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The Life of Elder Mitrofan of Zhirovichi

From Soldier to Monk: Elder Mitrofan of Zhirovichi

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) of Zhirovichi

Born under the Tsar, this man of holy ways and spiritual gifts lived a tough yet fascinating life, enduring war and hardship. He lived as a monk during Soviet times. Into the 21st century, Elder Mitrofan still resided at the Belarusian Zhirovichi Monastery and welcomed pilgrims from across the globe until his final day. For many, meeting Father Mitrofan was life-changing.

From east to west

For decades, visitors travelled from far and wide to Zhirovichi Monastery in Belarus to see Elder Mitrofan and seek his spiritual guidance. Yet he was born on the other side of the Russian Empire right before its fall, on 16 August 1915 at the station of Blagoveshchensky County in the Far East, in the family of a medical assistant. A difficult path lay ahead for this boy named Nikolai, who would later become Elder Mitrofan. He was still small when his father, Timofey Ivanovich, and his mother, Agrippina Stepanovna, perhaps weary of the harsh climate of the Far East, or maybe for other reasons, moved to the Tambov province, to the village of Pervaya Berezovka in the Muchkapsky district. There, Nikolai grew up.

The elder would tell how even as a child he often felt God's swift help close at hand. He often recalled these two instances of his deliverance: “As a boy, I sometimes had to herd cows. One day, I lay down next to one for a rest and fell asleep on its belly. When I woke up, the cow had wandered far away. It was a wonder that, getting up, it didn’t crush me, and I was safe and well. I also rode horses. During one of these rides, I was thrown to the ground. I hit my head and lost consciousness, but after a few days, I recovered.”

Nikolai Ilyin with his family
Nikolai Ilyin with his father

Photo 1: Nikolai Ilyin with his family
Photo 2: Nikolai Ilyin with his father

After finishing seven years of schooling, Nikolai continued his studies. First, he enrolled in the Tambov Agricultural College. Later, he went to the Moscow Automobile and Road Institute. He graduated in 1941 as a mechanical engineer specialising in automobiles and was then assigned to the Belarusian town of Bereza in the Brest region, where the Osovtsy military airfield was under construction.

A soldier of the earthly homeland

Soon, peacetime was over. The airfield was bombed. On the very first day of the war, it lay in ruins. Thousands of Soviet planes were hit at the same time, some right where they stood. Unlike many of his colleagues, Nikolai could not evacuate and hid in the forest for days, trying to evade certain death. The partisan movement, full of hazards, was only beginning, gaining strength. Nikolai joined a partisan detachment.

From 6 January 1943, Nikolai Ilyin was on record in the detachment named after Georgi Dimitrov. He served in the Ponomarenko brigade in the Brest region. As a partisan, he went on search and destroy missions and displayed extraordinary daring. Dozens of times he crossed the front line, blew up trains, gathered enemy maps, took prisoners, and uncovered details of punitive enemy raids on civilians. Each of these missions was perilous and could have ended in disaster. Nikolai Ilyin received the Medal for Courage. He was a fearless man, a real hero. Yet he was modest as well — unaccustomed to speaking about himself, except for those moments when the Lord had kept him safe.

On one occasion, Nikolai emerged unscathed under machine-gun fire. On his way back from a mission, he was crossing a railway embankment when German sentries spotted him and opened fire. Survival seemed impossible. Still, by some marvel, he avoided not just death but even injury.

There was another instance that clearly showed God’s hand at work. Just before a mission, Nikolai was unexpectedly kept behind on sentry duty. The reconnaissance group he was meant to join walked into an ambush and perished. "Those days were terrifying," Father Mitrofan would later say, recalling the swift Nazi occupation of Belarus.

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin)

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin)

The monastery only learned of Elder Mitrofan's wartime exploits when preparing his pension paperwork. What came to light about him astonished many. “No one suspected Father Mitrofan had served in the war. He hardly ever talked about it. Perhaps it was too painful,” recalled Archpriest Gennady Login, head of the canonisation commission of the Novogrudok diocese, who knew the elder well.

But in later years, on every Victory Day, Father Mitrofan would step out of his cell with medals on his cassock. “This was a man who participated in special operations. His military skills were of the highest order. Those who studied the wartime documents and the operations he joined called him a Belarusian commando,” recalled Archpriest Igor Vasko, chairman of the Synodal Information Department of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

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After Belarus’ liberation, Nikolai Ilyin headed the road department in Pruzhany, worked as a road maintenance mechanic in Kobrin, supervised a military base depot in Serpukhov, and acted as chief engineer of track repair workshops in Pinsk. Then he discerned his most important calling.

The calling

He went through war. He knew the grinding labour of rebuilding the country. After a serious illness, he found healing at the relics of Venerable Sergius. He sought understanding, and he found God. On 3 March 1958, with a Pochaev elder’s blessing, Nikolai entered the Holy Dormition Zhirovichi Monastery.

Before that, he visited holy sites, attended meetings, and attuned himself to monastery life. Less than two months went by, and he received the rassophore tonsure with the name Georgy. In 1964, he was tonsured into the mantle and named Mitrofan. On 20 September 1972, he was ordained as a hierodeacon. Later that same year, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, Archbishop Antony (Melnikov) ordained Father Mitrofan as a hieromonk. In 1994, he was raised to the rank of archimandrite.

Archimandrite Mitrofan

Archimandrite Mitrofan

In the monastery, Father Mitrofan saw every sort of era: years of strict atheism and persecution against the Church, when even bell-ringing was outlawed, and then the rebirth of Orthodoxy around the start of the 1990s after the Millennial Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus. Through those years, the future elder carried out different duties: work in the accounts office, guiding groups, but most of all — for thirty years — he stood at the candle desk. Archimandrite Afanasiy (Sokolov) writes: “I always remember Father Mitrofan with fondness, for he was an extraordinary man. I enrolled in the reopened seminary at Zhirovichi in September 1989. Before then, I had never visited the monastery. I arrived on the eve of the evening service, stepped into the Dormition Cathedral, and the first person I met was Father Mitrofan. His task at that time was at the candle desk. Those who came into the church saw him before anyone else.”

In 1997, he became ill and no longer performed his usual tasks. By that point, through his spiritual insight and natural gifts, he could already see a person’s inner life and the Lord’s purpose for them.

Father Mitrofan at the candle desk

Father Mitrofan at the candle desk

Archpriest Gennady Login recalls the elder’s way of life and prayer: “Father Mitrofan was the first to enter the church and the last to leave. Sometimes he slept there on small stools, with a felt boot under his head. His cell, on the ground floor of the brethren’s building, was packed with icons and books. He hardly ever slept: the bed was almost never made because it, too, was piled with icons and books — he would settle on a narrow edge, taking a basket of prayer notes with him, which he sorted by topic while half-lying, half-sitting. By half past five, he was already heading to the church.” He would sometimes doze near the bishop’s throne, keeping warm under an orlets rug.

Archpriest Aleksandr Borovskikh has his memories: “I was always struck by his care for people and by how he never judged anyone. Later on, I came to value his wisdom and the advice he gave about what one should or shouldn’t do.”

Father Mitrofan

The right word for everyone

Father Mitrofan spoke with many, and they came from different backgrounds. He had a wide circle, and each person mattered to him. Apart from those who lived there all the time — seminarians, lecturers, helpers, and monks — there were also many visitors. They headed to the Zhirovichi Monastery hoping to speak with Father Mitrofan. Pilgrims came from every part of the Soviet Union and, later, the CIS. They brought questions and worries. Some drew nearer to the Church thanks to these conversations and encounters with the elder. For each one, he had a message to share.

Sometimes Father Mitrofan would quietly join a stranger on a bench in the church, listening intently to their heartfelt confessions and questions. Often, he rested his head softly on their shoulder, offering guidance and comfort with warmth. When explaining an issue from a spiritual angle, he might tap a finger on the other person’s knee, arm, or head in rhythm with his words. He could also press his forehead to theirs and gaze with a gentle, humble look. Now and then, he would stroke someone’s cheek, embrace them, or hold their hand between his own.

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) with parishioners
Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) with parishioners

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) with parishioners

One phrase of his stood out: “None like God will help you.” It sounded slightly off because it was missing “not,” but he never placed a negative next to the divine name out of humility and reverence before the Lord. He spoke the line without pausing, thus turning what appeared to be a negation into an affirmation.

The elder also liked to repeat, “God will sort everything out! God will help! Almighty help from God!” or perhaps, “Let us pray that even after death we do not part.” Here are more of his words: “The Psalter is the main book. The Psalter and the teaching of the Gospel. And be quick to do good deeds. Remain in Christ’s Church. Christ’s Church will teach you all that is fine and needed for salvation. That is all. Know Christ’s Church and find your salvation in it.”

Schema-archimandrite Mitrofan (Ilyin)
Schema-archimandrite Mitrofan (Ilyin)

Schema-archimandrite Mitrofan (Ilyin)

The power of prayer

When Father Mitrofan gave practical or spiritual advice, he always turned to the Scriptures, the writings of the saints, and prayers. He never implied that he himself was wise or far-sighted. Yet he was asked all sorts of things: people arrived in person or sent letters.

He often greeted a visitor with, “What work are you doing?” and they did not always know how to answer. Yet by the time they left, they understood which tasks would help their sorrows fade and their troubles start to clear. Their thoughts and heart grew different.

Archpriest Nikolai Okhotnitsky, rector of the Church of St Nicholas in the village of Lebeda, Lida deanery, recalls an incident that shows Father Mitrofan’s spiritual depth: “He had spiritual gifts: foresight and powerful prayer — I felt it more than once myself. After his illness, we went for a short walk, as he liked to do.” We walked around the church, returned to the little corridor, sat on a bench, and Father Mitrofan, as usual, asked: “So, what would you like to know?” Suddenly, I sensed a fragrance unlike any other. It was nothing like perfume. The smell was so distinct that I recognised it right away. It resembled the myrrh that sometimes flowed from the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the Dormition Cathedral at Zhirovichi Monastery. They now keep that icon behind glass. I knew Father Mitrofan hadn’t made it to the church that day due to ill health, yet a wave of this aroma came from him in waves. I couldn’t get a word out, and my thoughts scattered. He must have noticed, because he said: “All right, let’s go, I’ll give you some sort of blessing.” We went into his cell, and the first thing he did was open the fridge, take out Triple cologne, pour out a good amount into his hand, and start washing his face with it. That smell alone could have knocked out every insect around. Meanwhile, he kept saying, “This is my medicine, this is my fragrance.” And if I happened to focus on anything, Father Mitrofan found a way to hide it, almost like a partisan covering his tracks.

Archpriest Nikolai Okhotnitsky

Archpriest Nikolai Okhotnitsky

And here is what Archpriest Gennady Login says about his habit of avoiding praise and gratitude: “He was a man of few words. His insight and wisdom were never on display. He would send people asking for healing to the holy spring, or to the Icon of the Mother of God.”

There was an incident in the 1990s at the Holy Dormition Zhirovichi Monastery. Parents brought a little boy there who had cerebral palsy. The child couldn’t sit still, his movements were jerky, and his tiny arms were bent. The family went to the candle stand and met Father Mitrofan. The elder advised them to pray and place the boy before the wonderworking Zhirovichi Icon of the Mother of God.

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) near the Zhirovichi icon

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) near the Zhirovichi icon of the Mother of God

“God, by the prayers of the Mother of God, will help!” the priest assured them, paused a moment, and blessed them to dip the boy in the holy spring one and a half kilometres from the monastery. The parents did as he advised. Their son was healed. His mother could hardly believe her eyes: for the first time ever, he crawled on his knees, moving his arms and legs on his own.

Even those of high spiritual standing — such as Archbishop Guriy of Novogrudok and Slonim, the abbot of Zhirovichi Monastery, and Metropolitan Filaret — came to Father Mitrofan for advice and prayers.

Archpriest Gennady Login recalls: “When the elder was already paralysed, Metropolitan Filaret would always visit him on arriving at the monastery. He would enter the cell, embrace him, kiss him, comb his beard, and urge him to eat — at least some chicken broth: ‘You’ll get better, and then you can fast.’” The metropolitan loved his time in Zhirovichi. “We breathe the air of eternity here!” he would say.

An elder’s life is about feeling human pain and trouble so deeply that he prayed for them with complete self-giving. And it is about thanking the Lord not only for help, but for each thing in life. Did Father Mitrofan have simple earthly joys and attachments? Of course! Tea brewed with boiling water. The sight of maples, whatever the season. And a single clove of garlic in his pocket — his recipe for staying well and living longer!

Archpriest Nikolai Okhotnitsky remembered the father in this way: “Father Mitrofan never stood out. He never said ‘I,’ nor would he ever ask for anything. I once watched some other elder on television talking with his spiritual children. He said, ‘Next time, bring me some fish.’ For Father Mitrofan, asking for something was unthinkable. His doctor, the handmaiden of God Natalia, might have asked for medicine on his behalf, but never the elder himself."

Metropolitan Philaret (Vakhromeyev) and Father Mitrofan (Ilyin)

Metropolitan Philaret (Vakhromeyev) and Father Mitrofan (Ilyin)

The elder’s illness

When 82-year-old Schema-Archimandrite Mitrofan suffered a stroke, the entire monastery — monks and seminarians alike — prayed for his recovery.

Monk Ioann (Bembel), a poet and son of a well-known sculptor, recalled how they wholeheartedly begged the Lord to let their father stay with them “until the young hieromonks become elders.”

Despite the doctors' pessimism, given his age, the elder, through the fervent prayers of others, rallied and began to improve. “A miracle took place: by autumn the elder not only stood on his feet but nearly flew, so much so that even the young seminarians couldn’t keep up!” said Monk Ioann (Bembel). Back then, he was the novice Oleg, serving as Father Mitrofan’s cell attendant. He looked after Father Mitrofan, who was bedridden at that time, and gratefully remembered how that same man was the first to meet him, then fifty-six, by the candle desk, saying: “You’re a monk by nature — stay close to the monastery!”

After the first stroke, Father Mitrofan still had nine more years of life ahead of him.

Monk Ioann (Bembel)

Monk Ioann (Bembel)

Throughout those years, he bore his illness with fortitude and continued in humble prayer. In October 2001, he took the great schema. Then came another stroke. This time his condition grew worse, though he never gave up his prayerful efforts. “I live by your prayers,” visitors would hear him say. Never did he speak of his pain. Or how hard it was.

Elder Mitrofan in the last years of his life

Elder Mitrofan in the last years of his life

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!”

One day, Archpriest Gennady Login asked him if he knew when he would depart to the Lord. “I’ll die — and you’ll be the first to serve the Liturgy for me!” replied the father.

Soon came the days when he could no longer speak when he gasped for breath. Doctors, and indeed non-doctors, understood that these few days were his last. He had endured four strokes of different severity, but the fifth proved fatal. Fluid began to fill his lungs. On Sunday, 29 January, Father Mitrofan received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and that night, he quietly left this world for the Lord.

Father Gennady Login was the first to serve the Liturgy, remembering the newly departed Schema-Archimandrite Mitrofan on the morning of 30 January 2006. That date marked the commemoration of St Anthony the Great, honoured by the elder and his spiritual children.

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) and Archpriest Gennady Login

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) and Archpriest Gennady Login

It fell to Archpriest Nikolai Okhotnitsky to sort through Father Mitrofan’s papers. “After he passed on, there were two suitcases filled with slips of paper, little notebooks, jotters — all in his handwriting. There were also some spiritual texts he had copied. I even came across a small note listing the sins of Father Mitrofan. A quick glance showed me how thorough his inner work had been, which many of us lack,” recalled Father Nikolai.

With a large gathering of Christians who loved the elder, Bishop Gury of Novogrudok and Lida officiated at the priest's funeral service. He spoke movingly of the elder: “He was a true monk in the fierce days of opposition to faith, and he remained so now when various temptations draw people away from God. The Lord granted him the ability to discern the future in response to his devotion. Many can attest to his gift of insight. Even his passing, as those close to him say, came as no surprise to him — he sought forgiveness from everyone who visited for the last time, fully aware of the day he would depart.”

Behind the Exaltation of the Cross Church at the Zhirovichi Monastery lies the grave of Schema-Archimandrite Mitrofan (Ilyin). In 2020, the Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Philaret (Varfolomeev), was buried nearby. He often visited the elder and was in unceasing prayerful communion with him.

Concluding this brief account of a true twentieth-century ascetic, both soldier and monk, we recall how Metropolitan Philaret so fittingly described his path in his farewell remarks: “…By the effort of his life of more than 90 years, the newly departed Schema-Archimandrite Mitrofan wholly fulfilled the truth proclaimed by the Psalms: ‘Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord’ (Psalm 119:1).”

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) of Zhirovichi

Elder Mitrofan (Ilyin) of Zhirovichi

January 29, 2025
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