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Rev. Gerasim of Jordan Rev. Gerasim, who lived in the 5th century, was from Lycia; from a young age, having accepted in his heart the exclusive thought of God, he withdrew from worldly dispersion and fell in love with the desert - a desert that has always attracted ascetics and has especially become dear to them since Christ’s forty-day stay in it sanctified it. The image of Christ, fasting and praying in the desert, attracted those who loved to imitate Him, and the desert dwellers acquired a whole world of indescribable spiritual joys in exchange for alienation from earthly addictions... First, the venerable ascetic. Gerasim in Thebaid, then he went to that very Jordanian desert, where the Lord showed His Divine victory over the temptations of the evil spirit... This desert was located 35 miles from Jerusalem and one mile from the Jordan; Gerasim settled in it and, having gathered many brethren around him, founded a monastery and with his word and example he guided all those who came to him in the exploits of monastic life. The lifestyle of these monks was distinguished by severity. They spent five days a week in solitude, each in his own cell, eating only bread, dates and water, and then in small quantities, and did not prepare hot food for themselves. On Saturday we gathered at the monastery for the Divine Service and for Holy Communion. secrets; then they dined at a common meal and on Sunday, after mass, they went to their cells, taking with them a supply of food for the whole week and date branches for weaving baskets. Rev. himself was distinguished by his especially strict fasting. Gerasim; in full St. During Lent, he did not eat anything until the very day of the Bright Resurrection and strengthened himself only by communion with the mysteries of Christ. The memory of his strict abstinence can serve at all times as a guide in the feasible feats of abstinence and fasting according to the church rules. Example of St. Although Gerasim is unattainable for modern weakness, he at least closes the lips of those who object to the possibility and benefits of fasting. He reminds that there were people who could fulfill the covenant of Christ: “I give you an image, that as I created it, you should do it too”... (John 13:15). Therefore, it is obligatory for everyone to follow this model, at least to the extent possible. The monks who labored in the Gerasim monastery achieved a life similar to that of an angel. The monk himself, with his meekness, attracted even wild animals to himself in the desert... They say that one lion, whom Gerasim once met and, noticing that he was suffering from a wound, bandaged and healed it, then followed him everywhere and served him as a pet, and after his death he died of sadness at his grave... An example of the subordination of a wild creature to the will of man is often found in the lives of other saints. “Doesn’t this clearly indicate,” says the compiler of Sunday conversations about the lives of the saints, that in the ascetic life our fallen nature is raised to the first blissful state in which the first people lived in paradise? Because if, according to the words of the Apostle, “the whole creation groans and suffers together until now” (Rom. 8:22) from the slavery of sin, then the natural fruit of victory over sin is the restoration of the correct and peaceful relations of all God’s creatures, both among themselves and in relation to man, who constitutes the crown of creation”... - During the life of Gerasim, even in the first years of his desert asceticism, confusion occurred in the Church from Eutychean heresy. One of the adherents of this heresy, the monk Theodosius, who through his machinations even contributed to the deposition of the orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Juvenal and himself later took his place, managed to lead Gerasim into error, but this was only temporary: a soul thirsting for truth will not be deprived, but sooner or later will find it; So did Gerasim, turning to St. for advice. Euthymius the Great, renounced his error and covered it with his most zealous service to the cause of God - until the very end of his long life. He died peacefully, mourned by all his brothers. St. Muchch. Paul and Juliana his sisters Paul and Juliana were brother and sister who lived in the Phoenician city of Ptolemais in the second half of the 3rd century. They professed the Christian faith, which was then subjected to almost continuous persecution, and any Christian could then sooner or later be subjected to painful and deadly torture for confessing his faith. The hour of testing had come both for Paul and for his sister Juliana, united with him by inextricable brotherly love. One day, while exploring his empire, Emperor Aurelian arrived in Ptolomais. Paul stood among the people who were greeting the sovereign, and, seeing him, made the sign of the cross with a prayer - may the arrival of the king be for good... The persecutor of Christianity noticed this and ordered the impudent applicant of the hated faith of Christ to be taken into custody. When the next day, during an interrogation made to Paul, he firmly confessed himself to be a Christian, Aurelian ordered “to tie him to a stake and torture him until Christ comes and delivers him from the executioners”... The pagan did not know what truth was hidden in the condition by which he determined the period of torture of the Christian... Unknown to him was the bliss that he unconsciously predicted for his victim, allowing her to be delivered by Christ Himself... But the believer Paul felt all the joy of such expectation and did not stop praying and praising God during his suffering. “Tormentor, why are you tormenting my brother like that?” - Paul’s sister Juliana, who was present at his suffering, fearlessly turned to Aurelian, “why are you torturing someone who has never offended anyone? I’m not the only one, his sister, but the whole people can vouch for you on this... Spare him! But what else could the Christian Juliana expect other than the merciless betrayal of her Christian brother to the fate. And the tortures to which they were both subjected were terrible... but the torment from iron claws, and in cauldrons with boiling tar, and on hot grates turned out to be insignificant in comparison with the firmness of faith and patience of the children of God, who were waiting for deliverance from their Father... “Now, we’ll see if your Christ will come to deliver you!” - said Aurelian, looking with indignation, but at the same time with amazement at the uncomplaining martyrs... – He is with us and helps us! - exclaimed Juliana, - you do not see Him because you do not believe in Him, but believe, and He will accept you, because He is good and merciful! - We believe! We believe that there is no other God except the One who helps Paul and Juliana! - two of their tormentors suddenly responded, amazed at their supernatural patience and realizing that in human weakness a higher power is realized... The order to execute by sword was an immediate response to the appeal to the light of the pagans. - Don't be afraid! - Paul and Juliania told them, - this death is temporary, but before you is eternal life, where eternal joy reigns... - And these new martyrs joyfully bowed their heads under the sword: Square and Akaki, crying out prayerfully: Lord God, Whom Paul and Juliania confess! Be with us, because we die without doing anything evil... The next day the same thing happened again. The new executor of the execution, Stratilates, seeing with what unearthly joy the faces of Paul and Juliana shine amidst the cruelest torments, also knew the power of Christ... Throwing away the instrument of torture, he overturned the idol that stood here, and, crossing himself, exclaimed: “And I am a Christian! Do whatever you want with me!” The sword struck his head. “True God! - he cried before his death, - do not reject me, although for a brief moment I managed to confess Your holy name! Seeing that no amount of torture could make Christians renounce their faith and that, on the contrary, their wonderful firmness in the midst of suffering amazes the people and creates new believers, Aurelian ordered the torture of the martyrs to stop and the death penalty to be carried out on them. The blessed brother and sister went to their deaths with joy and chanted loudly: “The Lord delivered us from our tormentors and put to shame those who hated us!” Christians, having taken the bodies of St. The martyrs, thrown out outside the city, buried them with honor. This was in 273. He lived in the 6th century and labored in the strictest hermitage, first in Samaria, then near Mount Carmel. Life of Rev. Jacob can serve as an example of the fact that no degree of spiritual height protects a person from the deepest fall and, at the same time, it serves as proof that no fall of a person exhausts the mercy of God if the fall is followed by sincere repentance. The “abyss” of sin “calls upon” the “abyss” of mercy, the mercy and kindness of God, of the whole world, even by sins – insurmountable. The hermit Jacob, who was fleeing in his desert, victoriously repelled thousands of temptations. He spent many years in sinless standing before the Lord. The silent desert did not hide the rumor about his deeds and miracles... People went to him to heal their mental and physical ailments... People praised the blessed hermit. Maybe then he himself inclined to the consciousness of his height and - in this case - to the destruction of all his spiritual, even abundant acquisitions... And so, “a thorn was given to him in the flesh”, “so that he would not be exalted by the extremeness of revelations” and “the angel of Satan would afflict him, so that he would not be exalted”... A temptation befell Jacob, which confused him with the many grace-filled gifts that he possessed. Temptation, vigilantly guarding the righteous man, appeared before him at a moment when, blithely trusting in the usual victory over the machinations of the enemy, he was not armed with insurmountable shields against them: unrelenting vigilance over himself and humility... One day passion took possession of him, and he did not refrain from it, and committed a grave sin - the murder of the woman who was the cause of his fall. The greater the height from which you fall, the deeper the abyss into which you plunge... In its depths is final death. So it was with the soul of Jacob, who was now close to despair - this final, irrevocable death of man... But the Lord, in His unsearchable ways allowed the fall of His ascetic, but the same Lord, all-good and all-powerful, did not betray him to the end... He who inspired repentance in David, He who accepted the repentance of Peter who denied Him, drove despair out of his heart His fallen servant Jacob and miraculously saved him through repentance, which covered sin... Jacob confessed his contrite soul to one pious monk who met him in the desert, from which the criminal fled in horror... fled, pursued by his memories, which now filled the desert he loved before committing his sin with terrible ghosts... Hearing Jacob’s confession, the monk fell with tears to the elder’s chest and said to him: – But be exhausted, do not give in to despair... Remember that there is repentance... Remember that God is ineffably merciful! And, fearing the despair of the elder Jacob, the monk begged him not to be alone, not to be separated from him. But Jacob left. The brother’s compassionate love illuminated and warmed his soul... A ray of warmth made him feel the Sun... God became “near the broken-hearted,” and the heart was revived by faith in the Lord of the repentant... And again the desert accepted man... It alone can accommodate all his sorrow, all his boundless repentance... Having encountered an ancient tomb in the likeness of a cave on the way, Jacob shut himself up in it and devoted himself to prayer. What words can be used to convey a conversation with God of a man who is contrite, but with all the strength of his grief, crying out to God in the heart?.. Only God can measure its depth... Only He can count the tears of repentance - similar only to drops of the bottomless depths of the sea... Man cannot measure. And human judgment cannot accommodate forgiveness. It is with God, and it is immutably given to the repentant sinner... Thus, completely devoted to the feat of repentance, Jacob spent ten years in the cave, burying himself alive in this coffin. His food was the grass growing around him. – And the Lord accepted his great repentance. And He forgave his sins, and as a sign of His forgiveness showed him again the grace of miracles. Once in that country there was rainlessness and drought and there was a threat of famine. All the people prayed to God for rain. Then the bishop of the city had a revelation from God that in their country there was a man living in a tomb, and that if he prayed for rain, his prayer would be fulfilled. The bishop with the clergy and people went to Jacob’s cave, but he did not open his cave to them, all immersed in mournful prayer before God... And the second time, after the second revelation about Jacob, the people came to his cave, and they took him out of there by force, begging him to pray for salvation from trouble. Jacob prayed, and blessed rain fell on the earth... and the people glorified the Lord and His saint. And with many more miracles the Lord subsequently showed forgiveness and His grace to those who repented before Him. Until his death, Jacob remained in the tomb and, at his request, was buried in it. Over time, the bishop founded a church in the name of Jacob, near his cave, and transferred his remains to the church. † On the same day Rev. Gerasim Vologda The Monk Gerasim was born in Kiev and here, in the Gniletsk cave monastery, he was clothed in monasticism 48 . In 1147, he came from Kyiv to the Vologda River and founded a monastery with a church of St. near the Kaisarov stream. Trinity. This was “before the beginning of the city of Vologda.” Then there was a dense forest here and in the forest there was a settlement with the Church of the Resurrection, and on Lazy Square there was a “small market”. The merchant Pyatyshev, the last descendant of Pyatyshev, who did not want to give the blessing, recently died in Vologda. Gerasim received land for a monastery, and then agreed with the pious desire of the monk. The devotee of piety, by the example of life itself and with bright instructions, illuminated the wild country - and died peacefully on March 4, 1178. His relics rest under cover in the Trinity Church of his monastery, abolished in 1764 49. † On the same day suffering is good. Princes Georgy Vladimirsky and Vasilko Rostovsky Grand Duke Vsevolod 3 appointed his eldest son, Prince Constantine, as successor to his throne, but so that he would give Rostov to his brother George, and the third son Yaroslav would be given Novgorod, where Constantine had been before. Having fallen in love with Rostov, Constantine did not want to leave it and wanted to own it and the great reign. The offended father, having gathered a veche, declared (in 1212) George the successor to the Vladimir throne. – Georgy, with his qualities, promised peace to Russia; he was his father's right hand against his enemies and became famous for his victories. He began his administration of the affairs of all Russia by returning freedom to the princes and the bishop of Ryazan, whom his father held captives; then he was in Rostov with Konstantin, showing him all the caresses of brotherly love. For four years things were going happily, when Yaroslav raised a storm. With his cruelties, he irritated the Novgorodians and aroused them to war. George, despite the fact that Yaroslav insulted him, did not want to leave his brother without protection, especially since Yaroslav knew how to pretend to be oppressed innocence before him. Constantine united with the Novgorodians, who promised to deliver the throne to him. prince In the Battle of Lipetsk (1216), George was completely defeated and surrendered to the will of the victors. Gorodets Volzhsky was given to him. “Judge, God, my brother Yaroslav - he brought me to this,” said George with tears at the tomb of his father. In 1217, Constantine declared George his heir - and gave him Suzdal 50. In 1219, Constantine died, and George again ascended the throne of Vladimir. He sent his brother Svyatoslav against the Bulgarians, who took Ustyug; he defeated them and forced them to establish peace with an oath. Protecting the borders in the east, George (in 1221) founded Nizhny Novgorod on the banks of the Volga, where there had previously been a Bulgarian town; here he built a stone church to the Savior and established a communal monastery with the church of the Mother of God; at the same time, he built a stone church to the Savior in Suzdal, where the floor of the church was covered with red marble, sent as a gift by the Bulgarians; and in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery a stone church of the Mother of God was erected. In 1225, being in 140 ver. from Kostroma, on the Volga, after the appearance of the icon of St. George, founded on Mount Yuryevets-Povolgsky. Engaged with full zeal in the organization of the Russian land, he sent his army to help the Novgorodians against the Livonian Germans; and when later the Novgorodians themselves challenged him to war, he willingly agreed to their peace proposal. In 1228 he punished wild Mordva with war; then he once again forced the Bolgars to ask him for peace and again punished the Mordovians. In 1230 he gave sacred honor to the Bulgarian martyr Abramia by transferring his relics to Vladimir; and the following year the relics of St. Leontius 51 were transferred to the new Rostov Cathedral. Russia did not expect that terrible disaster, which they later refused to even depict. In 1236, the Mongols defeated the Bulgarians, putting everything to fire and sword. They learned about this at the same time in neighboring Vladimir. And in the winter of the same year, George married his two sons, Vladimir and Mstislav. Do people know when God's judgment will begin on them? Unfortunately, the system of regional government, not led by a strong central government, then reached its extreme development: each prince thought only of himself. In 1237, the Mongols waged a devastating war against Russia. Grand Duke George sent his son Vsevolod to Kolomna; but Ryazan was already devastated, and then Vsevolod was completely defeated, leaving his young brother Vladimir in captivity. George, leaving his sons to defend Vladimir, went to gather other troops. On February 2, 1238, the Tatars approached Vladimir. Is the Grand Duke in town? the officials asked Batu at the Golden Gate. The city fired arrows in response. Don’t shoot, the Tatars shouted and, showing the captive Prince Vladimir, they said: Do you recognize the prince? The young prince was pale and exhausted from suffering. Vsevolod and Mstislav began to cry. “It is better for us, brothers,” they told the squads, to die for the holy faith than to be in their captivity. God brought all this upon us for our sins.” On February 6, the residents of Vladimir saw that the enemy was placing battering weapons around the city, and in the evening they began to surround it with a rampart and a wall. Princes Vsevolod and Mstislav, the princess - their mother with their daughters and daughters-in-law, many nobles gathered at the Church of the Mother of God and received monastic vows from Bishop Mitrofan; everyone brought confession of their sins, took holy communion. secrets and prepared for death. On February 7, on Meat Sunday, the city was taken and terribly devastated. Saint Mitrophan, George's wife Agathia, daughter Theodora, daughters-in-law Maria and Christina - died suffering in the flames of the cathedral; sons Vsevolod and Mstislav fell in battle, most of the inhabitants of the capital were killed, a few were taken prisoner 52. George, having received news of such a fate for his family and people, said with Job: “Is this so, Lord, is it pleasing to Thy mercy? Why was I left alone? 53. Blessed George not only did not lose heart under the weight of troubles, but even grew stronger. Retiring to Yaroslavl, he took with him the Rostov princes and their squads 54. Hearing about the enemy, which was terrible in number, he decided to go to a remote place, on the river. Sit, where the swamps stretch over vast areas 55. The militias of the princes of Pereyaslav Yaroslav and Yuryev Svyatoslav were also invited there. Batu, having taken Vladimir, sent strong detachments to Yaroslavl to catch up with him. prince 56. George decided to save his weak strength compared to the enemy until a better time. On the banks of the City he pitched his camp, and “Stapilovo na Siti” with ramparts and trenches remains a monument to his camp 57. - V. Prince sent Dorozh (Dorofey Semyonovich) with 3000 to “torture the Tatars” 58 - to scout out where they would appear in order to either go further north, to the Novgorod possessions, or prepare for battle. But while George was waiting for the Tatars from Yaroslavl, to which they were chasing him, the commander Batu Burundai went from Vladimir along the Pereyaslav-Snyatin road through Kashin, devastated Pereyaslavl, Sknyatin, Kashin 59, and moved with a destructive wave towards Bezhetsky Verkh. Here Dorozh unexpectedly came across the Tatars; hot fight Dorozha left a memory in the name of the village. Graves. Dorozh hurried to Georgiy. “Prince! he said, the Tatars have already passed us” 60, that is, on one side Burundai was coming, on the other, from Yaroslavl, other waves were moving. V., the prince, even before that, ordered his commander to prepare troops for a meeting with the enemy. With George were now his brother Svyatoslav and his nephews, the princes of Rostov with their squads; but his brother Yaroslav and his Pereyaslavl people were not with him. George's troops were not yet quite ready for battle when fierce enemies appeared. The regiments converged and a bloody battle took place. In front of a numerous and frenzied enemy, the Russian squads, with all their courage, could not resist; the Grand Duke was killed, and with him many of his troops fell 61. It was 4th March 1238 62 . Rostov Bishop Kirill, returning from the Belozersk side, where he wisely moved away from the Tatars, found the headless body of Grand Duke George in a pile of dead. He brought it to Rostov and, having performed the funeral service with great honor, laid it in the Rostov Cathedral; The head of the Grand Duke was later found and placed in his coffin. In the second year after his death, the body of the sufferer St. Faith and Fatherland, by order of Prince Yaroslav, was solemnly transferred to Vladimir and placed in the cathedral church 63. Then they saw an unprecedented miracle. “The holy head clung to St. body, so that there was no trace of cutting off on its neck; the right hand was raised, as if it were alive, indicating a feat 64. The modern chronicle speaks about the properties of Grand Duke George: “Yuri was adorned with good qualities. He tried to fulfill the commandments of God and kept the fear of God in his heart; I remembered the words of the Lord: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” He even sent his enemy away with gifts... He was very merciful and did not take care of his property, distributing alms to the poor, decorating the churches of God with icons and books; he respected the rank of monks and priests and gave them what they needed. He brought prayers to the Lord day and night” 65. The relics of the blessed prince rest openly in the Vladimir Cathedral, in a silver shrine. This shrine was built in 1645 by Patr. Joseph “according to the promise, for the glory and honor of the Grand Duke George, the martyr, the Wonderworker of Vladimir,” so says its inscription. A side church was also built here in honor of the Grand Duke. Here is an inscription from the time of Catherine above the tomb of St. prince: “Desire burned in the barbarian Squeeze my people like grass My spirit and body are deprived of life, Then use a sword to take away the head. But God is my spirit, for the right faith, To live forever brought glory to heaven. The head is clinging to the body here, It has been preserved wonderfully to this day” 66. St. Vasilko or Vasily, the noble prince of Rostov, who shared with Grand Duke Yuri the exploits on the City River, was born in 1209 in Rostov. His father Konstantin Vsevolodovich, Prince of Rostov, then Grand Duke of Vladimir, loved the Lord, firmly remembered eternity and was very educated; he loved spiritual conversations, diligently read books, and kept learned people with him. From such a father, Vasilko could receive the best education both in mind and in heart. In 1212, the young Prince Vasilko was tonsured in Rostov - for the first time he was mounted on a horse to learn the valor of a warrior 67. In 1216, the father sat on the table of the Grand Duke in Vladimir; young Vasilko was declared Prince of Rostov, and his brother Vsevolod Prince of Yaroslavl. Vasilko was left in Rostov without a father; but the seven-year-old prince was kept by a friend of his father’s house, the confessor of Prince Constantine, Pachomius, Bishop of Rostov, a shepherd, according to the chronicle, sincere, disinterested, denouncer of predators and bribe-takers, generous, compassionate and enriched with book teaching 68 . In addition, the caring father from time to time sent trusted, intelligent boyars to see how the young princes lived and learned good things 69. The father did not live long. In his spiritual testament he told the children: “dear children! live in love with each other, fear God with all your soul and keep His commandments in everything; live as I lived: do not despise the poor and widows, do not shy away from the church, respect the priestly and monastic rank, listen to book teaching; be in love with each other, and the God of peace will be with you; listen to your elders - they teach you goodness, and you are still young. I see, my children, that my end is near. “I entrust you to God and the Most Pure Mother of God, and to my brother George, who will be in your stead.” 70 The good father died on February 2, 1219; the mother, Princess Anna Mstislavovna, took her hair at the same time over her husband’s coffin and died two years later 71. The young princes were left orphans. But Grand Duke George, to whom they were entrusted by their father, was in the full sense a father to his nephews and the best father: he either called them to himself, or sent people who were worth trusting to look after them 72 . Prince Vasilko soon began to show by his deeds that he was worthy of the love of his father and uncle. “He was an example of the best prince for his contemporaries and delighted them with him. Here is an image of him, written by a contemporary: “handsome in face, with bright and menacing eyes, he was brave, kind-hearted, and affectionate with the boyars. Which of the boyars served him, who ate his bread and drank from his cup, could not forget him, could not be the servant of another prince; he loved those who served him very much. In him, courage was combined with intelligence and truthfulness with knowledge. He was knowledgeable in everything, capable of everything. He was a father and provider to orphans, a great consolation to the sad. The eyes of his heart were opened by God to the entire church rank, and he was a father to all the spiritual and the poor 73. In 1223, the southern princes united to repel the Tatars, who first appeared in the Russian borders. The Grand Duke of Vladimir sent Prince Vasilko with his Rostovites to help them. Vasilko was already in Chernigov when he heard with sorrow about the cruel defeat of the princes on the Kalka River. Vasilko, the chronicle says, was preserved by God. The young prince, 15 years old, of course regretted that he did not have to show his ardent courage in practice; but God preserved his life so that his faith would grow with age and rise to the point of readiness to face the death of a martyr. Obedient to his uncle-father, Prince Vasilko a year later went with him to the aid of Prince Mikhail, who was being unfairly oppressed by Prince Oleg of Kursk. With the participation of the Metropolitan, the princes reconciled, and could this not please the three princes - the three future martyrs? The following year, Prince George married Vasilko to the daughter of Prince Mikhail, Maria. In 1228, the courageous Vasilko, together with his uncle, made glorious campaigns against the pagan Mordva. Yuri's brother Yaroslav, who had already outraged his brothers and relatives against Yuri more than once, managed to turn his nephews - Vasilko and his brother - against Yuri; but Yuri invited everyone to Vladimir, the nephews hurried to appear to him, and Yaroslav had to appear after them, and after explanations a cheerful reconciliation followed 74. When Kirill, the first Bishop of Rostov of this name, refused the see, Vasilko (1230) sent to the Grand Duke and the Bishop of Vladimir to ask for the release of Abbot Kirill of Vladimir to Rostov to govern the diocese and received him in Rostov with honor; It was then that he chose him as his confessor 75. In the same year, he received Metropolitan Kirill in Rostov, and then the one elected bishop was sent for consecration to Kyiv, and then the new bishop was greeted with solemn joy 76 . Even the pious father Vasilka founded (1213) a huge stone cathedral for that time in Rostov. The pious son continued and completed its construction, decorated it with a generous hand, and the joyful meeting of the new saint was followed by the celebration of the consecration of the single-domed cathedral on the 14th day of August. The Rostov Cathedral still surprises with the ease of its construction despite its height: as you can see, its plan was taken from the Vladimir Cathedral; but the latter is inferior to it in beauty and lightness. This church is fully worthy of its high honor - to be the resting place of the great wonderworkers Leontius and Isaiah, whose relics were transferred to the new cathedral during its consecration 77 . – Prince Vasilko inherited from his father, among other virtues, his love for Christian education. A monument to this is the book with the life of Niphon of Cyprus that has survived to this day; who wrote it, expressing gratitude for the prince’s patronage of scientists, says: “holy apostles, prophets, martyrs, saints. Nifonte! help my master Vasilko" 78. Under him and the enlightened Bishop Kirill in the Church of the Assumption, “the left clergy is Greek, and the right is Russian” 79 . Finally the time has come for the Christ-loving prince to show the glorious feat of his love for St. faith. Vasilko fought bravely with the Tatars on the City River. When the Russian army was defeated by numerous hordes, Vasilko was captured. The triumphant barbarians dragged the prince along with them. Batu's hordes marched in waves towards Novgorod; but having encountered physical obstacles, they turned south through Kozelsk 80. Therefore, the first camp of Burundai, whose gangs Vasilko captured, was, of course, not far from Bezhetsk and Kashin. In the chronicles it is shown near the Sherensky forest 81. The Sherensky forest is still known today, 25 versts from Kashin and 38 from Kolyazin. Here was the Sherensky Monastery, of course in memory of the suffering deeds of the martyr prince, and now - the village of Shirinskoye, near the Shirinka River, in the forest side. This place was also on the road for Bishop Kirill, who was returning from the north to Rostov and learned about St. the remains of the prince 82. Here the Christian prince had to endure his final struggle with the charms of glory and with death. Vasilko was a prince of majestic stature, and the barbarians experienced his courage and firmness of hand. How can one not wish the Tatars, at least for one shine, to see such a prince in their ranks? They tried very hard to convince the prince to “adhere to their wicked customs and fight with them,” they convinced him to enter into their service and live as they live 83. The courageous prince rejected the Tatars' offer. He did not want to touch their food and drink, considering them either defiled by the name of idols or unclean by their nature. In vain they seduced him with Batu’s friendship; It was in vain that they boasted of their military happiness. He passionately loved his homeland and its faith. "Dark Kingdom! answered the Christian prince, “You will not separate me from my Christ.” My misfortune is heavy; but it saves me. What awaits you with your happiness? There is a God, and the dark kingdom will perish when the measure of its iniquities is fulfilled: He will require the blood of His faithful.” The Tatars gnashed their teeth with rage, ready to drink his blood. Exhausted by labor, grief for his homeland and the mental torture that his enemies forced him to endure, the prince cried, cried especially about the mistakes of his past life. "God! You know all the secrets of my heart, all its impurities; “Cleanse me from my secrets,” he prayed out loud. There is no greatness in the indifference of the proud Stoic; the great soul feels suffering, but triumphs over it with patience, brought down from above by its prayer. The prince felt his suffering and wanted to get rid of it. He prayed for himself, then for the children, for all the Christian brothers. His strength of spirit grew with prayer. Finally, he thanked God that in the prime of his life (he was 29 years old) he was dying a death worthy of a Christian, and his memory would not be inglorious. The Tatars savagely killed him and threw him into the Sherensky forest. The suffering body of St. A woman saw the prince in the forest, told a God-fearing man about him, and he was placed in a secret place for the time being. When the Rostov bishop and the widow princess found out about this, they brought St. the body was taken to Rostov and laid in the cathedral church; Because of the crying and sobbing, the funeral singing in the church was not heard, says a contemporary 84. † Presentation of blessings. Prince Daniil of Moscow Of the four sons of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky, only the youngest, Daniel, fully adopted Christian piety, inherited in Alexander’s family. And the Lord, having chosen the family of Alexander for a high purpose, chooses in this family only the family of Daniel to be the ruler of the Russian land: “God love his righteous seed; be pleased to reign throughout all generations and generations” 85. Daniel's life is distinguished by the seal of God's election and fidelity to election... He remained two years after the death of his father and, undisturbed by anyone, reached the years of maturity. No one attacks the baby prince, no one takes his inheritance - but how often it was completely different in those days! How often at that time even adult princes were deprived of their inheritance, unwittingly yielding to the power of powerful princes! “Emerging in the age of tears and disasters,” Moscow was small then; The Principality of Moscow was not great either. The strengthened Daniel increased the Principality of Moscow, but not through measures of untruth and violence. Inevitably drawn into the almost continuous civil strife of the princes, Daniel behaved moderately and took care of his conscience. Once we see him (1282) with the Moscow army on the side of his brother Andrei, against the elder Demetrius; but at the first meeting the armed men made peace and no blood was shed. Another time (1293), when Andrei, agitated by passions, brought hordes of Tatars to Russia, and they plundered cities, Daniel friendly allowed the Tatars into his city, not being able to protect it from robbery. When Andrei became the Grand Duke, quarrels between the appanage princes began (1296); but Andrei then admitted that Daniel was right, and the bishops of Vladimir Simeon and Ishmael of Sarsk convinced him to end the quarrel peacefully; when Andrei then wanted to take possession of Pereyaslavl with his army, where there was no prince, Daniel, together with the Tver prince, met Andrei with a strong army - and after negotiations another time peace was concluded. In 1301 there was a Sejm of princes in Dmitrov; Daniel settled all his scores with Andrei and the other princes in peace, while the others parted without ending the dispute. A year before, Daniel went with an army to Pereyaslavl in Ryazan, where the prince called the Tatars to him, or rather the Tatars arbitrarily ruled on behalf of the prince; Daniel defeated the enemies, destroyed many Tatars, and captured the prince of Ryazan; This was the first victory of the Russians over the Tatars - a victory not loud in itself, but remarkable, like the first impulse towards freedom. Daniel, having captured the prince of Ryazan, did not aggravate his fate with cruelty, on the contrary, he affectionately treated him and held him in high esteem 86. So Daniel in all cases tries to quell quarrels with love; if he takes up arms, it is in order to bring the forgetful to reason with the thunder of the sword. Satisfied with his lot, he does not take what belongs to others, and does not take away the property of the princes’ brothers either by violence or deceit. For this reason, the Lord Himself, in addition to seeking, expands the boundaries of his possessions. John Dmitrievich, Prince of Pereyaslavsky, nephew of Daniel, meek, pious, benefactor of the poor, always respected and loved his pious uncle, tried to be close to him. Daniel repaid his nephew with love for his love: hearts of the same disposition are close to each other. The childless Prince of Pereyaslavl, dying, bequeathed Pereyaslavl (1302) to Daniil, but not to Andrey, who considered himself his heir and was already in charge of Pereyaslavl through his boyars. The Pereyaslavl region, together with Dmitrov, was the first after Rostov, both in the number of inhabitants and in the fortress of the main city: Pereyaslavl was surrounded by a deep moat with water, a high rampart, and a double wall with 12 towers. This important acquisition placed the ruler of Moscow at the level of a very strong prince; Daniel's son is already a great prince. Here is the beginning of the unification of the Russian land into one powerful power! And this is the fruit of Christian piety, which is not bothered about earthly things, but which receives earthly happiness by itself! Prince Daniel, sincerely pious, built on the banks of the river. Moscow has a church in honor of its angel St. Daniel the Stylite, and with it a monastery. In 1303, he felt seriously ill, accepted the schema and died on March 4. Out of deep humility, he did not want to be buried in the church, but in the general monastery cemetery near the church 87. Prince Ivan Danilovich, having built the Spassky Monastery near the palace in 1332, entrusted the archimandrite of this monastery with managing the monastery of Danilova; but subsequently the monastery is blessed. Prince Daniil fell and only the village of Danilovskoye remained. With led. book John III, someone unknown appeared to a young courtier passing by that place and said: “Do not be afraid of me, I am a Christian and the lord of this place, my name is Daniel, Prince of Moscow, by the will of God I was placed here. Say it from me. to Prince John: “You console yourself, but you have forgotten me; but God has not forgotten me.” The Grand Duke established the singing of cathedral memorial services for relatives - princes, especially for Prince. Daniel. He led him in front of his son. book Vasily, Prince Vasily Shuisky, despite the warning, showed disrespect for the burial place of blessed Prince Daniel, wanted to ride a horse from his tombstone; but he was immediately punished and after that he often went to sing dirges at the prince’s coffin. Daniel. During the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, at the tomb of Daniel, the son of the Kolomna merchant, who was close to death, was healed. The Tsar restored the Danilov Monastery, built a stone church, and the council of shepherds established that a religious procession should be held every year at the Danilov Monastery. On August 30, 1652, the incorruptible relics of St. the prince and now openly rest in the church of his monastery 88. † Murder of the Monks Joasaph and Basil, abbots Four miles from Pskov, on the bank of the river. Great, on Snetnaya Mountain, St. Joasaph founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was its abbot. At the same time, Abbot Vasily 89 labored in the Mirozh monastery. “It was pleasing to the Lord that their ascetic life should culminate in a suffering death, and the death of others would be a cleansing from sins.” In the chronicle we read: “March 4, 1299. The Germans unexpectedly attacked the settlement near Pskov, killed abbot Vasily, Joasaph abbot of Snetnaya Gora, many monks (17 monks and nuns), beggars, wives and children; God saved the men, but the monasteries were burned.” This was not in vain for the Germans. "Book Dovmont and Ivan Dorogomilov came out against them and defeated them on the shore near Peter and Paul; the battle was hot: some (of the Germans) were killed, others rushed from the shore and drowned; the Fellinians, having been taken prisoner, were sent to Prince Andrei Alexandrovich in Russia; the others threw down their weapons and began to run, fearful of the courage of Dovmont and Ivan Dorogomilov” 90. – The imperishable relics of St. Joasaph rests in his monastery under cover, and openly, in a special ark, two bones and his head are kept. The relics of St. Basil rest in the Mirozh monastery, under cover 91. According to the RCP. According to his life, Gerasim came “from the God-saved city of Kyiv, also a monk of the Glishensk monastery.” From the very composition of the words it is clear that Vologzhanin did not understand much in the original. – Glushensky Monastery was not in Kyiv; and the Gniletsky Assumption Monastery with caves is known (Kievlyanin for 1841, pp. 27–47. Review of Kyiv, pp. 17. 18. K. 1847). The preface of the life says that the life of St. Gerasim and his service were lost during the devastation of Vologda and that the information offered is taken from the Vologda chronicle notes. East. Hier. 4, 323. Karamz. 4, pr. 117. RKP. Saints: “Venerable Father Gerasim, head of the Trinity Monastery at Kaisarov Stream, reposed in the 6686th month of March on the 4th day.” Collection l. 1, 188–190. Preslav. l. 100–102. Nikon. l. 2, 230–231. 371. Collection l. 1, 190–196. 200. VII, 134–138. About the churches of the Russian Communist Party. life and Nizhny Novgorod. letop. About Yuryevets in the railway station min. internal Affairs 1848, pp. 22–24. Saint Mitrofan and Princess Agathia with all the children shown are included in the number of saints according to the Russian Orthodox Church. saints, lyrics Dobrokhotov of antiquity of Vladimir, art. 48. 55. 62. 64. Buslaeva literature and art 2, 244. Collection l. 1, 196–199. 223. 224. 7, 139–141. Collection l. 3, 51. 1, 197. 7, 141. Ethnographer. collection, 1, 119. 120. Collection l. 1, 193. 3, 51. 7, 141. Nikon. l. 2.376. Ethnographer. collection 1, 121. 122. Collection l. 1, 198. 223. 4, 32, 7, 141. Nikon. l. 2, 376. Karamz. 3, pr. 365. Collection l. 7, 141. Nikon. l. 2, 376. Collection l. 1, 224. 3, 51. 4, 32. 7, 141. 142. Collection l. 198. In step. book 1.336 it says: “(George) was married with the blood of the month of February on the 4th day.” Wasn't this day the day of the transfer of St. body in Vladimir, but on the day of the death of St. There could not be George. According to the summer. Suzd. (Karamz. 3, pr. 364) “on the week of Meat Eating, after Matins the Tatars came to the city (Vladimir) on the seventh of February.” The meat wasted on February 7th was in 1238. “Poplenisha Vladimir and killed Grand Duke George.” Nick. l. 1, 376. “And already in the month of February, a messenger came to Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich, as if the city of Vladimir had been taken.” After that, the battle on the City could not take place earlier than March 4, the printing service of the benefits. prince on February 4. Collection l. 1, 198–200. Nikon. l. 3, 2. Collection l. 1, 200. Dobrokhotov monuments in Vladimir, pp. 14–18. 45–48. 79. M. 1849 Collection l. 1, 187. 188. Tatishcheva ist. 2, 416: see Belyaeva: Vel. Prince Konstantin Vsevolodovich, during. total ist. book 3. 1849 The tonsure is a family holiday: the baby's hair is cut for the first time and a prayer blessing is taught by a priest or bishop; - he was put on a horse to be a rider; then the father gave a feast to family and friends. Collection l. 1, 183. 185. Collection l. 1, 187, Tatishcheva 2, 416. Collection l. 1, 187. Tatishcheva 2, 417. Collection l. 1, 220. 5, 173. The fact that the initial Rostov Cathedral had one chapter, and not five, as now, is evidenced by the following passage from the life of St. Leonty: in 1408, during a fire, “the great mosquitoes (vaults) fell and the gilded forehead of the church (head) fell inside... Gregory, the God-loving bishop, I have great care for the cathedral church of the Holy Mother of God, so that the great mosquitoes make both the neck and forehead.” RKP. life of Peter Tsarevich. Collection l. 1, 198. 224. IV, 32. Nick. l. 2, 377. Swedish about mon. 416. Others believed this forest to be on the Sherna River, which flows past the city of Alexandrov in the Vladimir province. But why did the Tatars return empty spaces to Vladimir? He was not at all on the road from Torzhok to Kozelsk. G. Solovyov looked for this forest near Serensk, near Kozelsk (source 3, pr. 275). This is just as strange: Vasilko would have died of hunger before they brought him to Kozelsk. - Moreover, his death followed at the same time on March 4, when Prince George fell in battle (pr. 75. 50); track. not far from the City. Contemporary note: “nudisha and much curse of the atheism of the Tatars, the filthy (pagan) custom, to be in their will and to fight with them” (Collected Let. I, 198). Also Sofiysk. years. (V, 174). Troitskaya let.: “There is a lot of nudish - in the filthy way of beating their will and fighting with them.” Also near Novgorod. and Sunday l. (collection sheets IV. 32 – VII. 142). Prologue March 4: “I began to admonish him with both caress and rebuke, towards his destructive faith and nasty custom.” Collection l. I, 198. 199. 224. IV, 32. 33. V, 174. According to the prologue “March 4 - the suffering of the blessed Prince Vasilko of Rostov... he was put to death for confessing Christ in the month of March on the 4th day and was counted as a martyr.” According to the summer. “This malice (murder) abounds in the month of March for 4 days.” Collection l. V, 174. IV 33. Note on the martyrdom of St. Prince Vasilko and Prince Yuri were painted then, like the bodies of Sts. The princes were laid to rest in Rostov, and the body of Prince George had not yet been transferred to Vladimir: “It was wonderful, and after death God gathered up the bodies of her and laid them together.” Collection l. I, 199. IV, 33. V, 174. Next. it was written in 1238. Collection l. 1.225. 227.IV, 45.5.202. Nick. l. III, 74. 90. 94. 98. Prologue March 4. Collection l. IV, 45. 46. Nikon. l. 3, 99–100. Step. book 1, 377–381. Prologue March 4. Karamzin trusts the testimony of the Trinity Church, which says that Daniel was buried in the church of St. Mikhail (which is after the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin) and does not believe the testimony of the steppe. books. But he himself finds four whole errors in the words of that chronicle about the death of Daniel (4, pr. 189). Church of the Arch. Michael was built and consecrated in 1333, see March 14 about St. Theognoste. Step. book 1. 380. Letop. at Karamz. 4, pr. 382. The inscription on the coffin in the story. Hier. 4, 6. Rkp. Rumyantsev’s life No. 155. 371. Undolsky’s (No. 300) life and service. - Afterword of the latter: “the stichera and canon to the blessed Grand Duke Daniel were created with the blessing of His Holiness Job the Patriarch - the works of the monk Sergius, the honorable monastery of the Most Holy Trinity of Danilov Monastery of Pereslavl Zalesky.” Service of St. I wrote for Prince Daniel and his life. in Moscow in 1791. Collection l. IV, 45. 182. V, 11. Karamz. 4, pr. 193. 203. Swedish about the monastery 449. 450 Tolstoy shrine of Pskov, pp. 75. 76. 66.