www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Old-Ritualists Forum Russian Old Believer Hermits of the 21st Century

Many people from “civilization” came to Agafya in search of solitude and unity with nature as well as with their inner world. They look for exotism, even for fame, but then return home having had their share of daily routine of life in taiga.

http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2010/11/21/russian-hermits-of-the-21st-century/

Agafya Lykova's family has been living in the taiga of the Siberian republic of Khakasia since the 1930s, when her father took them to the wilderness to "purge their souls of the modern world."

The Lykovs subsequently lived for decades in self-imposed isolation, without any modern conveniences, some 300 km (186 miles) away from civilization. They were eventually discovered by a group of Soviet geologists in 1978, but resisted efforts to return to modern society

Agafya's siblings - Savin, Dmitry, and Natalya - died one after another in 1981 from what is believed to have been a virus, and her father, Karp, died seven years later. Nevertheless, Agafya, 66, still refuses to leave the taiga.

Tom,

Thanks for posting that link. It's good to know that Agafya is doing well. I read Lost In The Taiga a few years back - an excellent book about the lives of the Lykovs, although poorly titled - as they were far from being 'lost' in any sense of the word. Think I'll go hunt it down on the bookcase, reread it, print out this material, and slide it inside the cover.

May God grant His handmaiden, Agafya, many years.

Neil

CAUTION!

There are some extremely sick and perverted images at the bottom of the page on this link.

I apologize for the ugly photos at the bottom of the website. I did not notice them when I found the story. If the moderator wants to delete this topic, I have no objection.

It is a sad commentary on contemporary Russia that such material can appear on an otherwise informative webpage, but then I have found such undesirable and unwanted ads on American and other foreign websites. These are the inadvertent results of freedom of the internet.

I wasn't trying to scare anyone away from reading the article. Everyone, just don't scroll down too far!
You're right, disgusting things are lurking around every conceivable corner on the net. But also beautiful things like this forum. God bless!

I searched the internet and found this Russian news item with a video of Agafia taken around March 20, 2009.

http://www.5-tv.ru/news/17959/

Here is a loose English translation (by Google translate tool) of the Russian news article:

Aman Tuleyev sent Agafia Lykova food, firewood and medicines - Report

The most famous recluse country Agatha Lykov wait for the same assistance. On the Siberian Zaimka brought food, medicine and even laying hens. In this case, the envoys from the mainland once again tried to persuade staroverku Lykov return to the world of men.

Report Leila Akhmedova:

Do hermit Agafea Lykova - rare visitors. The last time it was visited by half a year ago. On deaf retreat in the Khakas taiga woman more than ten years living alone and in winter except by helicopter before it did not get.

The delegation came to the famous recluse in her own request. To the Editor of a newspaper it's the message from the taiga. "Random" postmen were representatives of Federal Space Agency - they were looking at Sayan rocket stages and find Agafya. People with large land hermit complained that two months have hurt the hand on the snow this winter so much that one hand is not clear. Yes, and the wood is not procure.

In the taiga for Agafia Lykova conducted medical examination. From the Kemerovo region she brought the flour, feed, ten hens, firewood. On any food packaging is not a bar code: the mark recluse finds diabolical. Collected all the help with the world on a string ...

Agafya Kar - the only one who survived from a family of hermit-conservatives. Lykovs fled into the forest for more than 60 years ago to keep the faith. When Agatha left alone, she began to write the governor of the Kemerovo region. Once he became her guest. After that, several times a year near the house hermit landed the helicopter. Brought cement, chainsaw, axes, files ...

Persuade the recluse to move closer to civilization came to her cousin. Agafia Karpovna - she is now 65 - proposed housing, care and guarantee a full course of treatment. Lykov has already been agreed, and even a neighbor warned - Erofei Sedov, too, a hermit, and lives a few kilometers.

Erofei Sedov: "Whether it be summer, I would have coped. And now all this economy will get the bear. "

Taiga recluse that prospect scared and change their place of residence she refused. Said on the mainland it is not satisfied with the quality of water and fish. Yes, and the new garden season Lykov already prepared - the seeds sown.

16.03.2009, 18:52

Agafya Lykov looking for helpers on the farm