Joseph (Bratishchev)

Born July 11, 1957 in the village of Polny Voronezh, Tambov Region ^[2] . Later, the family moved to Ryazan. After school, he served in the army, then worked in the temple ^[3] . In his own words, “Being the eldest in the family, I had no spiritual mentor in childhood. I first saw a priest at the age of 20. In the place where I was born and raised, there was no existing temple nearby. After fate introduced me to Scheme Archimandrite Seraphim (Blokhin) , the choice of the monastic path was predetermined. And it all started with the blessing of Father Seraphim and his introduction, I met Vladyka Simon (Novikov) , who accepted me as subdeacon. For me, these two lights have always been a living example of a high spiritual life ” ^[4] .

From 1979 to 1986 he studied at the Moscow Theological Seminary and Academy ^[3] . In 1983, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he received monastic tonsure ^[2] .

In 1986 he moved to the St. Danilov Monastery in Moscow and served there as an assistant to the housekeeper ^[3] .

In October 1987 he was sent to the Optina Desert , which had not yet been returned to the church. On November 17, 1987, by the Decree of the Government of the RSFSR Optina, the deserts was returned to the Church ^[6] , fifteen builders from the Office for the Restoration and Construction of the Moscow Danilov Monastery were sent to help hieromonk Joseph ^[7] .

Upon arrival at the place, I encountered many difficulties: the premises of the monastery were occupied by the Kozelsk Agricultural School, whose director did not want the revival of monastic life in Optina Desert and the return of the church to the monastery premises. In addition, all actions needed to be coordinated with the regional representative of the Council for Religious Affairs , as well as with the governor of the Danilov Monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon (Emelyanov) , who at that time was hieromonk Joseph, where he received meager funds for his activities in the Optina Desert and where he went to serve every Sunday. The first monastery building was the refectory, where it was necessary to urgently repair the missing roof and conduct heating ^[5] . Archimandrite Feofilakt (Bezukladnikov) evaluated the results of the activity of Hieromonk Joseph and the builders from the Office for the Restoration and Construction of the Danilov Monastery: “they made repairs, something was renovated, ennobled. Father Joseph entered into interaction with the government, with local residents, paving the way for the resumption of monastic life. He was like an outpost - the forefront, the beginning and the bulwark in development ” ^[8] .

Despite the difficulties, he made efforts to revive the prayer life in the monastery: “Once in the Optina Desert, we first began to pray. They made the morning and evening rule, and Lent on Lent began to serve Lent on Lent on Saturday. The woman who prepared for us, Tatyana, asked: “Father Joseph, can we go to you, and not to Kozelsk?” I answered positively, and word of mouth worked instantly. Most importantly, a prayer sounded again at this place. Hot, truly sincere. We commemorated the Optina Elders . They remembered the deceased, whose names were in the submitted notes ” ^[5] .

I did not receive permission to conduct services in St. Nicholas (south) side chapel of the Vvedensky cathedral, but I was able to prepare a church for the gate of Vladimir, built on a tower with an angel on a weather vane: there was a plywood iconostasis, a temporary throne, an altar. There, on June 3, 1988, after the departure of Hieromonk Joseph, for the first time after the beginning of the revival of the monastery, a liturgy was held by monks sent from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. It was the preparation of the gateway to the Vladimir Church that they first of all credited to Hieromonk Joseph ^{[5] [8]} .

He spent 7 months in Optina Desert before Archimandrite Yevlogiy (Smirnov) was appointed deputy governor of Optina Desert in May 1988 ^[5]

After that, he restored the Holy Vvedensky Tolgsky Monastery , St. Nicholas Church in Shatsk, the St. John the Theological Monastery in the village of Poshchupovo, Ryazan Diocese ^[4] . Raised to the rank of abbot .

By a decree of February 9, 1992, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II was appointed governor of the Solovetsky Monastery. Bishop Evlogiy (Smirnov) made the abbot in the house church of the monastery ^[9] .

April 4, 1992 made a small consecration of the Annunciation Church, which became the first of the historical temples of the monastery, where regular worship began to take place ^[10] . On August 17, 1992, with the blessing of the Patriarch, he made a small consecration of the Transfiguration Cathedral ^[9] , restored by the museum.

On August 19, 1992, the Decree of the Administration of the Arkhangelsk Region No. 227 “On the transfer to the unlimited use of churches, cell buildings and other monuments of the Solovetsky archipelago to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky stauropegic male monastery of the Moscow Patriarchate” was issued, according to which the museum transferred 40 monuments to the restored Solovetsky monastery cultures located on the Solovetsky archipelago ^[11] .

On August 19-21, 1992, the honest relics of the Monks Zosima, Savvaty and German Solovetsky were transferred from St. Petersburg to the Solovetsky Monastery. The celebrations were led by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II , who during the Divine Liturgy on August 21, elevated the governor of the monastery, Hegumen Joseph, to the rank of archimandrite ^[9] .

In August 2001, the monastery was visited by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and Russian President VV Putin. In the same year, the Board of Trustees of the monastery was created, which included about 20 different organizations ^[12] .

In January 2006, a severe stroke occurred with Archimandrite Joseph (Bratishchev). He was taken to the intensive care unit of one of the hospitals in Arkhangelsk, where he underwent a complex neuro-surgical operation. The press service of the Arkhangelsk diocese appealed to join the conciliar prayer for the health of a seriously ill father-governor ^[13] .

Due to the inability to fulfill the duties of the governor of the Solovetsky monastery, Archimandrite Methodius (Morozov) was appointed acting governor ^[14] .

On October 10, 2009, by decision of the Holy Synod due to illness, he was relieved of his post as viceroy of the Solovetsky Monastery ^[15] .

• Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal Eulogius . The revival of the Solovetsky monastery // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate . M., 1992. No. 5. p. 11
• Archimandrite Joseph (Bratishchev): “Recently, the circle of philanthropists has been narrowing more and more ...”
• Viceroy of the Solovetsky Monastery Archimandrite Joseph (Bratishchev): "People will always go to Solovki ..."
• Interview with the inhabitants Joseph (Bratishchev), archim. He who dies is dying
• Joseph (Bratishchev), archim. You need to start with yourself (inaccessible link)
• Joseph (Bratishchev), archim. We can and must (inaccessible link)
• Joseph (Bratishchev), archim. We can and must (inaccessible link)
• Joseph (Bratishchev), archim. Listen to the voice of the heart