One of the most revered women in Russia is Saint Blessed Ksenia of Petersburg. Through her prayers to this day, unprecedented miracles of God's love for people are performed. And every believer dreams of visiting her chapel in St. Petersburg and bowing to the relics of Blessed. But for this it is necessary to imagine where and how to get, Ksenia the Blessed Petersburg where she is buried, how long it will take.
First of all, it must be said that St. Petersburg is a very large city, about eight million people live in it, and therefore the distances can be simply huge. Going to the Blessed Chapel, you need to count on a long journey. Better to leave home early. In addition, this place is very popular among pilgrims and tourists, so it’s always crowded there, and if you want to pray in the chapel, you need to set aside a whole day to visit the Saint.
Smolensk cemetery
The burial place (chapel) of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg is located in the Smolensk cemetery of the Northern capital. It is located on Vasilyevsky Island, you can get there by metro. To do this, get to the station "Vasilievskaya" and go out into the street. There, you will immediately need to turn to the eighth line (this is the very first street from the exit from the subway), and then go in the direction of the increasing numbering of buildings. Reach the intersection of the 8th line and Kamskaya street and turn onto Kamskaya. Then move in the direction of increasing the numbering of houses until the very entrance to the ancient Smolensk cemetery.
Another route
We will present alternative options for getting there (Ksenia the Blessed Petersburg is buried in the chapel). You can take the metro to the station "Vasileostrovskaya". After leaving the subway, transfer to the K249 minibus. On it you can get to Kamskaya street and get in time to the main entrance to the Smolensk cemetery. There is a church right next to the main entrance, and in the immediate vicinity of it is the chapel of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg. The legal address of this place is as follows: 199048, St. Petersburg city , Kamskaya street , building 24.
Blessed Life
A few words should be said about the earthly path of St. Blessed Xenia of Petersburg. Where and when she was born is not exactly known. But based on the fact that she was married to Andrei Fedorovich Petrov, Colonel, it becomes clear that Ksenia was from a good family. Nothing more can be said about how she lived until the death of her husband.
At twenty-six, this woman became a widow. She decided to distribute her property to the poor and needy. Her relatives were perplexed, they turned to the authorities of the deceased spouse, asking them to reason with a woman distraught with grief. But the officials, having a conversation with Ksenia Grigoryevna, came to the conclusion that she was in her mind. After that, the woman received the right to dispose of the inheritance at her discretion.
Foolish Christ for the sake of
After Ksenia handed out all the property, she began to walk the streets in the form of a deceased husband and tell everyone that Ksenia Grigoryevna had died and Andrei Fedorovich was alive. So her grief found a way out. In wanderings, she spent a total of forty-five years. Basically, she wandered barefoot around the Petersburg settlement, and if she was given alms, then the woman gave her to other poor people. Every night, the Blessed One went into the field and prayed there, kneeling and bowing to all four cardinal points.
So she did every night, despite the weather, nor at the time of year. I must say that Blessed Saint Xenia of Petersburg at first impressed people as just a crazy woman, but over time, people realized that she was sane, only chose a different path for herself.
After the death of her beloved husband, she realized that everything in this earthly life has an end and cannot be eternal. Everything except the love of God. And she dedicated herself to the service of Christ. She walked barefoot all the time and did not accept clothes and shoes from those who wanted to help. And if she took it, she passed it on to the other poor. She sought to devote all of herself to the service of God, so she spoke little with people. Most of the time she was near the temple or spent time in prayer on the field.
Temple construction
Let's step back a little from the story about how to get there. Ksenia the Blessed Petersburg took a direct part in the construction of a new church in the Smolensk cemetery. It happened like this: the workers, arriving at the construction site in the morning, each time found a pile of bricks on the upper site, which someone had dragged there overnight. Having followed this free assistant, the workers found out that this was none other than Ksenia the Blessed Petersburg. The address of this temple today coincides with the address of the Smolensk cemetery.
Chapel above the grave
All pilgrims and tourists are interested in the story of the Blessed. Orthodox people know that contact with the shrine gives the soul unique grace. It should be clarified that the Church of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg is the very one that she helped build in the Smolensk cemetery, and today it is constantly open to visitors. In addition, a chapel was built over the grave of Blessed Xenia in 1902 with the money of pilgrims, and in 1992 a mosaic image of Blessed was laid out on its western wall.
The chapel was consecrated by the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, who reigned then (Alexy II). Days of veneration of the Saint in the church calendar - June 6th and February 6th. It is also worth saying that in the church of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Smolensk cemetery, a service is performed daily at ten in the morning, and Divine Liturgies are held on holidays. In addition, the sacrament of baptism is performed in the church every day after the service, and notes on prayers for health and commemoration are accepted, including by mail.
We can say that how to get there, Ksenia the Blessed Petersburg points herself to many people. It is as if she is leading a person turning to her, to God. Therefore, the path to the Blessed Chapel has not yet been overgrown, and probably will never be overgrown.