Mother Margarita (1899-1997) had the blessing of being a part of two periods of Diveyevo Convent: in 1927 when she was a 28 year old nun the Bolsheviks shut down the Convent and in 1991 when she was 92 years old the Convent was reopened and the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov were miraculously discovered in St. Petersburg and returned to Diveyevo. Mother Margarita was the last surviving nun of Diveyevo from before its closing in 1927.
Before St. Seraphim fell asleep in the Lord he gave the nuns of Diveyevo a candle and said that with it they will one day receive him again. The candle passed on from one generation to another until it was found to be in the possession of Mother Margarita. In 1991, when the relics of St. Seraphim were transferred from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan in St. Petersburg to Diveyevo Convent, Mother Margarita lit this candle to receive back his relics.
For an outline tracing the history of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov from 1903 until 2003, read here.
Read also: 1991: THE RETURN OF ST. SERAPHIM’S RELICS TO DIVEYEVO
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan in St. Petersburg where the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov were found on 11 January 1991.
The Divine Liturgy officiated by Patriarch Alexy in Kazan Cathedral on January 11, 1991
The relics today at Diveyevo Convent