The girl who danced with the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Zoya's standing
60 years ago, in January 1956, thousands of people began to come to Chkalova Street in Kuibyshev after hearing about the petrified girl. DG collected information about what happened from various sources and presented it as briefly as possible.
What is known for sure about the January events of 1956. In the tenth day of January, townspeople began to gather at houses No. 86 and 84 on Chkalova Street, having heard about a woman petrified in one of the houses, whom visitors and residents during this period called “the stone girl.” According to various estimates, from a thousand to tens of thousands of people visited here.
Most of those who came believed that the “stone girl” was located in one of the letters of house No. 84, located not on the red line of the street, but in the courtyard. At that time, beer owner Klavdiya Petrovna Bolonkina lived in the house.
Soon, police posts, including mounted ones, were installed in places where there was a mass gathering of people. People told each other that the woman in the house became petrified or stiff after she began to dance with the icon. Later, the police posts were removed, and by January 20, the flow of people to the house began to dry up, as reported at the regional party conference.
On January 24, on behalf of the regional committee, the newspaper “Volzhskaya Kommuna” published a feuilleton “Wild Case,” ridiculing rumors about the “stone girl.”
What do various sources say about what happened in the house? There is no direct evidence from those who personally saw the “stone girl”. All information confirming the existence of a petrified woman comes from those who knew about her only from the stories of third parties and is extremely contradictory. Also, no documentary archival evidence was found.
In addition, the story has been overgrown with various details for decades and has different versions. The most common of them at the moment tells that young people gathered for a dance in the house of the Bolonkina pub. Among those who came was a girl, Zoya Karnaukhova (her existence has not been documented), who did not get a dance partner. Then she began to dance with the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, after which she was dumbfounded and stood motionless for 128 days. Later, on Easter, the clergyman managed to “unfreeze” her, but after this incident she remained weak-minded.
How did this story come to light and how widely did it spread? Interesting testimony from one of Bolonkina’s now deceased neighbors, whose house had a story connected with it, was recorded by Samara journalist Valery Erofeev, who processed an impressive amount of archival materials and interviewed a significant number of witnesses to the events of 1956. A neighbor said that two elderly women first came to see Chkalov, having heard somewhere about a petrified woman. A few days later a crowd had already gathered near the house. The name Zoya, according to eyewitnesses of the events, was not mentioned then.
Rumors about “Zoya’s standing” even in Soviet times went far beyond Kuibyshev. Perhaps this could have been facilitated by a book that condemned superstitions. The case of Chkalov was also described. But they could have spread and been passed on from mouth to mouth (in particular, through church circles) and in handwritten form.
A new surge of interest arose thanks to numerous publications in the local press during perestroika and the 1990s. The authenticity of what happened was most consistently defended by the editor of the Blagovest newspaper Anton Zhogolev, who published the book “Zoya’s Standing. Samara miracle of St. Nicholas." He was opposed by the already mentioned Valery Erofeev, who published archival documents and numerous testimonies from eyewitnesses and contemporaries of the events, refuting the existence of Zoya.
The last surge of interest in history occurred before the release of Alexander Proshkin’s film “Miracle” in 2009, starring Makovetsky and Khabensky, in which one of the versions of the story about Zoya was reworked (in the film she is named Tatyana), and the action was moved to the fictional city of Grechansk.
Before the film’s release, a number of federal media outlets became interested in the story of “standing,” including Komsomolskaya Pravda, Moskovsky Komsomolets and Russian Reporter. None of the journalists who made their extensive materials could find evidence of the authenticity of the story about “Zoya’s standing.” It should be noted that Dmitry Sokolov-Mitrich, in his article in the Russian Reporter, reported that the boards on the floor in the center of the room in house No. 84 on Chkalov Street were renewed, unlike those that covered the floor near the walls.
Who benefits from the appearance of the story about “Zoya’s Standing”. German historian Ulrike Huhn connected the appearance of the story about the petrified girl with the gay scandal that happened in the church circles of Kuibyshev the day before in December 1955 and had a wide resonance (there was also a criminal case). In her opinion, “Zoya’s standing” could have been invented to distract public attention from him and increase the authority of the church. In addition, according to one of the neighbors, Bolonkina, a resident of house No. 84, charged a considerable sum for those times - 10 rubles - for entry during the January crowds of people.
Who benefits from hiding information about “Zoya’s standing.” For obvious reasons, it was beneficial for Kuibyshev’s party nomenklatura to quickly reduce to zero mass gatherings in the city center and rumors associated with a supernatural story in which the object of a religious cult was involved. It is difficult to imagine that such a resonant event could have been ignored by the intelligence services. But the KGB archives are inaccessible to researchers.
What is happening now with the place where the events took place in 1956? In May 2012, 3 years after the Samara diocese petitioned to install a memorial sign at the site of the events, a monument to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was unveiled at house number 86 on Chkalova Street. May 22 took place procession to house No. 84 with the personal participation of Metropolitan Sergius of Samara and Syzran, who consecrated the monument.
On May 12, 2014, house No. 84 on Chkalova Street, with which the story of “Zoya’s standing” is connected, burned down. Its abandoned ruins still stand today, but Vremya Plus LLC plans to build a 25-story residential building legally in its place soon. It didn’t occur to officials to include the building, which is associated with one of the most famous local legends, on the list of cultural heritage sites. The Russian Reporter reported that pilgrims from Moscow, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Kyiv, Munich, Odessa, Minsk, Riga, Helsinki, Vladivostok were traveling to the house...
Illustrations - marks of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, depicting the miracle of “Zoya’s standing”, from the Samara Church of St. John the Warrior (116th kilometer).
60 years ago one of the most amazing events in the history of the USSR took place. On the outskirts of closed Kuibyshev, a young girl Zoya was petrified with an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in her hands.
Zoya's arrest became an all-Union scandal: crowds of people were dispersed from Zoya's house by mounted police, party officials did everything to hide this mysterious incident.
“The whole city is buzzing like a beehive! You are sitting here, and there... The girl froze with the icon in her hands, rooted to the spot! They say God punished her!” - Doctor Anna was choking with excitement.
There are eyewitness accounts of those days and documents from party meetings that the girl was petrified.
This is an emergency and mysterious event happened on December 31, 1956 in house 84 on Chkalova Street. An ordinary woman, Claudia Bolonkina, lived in it, whose son decided to invite his friends on New Year’s Eve. Among the invitees was a girl, Zoya, with whom Nikolai had recently begun dating.
All the friends were with their gentlemen, but Zoya was still sitting alone, Kolya was delayed. When the dancing began, she said: “If my Nikolai is not there, I will dance with Nikola the Pleasant!” And she headed to the corner where the icons hung. The friends were horrified: “Zoe, this is a sin,” but she said: “If there is a God, let him punish me!” She took the icon and pressed it to her chest. She entered the circle of dancers and suddenly froze, as if she had grown into the floor. It was impossible to move it from its place, and the icon could not be taken out of hand - it seemed to be stuck tightly. The girl showed no external signs of life. But a subtle knocking sound was heard in the area of the heart.
The ambulance doctor Anna tried to revive Zoya. Anna’s own sister, Nina Pavlovna Kalashnikova, is still alive, I managed to talk to her. “She ran home excited. And although the police made her sign a non-disclosure agreement, she told everything. And how she tried to give the girl injections, but it turned out to be impossible. Zoya’s body was so hard that the syringe needles did not fit into it, they broke...
Samara law enforcement agencies immediately became aware of the incident. Since it was related to religion, the case was given emergency status, and a police squad was sent to the house to prevent onlookers from entering. There was nothing to worry about. By the third day of Zoya's stay, all the streets near the house were crowded with thousands of people. The girl was nicknamed “Stone Zoya”.
They still had to invite clergymen into the house of the “stone Zoya,” because the police were afraid to approach her holding the icon. But none of the priests managed to change anything until Hieromonk Seraphim (Poloz) came. They say that he was so bright-hearted and kind that he even had the gift of prediction. He was able to take the icon from Zoya’s frozen hands, after which he predicted that her “standing” would end on Easter Day. And so it happened. They say that Poloz was then asked by the authorities to recant his involvement in Zoya’s case, but he rejected the offer. Then they fabricated an article about sodomy and sent him to serve his sentence. After his release he did not return to Samara...
Zoya's body came to life, but her mind was no longer the same. In the first days she kept shouting: “The earth is perishing in sins! Pray, believe!” From a scientific and medical point of view, it is difficult to imagine how the body of a young girl could last 128 days without food and water. The capital's scientists, who came to Samara at that time for such a supernatural case, were unable to determine the “diagnosis,” which was initially mistaken for some kind of tetanus.
After the incident with Zoya, as her contemporaries testify, people flocked en masse to churches and temples. People bought crosses, candles, icons. Those who were not baptized were baptized... But it is known: from fear, a change in consciousness and heart occurs in exceptional cases. As a rule, a person becomes “good” only for a while. In order to deeply feel the essence of everything spiritual and real, to open the heart to goodness and love, the work of the soul is required. And religious, like any external attributes, have nothing to do with it.
Therefore, whether we are talking about Zoya or about some other character to whom something out of the ordinary happened, the following question arises: why do we need dramas, tragedies in order to gain faith, pay attention to ourselves, our actions, our own lives? or miracles and mysticism? Until the thunder strikes, the man will not cross himself?
Zoya Karnaukhova (still from the film)
Among others, the young beauty Zoya Karnaukhina was present there. She worked at a pipe factory, was a Komsomol member and an atheist, like the rest of the company. The mistress of the house, whose son brought the guests, was a believer and devout woman (that’s why she had icons hanging). She really did not approve of the noisy fun in the last week of the Nativity Fast, so she was not present at the holiday.
As usual, young people celebrated the national holiday cheerfully and loudly - with drinking, singing and dancing. And only the beautiful Zoya sat, drooping. On the eve of this day, she met a young man named Nikolai, who she really liked. Having invited him to the holiday, the girl was really looking forward to his arrival. But the guy still didn’t come.
And then her friends, noticing Zoina’s sadness, began to call her to dance. She did not have a partner, and she arrogantly shouted: “Since my Nikolai did not come, then I will dance with this one!” Grabbing the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant from the wall, she began to circle the room with it.
Interesting! Despite the fact that the youth of that time were atheist, the dance with the icon offended many.
They tried to remark to Zoya that it was not nice to act in such a way, but she only frivolously waved it off and continued her blasphemy. But this seemed to her not enough, and she, laughing, shouted out the phrase: “If some kind of God exists, then let Him punish me!”
Zoya dances with the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Literally a moment later, everyone present was frightened by a loud noise and a bright flash of light. When the company came to their senses, they found Zoya standing in the middle of the room with a stony face. Her legs seemed to have grown into the floor, her skin became pale as chalk. With her hands she pressed the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker so tightly that no one could take it away.
Read about miracles in Orthodoxy:
Publicity
Stunned and instantly sobered up, the friends called the girl ambulance. The name of the doctor who was on shift that day has been preserved - Anna Pavlovna Kalashnikova. In all her medical practice, the woman had never encountered anything like this. The doctor was unable to give Zoya a single injection - all the needles simply broke on the stone body. Nevertheless, the girl’s heartbeat could be clearly heard, so it was absolutely clear that Zoya was alive.
Important! It is the testimony and official report of the emergency doctor that are the main evidence that all the events described actually took place.
It was also impossible to tear the girl off the floor, no matter how hard they tried to do it. Attempts were even made to cut down the floor around her in order to take Zoya to the hospital along with the boards, but this also failed. In the end, she, petrified and pale, was left standing in the middle of the room, hugging the icon. Needless to say, the sight was quite terrifying.
Of course, such a blatant incident could not pass by the leadership of the Communist Party. The first thing the regional leadership did was to restrict access to the house with the living statue. However, the communists were a little late - people were already pouring into Samara, wanting to gawk at the new-found miracle. This led to the news spreading very quickly throughout the area.
Nevertheless, a police cordon was placed around the house, which no longer allowed onlookers to pass through. The local newspaper that year described the event as “shameful for the communists,” and at a party meeting they decided to introduce active atheist propaganda. Lectures and meetings began to be held throughout the region, where, as best they could, they dissuaded people from the existence of God. And Zoya stood in the same place, as a silent refutation of these agitations.
Interesting! Despite all the police cordons, people surrounded the famous house in a dense crowd. One of the women called a young policeman from the cordon over and asked him to tell him what he saw inside. The servant did not say anything, since he had no right to do so, but he silently pulled off his hat - the young guy’s entire head was gray and white as snow.
Visitors
The communist authorities, of course, were in a panic about everything that was happening. Despite the police cordon and atheistic agitation, it was clear that something had to be done with the girl herself, because as long as she stood there like that, the people would not calm down.
Zoya grows to the floor and turns to stone
Since the emergency doctor could not do anything with the petrified but living body, a certain professor of medicine from Moscow, whose name was not preserved, was called to Zoya. But the capital’s luminary just threw up his hands - he was unable to make a diagnosis or in any way influence the girl’s condition. He only confirmed that Zoe was still alive because her heart was beating.
Ready to do anything to get things moving dead center, the authorities allow clergy to be allowed into the house. The visiting priests served a prayer service and tried to take the icon from the hands of the living statue, but they failed to do this.
Then the future elder Seraphim Tyapochkin, in the rank of hieromonk, came to the famous house in Samara. He prays for a long time next to the girl, served a prayer service with the blessing of water, and after that Zoya’s hands gave in and gave the icon. Having hung it in its place in the Red Corner, the hieromonk read prayers of thanks, after which he predicted that the girl would stand until Easter.
After visiting the elder, Zoya began to show some signs of life. She sometimes started screaming, calling everyone to repentance. Frost went down the skin of those who heard these screams.
On the eve of the Annunciation, a certain handsome old man approached the house and asked to go inside. The cordon, naturally, did not let him through. The elder did not insist, but came on both the second and third days. Finally, on the very feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, he was allowed into the house.
The policemen surrounding the house heard the gentle and kind voice of the old man, who addressed the girl in a fatherly manner and asked if she was very tired of standing. After some time, the security came to his senses that it was time for the visitor to leave. Entering the house, the officers on duty saw only a cold girl standing alone in the middle of the room, but there was no old man anywhere.
Interesting! Later, the revived Zoya was asked where her visitor had gone. She pointed to the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant and said that he had gone there. And indeed, in the appearance of the Wonderworker there were very similar features of the old man who came to Zoya.
Revival
On the night of Easter, which that year was May 6, Zoya screamed especially loudly and asked to pray and repent of her sins. Her body began to warm up, softness appeared in her muscles. Finally, they were able to move her and even put her to bed. But even while lying in bed, the girl continued to cry tearfully, repented of her sins and called on everyone who considered themselves Christians to do the same. She said that she was very scared and that she saw the earth burning from human sins.
Hieromonk Seraphim serves the water-blessing prayer service and removes the icon
Many asked Zoya how she lived these days, who fed her, how life was maintained in her petrified body. The girl replied that she was fed by pigeons and they did not let her die. In total, her standing lasted 128 calendar days.
Important! IN Christian symbolism the dove characterizes God's grace, which descends on people and humanity as a whole.
The further fate of Zoya Karanukhina is not known for certain. According to the most common version, on the third day after Easter, having repented of sins, reconciled with God and people, Zoe’s soul went to the Lord. But there is an opinion that the rumor about the girl’s death was sent specifically to protect her future life from obsessive attention. According to some contemporaries of those events, Zoya went to a monastery and until she was very old, she prayed to the Lord for the entire human race.
Truth or Myth
Everything described seems so implausible to us that doubts naturally creep in about what happened. Was the story of the young communist true, or was it a well-orchestrated show?
Most Orthodox researchers agree that, despite the lack of hard documentary evidence, the story of Zoya has great spiritual meaning. After the incident, many people rethought their lives, repented and came to God, despite the strict anti-religious policies in the country. Throughout the region and its surroundings, there was a sharp increase in parishioners in churches - people went to pray, confess, and receive the Sacrament of Communion.
The fact that everything that happened took place is indirectly evidenced by articles in local newspapers of that time. Still, they covered the miracle that happened, although they tried to distort the data to suit party politics.
Letters from all over the country poured into newspapers asking for an explanation of what had happened. So, in response to one of the requests, an article was published by a certain Soviet doctor, who explained the mysterious fact by the presence of a rare type of tetanus infection in the girl. However, this explanation does not stand up to the slightest criticism from a medical point of view. With tetanus, the body does not turn to stone and the patient can always be given an injection. In addition, it is completely impossible to imagine that a terminally ill person could stand on his feet without rest for 128 days. Even healthy people cannot do this.
For Orthodox Christian There is no particular need to go into the deep jungle of the relativity of the veracity of the events described. This is the work of historians and researchers. For an ordinary believer, it will be of great benefit to think about his life, how he sins and how he repents. In a spiritual sense, Zoya's story is very instructive.
Documentary film about the stone Zoya Karnaukhova
Still from the film “Miracle” directed by Alexander Proshkin (2009)
In the winter of 1956, Samara (at that time - Kuibyshev) was excited by rumors: in one of the houses on Chkalovskaya Street, at a party, a girl danced with an icon, and was petrified. Crowds of onlookers flocked to the house, wanting to see the “miracle.”
Every day new details emerged. The icon in the hands of a petrified woman is not just any, but St. Nicholas the Pleasant. And as soon as she started dancing with her, thunder struck... There is no way to move the girl - she is rooted to the floor. And when they tried to cut out the floorboards, blood began to flow out of them like a fountain... The ambulance doctors cannot give an injection - the needles break... The frozen girl seemed to be completely electrified and, when touched, gave an electric shock so that everything in the house was already on fire and the firefighters arrived...
Hundreds of people were eager to enter the house - to see the miracle and, at the same time, take something with them as a souvenir. Fences were already cracking and breaking under the curious. And when mounted police were deployed around the block, Samara residents stated with satisfaction that there was a miracle! Only this fact of “Zoya’s standing”. Otherwise, why take such precautions?
For more than 60 years, this story has been built into a coherent narrative, its heroes even acquired names.
Zoya's standing. Legend
In the modern interpretation of the Samara events, of course, there is no fountain of blood from floorboards and fire engines. The canonical description of "Zoya's standing" eliminated details that might cause mistrust.
On New Year, during the Nativity Fast, young people gathered in the house of Claudia Bolonkina at 84 Chkalovskaya Street. Among those celebrating was Zoya Karnaukhova, a pipe factory worker. The dancing began, only Zoya did not have a partner - her fiancé, a certain Nikolai, never came to the party. Then the girl took the icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker: “Since my Nicholas is not there, I will dance with this!” Friends tried to dissuade Zoya, but she stood her ground: “If God exists, let him punish me!” And as soon as the girl began to dance, thunder rang out, lightning flashed, and Zoya froze with the icon in her hands. The doctors could not bring her to her senses - the syringe needles broke and bent, they could not budge or remove the icon from her hands. The girl seemed petrified, but her heart was beating - Zoya lived.
Before the Feast of the Annunciation, a certain old man came to the house and for some reason was allowed to visit Zoya. He approached the petrified woman and tenderly asked: “Well, are you tired of standing?” And he took the icon out of the girl’s hands. Zoya stood still before Easter, only 128 days, and on the holiday she collapsed on the floor.
Regarding the future fate of the “stone Zoya,” the storytellers are no longer so unanimous. According to one version, the girl died on the third day after Easter. On the other hand, she ended up in a “psychiatric hospital”. According to the third, she was taken by KGB officers to Moscow. They also say that she went to a monastery. In general, everyone claims what is closer and clearer to him.
"Zoe's Standing" Data
It is worth noting that no pipe plant has ever existed in Samara (Kuibyshev). There was a pipe factory - a defense enterprise that produced remote fuses (tubes) for shells. But this plant closed after the revolution. And by the time of the events on Chkalovskaya, it had already been called the Maslennikov plant for about 40 years. A decent amount of time for the townspeople to get used to the new name, right?
In addition, canonical history stubbornly insists that the events took place during the celebration of the New Year, 1956 - during the Nativity Fast. For Orthodox holiday in fasting is already an outrageous event in itself. And the more moralizing the story is. And according to archival documents, everything happened on the “old New Year” - from January 13 to 14.
The crowd poured onto Chkalovskaya at once - one of the few churches operating at that time was located nearby. The enterprising Bolonkins first took money for entry into the house. But when their things began to go missing, and the mood of the crowd grew tense, they had to call the police.
On January 22, the regional committee of the CPSU held a report on the activities of religious cults. It boiled down to the fact that the work on cultural education in the city is not being carried out at the proper level, since such a blatant case of mass psychosis has occurred. And on January 24, the local newspaper “Volzhskaya Kommuna” published the feuilleton “Wild Case.”
It is appropriate to reproach the city police department and the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the feuilleton said. “Reinforced posts and mounted police detachments that were already posted on Chkalovskaya Street in the first days did not at all contribute to the restoration of order, but, on the contrary, caused rumors and increased interest in gossip.
"Volga Commune"
The cordon was quickly lifted. For some time, curious people came to the house, but gradually the flow of pilgrims dried up.
Case No. 2. “Information report on the state of religious activities of communities and groups of believers of all confessions”
There are several more interesting points in this story. For example, there is evidence that a certain priest rented housing in the Bolonkins’ apartment, and shortly before the events he was kicked out of the house. Eyewitnesses also recall that in the morning people ran to the house under bell ringing, which sounded on a working day in the Peter and Paul Church, located five hundred meters from the Bolonkins’ house...
Everything we know about the world is a story told by someone
After the incident on Chkalovskaya, city residents went to church. They themselves were baptized, their children were baptized... And this - in the post-war, industrial, closed Kuibyshev, in the country of victorious atheism! The authority of the church has increased significantly. And, despite the obvious inconsistencies and gaps in this story, people continue to believe in the “miracle of Zoya’s standing.”
In a good way, all the speculation and rumors around the “miracle” can even now be dispelled by ordinary journalistic investigation. Find out, for example, whether Zoya Karnaukhova worked at the Maslennikov plant at that time and where did this name and surname come from? After all, until the 1990s, the girl’s name was not even mentioned in urban legend. Find out what kind of priest rented accommodation in a house on Chkalovskaya. To analyze the chronology of one unpleasant scandal that happened shortly before “Zoya’s standing” in the parochial school of the Peter and Paul Church... But why? It has long been known that the harder you fight a myth, the more people will believe in it.
Now books are being written about the “stone girl”; the plot is included in the hagiographic icons of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. “Zoya’s Standing” is dedicated to a TV show. And in 2009, director Alexander Proshkin made the film “Miracle” based on Samara history, which was awarded a special prize at the Moscow International Film Festival.
Former house of Claudia Bolonkina. Winter 2018
On Chkalov Street, next to house 84, there is a sculpture of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. And the house itself, in which Zoya’s “stagnation” allegedly took place, burned down several years ago. Old neighborhoods are being built up in Samara...
In our everyday reality, miracles sometimes happen, and some of them become known to the whole world. So, in the last century, the event that happened in Kuibyshev received a great resonance. People gave it the name “Zoino standing”. Let's now try to figure it out and answer the question that worries many: this is just beautiful and at the same time scary legend, which is still remembered today, or real fact, which took place? The topic of our article: “Stone Zoya - truth or myth?”
How it all began?
By historical standards, this miraculous event happened not so long ago. It happened in the middle of the last century in Kuibyshev, now this city is called Samara.
In 1956, on a January day, in one of the houses, namely on Chkalovskaya Street, house number 84, an inexplicable phenomenon occurred. A crowd of onlookers gathered around the house, wanting to see this sign. The news quickly spread among people: for some reason the girl turned into something like a statue. Like a statue, she froze in the middle of the room, but she was alive. Everyone was eager to see this at least out of the corner of their eye, and a detachment of mounted police was on duty here for a week to suppress the unrest.
There have already been many disagreements in this story from the very beginning. So, according to one version, a simple family lived in the house: a mother and her daughter Zoya. That evening, her believing parent went to church, and her daughter had a party, to which she was expecting her fiancé named Nikolai. When the mother returned home, she saw her daughter in a petrified state and lost consciousness. First, she was taken to the hospital, and after the woman came to her senses, she returned home and began to pray fervently.
According to another version, Claudia Bolonkina and her son Nikolai lived there. It was he who was Zoya's boyfriend and invited her to visit. She kept waiting for him that evening, but he never came. The rest of the story followed the same scenario.
Investigation by journalists
Despite the passing decades, talk about this event does not subside. During the journalistic investigation, it was concluded that there was no miracle. But what really happened at that time? The fact that a huge crowd gathered near the house in those January days, attracted here by rapidly spreading rumors, was not refuted by anyone. But did a real miracle take place then?
The reason for this pandemonium, according to experts, was the so-called mass psychosis, fueled by certain social conditions that existed in the country at that time. During that period, power changed, the cult of Stalin was becoming a thing of the past, and the mighty of the world of this they made concessions in relation to the church and believers.
This incident was even discussed at a party conference held in the city at the end of January. A transcript has been preserved, which contained statements by the secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU. In it, he denied the reality of what happened.
One old woman said that in that house a girl was petrified, who was thus punished for blasphemy. Rumors began to spread quickly. In addition, the police, then assigned to maintain order, attracted the attention of the people even more, causing a stir. When the law enforcement agencies left there, the crowd of onlookers scattered along with them, eager to look at the “miracle.” According to eyewitnesses, only an old woman lived in that house, and there was no question of any girl.
Based on the investigation, it turns out that this was an invention of the same Bolonkina who released the false information. The documentary “Stone Zoya” tried to shed light on the reliability of the facts.
Refuting article in the newspaper
After this event, a feuilleton entitled “Wild Case” was published in one publication. He denounced the propaganda workers of the city committee who forgot about their responsibilities to educate the population and introduce scientific knowledge into the minds of people. And this newspaper wrote about miracles and religion as relics of the past.
Witnesses and rumors
Three decades later, witnesses to this story began to appear, but they were not directly related to what happened. These were those who simply heard a lot about it from other people, but did not see anything with their own eyes. The legend, thus, began to become overgrown with more and more rumors and speculation. According to some, it no longer had anything to do with real events.
Fictions include information that pointed to emergency doctors who allegedly came to Zoya and tried to revive her with injections and rid her of this condition. There is also a story about police officers who saw a frozen girl and instantly turned gray from this sight. They also talked about a certain holy elder who then came to the city and communicated with the petrified girl. There is no reliable data regarding this information, and, according to some, it is all based solely on gossip. But is this really so? At the same time, it did not appear immediately, but several decades later, later the girl was assigned the surname Karnaukhov.
Films based on the legend
In 2015, a documentary film was shot and shown on the TVC channel - “Line of Defense. Stone Zoya." Also based on these events, the film “Miracle” was shot in 2009 by director Alexander Proshkin. Only the action of this film takes place in Grechansk - a fictional city. This picture involved individuals who were not actually present there at the time. So, Nikita Khrushchev, who at that time was the leader of the country, appeared here.
The film “Miracle,” filmed according to the script by Yuri Arabov, who showed interest in Orthodox themes, starred such famous actors as Polina Kutepova and Sergei Makovetsky. Many viewers who have watched this film perceive it as a documentary, but in fact it is based only on a legend, which has not yet been confirmed and is overgrown with many fictitious circumstances.
In addition, in 2011, NTV aired a historical detective story called “A Dark Case. Stone Zoya: truth or myth?
Perpetuating history
In 2010, by order, it was decided to establish a memorial sign in honor of the legendary Stone Zoe. It is located on that famous street. The sculptural image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is a kind of reminder of a long-past event, but the image of Zoe herself is not present here. However, her name is mentioned on the plaque that is on this monument. In a temple located on the outskirts of Samara, people pray for a miracle in front of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Along the edges are miniatures depicting footage associated with that ancient event.
This was mentioned in the film “Line of Defense. Stone Zoya." In those days, people needed a miracle, because the old order had collapsed, and something new had to come to replace it. Religion began to revive, and it became a necessary confirmation of its strength. What happened struck many people, and they quickly began to turn to faith. At that time, there weren’t even enough crosses for those asking.
What does this legend say?
A certain girl named Zoya, who is also a pipe factory worker, was walking with her friends at home. They danced and had fun. Although this was not supposed to be done during the Nativity Fast. Our heroine’s mother was also against this idea. The girl had a fiancé, Nikolai, but for some reason he was delayed, and she continued to wait for him. Unable to bear it, in a fit of anger, Zoya grabbed the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and began to dance with it. The girl said the following words: “If my Nicholas is not there, then I will dance with Saint Nicholas.” Then her friends who were present at the party began to persuade her not to do that, because But in response to them, she only said: “If there is a God, let him punish me!”
After this, something inexplicable happened. A whirlwind arose in the room, lightning flashed, a terrible noise arose, and... Zoya at that very moment froze, like a statue. She was completely icy and clutched the icon to her chest. Her legs seemed to have become fused with the floor, and the girl could not be moved from her place. Despite the absence of external signs of life, her heart was beating. Since then she has not eaten or drunk, but Stone Zoya continued to live.
A film about this event was repeatedly produced by directors, but these films never provided an accurate explanation. They tell how the people on duty heard a girl screaming at night: “Mom, pray! We perish in our sins!” The news of this spread throughout the city, and the phenomenon was called “Zoino’s Standing.” Priests were invited to read prayers. But the holy men could not take the icon from Zoya’s hands. On Christmas Day, Father Seraphim came to the house and said the following words: “We must wait for a sign on the Great Day.”
There is even a legend that Nicholas the Wonderworker himself appeared to Zoya. On the day of the Annunciation, a certain old man came, trying for the third time to get into the house. The attendants only heard that the old man asked Zoya if she was tired of standing like that. Then there was no trace of him, he disappeared unnoticed. Then rumors began to spread that the saint himself was then in that room.
So the girl stood for 128 days, until Easter. On the eve of the holiday, she again began to appeal to people to pray, for the whole world was perishing in sins. From that time on, Zoya began to come to life and continued to ask everyone to pray for peace. After she woke up, they began to ask her questions and ask how she survived for so many days. After all, she could neither drink nor eat while she was in a petrified state. To this she replied that she was fed by pigeons. The night guards were horrified when Zoya shouted that everyone should pray, since the earth was burning and the whole world was perishing in sins. As legend says, on the third day of Easter the girl died, forgiven by the Lord.
There is a version that after Zoya came to life, she was taken to the hospital, where she remained until the end of her days. There is also an assumption that she later lived in a monastery. Over time, Stone Zoya still lives in the memory of the people. Many people now associate Samara with that ancient event and the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Eyewitness testimony
After this event, that same priest Seraphim was asked questions about his meeting with that phenomenon. He answered them evasively, but it still became clear that it was he who was then able to take the icon from the girl, who was the stone Zoya in Samara.
But there is also testimony from a witness - pensioner Anna Fedotovna. She, like many then, wanted to see the miracle with her own eyes, but the police guarding the house did not let anyone through. Then the old woman decided to ask one of the boys if everything was really as they say. But he answered evasively, saying that they were not ordered to report anything. More eloquent than words were his gray hair, which he showed to the woman.
There was also a witness who worked in the ambulance. Then she arrived at the house to help the girl. Having tried to inject her, she realized that it was all useless, because the needles bent and broke on the hardened skin. This woman’s name was Anna Pavlovna Kalashnikova, and she was a relative of the priest Vitaly Kalashnikov, who told about this story from her words. She, like many eyewitnesses then, gave a non-disclosure agreement. Despite this, the woman told many people about the miracle.
One day a believer came from Kuibyshev to the temple where Seraphim served. She saw him and immediately recognized him as the priest who was present at that event. In most cases, he answered questions about Zoya’s Standing evasively and did not give direct answers. From Alexandra Ivanovna’s narrative it follows that she met with Father Seraphim and asked about the whereabouts of the icon that was then in the girl’s hands. To this he just looked at her sternly and remained silent. But there is information that the icon is in the Rakitny temple. Mother Ekaterina Lucina spoke about this, but then it was kept secret, because everyone was afraid of Seraphim’s re-arrest.
Svetlana Chekulaeva’s uncle was then a participant in the feast. He told his loved ones about what had happened, and since then this story has become their family legend. As his niece says, he saw that the girl froze, stopped speaking and stood hugging the icon. Her uncle, like those who were with him at that party then, were sentenced to different terms. These facts were presented in the documentary film "Stone Zoya" (TVC).
Arrest of the main witness
A case was then fabricated against Father Demetrius (Seraphim), and the authorities ordered not to disclose the miracle to everyone who saw it. The priest was sentenced to several years in prison. After serving his sentence, he was sent to serve in a remote village. In the Intercession Monastery, many years later, Archimandrite Seraphim said that after he took the icon, he was arrested for several years, but the Lord brought him out after 40 days.
Thus, in Samara, long-past events are now immortalized, in which Father Seraphim and that same stone Zoya appeared. The photo of the monument in Samara clearly demonstrates this to us.
Scientific version
From this point of view, such petrification is explained. It is with it that a state is observed when a person cannot move, talk or make any movements. There was confirmation from one scientist who did not refute what happened to the girl, but explained it as tetanus. However, with this disease the symptoms may not be so severe. The patient can be transferred from place to place, but in this case it was impossible to do this.
Conclusion
Like this, and every sensational story, there are often many versions and disagreements. This is especially true for miracles that become known to the whole world. In this case, as a rule, a version is born that strongly confirms the phenomenon that happened, and in contrast to it there is an explanation of skeptics who consider the incident with scientific point view, or even completely refute it.
On the one hand, many denials have been put forward regarding the veracity of the story. At the same time, there are witnesses who allegedly indicate that they were in the house on Chkalovskaya at that time and did not see anything. But, on the other hand, why did the authorities at that time need to organize a cordon and board up the windows? Why did they arrest Archimandrite Seraphim, as they did with other witnesses of the miracle? Yes, this can be explained by the fact that in this way they fought against religion and provocations, but perhaps behind this lies the fact of a miraculous event that actually took place.
Be that as it may, the standing of the stone Zoe, whether it was compromised or a real miracle, at one time converted many people to faith, gave strength and hope in that difficult time. It was during that period that the people especially urgently needed a miracle, and one way or another, it happened.