One day, as he was going in solemn procession to church with his second son, the pious Prince Theodore Ivanovitsch, in order to hear Mass, there stood outside the church door a venerable-looking monk with a long white beard, who was clad in a shabby old habit. The Czar started at the sight of him, and stopped. The monk crossed himself, bowed low to the Czar, and then, kneeling down, presented him with a paper or petition. The Czar ascertained from the bystanders that this was a holy monk named Trifon, who had built the most northerly church in his realms. He accepted the petition, and [[16]]entered the church. There both he and his son read it, and the pious Theodore was so much touched by it, that he went into the sacristy and divested himself of his costly cloak, which he sent out to the poor monk, and offered it to him as a gift. The Court attendants could not be behind-hand in their gifts. The Czar was on this occasion accompanied by princes and boyars, among others by Vjæsemski, Nikita, Boris Gudunov (to whose sister, Irene Gudunov, Theodore was married), Morosov, Theodore Basmanov, Gregon, Skourlatov (his executioner, who was known as Malijuta), and others. All of these bestowed valuable gifts of gold and silver on Trifon, so that in a very short time, from being a poor pilgrim, he became a rich man.
The next day he was summoned to the palace, to an audience with Ivan the Cruel. The latter was anxious to hear from Trifon an account of those Northern regions in which he lived and laboured. Trifon spoke in glowing terms of his life in those parts, with the light summer nights and the dark wintry days. He told the Czar of the heathen people who lived there, the wealth of fish, both in the fjords and in the rivers, the enormous whales in the vast Arctic Ocean, the virgin forests, the herds of reindeer, and, above all, the need there was that the Russian Church should erect places of worship and monasteries, and thus, in a way, put the stamp of the Russian kingdom on those lands, and so take them into the Czar’s possession, seeing that Denmark was laying some claim to them. This had its effect, for Ivan, who after the fire of Moscow was in one of his fits of piety, was now entirely controlled by the priests Sylvester and Alexis Adasjev, and on their advice issued a deed of gift to the holy Trifon on November 22, 7065 (1556). This deed of gift has been preserved, and it runs as follows:
‘According to the intercession of our sons, the Princes Ivan Ivanovitsch and Theodore Ivanovitsch, we have granted unto Gurij, the Superintendent of the monastery of the Holy Trinity at Petschenga, together with the convent of the same; and do also grant to every Superintendent and convent of that monastery, because of their poverty, and in place of clerical dues, and revenue from the saying of Masses, the Mototsk (Mutkafjord), Litsk (Litzafjord), Ursk (Orafjord), Pasrensk (Pasvig), and Navda (Neidenfjord), as hereditable property. [[17]]In like manner also the entire fishery, and wreckage as well—for example, that which the sea casts up on the land—whales and walruses, or any other sea-creatures, together with the foreshore, the land, all the islands, rivers, and smaller streams. Similarly all the forests, meadows, hunting-grounds, as well as the Lapps, who, moreover, at the before-named Mototsk and Petschenga fjords are bound to pay tax to us; and also all the pasture-land belonging to them, and all royalties which appertain to the Czar and the Grand-Duke, with all levying and collecting thereof. All of which is to serve the monks for the sustentation and erection of a monastery. And be it known that our Boyars of Novgorod and Dvina, and all the inhabitants on the coast, as well as the Karelen folk and the Lapps, and all others whom it may concern, have no right to acquire property, either in rivers, or jetsam, or fish, or any other thing.’[1]
By this means the foundation of the power and prosperity of the monastery was laid. By virtue of this deed of gift the monks obtained even greater rights over those parts than the people of Bergen obtained over Finmark about the same period (1562), and in the worst days of the tyranny of monopolies. The entire population was by this deed virtually sold to the monks, almost as if they were slaves, so that the monks could levy taxes and tithes as they thought fit.
Every year more and more monks and lay-brothers came to the monastery. Larger buildings were erected for them, and also a hospice for guests and pilgrims. Only thirty or forty years had passed since Trifon had come to Petschenga as a poor hermit, and in the year 1565 there were twenty monks and thirty serving-men.
At this time a large amount of money from shipping dues came to the monastery. It is related in one place that a number of persons came from Cholmogor and Sergopolis with goods, which they bestowed on the monastery for its adornment and for the conversion of the Lapps. About this time Trifon built a new church at the mouth of the Petschenga River, or (according to other accounts) on an island at the lower part of the [[18]]fjord. This church was called St. Mary’s Church. Thither at times Trifon retired and lived as a hermit, and performed Divine service. Close to the church, or near the spot where it stood, a small river discharges itself into the fjord; this is called Trifon’s River. It obtained its name because Trifon used to fish in it when he resided there as a hermit.
At this time he undertook the building of a chapel by the river Pasvig in honour of the saintly and pious princes, Boris and Gleb. This chapel is, as is well known, still standing in South Varanger; it was consecrated, according to the inscription on the cross, by the priest Hilarion on June 24, 1565. Finally, Trifon undertook the erection of a little chapel by the Neiden River as a sign that this district had also been bestowed on the monastery by the Czar, and that it belonged to the Russian kingdom. Nothing was, however, done on the part of Denmark in the matter of its claim, no effort was made to secure the districts for that country, though Denmark had undoubtedly a better right to them than the Czar.
Trifon died on December 15, 1583. He was probably born in 1500, or a year or two later. At any rate, he lived to a good old age. His birthday was probably February 1, as both that day, and December 15, were in after-times observed as festivals in his memory. He was buried, according to his will, in St. Mary’s Church, but at a later period his body was translated to the church which still exists, about a mile further from the sea, and which is called Trifon’s Church. The cross over his grave is now just outside the church door. This cross is a very tall one, and is esteemed so holy and so miraculous, that when the church was struck by lightning on one occasion and set on fire, the fire put itself out as soon as it had burnt down to the level of the cross.
When Trifon was nearing his end and felt death to be approaching, he sent for old Gurij in order to receive the Sacrament. When he had received it, he raised his feeble hand and pointed to the picture of Ellen which he had hung by his bed.
‘You see that red blood,’ he whispered, ‘which is dropping down over that woman’s brow? That is patent to everybody’s eyes, but nobody has seen the tears of my heart. Those colourless tears have for fifty years dropped like burning resin [[19]]on my sinful soul, and have tormented and crushed it night and day to my last breath.’