Surely many have heard about who Agafia Karpovna Lykova is. The domestic press repeatedly wrote that a hermit lives in the hinterland in harsh taiga conditions, who ignores all sorts of civilization achievements and prefers to live according to the laws of the Old Believers. Agafya Karpovna Lykova is the last who survived from an ancient family, who for many decades has not recognized the worldly fuss and does not want to return to society. At the same time, the ancestors and the family of the hermit never adhered to the views of religious radicalism, professing moderate Old Believer norms, in contrast to those who completely renounced everything earthly.
Family history
It should be noted that journalists did not always write the truth about the Lykovs, sometimes inventing all kinds of tales about these recluses. For example, that they were “dark” people in the sense that they did not know literacy at all. However, the wife of Agafya Karpovna's father taught all the offspring writing and reading of the Psalms. And Karp Iosifovich himself, after launching the first Earth satellite in the second half of the 50s of the last century, suddenly declared that "the stars began to walk very quickly through the sky."
The sharks of the pen were wrong when they accused the Lykovs of being true fanatics of their religious beliefs, and tried in every possible way to convert those around them into their faith. In reality, family members were even forbidden to think badly of people.
In the first half of the 20s of the last century, the authorities destroyed the settlement of Old Believers, some of whom were forced to go to live in foothill areas.
In 1937, the Lykovs decided to leave the community and settle separately from their associates in a secluded place. In the mid-40s, a family of hermits accidentally discovered a patrol, and Karp Iosifovich again went with his wife and children to look for a quiet and secluded place to live. And they found, only since then his family did not have any contacts with the outside world. The Lykovs fed on what land, forest and water gave them. The family clearly respected the rules that forbade everyone to communicate with representatives of modern civilization. However, living in the wilderness, the Lykovs did not lose track of time and performed religious rites.
The last of the hermit family
Agafya Karpovna Lykova is the only representative of the Old Believer family. Parents, two brothers and a sister have long died.
According to the official version of doctors, the cause of the death of Lykova’s relatives was the deficit of the immune system that arose as a result of the isolation of the family from the outside world. Unfortunately, contact with representatives of the new civilization turned out to be disastrous for the Old Believers: their organisms could not cope with modern diseases, against which humanity has long found an antidote.
The log cabin from the tree in which the hermit lives is located in the Republic of Khakassia, which is surrounded by mountains. Since 1988, Agafya Karpovna Lykova has been living all alone, from the moment she buried her own father. Her family life did not work out.
Natural economy
An elderly woman independently runs a farm, is engaged in gardening, however, every year cultivating the earth is taking more and more strength. She has chickens and goats. The loneliness of an old woman is brightened up by a dog and cats. Lykova Agafya Karpovna sacredly honors family traditions and does not forget about gathering and fishing. She regularly tries to bring hay, fruits, vegetables and cereals. And even rescuers provide the hermit with wood. At the same time, Agafya Karpovna Lykova, whose views approve of an exclusively reclusive lifestyle, does not disdain to use devices from the outside world.
Among them, for example, are watches and a thermometer, the existence of which until recently, she had no idea. It is noteworthy that, while accepting presentations and useful things from geologists and rescuers, an elderly woman imposes strict taboo on objects that are marked with a computer barcode, classifying them as devilish attributes.
Once she wrote a letter asking to send her a man to help with the housework. And such was found. A young man named Alexander, who lives in the Tomsk region, responded and came to the taiga. However, the young man failed to stay in conditions where there is no civilization for a long time: he received a summons from the military registration and enlistment office, and he was forced to go to the army.
Seven kilometers from the hut of Agafya Karpovna, a former geologist Erofei Sedov lives, who knows the hermit well, but due to his health condition he cannot meet her often.
Care to the monastery
In the early 90s, Agafya Karpovna Lykova, whose biography is familiar to a huge number of Russians, decided to change her fate.
The hermit went to live in an Old Believer convent and even experienced the shearing procedure. But a few months later, telling the sisters that she was sick, she went back home. In reality, Agafya Karpovna Lykova, for whom retreat is the only form of being, left the monastery for religious reasons. Grandmother prays daily for the Almighty to send her health and longevity. And she has already overcome the eighth dozen, and the forces to manage the household are not the same as before. Today it is strong only in spirit and willpower.
Phenomenon
As already emphasized, Lykova Agafya Karpovna became famous thanks to numerous notes in newspapers and magazines. Many still do not understand how an elderly woman can live in the harsh conditions of the taiga, practically without taking advantage of the benefits of civilization. They wrote about her as a real phenomenon. In the early 80s, an employee of Komsomolskaya Pravda and writer Vasily Peskov became seriously interested in her.
He often visited his father Agafya Karpovna and interviewed him. The result of these frequent and lengthy trips was a book called The Taiga Dead End. In it, the author spoke in detail about the living conditions of hermits and their religious beliefs.
A few years ago, on Christmas Day, Agafya Karpovna Lykova, whose photo appeared regularly in the Soviet press, received a calendar and religious books addressed to her by the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (from the Old Believers) Cornelius, and after some time, Vladyka himself visited the famous hermit.
How does she live now?
And what is known today about an elderly woman whose name is Lykova Agafya Karpovna? Recent news suggests that the recluse is not all well with health. What is happening to her?
Old affliction
A few years ago, the hermit was diagnosed with breast cancer. The hermit strongly opposed surgical intervention, declaring that it was a sinful act.
And after some time everyone was pleasantly surprised when the malignant tumor disappeared by itself. The fact is that Agafya Karpovna was treated with traditional medicine, taking herbal remedies, of which she is well aware of the amazing properties.
Now Siberian doctors are not inclined to dramatize the situation, claiming that the recluse has very good health for her age.
Help arrived on time
More recently, a woman reported that she began to worry about terrible pain in her leg. She used the telephone that was left for force majeure cases and asked for help. The head of the Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev, who sent a helicopter behind the hermit, responded to the request. With her, she took only spring water and icons. Agafya Karpovna was brought to the district hospital of the city of Tashtagol. As it turned out, the hermit had a disease such as lumbar osteochondrosis for a long time. Specialists provided her with medical care by conducting a comprehensive examination of the body, and the hermit began to recover quickly. Everyone wished that Lykova Agafya Karpovna, 2016 for which turned out to be a difficult one, would not stay long in the medical institution.
Lying in a hospital bed, the hermit did not forget about her pets for a minute: dogs, cats and goats. She was especially worried about artiodactyls, since they show excessive obstinacy, not letting anyone except her mistress come to her. At the time of her absence, one novice Old Believer and a local ranger volunteered to look after the woman’s household.
At present, Agafya Karpovna Lykova (a hermit) is feeling well and has already returned to her beloved pets. Before that, she did not forget to meet with relatives who wished the woman good health.
