Are Seraphim of Sarov and Matrona of Moscow not saints in the Old Believer tradition? How can that be? I want to convert to the Old Faith, but these saints are very dear to my heart. #

The first thing every believer must understand is that Christ is our Savior. We call Christ the Savior because no one but Him can save us. The Church is the Body of Christ. Our task is to find the Church that is inseparably connected to the ancient Church of Christ, which is the true Body of Christ. Saints are individuals who have been canonized—recognized as role models for achieving salvation within a particular religious organization. Since the spiritual principles of different confessions can vary, the models of sainthood and examples for emulation can also differ significantly.

Sometimes, principles declared as salvific in a confession are not practiced in reality. In such cases, the necessary examples for emulation are artificially created. This is precisely what we observe in the canonizations of Seraphim of Sarov and Matrona of Moscow. The appeal of these saints lies in the carefully crafted images presented to people. However, the real history behind these figures tells a different story.

For instance, many stories from the Life of St. Seraphim of Sarov were fabricated by the nuns of Diveyevo Monastery or others. Tales of the elder walking on air, onions growing overnight, fruits from paradise, ash turning into gold, healing drunkenness with his breath, feeding a bear, standing on a rock, or falling from a bell tower are all examples. Numerous other examples could be cited, but I would advise not treating the Life of St. Seraphim of Sarov as if it were Holy Scripture, where every word is an absolute truth. Much of the information in the Life is either erroneous or invented, particularly the most popular stories.

The compilers of his Life were caught in deceit, and some were even considered mentally unstable, particularly Motovilov. Furthermore, the canonization of St. Seraphim was pushed through under pressure from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Emperor Nicholas II. Most of the Synod of the ruling Church (i.e., the episcopate) opposed his canonization, believing his image was too similar to that of an Old Believer elder. Seraphim lived in a region where many adhered to the Old Rite, prayed according to the Old Believer rule, possessed an Old Believer crucifix and lestovka, and may have even crossed himself with two fingers. How could the Synod canonize such an elder? They had to turn him into an apologist for the new faith, which is what the compilers of his Life set out to do. Therefore, the idealized image of Seraphim of Sarov commonly propagated in the ROC does not align with his true character.

The veneration of Matrona of Moscow, on the other hand, developed openly in the 1990s. In record time, using modern propaganda techniques and tools, an unknown blind woman was turned into the most popular saint in modern post-reform Orthodoxy. However, in her Life, where she is supposed to appear as an Orthodox saint, her miracles resemble sorcery rather than prayer and are steeped in superstition: she healed diseases with incantations, advised vomiting after Communion to “expel demons,” suggested using water from a Lutheran cross at a German cemetery for healing, insisted on closing windows during demonstrations to prevent demons from entering, and promised salvation to all who venerated her instead of Christ. Nowhere in her accounts is there a single quotation from the Gospel. These facts were so striking that the leadership of the ROC had to issue a revised edition of her Life, removing the most scandalous elements. Instead of combating the superstitions of the common people and improving religious literacy, we see the opposite. First, an unhealthy frenzy around Matrona was artificially created, and then it was directed as desired.

Other religious organizations, such as the Roman Catholics or Armenians, also have their own saints venerated by the people. However, these figures should not be obstacles on the path to salvation and the true Church of Christ.

— Priest Evgeny Gureev