Murzakiewicz, Nikifor Adrianovich

The ancestor of the Murzakevich family was the former Crimean Murza Vasily, nicknamed Murzin, captured by Prince V.V. Golitsyn during the 2nd Crimean campaign in 1687 , baptized by him in Orthodoxy and enlisted in service people in the city of Smolensk. Vasily Murzin defined his son Adrian (? - 1783 ) in the Smolensk Seminary opened in 1728 , after which Adrian Vasilievich was a priest at the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk .

Youth and Doctrine

On June 2 ( 13 ), 1769 , the son of Nikifor was born to Adrian Vasilievich and his wife Evdokia Fedorovna. Having received primary education at home, by the age of 10 the boy was already fluent in Russian and Latin and entered the Smolensk seminary . At the seminary, Nikifor successfully graduated from three of the four classes, but in 1783 his father passed away and the family was left without a livelihood. Forced to leave the seminary, Nicephorus was identified as bishop of Smolensk and Dorobuzh Parfeny by a psalm- maker to the Bogoroditskaya church.

In 1792, Nikifor Murzakevich married Anna Ivanovna Solntseva, the daughter of a Vyazma priest, and around the same time, taking into account the merits of his father, was first ordained a subdeacon and then a deacon of the Smolensk Cathedral . Big family about. Nikifora (his mother, wife, and six children) lived in poverty, since the only source of income was a salary of 25 rubles a year and some of the proceeds received as a payment for requirements . The deacon devoted all his free time to self-education. He was particularly interested in the history of his native places.

Work on the “History of Smolensk”

After reading the manuscript “History of the city of Smolensk”, compiled in 1780 by Hieromonk Joasaph Shupinsky for the arrival of Empress Catherine II , Fr. Nicephorus found many shortcomings in it and himself began to compile a more complete and detailed history. These classes enjoyed the support of Bishop Parfenius , who placed at the disposal of the deacon his library, personal extracts from Smolensk antiquities and provided him with access to the archives of the consistory.

After the death of Bishop Parthenius in 1795, the position of Fr. Nicephorus worsened: the new bishop Dmitry did not provide the deacon with the previous support. Closed for him and access to the archive. The Smolensk clergy, already averse to the scholar-deacon, now began to treat him completely disdainfully. Unexpected help was provided to Murzakevich by students of Moscow University I. A. Dvigubsky , A. S. Karsarov and A. I. Turgenev , who, traveling to study in Europe, drove through Smolensk, met about. Nicephorus and promised to contribute to his work. A.I. Turgenev wrote about the Smolensk deacon to his father, rector of Moscow University I.P. Turgenev , an active member of the Friendly Academic Society , and a few months later Murzakevich received a parcel from Moscow. The package included books on Russian history by V. N. Tatishchev , M. M. Shcherbatov and I. M. Shtritter , Nikon Chronicle , “ Synopsis ”, “Vivliofik” by N. I. Novikov and other works.

Thanks to help from Moscow, Murzakevich managed to complete his "History of the City of Smolensk" by 1803 . Presented to Bishop Dmitry , the work did not find support from the ecclesiastical authorities: the bishop returned the manuscript "with reprimand and abuse." Then Murzakiewicz presented the manuscript to the Smolensk civil governor D. Ya. Gedeonov , and he handed it to the governor-general of Smolensk S. S. Apraksin . By the order of Apraksin in 1803, 600 copies of the first edition of the History of the Provincial City of Smolensk were printed in four books at his expense. The entire circulation of the publication was donated to the author and quickly sold by subscription. Bishop Dmitry was angry and drove the deacon out of the cathedral, inviting him to look for another place. Such a place was soon found. April 16, 1803 Nicephorus was ordained a priest of the Hodegetria Church .

In 1804, the second edition of the History was published, supplemented by a fifth book with letters from Russian, Polish and Lithuanian sovereigns given by Smolensk. S. S. Apraksin sent the book to the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, Prince A. N. Golitsyn , and he introduced it to Emperor Alexander I , who ordered the author to be given 500 rubles. In addition, the Smolensk nobility and citizens lent 1,500 rubles to Father Nikifor, which made it possible to buy a house from the merchant Kvetsinsky at the altar of the Odigitrievsky church .

The War of 1812 and Litigation

The beginning of 1812 was marked by unhappiness for Murzakevich. On March 4 (16), his wife died, leaving seven children. According to his son Ivan, the father, after his wife’s death, “fell into thoughtfulness and some kind of indifference,” almost leaving his writing work and focusing on caring for children. The new bishop Irenaeus , known as the polyglot and the author of many scientific works, praised the writings of Fr. Nikifor wanted to grant the rank of archpriest , but the Smolensk clergy opposed this, pointing to Murzakiewicz’s “unlearnedness”.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, the appearance of the enemy near Smolensk took his population by surprise. On August 3 (15) - 4 (16), residents in a hurry left the city and left east. Murzakevich, who had a horse stolen from him during these hectic days, was unable to leave the city with his large family.

On August 4 ( 16 ), 1812 , Napoleon ’s army besieged Smolensk and began shelling the city. The priest Murzakevich was called that day to confess and partake of the wounded and dying and was in the positions of the 26th division of General I.F. Paskevich on the Royal Bastion under fire along with his 12-year-old son Konstantin, who carried holy water for his father. His behavior on this day about. Nicephorus earned special thanks to General Paskevich and was later awarded a skufu from the Synod and a bronze pectoral cross . On August 5 (17), the French launched several attacks, capturing the suburbs, but failed to break into the Smolensk fortress . On the morning of this day, Fr. Nicephorus was again in position, and after lunch he took refuge with his family and parishioners in the Assumption Cathedral , as his house and church were fired upon. On the night of August 6 (18), Russian troops left the city, which was occupied by the French. The cathedral huddled for almost a week, until the main parts of the French army left the city. Murzakiewicz’s house at that time was occupied by General J. Lagrange , and when the owner returned to it, he found his home looted.

In Smolensk, occupied by the French, Father Nicephorus was one of the few remaining priests. In this situation, he not only sent services to the Assumption Cathedral , but was also the keeper of this Russian shrine. On the first day of the French occupation, Murzakevich managed to obtain from the French command a permanent military guard, which was placed at the cathedral and saved the cathedral sacristy and the property of the bishop's house from ruin. From the ruin, Father Nicephorus also saved the Trinity and Odigitrievskaya churches. In an environment where robberies and looting reached a limit, Murzakevich showed enviable courage and fortitude, he managed to stand up for the life and property of citizens before the French authorities, including the governor of Smolensk, Baron A. Zhomini . Murzakevich confessed and carried out the burial of retired lieutenant colonel P.I. Engelgard , a Smolensk nobleman, who organized, together with several of his neighbors, a partisan detachment of peasants armed with him. Issued by peasants, Engelhardt was shot by the French at the Molokhov Gate of Smolensk. All autumn about. Nicephorus with his sons, Konstantin and Ivan, went out of town to the brick factories to the Russian wounded, carried them water and vegetables.

Meanwhile, the personal story of Fr. Nicephorus was far from well-being. The priest was repeatedly beaten by looters, a blow with a spur in the side then made itself felt until his death. His house was ruined, hunger and disease claimed the lives of his mother about. Nicephorus, his aunts, two daughters and pupils. Another misfortune happened more or less by accident. October 27 ( November 8 ), 1812, General Jomini demanded that the priests organize an honorary meeting of Napoleon , returning from Moscow. Then the emperor did not come, but the next day the meeting took place, moreover, by chance:

Going to the sick tradesman Yves. Short, that at the Dnieper gate near the house of Yves. Kovsharova, with a callous calligraphy of prosperity, accidentally near the Trinity bridge the Governor Jomini who came across to me told me in Latin: “Here Napoleon is coming!” - I, knowing him not, knew nothing, but Napoleon asked me: “Pope? ^[1] ", I replied:" So. " And when he came closer, I, in bewilderment and fear, took out the prowler, which he ordered one general to take. Nobody saw all of this. - After Napoleon, a carriage dragged down a mountain with a quadruple in a row, from the front and from the back there were attached sheaves of rye ^[2] .

- Diary of a priest N. A. Murzakevich. October 28, 1812. ^[3]

November 5 ( 17 ), 1812 Smolensk was occupied by Russian troops. This happiness, however, turned into misfortune for Murzakevich, whose actions saw treason. The priest was accused of hiding 20,000 rubles in the sacristy, carried away from the bishop's sacristy ^[4] , and also that he, de, in violation of his loyal oath, met Napoleon and blessed him. This was reported to Archbishop Feofilakt - the head of the extraordinary commission to put in order the dioceses ravaged during the war. The “Case of the Priests Murzakevich and Sokolov and Archpriest Polikarp Zverev” arose. Intimidated by Theophylact, Bishop Irenaeus issued a harsh sentence. Murzakevich was banned in the priesthood and deprived of his place. In his diary, he wrote:

“All my enemies are reproachful, and my neighbor is angry, and fear is known to me: seeing me run away from me.” (Psalm 30, 12).

- Diary of a priest N. A. Murzakevich. December 31, 1812. ^[five]

On January 15 ( 27 ), 1813, the sentence was confirmed by the Holy Synod . This deprived Murzakiewicz of his livelihood. Moreover, his house was designated for state billeting, and Fr. Nicephorus and her family huddled in the attic. However, after some time, the case, along with others, was submitted to the special Senate commission on the search for traitors. The commission, not finding treason in it, referred the case to the criminal chamber, which on March 24 ( April 5 ) 1814 passed a acquittal. Guided by the sentence of a secular court, the Bishop of Smolensk, Joasaph, petitioned the Synod to lift the ban on priesthood for all three priests. After the Synod's affirmative answer about Nicephorus on July 24 ( August 5 ), 1814 was again appointed to the ministry in the Hodegetria Church .

Life after 1814

While visiting Smolensk by the Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich on May 18, 1816, Murzakevich was introduced to him at the royal bastion and was thanked for his historical works and the story of the battle of August 4, 1812.

In addition to fulfilling his immediate duties and historical works, Father Nicephorus with equal dedication performed public work in urban and diocesan institutions. So, in 1819, on behalf of the bishop, he collected 32,287 rubles in the city and province in favor of poor seminarians. During his lifetime, Father Nicephorus donated part of the library to the Smolensk Cadet Corps, donated up to 200 volumes to the seminary, 100 volumes were donated to the school for clerical employees by the same testament, and bequeathed 50 rubles to poor seminaries.

Priest Nikifor Murzakevich was buried in the fence of the Church of the Savior-Trench. His grave has survived to the present day.

He was married to the daughter of a priest Anna Ivanovna Solntseva (? - 1812).

Children:

• Ilya Nikiforovich Murzakevich - since 1820 he served in the office of the Ministry of Education ;
• Alexandra Nikiforovna Murzakiewicz (? - 1813);
• Elena Nikiforovna Zhukova - was married to Lieutenant Zhukov;
• Ekaterina Nikiforovna Murzakiewicz (c. 1799-1812);
• Konstantin Nikiforovich Murzakevich (c. 1800 -?) - graduated from Moscow University, was a doctor in Tobolsk ;
• Ivan (John) Nikiforovich Murzakevich - was a clergyman, served as a regimental priest in Riga , later - archpriest ;
• Nikolai Nikiforovich Murzakevich (1806-1883) - graduated from Moscow University, historian and archaeologist, director of the Richelieu Lyceum .

In addition to the history of his native land, N. A. Murzakevich devoted much effort to the sacred history. Unfortunately, all of his works, except for the "History of the city of Smolensk," were never printed, remaining in a single copy.

• In 1801 - 1814 about. Nicephorus was busy compiling a set of four Gospels called "The History of Divine Revelation." This unpublished book was the first known experience of translating the Gospel into modern Russian for reading by ordinary people. She was sent to the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, Prince A. N. Golitsyn, who handed it to the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Archimandrite Filaret . Filaret’s recall was apparently negative.
• In 1812, Murzakevich created a translation into the modern Russian language of the Psalms . In this translation, for each of the 150 psalms, sufficiently detailed comments were given regarding its meaning and significance. The table of contents indicated a summary of the psalm. The translation was not published, because before the author managed to censor it, a translation came from the Bible Society ^[6] .
• In 1817, the priest wrote The Life of Jesus.
• In 1813 - 1818, the Life of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was written. This work was submitted to Bishop Joasaph , and he was transferred for review to Smolensk Seminary , where he was found to be "incomplete and insufficient" ^[6] .
• At the end of the 1820s, on behalf of Bishop Joseph Murzakiewicz, he wrote "The Historical Description of the Smolensk miraculous icon of the Mother of God - Hodegetria." In this work, he sought, based on extracts from the works of various church historians, to prove that the Smolensk image of the Mother of God is the same that was written during her lifetime by the Evangelist Luke ^[7] . The fate of this work is unknown.
• The "Dictionary of Inventors" (or the "List of Inventors") remained unfinished.
• The manuscript “Descriptions of 1812” was transferred by Murzakevich to N. P. Rumyantsev .

Compositions

"History of the city of Smolensk" :

• Murzakevich N. A. The history of the provincial city of Smolensk from ancient times to 1804. Collected from various chronicles and Russian recorders. By the works of d [lacon] N. Murzakevich. With the permission of the authorities. - Smolensk: Under the provincial government, 1804. - IV, 221, VI, 67 p. (2nd edition, supplemented by the 5th book)
• Murzakevich N. A. The history of the city of Smolensk: Anniversary edition of the Smolensk provincial statistical committee. / Ed. I.I. Orlovsky. - Smolensk: Type. P. A. Silina, 1903.- 248 p. (3rd edition, reproduces the 1804 edition with the addition of introductory articles by I. I. Orlovsky, The Diary and some letters of N. A. Murzakevich)
• Murzakevich N.A. History of the city of Smolensk. / Int. Art. V. Kononova. - Smolensk: Scroll, 2011 .-- 208 p. (4th edition, reproduces the 1903 edition)

Diary and letters of N. A. Murzakevich :

• Murzakiewicz N. A. Diary of a priest Nikifor Adrianovich Murzakiewicz 1776-1834 // Murzakevich N. N. Nikifor Adrianovich Murzakevich - historian of the city of Smolensk. 1769-1834. - St. Petersburg, 1877.
• The same // N. Murzakevich. History of the city of Smolensk. - Smolensk, 1903. - p. 45-79.
• The same // N. Murzakevich. History of the city of Smolensk. - Smolensk, 2011 .-- p. 171-199.

Manuscripts in the Smolensk Museum ^[8] :

• About the Four Gospels. (Composition of the priest of the Smolensk Odigitrievsky church of Nikifor Andrianovich Murzakiewicz), 1813, 275 pp., Size. 23.5 X 19.5, without binding, in a paper dark green cover. Autographed.
• The history of Divine revelation, the composition of the priest Nikifor Murzakevich (Smolensk), 1815, 285 pp., Size. 22 X 17.6. Binding - cardboard covered with leather, embossed. On l. 21 books inscription: “From the grandson of priest. 72nd Infantry Tula Regiment Pavel Murzakiewicz. Aug 1889 22 days of Smolensk. "
• The life of the apostles Peter and Paul (composition of Nicephorus Murzakiewicz). The manuscript in 2 books, 1819, 66 pp., Size. 26 X 21.4, paper binding. On the title page there is an inscription: “From the grandson priest. 72nd Infantry Tula Regiment Pavel Murzakevich 1889 aug. 11 days. "

Manuscript in the Samara Scientific Library ^[6] :

• Psalm / Per. in Russian lang Nikifor Murzakiewicz. Cursive script of the beginning of the XIX century. 150 l.; 22.7 x 18 x 3.5 cm. Inv. No. 306038.

Literature

• Pre-revolutionary press about the historian of Smolensk Nikifor Murzakevich. / Comp. L. Stepchenkov. - Smolensk: “Collection”, 2007.
• Murzakevich I. N. Biography (history) of the priest Nikifor Adrianovich Murzakevich, author of "History of the city of Smolensk" / Comp. son of his prot. John Murzakiewicz // Smolensk antiquity. - Vol. 2. - 1912. - S. 178—226.
• Murzakevich N. N. Autobiography. - SPb., 1886. - 233, VIII p.
• Murzakevich N. N. Nikifor Adrianovich Murzakevich is a historian of the city of Smolensk. 1769-1834. - St. Petersburg, 1877.
• Orlovsky I.I. Priest Nikifor Adrianovich Murzakevich (1769-1834) // N. Murzakevich. History of the city of Smolensk. - Smolensk: Scroll, 2011 .-- S. 9-21. (The same in the 1903 edition)
• Orlovsky I. I. About the "History of Smolensk" Murzakevich // Murzakevich N. A. History of the city of Smolensk. - Smolensk: Scroll, 2011 .-- S. 21-28. (The same in the 1903 edition)