Maria Skobtsova
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Maria Skobtsova (20 _Old_Calendar.html"_;"title="Old_Calendar.html"_;"title="_Old_Calendar">_Old_Calendar">Old_Calendar.html"_;"title="_Old_Calendar">_Old_CalendarDecember_1891_–_31_March_1945),_known_as_Mother_Maria_(russian:_Мать_Мария),_Saint_Mary_(or_Mother_Maria)_of_Paris,_born_Elizaveta_Yurievna_Pilenko_(),_Kuzmina-Karavayeva_()_by_her_first_marriage,_Skobtsova_()_by_her_second_marriage,_was_a_Russian_nobility.html" ;"title="Old_Calendar">_Old_Calendar.html" ;"title="Old_Calendar.html" ;"title=" Old Calendar"> Old Calendar">Old_Calendar.html" ;"title=" Old Calendar"> Old CalendarDecember 1891 – 31 March 1945), known as Mother Maria (russian: Мать Мария), Saint Mary (or Mother Maria) of Paris, born Elizaveta Yurievna Pilenko (), Kuzmina-Karavayeva () by her first marriage, Skobtsova () by her second marriage, was a Russian nobility">Russian noblewoman, poet, nun, and member of the French Resistance during World War II. She has been canonization, canonized a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.


Life

Born to an aristocratic family in 1891 in Riga,
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(now Latvia). She was given the name Elizaveta Pilenko. Her father died when she was a teenager, and she embraced atheism. In 1906 her mother moved the family to
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, where she became involved in radical intellectual circles. In 1910, she married a
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
by the name of
Dmitriy Kuz'min-Karavaev Dmitriy Vladimirovich Kuz'min-Karavaev (1886–1959) was an Old Bolshevik who converted to Catholicism and was subsequently ordained to the priesthood. Early life He was born in St. Petersburg as the son of a Russian Orthodox professor of la ...
. During this period of her life she was actively involved in literary circles and wrote much poetry. Her first book, ''Scythian Shards'' (Скифские черепки), was a collection of poetry from this period. By 1913, her marriage to Dimitriy had ended. He subsequently converted to Catholicism and became a Catholic priest. Through a look at the humanity of
Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
— "He also died. He sweated blood. They struck his face" — she began to be drawn back into Christianity. She moved—now with her daughter, Gaiana — to the south of Russia where her religious devotion increased. Furious at
Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...
for closing the
Socialist-Revolutionary Party The Socialist Revolutionary Party, or the Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries (the SRs, , or Esers, russian: эсеры, translit=esery, label=none; russian: Партия социалистов-революционеров, ), was a major politi ...
Congress, she planned his assassination, but was dissuaded by colleagues, who sent her to
Anapa Anapa (russian: Ана́па, ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. Population: History The area around Anapa was settled in antiquity. It was originally a major seaport ( ...
. In 1918, after the
Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
, she was elected deputy mayor of Anapa in Southern Russia. When the anti-communist
White Army The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв ...
took control of Anapa, the mayor fled and she became mayor of the town. The White Army put her on trial for being a Bolshevik. However, the judge was a former teacher of hers, Daniil Skobtsov, and she was acquitted. Soon the two fell in love and were married. Soon, the political tide was turning again. In order to avoid danger, Elizaveta, Daniil, Gaiana, and Elizaveta's mother Sophia fled the country. Elizaveta was pregnant with her second child. They traveled first to
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
(where her son Yuri was born) and then to
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
(where her daughter Anastasia was born). Finally they arrived in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
in 1923. Soon Elizaveta was dedicating herself to theological studies and social work. In 1926, Anastasia died of influenza. Gaiana was sent away to
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
to boarding school. Soon, Daniil and Elizaveta's marriage was falling apart. Yuri ended up living with Daniil, and Elizaveta moved into central Paris to work more directly with those who were most in need. Her bishop encouraged her to take vows as a nun, something she did only with the assurance that she would not have to live in a monastery, secluded from the world. In 1932, with Daniil Skobtov's permission, an ecclesiastical divorce was granted, and she took monastic vows. She took the religious name "Maria". Her confessor was Father
Sergei Bulgakov Sergei Nikolaevich Bulgakov (; russian: Серге́й Никола́евич Булга́ков; – 13 July 1944) was a Russian Orthodox theologian, priest, philosopher, and economist. Biography Early life: 1871–1898 Sergei Nikolaevich B ...
. Later, Fr. Dmitri Klepinin would be sent to be the chaplain of the house. Mother Maria made a rented house in Paris her "convent". It was a place with an open door for refugees, the needy and the lonely. It also soon became a center for intellectual and theological discussion. In Mother Maria these two elements — service to the poor and theology — went hand-in-hand.


Death

After the Fall of France in 1940, Jews began approaching the house asking for
baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
al certificates, which Father Dimitri would provide them. Many Jews came to stay with them. They provided shelter and helped many to flee the country. Eventually the house was closed down. Mother Maria, Fr. Dimitri, Yuri and Sophia were all arrested by the
Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
. Fr. Dimitri and Yuri both died at the
Dora concentration camp Mittelbau-Dora (also Dora-Mittelbau and Nordhausen-Dora) was a Nazi concentration camp located near Nordhausen in Thuringia, Germany. It was established in late summer 1943 as a subcamp of Buchenwald concentration camp, supplying slave labour ...
. Mother Maria was sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. On
Holy Saturday Holy Saturday ( la, Sabbatum Sanctum), also known as Great and Holy Saturday (also Holy and Great Saturday), the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday (in Portugal and Brazil), Saturday of the Glory, Sabado de Gloria, and Black Saturday or Easter ...
, 1945, she was sent to the
gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or other animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History ...
.


Canonization

Mother Maria was glorified (canonized a saint) by act of the
Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on 16 January 2004. The glorification of Mother Maria, together with Fr. Dimitri, Yuri, and
Ilya Fondaminsky Ilya Isidorovich Fondaminsky (''Илья′ Исидо′рович Фондами′нский'', February 17, 1880, Moscow, Russia — November 19, 1942, Auschwitz, Nazi-occupied Poland), was a Russian author (writing under the pseudonym ''I. B ...
took place at the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky in Paris on 1 and 2 May 2004. Their feast day is 20 July.


Legacy

On June 24, 2020, a memorial plaque to Skobtsova was unveiled at the famous Sainte Genevieve de Bois cemetery, on the territory of the Russian necropolis. Skobtsova is also commemorated in the
American Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of ...
's calendar, with a lesser feast on
July 21 Events Pre-1600 * 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson. * 230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope. After being exiled to Sardinia, he became t ...
. Mother Maria was designated as Righteous among the Nations at
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
in Israel.Righteous among the Nations
yadvashem.org. Accessed December 7, 2022.


Example of poetry

In July, 1942, when the order requiring Jews to wear the yellow star was published, she wrote a poem entitled "Israel": :Two triangles, a star, :The shield of King David, our forefather. :This is election, not offense. :The great path and not an evil. :Once more in a term fulfilled, :Once more roars the trumpet of the end; :And the fate of a great people :Once more is by the prophet proclaimed. :Thou art persecuted again, O Israel, :But what can human malice mean to thee, :who have heard the thunder from Sinai?


Publications

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References


Sources

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Biographies

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External links


Maria Skobtsova
orthodoxwiki.org. Accessed 7 December 2022.

– her activity to save Jews' lives during the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, at
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Skobtsova, Maria 1891 births 1945 deaths French Resistance members Socialist Revolutionary Party politicians 20th-century Eastern Orthodox nuns Women poets from the Russian Empire Russian Empire saints Nuns from the Russian Empire Women mayors of places in Russia Eastern Orthodox Righteous Among the Nations Eastern Orthodox Christians from France French people who died in Ravensbrück concentration camp 20th-century Christian saints Female anti-fascists Old Bolsheviks Nobility from Riga Soviet civilians killed in World War II 20th-century Eastern Orthodox martyrs People killed by gas chamber by Nazi Germany Soviet people who died in Nazi concentration camps Christian female saints of the Late Modern era 20th-century Russian poets Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France Eastern Orthodox socialists Christian socialists from the Russian Empire Female resistance members of World War II Female Christian socialists 20th-century French women