot. A. Menem, 2003.
• Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya), nun . On the action of the grace of God in the modern world (notes of the Orthodox missionary): Collection / Comp. V.L. Nimbuev, O.T. Kovalevskaya. SPb. : Prospect, 1998. ( Reprints : M .: Publicly Available Orthodox University, founded by prot. A. Menem, 2002, M .: Oranta, 2012)
• “God does not need blinders ...”: Letters of 1958-1987 / Nun Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya), nun John (Reutlinger) . M .: Cultural and Educational Foundation "Transfiguration", 2013. - 126 p.

In Russian

• Grischuk S. Heavenly mechanic // For you / Christian Newspaper (Kherson). 2003. No. 8 (66). S. 4-5.
• Ilyunina L. Women in Orthodoxy . - St. Petersburg: Neva; M .: Olma-press , 2003 .-- S. 37.
• Ilyunina L. About holiness. - St. Petersburg: Neva; M .: Olma-press, 2003 .-- S. 290-300.
• Kolchinsky I.G., Korsun A.A., Rodriguez M.G. Astronomers: A Biographical Reference. - 2nd ed., Revised. and add. - Kiev : Naukova Dumka , 1986. - 512 p.
• Kudrova I. Sisters // "God does not need blinders ...": Letters of 1958-1987 / Nun Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya), nun John (Reutlinger). M .: Cultural and Educational Foundation "Transfiguration", 2013. - S. 123-125.
• Lazarev V. The times of life. Excerpts from memoirs // New Journal . 2011. No 263.
• Lazarev V. In memory of the nun Elena (1902-1992) // Bulletin of the Russian Christian movement . - No. II (165). 1992. - S. 299-302.
• Nun Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya) // St. Petersburg diocesan sheets . Vol. 23. - SPb., 2000. - S. 8-9.

In Ukrainian

• Korsun A. I ’m earth and heaven: 21 leaf fall - 100 rock days of the day of the birth of O. I. Kazimirchak-Polonskoi // News of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine . - 2002. - No. 11. - S. 66-68.

In Polish

• Biała J. Helena Kazimierczak-Połońska - nauka i wiara z grozą w tle // Astronomia - nauka i wiara. T. II. Pamięci księdza Bonawentury Metlera . - Częstochowa , 2015. - S. 113-125 (in Polish).
• Eudokia (Lachocka), mon. Monachini astronom // Przegląd Prawosławny. 2009. No. 3 (285).
• Eudokia (Lachocka), mon. Jej imieniem nazwana jest gwiazda // Przegląd Prawosławny. 2010. No. 8 (302).
• Ziołkowski K. Helena Kazimierczak-Połońska. 1990-1992 // Sylwetki Astronomów Polskich XX w. / Zebrał i opracował Andrzej Woszczyk . - Toruń , 2007 .-- S. 89-95.
• Ziołkowski K. Zdziwienia. Wszechświat ludzi o długich oczach. - Kraków : Wydawnictwo WAM, 2006 .-- S. 130-137. ISBN 83-7318-694-8 .

In Russian

• Curriculum Vitae on Astronet
• Heaven tell glory - oh. E. I. Kazimirchak-Polonskaya on the website of the Christian newspaper of the North of Russia “Faith”
• On the life of the scientist and nun Elena Kazimirchak-Polonskaya on the site "Prometheus"
• Patrakova A. Star No. 2006 (on the 108th anniversary of the birth of E. I. Kazimirchak-Polonskaya)
• Christian astronomer (creative evening “Earthly and heavenly life of Christian astronomer Elena Kazimirchak-Polonskaya” in the Donetsk Regional Library )
• Vasilieva T. Have the best times come (to the publication of the book "God does not need blinders")
• John (Reutlinger), nun. Letter to the Holy Alexander Menu on July 24, 1975
• Makeeva D. “A man, like a star, is born so that the Universe becomes brighter” (evening in memory of nun John (Reutlinger) and nun Elena (Kazimirchak-Polonskaya) November 28, 2013)
• Tolstaya V. My meetings with nun Elena
• Page of E. I. Kazimirchak-Polonskaya in the PSTGU database “ New Martyrs, Confessors, for Christ suffered during the years of persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church in the XX century ”
• Petersburg intercessors. Nun Elena Kazimirchak Polonskaya (presenter - Boris Almazov , participants - V.K. Abalakin , V.A. Shor , etc.).
• Cyril, Met. Smolensky . [Interview with Yakov Krotov, September 1991]

In Ukrainian

• Kondratenko A. In Volodimirshchyna, a fellow countrywoman - Olena Kazimirchak-Polonska
• Lutsk. Until the 110th day of the day of the birth of the nun-astronomer Deer Kazimirchak-Polonsky in the Republic of Moldova, the international conference
• Olena Kazimirchak-Polonska (text and video)