Lestovka

[Little_Boy_Lost]

Hi ya’ll,

Are there any Byzantine Catholics that utilize a Lestovka? What are some reasons you would choose one over a prayer rope? Why did the Prayer Rope replace the lestovka in Russian Orthodoxy? Where and when did the Lestovka first appear? Why does Saint Seraphim of Sarov sometimes have one in iconographic depictions? Thanks ya’ll!

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Hi ya’ll,

Are there any Byzantine Catholics that utilize a Lestovka? What are some reasons you would choose one over a prayer rope? Why did the Prayer Rope replace the lestovka in Russian Orthodoxy? Where and when did the Lestovka first appear? Why does Saint Seraphim of Sarov sometimes have one in iconographic depictions? Thanks ya’ll!

Wow, there are a lot of questions here and, sadly, I can only answer a few. There are indeed Byzantine Catholics who utilize Lestovkas, myself being one of them although I typically use a 150 knot prayer rope that I made. I’ve also sold a couple of Lestovkas that I made to our good friend, Alex Roman.

The primary reason I would choose one over a prayer rope is simply for a change of pace. I like the feeling of the “steps” or “rungs” on the Lestovka, especially when they are made out of oblong wooden beads instead of leather. It just has a different feel to it than a prayer rope does.

As to your other questions, I have no clue. Your question in re St. Seraphim has puzzled me for some time. Having seen photographs of the prayer rope he used, it certainly did not look like a “traditional” Lestovka.

ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip

 

[Little_Boy_Lost]

Awesome. Thanks for your help. How much would you sell one of your lestovki for?

 

[searn77]

Hi ya’ll,

Are there any Byzantine Catholics that utilize a Lestovka? What are some reasons you would choose one over a prayer rope? Why did the Prayer Rope replace the lestovka in Russian Orthodoxy? Where and when did the Lestovka first appear? Why does Saint Seraphim of Sarov sometimes have one in iconographic depictions? Thanks ya’ll!

The lestovka is the prayer rope used by the Russian Old Believers. There are actually 2 types of lestovkas; one is very symbolic and actually quite convenient to use when one has to pray 12 or 40 "Lord have mercy"s and is described here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lestovka

The other type of lestovka is divided similarly to a Catholic rosary, but with 150 small “steps” divided into tens. This type of lestovka is used to pray the Rule to the Mother of God, which is very similar to the Rosary.

Also, I have read that somehow the lestovka started to see some use among Russian Orthodox who weren’t Old Believers when the Philokalia was translated into Russian. Not sure where I read this though. But yea, St. Seraphim of Sarov is known to have used one.

About a year ago on another forum I asked about the lestovka and there were some people there who knew quite a bit about it and Old Believers in general:
orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,28030.0.html

Here’s an explanation of who the Russian Old Believers are in a nutshell. In Orthodoxy, liturgical practices can and do develop differently depending on where it is being practiced. The Russian Patriarch Nikon in the 1600s discovered how the Russian Church developed differently than the Greeks and he sought to bring uniformity by incorporating the Greek practices into the Russian Church. But from what I have heard, Patriarch Nikon did not originally force these Greek liturgical practices on the Russian Church. Nevertheless, there were Russian Orthodox people who fiercely were against these Greek practices thinking that the Greek practices were inferior to the Russian ones. Then Patriarch Nikon, under strong influence from the Russian Tsar of the time, condemned the former Russian liturgical practices that differed from the Greek ones and made the former Russian practices illegal. Those who didn’t begin using the Greek liturgical practices were highly persecuted and killed. Those who refused to follow the Greek liturgical practices were called Old Believers. One of the differences from the Greek Church and the pre-Patriarch Nikon Russian Church was that the Greeks used prayer ropes and the Russians used lestovkas. Today, there are a few different kinds of Old Believer groups. Some have priests and bishops, others don’t.

Now that is all coming from my memory so I may be wrong about something that I wrote. But that is briefly some of the history that I know about the Old Believers. If you want to further learn about the Old Believers, here is an audio recording that runs about an hour of a former professor of Orthodox Church history discussing the Old Believers:
orthodoxchurchhistory.com/uploads/WEB_30-Russia-4-oldbeliv.mp3

Also, here is a book about the Old Believers from a priest of my Metropolia, Fr. Raphael:
lulu.com/product/paperback/sobornosti-essays-on-the-old-faith/4107243
From what I have heard, Fr. Raphael formerly used to follow the same liturgical practices as the priested Old Believers, but now he mainly does the Sarum rite.

Finally, here is a link if you want to order a lestovka from an Old Believer parish that has come into communion with ROCOR-MP which is in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate, etc.
securehost85.hrwebservices.net/~cotn//shopping/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=219&osCsid=3a2c924b3fb67d13a39ac318fdb903e3

 

[Mickey]

A Lestovka was gifted to me by a monk. I love it!

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Awesome. Thanks for your help. How much would you sell one of your lestovki for?

Send me a PM and we’ll talk prices. Also, send a PM to Alex Roman to get his opinion of my Lestovki. I’ve made a couple for him, including the above mentioned 150 step Lestovka.

 

[Volodymyr]

Лесточки Lestochki

These are not too well known in Russia/Ukraina because used by Old Believers. But Icons of Serafim Sarovskiy show him carrying such a lestochka. Because of this, there is now renewed interest in this ancient kind prayer aid. Lestochki are divided into triangular lapostok (symbolic of sacred trinity) made of leather which are often embroidered with special threads, seven peredvizhki between, then a reliquia with ladon (incense) and then the ladder (lestochka) itself so called to honor Iakov ladder to heaven from Old Testament. Lestochka from lestnitsa or ladder. Lestochka made of small balls or thimbles called steps. The steps are various 11 kinds mostly various numbers of large and small steps . First three steps are faith, hope, and love. . Last three steps symbolizing three day resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a site to popularize this prayer device among Russian Orthodox. SITE:

lestovka.com.ua/index.php

This very helpful to understand this prayer aid and its symbolism.

http://lestovka.com.ua/lestovka/image001.jpg

 

[LilyM]

Лесточки Lestochki

These are not too well known in Russia/Ukraina because used by Old Believers. But Icons of Serafim Sarovskiy show him carrying such a lestochka. Because of this, there is now renewed interest in this ancient kind prayer aid. Lestochki are divided into triangular lapostok (symbolic of sacred trinity) made of leather which are often embroidered with special threads, seven peredvizhki between, then a reliquia with ladon (incense) and then the ladder (lestochka) itself so called to honor Iakov ladder to heaven from Old Testament. Lestochka from lestnitsa or ladder. Lestochka made of small balls or thimbles called steps. The steps are various 11 kinds mostly various numbers of large and small steps . First three steps are faith, hope, and love. . Last three steps symbolizing three day resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a site to popularize this prayer device among Russian Orthodox. SITE:

lestovka.com.ua/index.php

Thank you for the picture. Certainly an amazing object, and beautifully decorated.

Thankyou for the picture - an amazing

This very helpful to understand this prayer aid and its symbolism.

http://lestovka.com.ua/lestovka/image001.jpg

 

[Alexander_Roman]

Actually, our Revered Master Beadsman, Philip Rolfes, does an AMAZING job with his wooden Lestovkas!!!

He has made me both kinds, the regular and that used in praying the Rule of the Mother of God (aka the Rosary).

The Lestovka was actually not developed by the Old Believers, but became general in Russia before Nikon. In terms of its development, the Lestovka really stands at the pinnacle of the development of prayer counters/beads.

The original prayer rope was that of St Basil the Great (it is still called the “Rosary of St Basil the Great” to this day in various sources). This was a closed strand of 100 knots or beads divided every 25 with a divider knot or bead.

The lestovka was envisioned as a kind of ladder. In fact, there is evidence that is worth researching further that forms of the lestovka were used in the Thebaid. Prayer counters of all kinds were in vogue then, including “prayer ladders” that resemble very much the lestovka. Old Believer monastics have told me that this is their belief as well.

In fact, there is every reason to believe that the Master Beadsman, Philip Rolfes, has reproduced a lestovka that was probably the most similar to the ones used in the 4th century in the Thebaid. As someone who has studied prayer counters for 20 years now, I am convinced that he has.

The Lestovka became the pre-eminent Russian rosary/prayer counter before the Nikonian reforms and became VERY ingrained among Russians everywhere, including the Russian aristocracy (Russian aristocrats were among the first martyrs for the Old Rite).

The symbolism of the Lestovka is very rich and outdoes the symbolism of any prayer counter anywhere, truth be told.

The nine large “steps” commemorate the nine choirs of Angels, the four sides of the “lapostki” the four Evangelists and the decorative stitching the teaching of the Gospel, the first twelve steps, the 12 Apostles, the next 38 the 36 weeks and two days our Lord was in the womb of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the next 33 to commemore His life, the next 17 to commemorate the 17 prophets.

One may use the Lestovka in any combination of numbers. One may keep count of the 40 Kirie Eleison in the Byzantine services by counting the 38 steps, beginning and ending on the two larger ones at either end. And so the Lestovka is a very practical tool for prayer even in Church which is why it is taken there and worn on the left elbow by one and all. Lestovkas are given as gifts at all rites de passages times as well.

The Nikonian crisis that gripped the Russian Church ended in the condemnation of the Old Rite and the martyrdom of its defenders, beginning with St Avvakum the Old Believer (Feastday: April 14).

But this didn’t prevent individual Russians from continuing with the Lestovka - a product of the Russian religious genius.

St Seraphim of Sarov had a Lestovka which was of the Rosary type i.e. divided into a series of ten steps. He would pray the 150 Hail Mary’s of the Rule of the Mother of God on it, which he did daily and expected his spiritual children to pray daily as well. The Fathers of Optina used a similar Lestovka, but without any ending “lapostki” (and I have one in my possession).

St Seraphim of Sarov COULD have received such a Lestovka from an Old Believer as he had conversations with them (there is a book in Russian on his relationship with the Old Believers - which was not very good in the beginning).

Old Believers coming into communion with the Russian Orthodox Church tended to be very devoted to the memory of St Seraphim of Sarov and the “United Believer” New Hieromartyr St Seraphim Zvezdinsky (shot by the Bolsheviks in 1937) took St Seraphim’s name and wore St Seraphim’s icon of the Mother of God as his pectoral panaghia all his life.

So I think there is some reason to believe the St Seraphim’s use of the Lestovka might have something to do with his relationship to the Old Believers (whom he always exhorted to rejoin the ROC as he exhorted them to remain faithful to their ascetical traditions).

Alex