Priest at war. A letter from hegumen Nestor (Anisimov) to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna
Abstract
The remarkable missionary from Kamchatka metropolitan Nestor (Anisimov), having appeared at the front during World War I in the rank of hegumen, demonstrated to the full the inherent qualities of his soul: courage, cheerfulness of spirit, richness of perception of the experienced events and great compassionate love for people. Correspondence between hegumen Nestor (Anisimov) and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna preserved detailed and accurate descriptions of everyday life of the front-line priest and the chief of the sanitary detachment “First Aid under Enemy Fire” of the Lifeguard of the Dragoon regiment. Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna had, like many other members of the reigning house, a great number of responsibilities associated with help to the fi ghting army. Under her leadership was the military sanitary division of the Lifeguard of the Dragoon regiment. Letters and telegrammes of hegumen Nestor undoubtedly testify to her immersion in the aff airs of the regiment and its daily hardships and feats. The letter depicts hard human suff ering, unceasing church-related and spiritual activity of Hegumen, who also performed duties of a messenger, sanitar, porter. He was able to feel and convey the greatness of the spirit of little-known war heroes — his close friends and fellow soldiers. For this publication the longest and most informative letter of Hegumen has been chosen, although there are a large number of telegrammes relating to certain moments in the regiment’s life. Some of the telegramems are given in quotations. The relevant documents are stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (f. 655).
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