The Undrinkable Cup in Kabardino-Balkaria

The church helps in the fight against alcoholism and drug addiction in
the republic

Not long ago, a deputy head of the Interior Ministry for
Kabardino-Balkaria, the head of Investigation Agency Muharbi Afashgov
made a gloomy forecast: the youth in the near future is under threat
of dividing into groups of drug addicts, radical Islamists and
alcoholics. He claimed immediate measures were necessary in order to
overcome these alarming trends.

According to top drug control official Ruslan Kulbayev, the majority
of drug users in Kabardino-Balkaria favor an extract of poppy straw,
the so-called “seeds,” a hard and “dirty” drug, made of
drug-containing poppy seeds used also in confectionery. Poppy is
imported from the neighboring republics and usually packed there also.
Marijuana, planted in Kabardino-Balkaria and also imported from the
neighboring republics, is in second place. Moreover, the youth
“indulge” in pills containing hard drugs. There is not much heroin in
the republic, the majority of drug users can not afford it.

While the authorities can not suggest efficient measures to fight drug
pushing, the Cossacks and the church have joined in. The cathedral of
the Archistratigus Michael situated in the town of Maisky got a copy
of the icon of the Mother of God “The Undrinkable cup”  as a present
of the Serpukhov men’s cloister. In front of this icon are offered up
prayers for the healing of alcoholics and drug addicts. The icon was
brought to Kabardino-Balkaria by the Serpukhov Cossacks, who are on
friendly terms with the Prishibsky Cossack community.

The original of the icon remains in the Serpukhov men’s cloister,
where the staff still tell a story that happened in 1878. A retired
soldier was obsessed with hard drinking. He squandered his pension and
everything else he managed to find in his house on drinking, and ended
up in poverty. Due to his drinking his legs became paralyzed but he
went on hitting the bottle. Atn then, this degraded man had a
wonderful dream. A pious elder monk appeared before him and said:
“You, go to the Serpukhov town to the cloister of Our Lady the Mother
of God. There is an icon, depicting the Mother of God “The Undrinkable
Cup,” hold a service of prayers in front of this icon and be ready in
your body and soul ”.

Being unable to master his own legs, unassisted, penniless, he didn’t
venture to leave for a long voyage, but the elder appeared again and
again. At last, the drinker left on his hands and knees. He stopped to
spend the night in a small village. The compassionate old hostess
rubbed his legs in order to ease the pain and put him to bed.  At
night the wayfarer felt a pleasant sensation in his legs, tried to
stand up and managed to remain on his feet, although his legs were
still very feeble. The following night it became easier. Thus, firstly
leaning on two sticks, then on one, he reached Serpukhov.

Having come to the cloister, the suffering man told of his dreams and
asked to hold a service of prayers. However, nobody had ever heard of
this icon. Then it leapt into somebody’s mind that it could be that
icon depicting a cup hanging in a passage leading from the cathedral
to the sacristy. He was very surprised when, when on the reverse of
the icon was found an inscription “the undrinkable cup”. The
newly-found icon was transferred to the cathedral and a service of
prayers was held in front of it. The former drinker returned from
Serpukhov being right as nails. He received not only the healing of
his ill legs. The most important thing was that he stopped coveting
the pernicious cup of wine. Soon the good news transcended the
cloister’s limits and a great number of alcoholics and their relatives
started thronging to the icon, newly brought to light.

In 1929 the cathedral was closed, the objects of worship were burnt,
the icons depicting the Mother of God “The undrinkable cup”
disappeared. In 1991 the ancient cloister reopened, and in a year the
icon painter Alexander Sokolov painted an icon which is nowadays known
to all the Orthodox world. The cloister’s inhabitants assert that
during the newest period of its history the icon is known to have
performed a large number of healings.

After the acquisition of the new object of worship we will offer up
the prayers to the Most Holy Mother of God, in order that the Lord may
heal our sufferers- said the dean of the Maisk church to the church
people.

Pavel Martynov. Exclusively for VC