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THE NEW ARK |
Ordo Sancti Constantini
Magni |
About the values uniting continents |
Paradise has a Mushroom Smell
The first interview with the new
master of the Order
Sergei Vlasov |
Kainach, estate of duke Beaufort-Spontin |
I
have only heard about paradise. But now, after I have seen Kainach, I know well what it
is. Now I know what a smell paradise has: it has a smell of mushrooms, fresh white
mushrooms. Maybe it is because it rained for all the days I stayed there?
The paradise of Kainach comprises
velvet-like Alpine meadows, grazing cows (they look as if they came from Millet’s
paintings), measured jingling emanating from bells of invisible sheep, a mountain brook
fondling the shingle... |
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Discovery
of a new man is similar to discovery of an island in the ocean. In Kainach I have
discovered for myself an “island” called the Master of the OCM, Duke Friedrich
Beaufort-Spontin, such a name is not usual for the 20th century.
I tried to find Kainach on
the Austrian maps in Moscow before my departure, but I failed. This is a settlement hidden
in Alps, and it consists of two tens of estates. The largest and oldest estate is that of
Beaufort-Spontin. It consists of two dwelling houses and two stone sheds. A former stable
is at some distance from the houses; today many farm animals (sheep, hens, rabbits, cats,
etc) occupy this place; they mainly belong to the neighbors. I have spent four days in
this “light communist dream”. A 1000-year history of the noble family is not a trifle.
“Which eternal values were taught to children from kin to kin?” — I asked the duke
just in the first evening upon my departure. He said:
| Reference. The
noble family of Beaufort-Spontin’s has been known since 1005. The title of duke was
granted to Alfred Spontin by emperor Franz Iosef himself in 1876. Nowadays the residence
of Beaufort-Spontin’s family is in Kainach, on the South of Austria, in Karintia |
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| “I was taught two things: the first one is to tell the
truth, and the second one is to be a good son, in other words, a servant for the
family”.
When he was ten he “went to the
monastery”, he entered a school at Catholic monastery where he studied till he was 15.
His nature is explained by this fact to a large extent. This goes in addition to his
higher education and occupation, radiation medicine. Isotopes for sophisticated
diagnostics plus a Catholic monastery — it is an intriguing combination, isn’t it?
I asked the Master whether he
knew an example of conduct among the great persons of the World History? He answered me
only on the next day:
“Maybe Emperor Augustus. He
wanted to be and he really was a servant of the Roman empire. He lived and ruled according
to the principle “do as necessary and let come what may”. And it turned out that
everything was made through the best manner. He put a foundation for the empire to build,
and it is a start point of the History”. |
With parents, 1946.
Future Master is 2 years old |
Tell me who your
idol is and I will say what you are. Now it is easier to understand my hero. I remember
the favorite expression of Augustus “festina lente” (“be in a hurry but
slowly”). In other words, it is impeccable embodiment. In the Kainach house of
Spontin’s family everything is made in accordance with this principle. Up to such little
things as a plates for towels in the kitchen: there are four of them, for tea-service and
for hands... The duke flattens plastic bottles for water, as in this case they occupy less
space in a slop-pail.
We walked all the farmland around. Everything is in model order everywhere. The
only exception is a pair of broken bicycles... In my opinion there is no other problem in
the farm, which runs in its second century.
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In general, many
things in Kainach may provoke envy in a Russian eye. For example, a well-maintained tennis
place: courts in the shade of flowering bushes, a sauna, shower-cabins and convenient cafe
are nearby. It is a typical “decaying capitalism”.
But some elements of “socialism” are there. I asked about neighbors’ sheep
nibbling the grass near the duke’s house, why he did not drive them away? He answered as
a true pastor: Thank God, they are grazing on his grass, so he has no heavy burden to mow
it. |
On the lawn in front of the house |
I
heard that peace reigns among paradise habitants. The same peace is here, in Kainach.
Yesterday, a dog, Lea, came to the dining room where we arranged to have a talk. It had a
stick in its teeth and began to gnaw the stick under the table. A pile of debris formed
first near one leg and then near the another one... I wondered when the Master beats the
dog or stops it anyway. But I did not wait for it. The stick was gnawed into dust. Then
Lea moved away gracefully as if it felt that its duty was executed.
When I changed the tape in my
tape-recorder, the duke took a straw besom and a dustpan and removed all the dust from
under the table not saying a word. I remembered Japanese style of children education:
children are allowed to do everything they want. Obviously Austrian dogs enjoy the same
leniency.
On Saturday we walked in mountains. There were
many logs of wood pilled thoroughly along the road. The Master explained: |
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