Dear Friends,
The Lestovka was developed by the Russian Church in the 15th century, according to one Old Ritualist source I've read.
St Basil the Great it was who prescribed the prayer rope as we know it today with 100 knots divided every 25 with a larger or a divider knot.
And this was used for saying the Jesus Prayer according to either the Rule for the Psalms or the Horologion or the rule given by one's spiritual Father.
The Lestovka was designed to keep the features of St Basil's prayer rope i.e. it keeps the three large "babotchki" or divider steps, but arranges them differently.
At either end, as we see from Diak's picture, there are three larger steps for a total of six and with the three in the body of the lestovka this makes nine - for the nine choirs of Angels.
The first series of 12 steps before the first divider step is in honour of the Apostles.
Then comes 38 smaller steps - for the weeks and two days that our Lord spent in the womb of His Mother.
Then comes 33 steps for the 33 years of our Lord's life.
Then 17 steps for the prophets (16 + John the Baptist).
I've heard mention of seven moveable pieces at the end - but I don't know where these are or what their purpose is, other than symbolic. The Old Believers make it a rule to say seven prayer ropes daily as a minimum - in honour of the seven Mysteries or sacraments.
One says the Prayer of the Publican on the first three larger steps as a beginning to the Lestovka and ends with the Psalmic ending "Glory be . . . Alleluia, Alleluia, Glory to you, O God (3 times) Lord have mercy (3 times) and Glory be . . ."
The Old Believers do not say the Alleluia three times, but only twice and then the Glory to You, O God (Stoglav Council).
A Tsar once heard a Psalt sing the Alleluia twice only - and he got so upset, believing this to be a heresy, that he went up to the monk and struck him on the face right in church!
But this isn't a denial of the Trinity - the Glory to You, O God is the completion of the commemoration of the Three Persons of the Trinity.
On the three divider steps in the body of the Lestovka one says: Remember me O Lord when You come into Your Kingdom (first one) Remember me O Master when You come into Your Kingdom (second) and Remember me O Holy One when You come into Your Kingdom (third).
Or one may say the Hail Mary on the divider ones, as is done by many Old Ritualists.
To say the Lestovka in Church as a community, the monks stood while the Ihumen began saying the Jesus Prayer out loud three times (and you started on the section that has 33 steps).
Then the brothers made thirty prostrations to the floor with the Jesus Prayer.
And then they stood as they recited the remainder of Jesus Prayers in silence.
This rule is still the most widely used Russian monastic rule - and is outlined in Jordanville's book on the monastic prayer rule.
The Lestovka is what St Seraphim of Sarov prayed on.
There are actually two types of Old Ritualist Lestovkas.
The other is called the "Bogarodychnaya Lestovka" or the "Lestovka of the Mother of God."
It is composed of 150 smaller steps divided every ten with a larger divider step.
On this are recited the 150 Hail Mary's and 15 Our Fathers.
I heard that the West has a similar practice, but I'm not sure.
Does anyone know about it?
Alex
