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Rev. Theophan the Confessor, Abbot of Sigrian A native of Constantinople, who served in the imperial guard, he entered into marriage at the behest of Emperor Leo the Khazar, but on the very first day of marriage he made his wife promise to remain celibate. After the death of Leo (780), he sent his wife to a monastery on the island of Pitius (one of the Princes), and he himself, in the Polychronium Monastery, on the shores of the Sea of ​​Marmara, devoted himself to prayer, reading and copying books. Then, at his own expense, he built two monasteries, of which in one, on Mount Sigrian, about 20 versts from Cyzicus, he was also abbot. Emperor Leo the Armenian, with affection and threats, demanded that he agree with the decision of the wicked council (in April 815), at which those who worshiped St. icons and ordered to destroy sacred images. Theophan answered in writing, as a confessor of Orthodoxy, - and then his monastery was set on fire, he himself was kept in prison for two years and, finally, imprisoned on the island of Samothrace, where he soon died (818). – The Monk Theophan left behind a chronography, the Church Chronicle from 285 to 813, remarkable for the richness of its content. St. Gregory Dvoeslov, Pope of Rome St. Gregory the Great, Dvoeslov (interlocutor, talker), so named for his essay - “Conversations or dialogues about the life and miracles of the Italian saints” - was born in Rome, about half of the 5th century, came from a family famous not only for nobility, but also for piety; his grandfather was the holy Pope Felix; His mother Sylvia and aunts Tarsilla and Emiliana were also canonized by the Roman Church. In the secular service, Gregory, while still young, held the positions of prefect and senator, but feeling a disposition towards monasticism, after the death of his parents, he used all the rich inheritance after them to establish hospitals, hospice houses and monasteries, in one of which, in the name of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, “exchanging his chambers for a cramped cell,” did so himself. In 577, Gregory was ordained deacon-regional; then, as a papal nuncio (ambassador), he was sent on church affairs to Constantinople, upon his return from where he was elected Pope of Rome - in 590. This happened against the will of the humble Gregory, who revered and called himself a “slave of slaves”, was burdened by secular power and used all means in his power to evade it, but, invested with it, he diligently, although constantly ill, devoted himself to fulfilling his pastoral duties. – The main concern of Pope Gregory was the dissemination and explanation of the word of God; he converted many heretics to orthodoxy; contributed to the establishment of the faith in distant Britain (England), sending there in 597 preachers under the command of the Benedictine monk Augustine, who convinced him to accept St. the baptism of King Ethelbert himself, which finally contributed to the spread of the Christian faith throughout the country. St. Gregory was distinguished by his extraordinary charity. Amidst the disasters of the Longobards, who then devastated the Roman regions, also during times of famine and infectious diseases, he took care of his flock with fatherly love, helped them with money, strengthened souls with the word of God, and softened even his fierce barbarian enemies. St. showed great zeal. Gregory and in the arrangement of church services. While he was in Constantinople, he had the opportunity and tried to acquire accurate information about the rites of the Eastern Church, which had shone with so many great figures of faith and piety, and was constantly guided by them during his priesthood and introduced better order into church government; some Westerners, as can be seen from one letter to St. Gregory, complained that “he introduces into their service something alien, Greek, wants to conquer them to the Greeks” ... St. Gregory was the compiler of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, which until the 6th century was performed only according to oral tradition and local custom. He was the first to supplement it with several prayers, set it out in writing, and the rite of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, which he compiled in this way, approved by the 6th Ecumenical Council, was finally accepted by the entire Orthodox Church. St. Gregory the Great, known in history as the Great, died in 604. His body is in the Vatican Cathedral of St. Peter, in the side church dedicated to his name. In 747, a council of bishops in England decided to solemnly commemorate St. Gregory. St. Gregory left behind several works, the best of which are: “The Pastoral Rule”, “Conversations on the Life of the Italian Fathers”, 848 letters (see about St. Gregory the Dvoeslov: “Teaching about the Fathers of the Church” Phil. Chern. § 238–240). St. Simeon the New Theologian The biography writer and student of Simeon, Nikita Stifat, says about his teacher that he was raised at the court of Constantinople (during the reign of Basil and Constantine), but when his patron uncle, a senator, died, Simeon, while still a young man, entered the Studite monastery, where he devoted himself to the strictest asceticism under the leadership of Simeon the pious. Then, on the advice of Simeon, he moved to the monastery of St. Mammoth 138, where, after the death of the abbot, he was ordained to the rank of presbyter and to the title of abbot. Simeon labored in the priesthood for 48 years: having once retired due to misunderstandings that arose, he was honorably returned to the capital, where he was even offered the rank of metropolitan, but he refused to accept it. Simeon the Theologian attracted many lay people who wanted to learn from his wonderful instructions to his Mammoth monastery, and died peacefully in 1021. His student and biography writer Nikita Stifat speaks about his teaching: “He was not his own, but, by the grace of God, which assimilated him to himself, his tongue was a cursive cane, and his mind was the source of the wisdom of God, therefore he theologized, although he did not know the sciences, like a beloved disciple.” He left behind many writings about spiritual life. The main subject of the instructions of Simeon the new Theologian is “Hidden Work in Christ.” He explains the ways of internal warfare; teaches measures of improvement primarily spiritual; forces us to strive especially against spiritual passions, against sinful thoughts and movements. “Our initial fall,” he says, “was accomplished out of pride, and therefore must humble the soul.” Here is Simeon’s answer to contemporary co-questioners who rebelled against him as a violator of the conventional order of salvation known to them: “they do not believe and convince themselves that it is impossible for a person to be completely pure from lusts and vices, so that he would essentially accept a comforter into himself. They speak and act against their own salvation, they close the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven for themselves and forbid others who would like to enter. If they hear about someone that he has labored lawfully and is clean from outrageous passions, preaches to everyone the miracles of God that God has done in him according to His false promises... stop, they say, you, deceived and proud! Who is what the fathers were like? Who has seen or can see God? Who received the Spirit in such abundance that through Him he was worthy to see the Father and the Son? Yes, definitely none of you, as you yourself say. But of those who decided to bear the cross, to walk the narrow path, who are ready to destroy their souls for eternal life, very many of them saw God, and very many, as I think, still do, and everyone who wants to will will see.” - “They say: he was deceived; for whoever says he does not sin is blind and does not see. True, but he who has God cannot sin, for His seed abides in him, and as John the Most Wise said, the thunder of the Apostles.” Although such a high state of soul seems achievable according to the understanding of Simeon, he also points to those extraordinary preparatory feats by which it can only be achieved: - “before lamentations and tears, let them not deceive us with empty words, and let us not deceive ourselves in the success of piety... Without tears, the hardness of our heart will not soften, the soul will not attain spiritual humility, we will not be able to become humble, and who If he has not arranged himself this way, he cannot unite with the Holy Spirit." The works of Simeon the Theologian are often testified to by St. Nil Sorsky: - “like Simeon the new Theologian commands” ... “Like the speech of St. Simeon" ... Rev. Joseph of Volokolamsk also made extracts from the works of the new Theologian - in his collection he placed up to 15 of his words. In the Slavic prayer books, Simeon's prayer is read before communion of the Holy Mysteries. One is also read in Greek under the title: “Simeon the New Theologian, a pious test about St. Communion." He is called “new” because he taught such deep secrets of inner asceticism that have not been heard of for a long time... Celebration of the Lida or Roman Icon of Our Lady The Holy Apostles Peter and John the Theologian, before they departed to distant countries to preach the word of God, preached the Lord Jesus in places closest to Jerusalem. When they converted many people to the Christian faith in the city of Lida, later called Diospolis; then they built a church here for converts in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, having come to Jerusalem, they prayed to the Mother of God to visit and with Her coming to consecrate and bless this church dedicated to Her name, so that the prayers of believers offered in it would be favorable to the Son of God born of Her. The Most Pure Virgin told them: “Go in peace; there I will be with you." Arriving at the church they had created, they saw on one of the pillars that supported it the image of the Mother of God, apparently not by human hand, but by God Himself, written and representing a true likeness of the holy face and honest clothes of the Lady. Seeing this wondrous sign, the Apostles reverently bowed to the image not made by hands and thanked the Lord. Then the Mother of God Herself visited the Lida Church and, having found there very many who believed in Christ, she rejoiced in spirit and bestowed grace and the power of miracles on Her image. In honor of the appearance of this image, a celebration was established and celebrated on March 12. In the 4th century, during the persecution initiated by Julian against the Church of Christ, he sent a relative of his to Lida to destroy the image of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, a new miracle followed: no matter how hard the stonecutters tried to cut off the sacred image with various tools, it did not smooth out, but went deeper and deeper into the pillar with all its colors and outlines, so that the artisans, unable to destroy it by any effort, were forced to abandon their unsuccessful work. The rumor about the great and numerous miracles that occurred from the honest image of the Mother of God spread to all ends of the world, and therefore believers annually flocked to Lida from everywhere to worship him. Monastery of St. Mammoth Xylotsirskaya was located at the city wall Xylotsirk (wooden circus) at the city gate of the same name, which is why Simeon is called the abbot of the Mammoth monastery at Xylotsirk, sometimes simply Xylotsirsky.