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Day one. The Suffering of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv Blessed Macarius, before his consecration as metropolitan, was the archimandrite of the Vilna Trinity Monastery. In 1495, at the wedding of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander with Elena, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Moscow John, Blessed Macarius was present in the rank of Archimandrite of Vilna, but was already called the designated metropolitan. Grand Duke John III wanted this marriage to be performed by “the named Metropolitan Macarius,” but the pride of the Latins wanted to take precedence everywhere and humiliate Orthodoxy; at her insistence, the marriage of Alexander to Helena was celebrated in the church by the Vilna Biskup Wojciech Tabor, and in the Orthodox church it was celebrated by the court priest and confessor of Helena, Thomas; Blessed Macarius could only be a witness and a secret prayer book. In the same 1495, “the bishops gathered,” as the modern chronicle says, “Vassian of Vladimir, Jonah of Lutsk, and appointed Macarius Archimandrite Metropolitan of Kiev and all Russia. And the elder Dionysius and the deacon monk Herman were sent to the patriarch for a blessing. That same autumn, the ambassador of Patriarch Nifont arrived from Constantinople. He said: “Do not install a metropolitan after this until you receive a blessing from us, except in great need.” They answered: "We do not renounce the ancient customs of the conciliar Constantinople Church and the blessing of our patriarch father. We did this out of necessity, as our brothers bishops did before under the Grand Duke Vytautas. And in the canons of the holy apostles and holy fathers it is written: let two or three bishops appoint a bishop without any doubt." Blessed Macarius, following the example of his predecessors, lived in Vilna: here he ordained Cyril as bishop of Lutsk in 1495. In Vilna, through personal relations with the Grand Duke of Lithuania, the saint could easily prevent the machinations and violence of papism, and also help Orthodoxy in other needs. On the other hand, Kyiv in those sad times remained dilapidated and was often attacked by Crimean and Nogai predators. The Tatars devastated Volyn twice in 1496, and in March 1497, two detachments of them invaded the same place again, but both were completely defeated and almost exterminated 682. The guardian shepherd had long wanted to inspect the most ancient place of his pulpit and the shrine of Kyiv. He was also prompted to do this by the urgent need to put in order the St. Sophia Cathedral, which had previously been plundered by the Tatars. After happy affairs with the Tatars, he decided to go to Kiev. He was told about the possible dangers of the path, but according to his duty, he surrendered himself to the will of God. A modern chronicler who knew Macarius mourns his death, encountered on the way to Kyiv, as a punishment for the sins of his flock, and is consoled by it as a guarantee of rewards for his holy zeal. He writes this: “the same 1497 May 1st day, on the first day of the sixth week after the Great Day (Easter), on Monday, the godless Perekop Tatars killed the Right Reverend Macarius of Kyiv, Metropolitan and Archbishop of all Russia.” In the village of Strigolovo, Minsk province, five miles from Mozyr 683 “on the Bchich River, they caught up with him quite unexpectedly. They took those with him to their land and killed some, took others captive. They plundered and burned many volosts and places and, taking many people captive, returned to their place. So God forgave our sins. We are sinners from head to toe. But we trust in the Lord God. Such a death happened to the bishop of God so that he would be more rewarded. He went to Kyiv, wanting to help Sophia the Church of God, which had previously been ruined by the same wicked... It’s terrible, brethren: if this happened to the bishop of God, by God’s permission, then how can we avoid God’s wrath for our deeds? Before his death, 8 days before, someone revealed to him the imminent separation of his soul from his body: but he, as a man, doubted it somewhat. From the very time we were baptized, what happened to this bishop of God has never happened on Russian soil. We turned to judgment and shame for our sins” 684. This is what a contemporary wrote. And it was not in vain that he consoled himself for blessed Macarius at the thought of his death. His holy body is glorified by incorruption. It now rests openly in the St. Sophia Cathedral. It also rested there under Kalnofoysky, who also described two miracles that took place at the relics of the saint in 1625 and 1634 685. The cypress cross of St. 686 is kept in the same cathedral. Repose of the Venerable Gerasim of Boldinsky Born in Pereyaslavl Zalessky, the Monk Gerasim, in the world Gregory, in his youth diligently went to the church of God 687; The holy life of the Monk Daniel especially captivated his soul, and in the 13th year he already with tears asked the holy elder to accept him. Daniel accepted him as a novice; this was back when the monk lived in the Goritsky monastery. Gerasim was a “kozheshvets” - a shoemaker - and, at the will of the elder, he diligently served his craft to the poor brethren of God’s house. He left the elder for a while to listen to the instructions of the ascetics and, on their advice, returning to Daniel, he took tonsure from his hands. This was when Daniel began to live in the Trinity Monastery 688. He zealously performed feats of fasting and prayer: he ate food every other day and every other day; He constantly followed the cell rule, and sometimes stood in prayer all night. He diligently served the venerable elder in his care of the monastery, especially in the construction of churches and cells. With his pure and ascetic life, Gerasim earned himself general respect not only in the monastery, but also outside its fence; he became famous in Moscow 689. This began to weigh on him; he desired silent solitude. Having revealed his thought to the elder, for the first time he met the elder’s disagreement: but then the monk blessed him to fulfill his desire. So, having lived up to 26 years under the leadership of the Monk Daniel, he left his monastery without anything, only with the desire to work for the Lord in solitude. In 1528, he settled in the Dorogobuzh district in such a wild forest place that there was no one there except snakes and wild animals; From time to time, robbers hid there, since the high road on which they plied their trade did not pass in the distance. Blessed Gerasim built himself a hut and began to asceticize in it; those who traded in bad crafts beat him more than once, trying to drive him out of their neighborhood; the hermit endured and prayed; To feed himself, he hung a box on a tree near the road and asked for alms from those passing by; sometimes in his absence other poor people used his box; he thanked God. In his hut he lived like a bird, without sorrows or worries about the earth, protected and fed by the Lord. Subsequently, his watchman, a raven, appeared; if an unkind person approached the box and the hut, the raven raised a cry and, flying, hit the face of the unwanted visitor with its wings; the same thing happened with the predatory beast: it pecked at its eyes until it forced it to flee. According to a special vision, he then moved to Boldin Mountain, where a huge oak tree stood above the Boldin stream. The villagers wanted to drive him away from here; they beat him with sticks, tied his hands and feet with ropes and wanted to throw him into the lake, but one said: if we kill him, we ourselves will be answerable to the authorities; Let's present him to the governor in Dorogobuzh, along with our good gift. They agreed with this. The governor, having received a good gift, ordered the hermit to be immediately presented to him bound. When the bound and beaten Gerasim was presented to him, the governor showered him with curses and ordered him to be imprisoned as a tramp. The monk did not say a word to all this and only prayed in his soul. Help appeared to those who asked for it. At that very time, the Tsar’s messenger from Moscow came to the governor. Seeing the Monk Gerasim, whom he had seen together with the Monk Daniel at the king's, he bowed to him with deep respect and asked for a blessing. The governor was afraid. The matter ended with the fact that the governor, having asked forgiveness from the holy elder, announced that he would do everything in his power to protect his peace, delivered him a donation from himself and then made the necessary orders. From that time on, the name of the holy elder began to be respected and zealots of piety began to come to his desert. The monk gladly received them. First, a prayer church was built for general prayers and a hut was erected. Then the monk went to Moscow and there received permission to build a monastery. Little by little, the Church of the Holy Trinity and cells for the brethren with meals were built. The church was consecrated on March 9, 1530. The monk himself worked on the buildings, and then worked for the community together with others. He ground rye with a millstone, even for others, baked bread, chopped and carried wood, washed scrolls for the brethren, and served the sick. He slept little and never lying down. His food is bread and water. Such a life soon brought many monks to the monastery, and nobles began to visit the monastery of the monk. The monk lived in trust in the Lord, and the Lord arranged both the hearts of the monks and the means of earthly life. Once they stole two oxen of the monastery; the monk, who was entrusted with looking after the cattle, came to Gerasim in fear. The monk, looking at him, said: “Do not grieve, brother, repeat with Job: The Lord gave, the Lord has also taken away (Job 1:21).” This confused the monk even more, who had not yet spoken a word to the abbot about the loss; he fell at his feet and asked for forgiveness. The monk kindly forgave him. “Bless, father, to chase the thieves,” said the emboldened one. "Brother! - answered the elder, - whoever is chasing will not catch up with the one running away; and the one running away will soon find himself close to the pursuer.” This time the monk did not understand the words; but three days later the thieves themselves brought the oxen to the monastery. The monk released the culprits with the instruction to continue to buy bread through honest labor. In addition to the Boldin Monastery, the Monk Gerasim also built the Forerunner Monastery in Vyazma; then in the Bryn Forest, on the Zhizdra River, he founded the monastery of the Entry into the Church of the Mother of God. The ancient narrator says about the Forerunner Monastery: “Before the arrival of the monk, there was no settlement on this place; there was an alder forest on the Bezdra River; there was freedom here for thieves and robbers.” This is what the monk himself says in his will. “It was,” he writes, “in that place formerly there was a shelter for a barker, a fornicator, a robber, and other demonic games, murder, murder and bloodshed.” Bad people were under the protection of the noble boyar Telepnev-Obolensky, who had his own estate (Spas-Telepnevo) not far from here and went to spend a riotous life near Vyazma. The people of Vyazma had a bad life because of the daring people: they spent the night on guard in their courtyards, fenced off by a high fence. The Monk Gerasim, having learned about such a sad state of the region, decided to do everything possible to improve it. He boldly appeared among bandits and convinced them to reform. It happened more than once that the preacher was beaten and driven away, but this did not cool his jealousy; in 1535 he founded a monastic monastery here. After 7 years of intense preaching and prayer, according to the vision of the Forerunner, a church was built in honor of the Forerunner. The brethren gathered up to 40 people, and the monk appointed his disciple Simeon as their abbot, and he himself turned to other exploits. It was also not easy for him to establish a monastery on the Zhizdra River. This was prompted by the request of the surrounding residents. From the Boldino monastery the place of the Zhizdrinsk hermitage is 300 versts; The monk, as always, walked here on foot. Here he himself cleared the forest and built buildings. The brethren gathered here, up to 40 people, and the disciple Peter Korostelev was left as abbot. Nine years before his death, he built the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, not far from Dorogobuzh, in Sverkhovaya Luka. Here he also left one of his disciples as abbot. In the Boldino monastery he remained abbot until his death; here at the end of his life there were brethren up to 140 people. He diligently led everyone along the paths of salvation. In his will he wrote: “Establish as abbot one of your people, from your brethren: they know community life and rules, just as I lived according to God with you. The brethren should have everything in common. Every monastic task must be carried out without complaining and go to monastic services with the blessing of the abbot. Wear clothes made of cloth, such as I installed. If anyone does not want to, then give 2 rubles a year to the abbot, priest and deacon. No intoxicating drinks should be kept in the monastery, with the exception of yeast kvass; also for guests. Keep nothing in the cell except clothes, and those would be from the community. Eat everything in the meal with silence and what God provides, but listen to the lives of the saints and teachings. The food is the same for everyone, both for the brethren and for the abbot. Feed guests the same food. If a brother falls into sin, he should be humbled by obedience, but not expelled from the monastery, unless he does not listen to punishment. Do not upset the strange and the poor, but give them the path that is in the monastery. Read the abbots. If one of them begins to live not according to God and not according to the monastic order, then send one of the brethren to his cell to talk to him with spiritual humility. In all monastic affairs, do nothing without the abbot and 12 elders. Let the abbot not let his tonsures go to other people's monasteries. This is what I order to do in all monasteries.” Under the guidance of the monk, strict ascetics were raised: Blessed Arkady, who died in seclusion 690, and Blessed Anthony, who died Bishop of Vologda (1588) 691. Several monasteries were founded by his disciples: Baskakova in Sychevsky district, Voznesenskaya on the Ugra River in Yukhnovsky, Podlesnaya-Nikolaeva in Belsky district 692. The death of the Monk Gerasim followed in the Boldino monastery on May 1, 1554, at the 65th year of his life. Of the miracles performed by the monk in the afterlife, we present here two. Hieromonk Cornelius had ardent zeal for the Monk Gerasim and before his shrine he swore an oath not to leave his monastery. But then he began to grumble about the abbot, about the meal and about the rules of the monastery. The abbot admonished him - he became even more embittered. Finally, he went to the tomb of the monk and fell before it, asking for a blessing to leave the monastery, when he heard: someone came out of the tomb, bent him to the ground from behind and did not allow him to get up; At the same time, he felt relaxation throughout his whole body, and lost both his sight and his tongue. His brethren found him in this position at the saint’s tomb. They served a prayer service, and while he was talking afterwards, a light flame came out of the saint’s coffin, not burning, but thin, engulfed the entire patient, and he stood up healthy. The monk Dionysius led a prudent life for a long time, according to the legend of the monk. Then blasphemous thoughts attacked him and drove him crazy. They performed a prayer service for him at the saint’s tomb, and his senses returned to him. “Spirits tormented me mercilessly,” he himself said at the same time, “but now the Monk Gerasim came to me with Bishop Anthony of Vologda (Dionysius was a student of Bishop Anthony) and with difficulty drove the dark spirits away from me.” Now the relics of St. Gerasim rest in the cathedral church of his monastery 693. Celebration in honor of the Tsarevokokshai Icon of the Myrrh-Bearing Women In 1648, the Streltsy and residents of Tsarevokokshaisk built a monastery seven miles from their city on the occasion of the apparition in that place. May 1, 1647, the icon of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, which is still famous for its miracles. Holy Martyr Akakios the New, who suffered from the Turks in Constantinople in 1816 694. Day two. The Suffering of the Holy Martyrs Esper, Zoe, Cyriacus and Theodulus Christian family: Esper and Zoe and their children Cyriacus and Theodulus, originally from Phrygia, were sold into slavery to a rich Roman named Catulus, a pagan. For several years, Esper and Zoe diligently served their masters, remembering and sacredly observing the words of the apostle: Servants, obey in everything your masters according to the flesh, not only serving them in appearance as people-pleasers, but in simplicity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord, and not for people, knowing that you will receive an inheritance as a reward from the Lord, for you serve the Lord Christ! (Col. 3:21–24). In the same spirit of humble submission to their fate, these God-loving people raised their children Cyriacus and Theodulus. Meanwhile, as they grew older, the children began to feel burdened by the fact that they had to live with pagans and hide their faith from them. “Let us leave the wicked,” they said to their mother, “after all, you yourself taught us the Holy Scripture, which says to move away from the wicked... and why do we hide our faith from them? Isn't it better to boldly tell our master that we are Christians? If he kills us, then we know that we have eternal life with Christ God. Why should we be afraid? And despite the fact that Zoya, fearing that her children were still weak for the confessional feat, kept them in their holy zeal, Cyriacus and Theodulus, having once met with their master, declared to him that they were Christians... “Our souls belong to the Lord,” they told him, “you have no power over us, but only over our bodies...” These words seemed crazy to one who had never heard of the power of the Lord of Heaven, and Catulus set out to test, at the opportunity, what kind of people his slaves were and in what faith their children were raised. Are they really among the hated Christians who reject the gods? Soon the opportunity arose to explain the master’s bewilderment regarding his slaves. Catulus had a son. This joyful event was supposed to be celebrated, according to pagan custom, with a solemn sacrifice to the gods. The servants also took part in the home feast, eating from the idols’ sacrifices; Thus, the slaves, hitherto unknown to Christians, were offered meat and wine from the sacrifice. But how could they touch this food, defiled by a ritual in honor of the pagan gods? “Lord God! Be with us! - Zoya said quietly, - besides You, we don’t know any other God. Confirm us in this confession! - and with these words she poured out the wine and threw the meat onto the ground, and, knowing what awaited her for this act, with sadness, but at the same time and with firmness, she turned to her husband and children: “Let us not fear the wrath of Catulus and the torments to which he will betray us... Let us endure them courageously and unite us all in the Kingdom of Christ our God!” - she told them. It didn’t take long for her expectations to be fulfilled. “Who did you rely on that you dared to insult a shrine like that?” - the master asked his slaves with anger, ordering them to be brought to him as soon as he learned about Zoe’s act. “Our hope is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God!” - the Christians answered firmly. “You will see how He will save your sons when I command that they be tortured!” - said the pagan and ordered the young men to be tortured. “Be courageous! Be patient!” - their mother strengthened them, watching with firmness how the executioners whittled the naked bodies of her children with a sharp iron. “We do not suffer... Let them invent more sensitive tortures...” the young men said in their holy excitement. Fierce blows and the burning in fire of the entire Christian family was a response to these words on the part of the hardened pagan, and - with four new victims - the faith of Christ was crowned with victories. The suffering of the martyrs took place in Attalia Pamphylia during the reign of Hadrian (117–138). Repose of the Blessed Prince Boris-Mikhail of Bulgaria The reign of Prince Boris, son of Zvinich-Presiam, third grandson of Gruboshev 695, was overshadowed by misfortunes as long as he remained a pagan. Whatever he tried, he failed. He wanted (843) to fight the Greeks, but had to continue the truce. He decided to take revenge (850) on the Serbs for the failures of his father Zvinich, but the campaign ended in the defeat of Boris, and he asked for peace. The campaign against the Croats was also unsuccessful. An attempt to act in alliance with the Pannonian Slavs against the Vranki (in 853) ended in the defeat of Boris. In 860, Bulgaria was struck by a terrible famine, followed by pestilence, the people died, and there was no help from anywhere. To greater grief, the Greeks began to threaten war 696. So many failures and troubles will make even the most determined person think. Boris, although a pagan, but unspoiled, saw the wrath of God over Bulgaria. Why this anger? He had to remember the words of his uncle, the martyr Boyan, that Christian truth would triumph over pagan lies 697. His sister also reminded him of all this. She, taken captive at a tender age, was raised at the Greek court according to the principles of Christianity. Under the terms of the peace with Greece in 852, she was released to Bulgaria, and Boris freed the famous captive, the teacher Kufar, who also told Boris about the emptiness of paganism. And many tens of thousands were already Christians among the Slavs, subjects of Boris!... There was someone to learn Christianity from. The Bulgarian princely court, its ministers and leaders, and the Slavs who crossed with the prince from the right bank of the Danube stood for the paganism of Bulgaria: but what does paganism bring to Bulgaria? It was time to end the struggle with Christianity, whose truths are so bright, so pure, so gratifying to the spirit. So Boris decided to accept the Christian faith. He entered into communication with the Greek emperor about his desire to unite with Christ and concluded peace with Greece, beneficial for Bulgaria. Zagorje (the southern slope of the Balkans), a country they needed for settlement and was very strategically advantageous, was ceded to the Bulgarians forever. “A bishop was sent to the Bulgarians, who baptized Boris, who took the name of Emperor Michael” 698. The intelligent Patriarch Photius, having taken an active part in the education of the Bulgarians, wrote a letter to Prince Boris. The saint outlined to the prince not only the principles of faith and Christian life, but also the rules on how to govern the people. “Having begun with zeal for preaching the word of God,” wrote Photius, “do not end with negligence, but try to ensure that the end corresponds to the beginning and the life of faith. Build churches in the name of God and in honor of the saints according to church regulations; accustom the people to gather in them, so that, in a general meeting, propitiating the Divine and bringing common praise to Him, everyone will be established in one mind and acquire salvation and benefit” 699. Following the example of Prince Boris, some of those close to him were baptized. But the majority still had to be fought. Fanatics of paganism, including powerful nobles, barely learned about the change of faith by the prince, when they raised excitement for the old faith; whole ten regions were raised by the boyars against Boris; it got to the point that in Predslav they wanted to kill Boris and place a pagan on the throne. Michael, protecting his chest with the holy cross, went out with 48 courtiers and 7 clergy to the rebellious crowd, and it scattered in confusion. The next day, 50 boyars who led the riot were captured and put to death. The people, left without instigators of rebellion, submitted to Michael and began to be baptized little by little 700. This is how one Bulgarian, a contemporary of the events, talks about it: “I,” he said, “am from the newly enlightened Bulgarian people, whom God enlightened in these times with His chosen one Boris, in the baptism of Michael. By the power of Christ and the sign of the cross he defeated the numb, rebellious Bulgarian people. God brought Saint Joseph, an archbishop, teacher and mentor, who built churches and monasteries, appointed bishops, priests, abbots to teach the people” 701. Unfortunately, the pope's missionaries disturbed the peace of the young Bulgarian Church and temporarily stopped the progress of the faith in Bulgaria. The “Roman priest Paul” and his comrades aroused in Prince Boris, who was still little familiar with the faith, many doubts about the Eastern Church and brilliantly presented the happiness that was ready for Boris, submissive to the pope 702. The prince, on the one hand hoping to find in the ruler of the West protection against the Germans who were pressing Bulgaria 703, on the other hand, wanting to see independent church government in Bulgaria, in 866 he turned to Pope Nicholas with a request to send capable teachers and establish a patriarchate in Bulgaria. Pope Nicholas was glad that an entire people, moreover, neighboring Constantinople, which he hated, was being given into his hands 704. He immediately (866) sent two of his bishops to Boris with books and an extensive message 705. Bishops Paul and Formosus soon brought matters to the point that married Eastern priests were declared unclean and removed from their places, they began to perform anointing on the baptized another time, the Symbol with the addition of Filioque was read in churches, they were allowed to eat milk and eggs during Lent 706. Boris, having not received the patriarchate for Bulgaria, asked the pope to at least consecrate Formosus, whom he liked, as an archbishop. But the pope removed Formosa from Bulgaria in 707. Meanwhile, Patriarch Photius, by means of a letter, notified the patriarchs about the impudent insolence of the pope against faith and decorum, which was taking place in Bulgaria. Boris saw his mistake and hastened to correct it. He again allowed the Eastern preachers to continue the work of their calling, already because the Slavs, who had been baptized long ago, did not want to know the Pope and demanded Eastern priests for themselves. In order to untie himself once and for all from the Pope, and without danger to his country, he sent in 869 to Constantinople to propose to the council the Pope's claims to Bulgaria. In the west they understood at the same time that the prince, by sending ambassadors to the east, was saying goodbye to the pope 708. The ambassador of Prince Michael told the council: “We would like to know from the representatives of the great patriarchs which Church we belong to?” The Pope's ambassadors protested the question. Representatives of the Eastern patriarchs say: “When you occupied the country that you now own, to whom was it subordinated and what priests did it have?” The ambassador of the Bulgarian prince replied: “We got it from the Greeks with a sword and found Greek priests in it.” The Council decided: “We decree that the Bulgarian land, which in ancient times was under the rule of the Greeks and had Greek priests, torn away from the holy Church of Constantinople by paganism, should now be returned to it through Christianity.” Having received the decision of the council, the prince announced the decision to the bishop so that he and the priests would leave Bulgaria 709. After that, despite neither the caresses nor the threats of the Pope, Boris no longer entered into any relations with power-hungry Romanism 710. The baptism of the people, stopped by the violence of the Pope, continued calmly with the correct activity of Eastern preachers. Thus, the same year 869, in which the council condemned the pope’s lust for power, was the time of the final conversion of the Bulgarian country to the holy, pure faith 711. Blessed Boris lovingly gave funds for the restoration of Christian churches destroyed by paganism, and for the construction of new ones. He did all he could for the eternal needs of his people and for the glory of God. When news reached him about the miracles of the martyrs, whose relics were hidden during the unrest of paganism in Strumnitsa, he ordered the construction of a temple in the Bregalnitsa diocese and the relics of the saints transferred there. The relics were transferred with triumph, and according to the faith of the new Christians, many miracles were performed for the glory of the name of Christ 712. Both Orthodoxy and enlightenment flourished even more in Bulgaria when the disciples of St. Methodius arrived here, expelled from Moravia by the greedy Germans. Mikhail received them with the liveliest joy and thanked the Lord for sending him the people so needed for Bulgaria. They lived for a long time at his court and in the houses of Bulgarian nobles, like dear teachers. Boris talked to them lovingly. The elderly sovereign studied under their guidance “ancient stories and lives of saints”, listened from their lips to the instructions of the Holy Scriptures in his native Slavic language. The noble prince provided the Slavic preachers with generous funds to maintain schools for teaching children the law of God in the Slavic language and for training useful servants of the church of God; opened monasteries and cathedras for them, especially where Christianity was still weak 713. Through his zeal, seven cathedral churches with holy pulpits were established 714. At the request of Boris, another archbishop Agathon 715 was consecrated for western Bulgaria, and the place of blessed Joseph was subsequently taken by Archbishop Theophylact 716. Aged Boris was tired of ruling. He had long been an ascetic, but a secret one. Appearing before the people in princely clothes, he hid at night in the church and in solitude: covered with simple clothes, stretched out on the ground, he spent the nights in prayer. After a serious illness, he handed over the reign to his eldest son Vladimir, and he himself retired to a monastery for feats of fasting and prayer. To the sorrow of the father, the son turned out to be unlike his parent: he lived dissolutely and, even worse, began to seduce the people from the Christian path. The elder endured for four years. Finally, inspired by jealousy, he took off his monastic clothes, dressed himself in the dress of a warrior prince, with a few faithful to him, chased his son, captured him and, in order to take away his opportunity to harm Christianity, blinded him; then he transferred power to his youngest son Simeon, and he himself, faithful to his vow, again retired to the monastery 717. Even in solitude, he cared about the spread of Christian education and encouraged those capable of translating useful books from Greek into the Slavic language. So one of them says about himself: “The venerable man, the dux (prince), insisted on me when I came to visit him, ordering and begging him to translate the explanations of the Gospels; he reminded me: for a priest there is no other occupation than instruction; if he has accepted this service, let him perform it” 718. A contemporary of Prince Simeon wrote: “In this summer of 6415 ind. 14 (906) 719 died the servant of God, the father of this prince (Simeon), living in good faith, in the good confession of our Lord Jesus Christ, great and honest and faithful, our lord, prince of the Bulgarians, named Boris, his Christian name is Michael, month. May at 2 a.m. on Saturday evening. This same Boris baptized the Bulgarians in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen” 720. The Bulgarian Church reverently honors among the saints the enlightener of Bulgaria its blessed prince, Boris-Mikhail 721. Memory of St. Athanasius Patelarius, Patriarch of Constantinople Saint Athanasius Patelarius, Patriarch of Constantinople, was already the second worker of the ecumenical throne of new Rome, who sought help from the beneficent Russian Church in the midst of the disasters that beset his see. But the first of them, Jeremiah, having established the patriarchate in Rus', was not deprived of his see when he wandered within our borders, although he was once subject to temporary deposition; Athanasius, more experienced in sorrows, three times ascended to the heights and descended from the heights of the ecumenical throne and, with only the loud title of patriarch, like a wanderer, visited the hospitable Russian state. Within Little Russia, which was his former flock, for at that time it still depended on the ecumenical high priests, he laid his laboring bones in the Lubenskaya monastery, where they became famous for their incorruption. Sitting even after death in his rich shrine, as if in a patriarchal cathedra, he appears to reverent eyes as if he had just fallen into a deep sleep. His head, overshadowed by the saint's miter, is bowed on his right shoulder, and his right hand is stretched out on his knees to kiss the believers, and in his left hand he holds his pastoral staff, as if he were still ruling the universal flock. So they buried him according to the rank and custom of the patriarch, and so he was found a few years later, awake and after a blessed death. The island of Candia on the Mediterranean Sea, ancient Crete, was the birthplace of Blessed Athanasius. He came from pious and noble parents who were able to give their son a high education, secular and spiritual. It is not known where the young ascetic was raised, but Candia, which was then under the dominion of the Venetians, flourished in trade and could have had ample funds for the education of its sons; Evidence of this can be found in Saint Athanasius, whom his contemporaries called a philosopher, philologist, poet and an excellent preacher, and the great Lucaris Cyril, also a Cretan, who served as patriarch of the See of Alexandria for fifteen years and the ecumenical See for fifteen years, during the most difficult era for the Greek Church, then overwhelmed by the machinations of the Jesuits, against whom Cyril courageously fought. He summoned from Candia to Constantinople, to preach the word of God, Patelarius, whom he knew, who was famous for his eloquence and had already achieved the degree of presbyter on his native island, due to his high virtues, enjoying the special favor of the local archpastor and the love of the people. The handwritten life of the saint, kept in the Lubenskaya monastery, even claims that Athanasius was elevated by general election to the throne of the metropolis of Crete and, through his beneficent influence before the Ottoman authorities, saved it from the fury of enemies during the conquest of the island; but this conquest took place much later. From modern church acts it is clear that Athanasius was appointed directly from the presbyters by Patriarch Kirill to the primary metropolis of Thessalonica. Patriarch Parthenius the Elder of Constantinople, although he was not disposed towards Athanasius Patelarius, wrote in his letter to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich dated August 12, 1643: “that during the time of the most holy and blessed Mr. Cyril, the old patriarch, a certain monk, named Athanasius, nicknamed Patelarius, came to Constantinople, from the island of Crete; the patriarch and bishops, seeing him poor and in need, received him with great mercy and love, and he was an adviser to the patriarch, as one with his country; a little time later, Cyril installed him as Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, instead of the Metropolitan of blessed memory, Mr. Paisius, who remained in the royal name in Russia.” The same fate awaited his successor Athanasius, who had settled down in hospitable Russia. If he was an adviser and fellow tribesman of Patriarch Cyril, as Parthenius himself claims, then, of course, he did not act against him in order to take over his department, although his short-term reign was unsuccessful. Athanasius himself, in his letter to the king dated August 24 of the same year, testifies about himself as follows: “that his brother bishops placed him on the universal throne, to help His Holiness the Most Blessed Cyril, in order to drive out the new Cyril of Verria, and after that they gave him the Thessalonica throne by council.” Consequently, one cannot believe the later complaints that Athanasius, through the mediation of the Jesuits, sought the Constantinople throne through intrigues. This is all the more likely because Patriarch Kirill himself, after his removal from the throne, wrote to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, without at all complaining about Athanasius: “that when Sultan Murat returned him from captivity from the island of Rhodes, after the deposition of Cyril of Verria, and ordered him to be in Constantinople, while he was traveling, they put someone else in the patriarchate, and when he arrived, everyone ran to him and they performed the appropriate honor, but he did not want to go to the patriarchal place until the bishops paid what they promised the Sultan. Then, by the grace of God and the royal mercy, we will continue to sit in the patriarchate; I would like to calm down in my old age, but the world doesn’t leave me.” All this is in accordance with the testimony of Athanasius, who was elected only to remove the unworthy Cyril and give time to the great Lucaris to return. That is probably why he spent so little time in his department, no more than 28 days. However, one cannot believe too much in the accusations of Patriarch Parthenius against Athanasius that he caused losses to the great Church in the amount of 50,000 efimki, since it is known that Cyril of Verria was the cause of this debt and the ruin of the church, promising up to 30,000 efimki to bribe the Turkish authorities, just to achieve the throne; perhaps it was necessary to use the same amount to overthrow him; in case of non-payment, the great Church was in danger. If the great Cyril himself, with all his many years of experience, renounced the throne solely because of these debts, then was it any wonder that the inexperienced Athanasius got entangled in them under such vague circumstances. In order to understand the difficult trials through which the militant Orthodox Church in the East went through throughout the 17th century, it is necessary to trace historically a number of its patriarchs, whose frequent deposition through the machinations of infidels shocked and ruined the ecumenical see of Constantinople. After the great Jeremiah, who founded the patriarchate in Russia and, although he was deposed, died in his cathedra, in 1594, continuous changes of ecumenical patriarchs began. Matthew, Gabriel and Theophanes occupied this chair for no more than six months, so that they finally elected the famous Patriarch of Alexandria Meletius Pigou as locum tenens of the ecumenical throne. A year later, Matthew again ascended the see, already invested with the schema, and again for a short time he gave up his throne to Neophytos, the former Metropolitan of Athens, but died, however, in his see. His successor Raphael, before his forced imprisonment, was forced to cede to the Turks the very patriarchal church in the name of the All-Blessed One and be content with the small church of St. Gregory. After him, Neophyte was called a second time and again deposed, so that no one dared to sit on the ecumenical see, overwhelmed by so many troubles. Then, following the previous example, the clergy of the great Church again offered the locum tenens position of the ecumenical see to another Patriarch of Alexandria, the wise Cyril Lukaris, who had already ruled his Church with glory for 15 years. Finally, Metropolitan Timothy of Patras was elected, who, during his eight-year fairly peaceful patriarchate, managed to expand and decorate his new cathedral church and, which was already becoming quite rare in those troubled times, died calmly in his cathedra. With the appointment of his successor, Kirill Lukaris, storms began again. This great figure was elevated five times and dethroned five times from the universal throne and finally sealed his feat with martyrdom. His enemies and persecutors were the Jesuits, who at that time were extremely strong under the Ottoman Porte; with the influence of the envoys of Austria and France, they sought to spread the union in the East and through their machinations they managed to take away the Holy Sepulcher and the Bethlehem den from the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophan; they could not indifferently see on the universal throne of the new Rome such a great champion of Orthodoxy as Cyril Lucaris, already known to them by his high enlightenment during his long reign of the flock of Alexandria. A year later, Cyril was slandered by them before the Turkish government for relations with Europeans and deprived of his throne, but his two successors, Gregory and Anthimus, could not stay on the shaky throne of Constantinople: the first was exiled to prison on the island of Rhodes, and the second arbitrarily retired to Mount Athos, not feeling able to hold the helm of the Church. Since at that time there were internal unrest in the empire, Sultan Mustafa was overthrown from the throne, and Murat reigned, Cyril’s friends, zealots of the church, took advantage of the favorable opportunity to elevate him again, in 1624, to the ecumenical see, and this time his patriarchate lasted 8 years. In order to maintain his position and counteract the machinations of the Jesuits and their powerful patrons, Cyril had no other means left than to resort to the patronage of two Protestant envoys, England and Holland, with whom he made a short acquaintance when he was still a simple monk traveling around Europe to collect alms in favor of the Alexandrian Church. Both envoys were on friendly terms with the Porte and opposed the Jesuits, who opened a school on the outskirts of Constantinople and, educating poor Greek children for free, seduced them into the union. The zealous patriarch denounced false teachers in his pastoral conversations and, in order to establish Orthodoxy, set up a printing house in Constantinople, calling for this the learned monk Gregory Metaxa from the island of Corfu; with his help he printed pious books to refute those seductive works that the Jesuits printed in abundance and distributed them to children still inexperienced in the Orthodox faith. Then the Jesuits slandered him before the government as a blasphemer of Mohammedan law and referred as evidence to the catechism of Patriarch Cyril, published by him during his stay in London, in which he exposed the false teaching of Mohammed; They also claimed that this book had recently been printed in a new printing house. The Turkish government, in a fit of indignation, sent to immediately ruin the printing house and destroy all the machines. Her chief, Metaxa, barely managed to escape with his life. The patriarch himself would not have escaped death if he had not taken refuge in time in the house of the Dutch ambassador, who stood up for the sufferer and convinced the grand vizier that all this was the slander of the Jesuits. Thus, the zealous Cyril retained his throne. But the Jesuits were not content with this; they accused the patriarch of having a Protestant way of thinking and tried to convince the simple-minded bishops and clergy of this. The rumor about this even reached Russia, so the Orthodox sent to the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophan, who then lived in Iasi, to find out whether this criticism was fair? and the patriarch had to convene a local council in order to justify the great champion of Orthodoxy with a district message. But two years later, through the machinations of the Jesuits, a book appeared under the name of Cyril, printed in Geneva, filled with Calvinist teaching. This completely shocked Saint Cyril in his pulpit and aroused great confusion in the clergy of the great Church. The patriarch was accused before the government of treason and of professing the Frankish faith. They forcibly deposed him from the throne and installed another Cyril, Contaris, Metropolitan of Verria, a tool of the Jesuits, who, however, a week later was deposed and exiled to prison on the island of Tenedos. Cyril was again called to the ecumenical see, but his enemies did not sleep and tried to again erect Contaris, very close to the place of his imprisonment. Then all the Orthodox and clergy, just to reject the second election of Kontaris, took advantage of the great vizier’s disposition towards his compatriot on the island of Candia, Athanasius, Metropolitan of Thessalonica, and elevated him to the ecumenical see, waiting for the great Cyril to return; and indeed, a month later he sat on it again on the eve of Easter. This was in 1643. Although Patriarch Parthenius subsequently wrote to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich: “that Athanasius, after his removal from the patriarchal see, was again given the metropolis of Thessalonica, with all the income, so that he would remain there peacefully until the end of his life and would not disturb the great Church, of which he made an oath promise and received a patriarchal conciliar letter as a witness,” - it is impossible, however, not to pay attention to the fact that in this way they were never removed from the ecumenical see were retired patriarchs: they were mostly imprisoned on the islands of the Archipelago or had to take refuge somewhere in a monastery in the vicinity of Constantinople or on Holy Mount Athos. If Athanasius escaped the common fate of those dethroned from the throne, and this was according to the conciliar charter of all the bishops, then, without a doubt, it was only because he was invited by all the bishops to take the place of the great Cyril, just to reject the unworthy Kontaris. The later writers who compiled the list of the Patriarchs of Constantinople did not know how to distinguish this feature and, knowing that the Jesuits were to blame for the repeated deposition of Cyril, they thought that they also put Athanasius Patelarius in his place, as they did with Contaris, especially since over the course of three years Patelarius and both Cyrils gradually replaced each other. A year after his fourth accession to the throne, the Patriarchal Great Cyril had to leave him again, and was exiled by his enemies to imprisonment on the island of Rhodes, and Athanasius was put in his place for the second time, who held the see for no more than a year and was forced to cede it to the same hostile Cyril Kontaris, who also exiled him to Rhodes, through the influence of his powerful patron Bayram Pasha, in 1635. If Athanasius was truly a tool of the Jesuits, then why would they depose him and raise Contaris again? But after a year and a half, with the fall Bayram Pasha, the unworthy Contaris, lost his throne and was exiled to the same island where, through his machinations, both of his predecessors, Lucaris and Patelarius, were imprisoned. Both of them were returned together from their exile, by order of Sultan Murat at the request of all the bishops and nobles of Constantinople, and since Athanasius was not present to take the place of Cyril before his return, Metropolitan Neophytos of Irakli was temporarily appointed to the patriarchal see, whom Cyril himself in a letter to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich calls his man and servant. Not earlier than a year later, when the financial affairs of the patriarchate had already somewhat settled down, upset by unpaid debts due to the frequent change of patriarchs (for in the course of fifteen years, from 1622 to 1637, four patriarchs were replaced 12 times), Neophytos ceded the department to his teacher Cyril, and Athanasius again received his former metropolitanate of Thessalonica. This testifies that he was on good terms with the patriarchs and all the bishops, without which, of course, he could not have returned to his metropolis; it was strengthened for him by a conciliar charter and the new Patriarch Parthenius the Elder, who assumed the department after the disastrous death of both Kirills. The enemies of Lucaris, who were vigilantly active after a year and a half of his last patriarchate, managed to incite Sultan Murat against him, presenting the great man of the Church as a traitor to the Ottoman Porte for supposedly secret relations with Russia. Cyril was forcibly deposed and imprisoned in a fortress near Constantinople; there he was strangled, and the sacred remains of the martyr were thrown into the sea, but the pious memory of him was preserved in the hearts of the Orthodox and his Orthodoxy was publicly justified at the councils of Yassy and Bethlehem. The Ecumenical Church honors him as one of its greatest ascetics. His insidious persecutor and unworthy successor, Contaris, soon suffered a well-deserved execution. He held the patriarchal throne for no more than a year. Hated by everyone for the overthrow of the memorable Cyril, he himself, in turn, was accused as a slanderer before the Sultan, who did not forgive him the death of Lucaris, sacrificed to satisfy his enemies. Contaris was deposed conciliarly and exiled to Chalcedon, opposite Constantinople, where he was also strangled by order of the Sultan. These two violent deaths, one after the other, of the two ecumenical patriarchs horrified the entire Eastern Church. Parthenius the Elder, one of the metropolitans of Adrianople, who was elevated to the orphaned see of Constantinople, wisely ruled the Church for five years, but he too was deprived of his see and exiled to the island of Cyprus, and after him, for seven years, two patriarchs, Parthenius the Younger and Ioannikios, gradually promoted and demoted, occupied the patriarchal see, until, in 1651, he was again appointed to it. Afanasy the third. Where was he during all this time, for fifteen years, from his return from the island of Rhodes until his last election to the patriarchal see? Without a doubt, for the most part in his diocese of Thessalonica, until the heavy debts that burdened it and the persecution of the Turks forced him to retire to Moldavia, where the powerful ruler Vasily Lupula then ruled, who was the patron of all the distressed patriarchs and did not spare his treasures to pay the debts of the Holy Sepulcher and the great Church of Constantinople. If he had not donated, at the request of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophan, 42,000 red rubles for the maintenance of the Holy Places, then they would have finally fallen into the hands of the Latins. But the influence of the powerful ruler was sometimes harmful in Constantinople, with the frequent change of patriarchs, because he did not always support those more worthy in this high see. On the way from Constantinople to his metropolis of Thessalonica, Saint Athanasius repeatedly visited the Holy Mount Athos, where he thought to retire forever out of his love for the ascetic life, but monastic silence did not await him. There, in the very center of the Holy Mountain, near its spiritual capital of Kareia, where there were living waters and well-dissolved air, in the best place of Athos, he founded a secluded cell for himself, which is still known as a Serai, or palace, probably because its founder was the patriarch. But the saint could not remain there in silence for long, because he was constantly distracted by concerns about his Thessalonica diocese. At least, he laid a good start for the future Russian monastery, without knowing it that his cell would eventually attract Russian workers from the land where he was destined to rest his toiling bones. A hundred years later, another exile of the ecumenical throne, Patriarch Seraphim, sought refuge in the peaceful shelter of Athanasius and splendidly decorated it, worthy of the loud name Seraya. But forced to flee from there during the Turkish War, under the great Catherine, he found his last refuge in the same peaceful monastery of Lubenskaya, where his predecessor Athanasius died. And a hundred years later, in the former cell of two ecumenical patriarchs, at the church of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the founder of the Byzantine see, a Russian monastery itself was established on the Holy Mountain, as if in reward for the hospitality that Russia bestowed on both patriarchs. Relations between Saint Athanasius and Russia began even before his patriarchate, soon after his appointment to the metropolitanate of Thessalonica. In 1631, he gave a letter of petition from himself to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, Bishop Cosmas, who lived on the Holy Mountain in the Iversky Monastery; He sent through him to the sovereign as a blessing a particle of the relics of St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, and myrrh from the holy Great Martyr Demetrius, begging him to help him in his distress and free him from his heavy debt. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril Lucaris, who favored Athanasius, also wrote to the king about granting alms to the Metropolitan of Thessalonica, whose metropolis, due to the inconstancy and fluctuations of times, fell into a heavy debt, more than 5,000 rubles, and pawned all the sacred vessels into wicked hands, so that due to these debts it was left without a shepherd. Since Athanasius decided in such a time to accept the rank of her metropolitan, sacrificing himself for the good of the Church, the zealous Patriarch Kirill convincingly asked the sovereign: “Do not leave, with your generous alms, the new shepherd and help free his distressed metropolis from the debts.” The same letter was written from the ecumenical archpastor and to the sovereign's father, Patriarch Filaret Nikitich; but this time, due to difficult circumstances of the state, little alms were given to Thessaloniki, only 30 rubles from the tsar and 15 from the patriarch; Thus, this embassy, ​​together Thessalonica and Athos, was not very successful. The second embassy from Saint Athanasius to the sovereign, in 1641, was also from Thessaloniki, after his second patriarchate. He wrote through Archimandrite Gregory of Russia of the Panteleimon Monastery: “(from July 9) ... that on the Holy Mountain they fell to the yoke of the wicked and godless Hagarians and lost their cities and wonderful churches, and therefore resorted to the source of mercy of the Tsar's Majesty, may he open his bowels to his wretched throne, as he does to all monasteries and churches.” For the sake of blessing, spiritual salvation and physical health, Athanasius sent with the archimandrite, under his red seal, the myrrh of the holy glorious great martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. For his part, Archimandrite Panteleimonovsky Gregory, in a petition submitted to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, expressed himself this way: “... that Metropolitan Athanasius of Thessaloniki, with his close people, ordered to beat the great sovereign with his forehead, that they have a debt of 10,000 efimki on their metropolis; and they have the relics of our holy father Gregory, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, who works many miracles. Wouldn’t it be the tsar’s will to bring these holy relics, the blessed hand, to Moscow for sanctification and healing and help to his great kingdom, with authentic evidence, and may your kingdom grant them all their royal salary, so that they can be freed from such a great debt.” However, for this reason, only one forty sables worth forty rubles were sent in alms to Thessaloniki. These relations through the elders of Athonite testify to what extent Saint Athanasius was close to the Holy Mountain, preparing his last refuge there in the Serai cell. In the penultimate year of the reign of Mikhail Feodorovich, his archimandrite Ignatius arrived in Moscow from St. Athanasius, the Solunsky Demetrius Monastery, already from Moldavia, for the elder could not hold on to the distressed See of Thessalonica any longer. On August 24, 1643, Athanasius wrote to the sovereign: “Great and unbearable troubles forced us, the great autocratic king, to go from country to country so that we could receive help and peace in old age, for my brothers bishops placed me on the universal throne to help the most blessed and holy old patriarch, Mr. Kirill, to drive out the new Cyril of Verria, and after they gave me the Thessalonica throne at the cathedral; but I cannot get peace from my overwhelming debts and endure many hardships, troubles and persecutions, and even imprisonment, threatening death. Unable to endure this any longer, I came with great hope to the pious and God-protected sovereign of Moldova, John Basil the governor, faithful adviser to your holy kingdom, to his extensive mercy. It would have been desirable for me to resort to the ineffable bounties of your kingdom, with great hope, so that I could receive liberation from my sorrows and from my weakness, but I was hindered; The pious sovereign who spoke beforehand did not give me permission to leave, but taught me and provided me with his letters and people, so that I would first send the venerable father of Archimandrite Mr. Ignatius to your holy kingdom. Open the bounty of your mercy, sovereign king, accept us, your ever-present poor pilgrims, and hasten with your mercy to help the most praiseworthy throne of Thessalonica, which is perishing to the end from the unfaithful Jews and Hagarians; redeem the sacred vessels and vestments from their hands; they keep them to desecrate the Christian faith. since your God-crowned and autocratic kingdom performs indescribable mercies every day, may this glorious throne of Thessalonica be established and made worthy of your Christ-loving grace; We have no other refuge before God. You, Tsar, are our helper and pillar of piety for all Orthodox Christians, and we all resort to you, as a father and comforter, in our sorrows; look upon us, holy king, because without your rich mercy and help it is not possible for me to return and be saved from destruction, and our metropolis will be ruined to the end from the burden of our debts, of which there are fifteen thousand efimki. Because of this debt, it was impossible for Mr. Paisius, Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, of blessed memory, to endure, and he fled to the treasure of your kingdom and rested with you. It will never be possible to pay off these debts, because the growth is great, unless the mercy of your kingdom hastens. Therefore, we wrote boldly, may you have mercy on us, sovereign king, and there will be a constant remembrance of the sovereign name of the royal in that holy metropolis, and the rewarder Lord will preserve your kingdom from every enemy and adversary, may you subdue your enemies with the footstool of your feet, and you will see the sons of your sons, and the fruit of your womb will inherit, in your deep old age, the highest throne of yours; May the Lord reward you with an unfading crown in His endless Kingdom and in joy, in the face of the blessed saints.” With the same archimandrite, the Moldavian governor Vasily also wrote to the sovereign about the truly disastrous state of the former Patriarch Athanasius. The priest of the Moldavian land, Gabriel, outlined this disastrous state in his letter: “...like the waves of the sea in past years, with the visitation of God, all sorts of troubles disturbed the great Church of Christ and destruction occurred, as your great kingdom knows, and among our bishops is this most holy lord Athanasius, wise in law, metropolitan of the holy metropolis Thessaloniki, protege and spiritual son of Mr. Kirill, of blessed memory, the old ecumenical patriarch, and his homeland is the same city. During the exile of the ancient and holy patriarch, when the new Cyril, the former of Verrite, deprived him of the throne without truth, then this Mr. Athanasius, at the council of his Eminence bishops, for the liberation of the old Patriarch Cyril, sat on the ecumenical throne of Constantinople, while they brought him from exile, and then again Saint Athanasius in Thessaloniki was conciliarly put to rest; but the troubles and torments and imprisonment that he suffered are impossible to describe, holy king, because for the sake of old debts and new ones they pawned church vestments and vessels in the wicked hands of the Hagarians and Jews; The metropolis remains locked up for a long time and perishes from a great debt, like a ship being sunk in the depths of the sea. Being in such indescribable poverty, I decided to resort to you, the Christian and Orthodox Tsar, for a quiet refuge and consolation, to a strong champion, so that he could free the holy and great throne of Thessalonica and get a little rest for himself. When he came here to the pious and Orthodox sovereign, Prince Vasily, the governor of the Moldavian land, the faithful ruler and adviser of your great kingdom, received him lovingly with great piety and honor, as befits not only for the sake of the dignity of the Patriarchal Throne, but also for the sake of his wisdom and other feelings: the Moldavian ruler helped him against his strength. In the Voloshskaya land, due to old age and labor on the road, the patriarch became ill and he could not come himself, but he sends his people to the rich mercy of your great kingdom, so that you may open your philanthropy and mercy to him; We pray that you will have mercy on this deceased bishop and you will be an assistant and intercessor to this high throne; for you do alms every day, and shine like the heavenly sun, and warm; now, according to your former royal merciful custom, perhaps these dead, holy king; The Almighty and Almighty God is the rewarder of kings and, just as your head is crowned with a royal crown, so in the next century your kingdom will be crowned with an unfading crown.” It is not clear from the deeds how much alms were given, but, without a doubt, such a convincing letter could not go unnoticed. In the very year of the death of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, the former Patriarch Afanasy sent another letter to the sovereign, dated February 24, 1654, which was brought to Moscow after the death of the royal Greek Afanasy Ivanov, along with two other letters from Patriarchs Parthenius of Constantinople and Nikephoros of Alexandria. “Sovereign and crowned and protected by God holy king,” wrote Athanasius, “I accepted the rich and great alms of your Christian kingdom, we always thank you to the death of our belly and pray to the rewarder God, that you may be healthy for many years and a conqueror, and reigning on your royal throne, in peaceful prosperity, and in the future kingdom you will be worthy of an unfading crown, with the faces of the righteous. We immediately gave the alms of your royal salary to our debtors to the holy metropolis of Thessalonica, and we commemorate the holy name of your kingdom and the pious Tsarevich Alexy Mikhailovich, your beloved son, and the pious queen and Grand Duchess Evdokia Lukyanovna publicly throughout our region (and under our region we have eight bishops), we commemorate incessantly day and night in holy prayers. Let your kingdom know that I am still here to this day, under the roof of the pious Christian sovereign, Prince Vasily the governor, a faithful and beloved friend of your sovereign kingdom, and it is impossible for me to go to my region because of the debtors of the Hagarians and Jews. Helper to all who ask, he has his treasure open, and his mercy is poured out to all the poor in abundance; Just as the Nile River waters the entire Egyptian land, so did this pious sovereign, paid the countless debts of the holy Life-Giver of the Sepulcher and is thinking of doing this great alms; from his pious hands I accepted the salary of your great kingdom and we pray that you do not forget us with your royal salary, just as you created a good beginning, so you will complete a good ending, because our debt is great. If there is the will of your kingdom, then you will remember us with the one who brings this letter of ours, Mr. Afanasy Ivanov, our beloved son of the Holy Spirit. He is a faithful servant of our kingdom, a good, reverent man, honest and worthy, and has a praiseworthy name in all countries and is beloved by all; with him may your kingdom grant us an answer. We dare, we pray and ask reverently, as our autocrat king, since I need everything and have been plundered by the bishop’s vestments, then we pray to your holy kingdom, may you grant us the bishop’s clothes and the sovereign’s cap, so that we can serve the Holy Liturgy in them and pray to the All-Good God for your royal long-term health and prosperity, victory and overcoming on enemies." Then Patriarch Athanasius reported some news to the sovereign about the Sultan’s ongoing campaign against Malta, and that he demanded an alliance from the Venetians through their agent in Constantinople, who refused, for which the Sultan was preparing a war against the Venetian island of Crete. The Sultan himself wants to go by land through Thessaloniki, and there he ordered a supply to be prepared. At the same time, he announced that a new Pope, Clement IX, had been appointed in Rome, who had made peace with the French king for thirty years. Signature of the letter: “Athanasius, by the grace of God, former ecumenical patriarch, and now rector of the holy metropolis of Thessalonica, constant prayer of God for your God-protected kingdom.” Saint Athanasius interceded not only for himself, but also for others. He wrote to the new Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in favor of Bishop Neophytos, who was traveling from the city of Cariopolis to Russia for alms in September 1645, testifying to his plight and begging: “May he receive him with a merciful eye and in a quiet manner, as a ruler and father to all; for the power of your autocracy has all the pious Christian people to their glory and praise, and your mercy gives drink to the offended and comforts the poor and distressed; May the holy king console this poor bishop as well, as bearing the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Once again, Patriarch Afanasy wrote to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in February 1646, through the Constantinople Greek Afanasy Ivanov and sent the sovereign a particle of the Life-Giving Tree and the relics of St. Anastasia the Pattern Maker, informing him at the same time about the war of the Turks on his native island of Crete. While the former patriarch lived peacefully in Moldova under the shadow of his magnanimous patron, Hospodar Vasily Lupula, his former see of Constantinople was in bitter poverty, and the sovereign was partly to blame for this, due to his personal hostility towards Patriarch Parthenius the Younger and his disposition towards his rival Ioannikios. Parthenius, having already been deposed once, was elevated a second time by a council of bishops to the place of Ioannikios, whom they disliked. The Voivode of Moldova could not forgive him for the fact that he was once among the ill-wishers of the great Patriarch Cyril Lukaris, and therefore tried by all means to depose him. But the executors of his will went too far; Not only did they slander Parthenius before the Sultan and deprive him of his throne, but those who were taking him into exile, from among the Turkish soldiers, painfully killed him in a boat and threw him into the sea. This terrified the entire clergy and Orthodox people in Constantinople; There was great unrest in the patriarchal court, one of the perpetrators of the murder was hanged on the gate by the irritated people, and even the cathedral church was sealed, which had never happened before in Constantinople. The murder of Parthenius happened on May 16, 1551. The former Patriarch Ioannikios was again elevated to the see immediately after his deposition Parthenia. The Turkish government, which took advantage of every opportunity to ruin the Church with heavy taxes and frequently changed patriarchs, did not leave Ioannikios alone. The Grand Vizier, who used his power for evil during the Sultan’s minority, slandered Ioannikios, allegedly concealing German spies, and put him in custody, despite the oath of six hundred priests and clerics who testified to his innocence. He sought that Metropolitan Kirill of Tarnovo be elevated to the patriarchal see, but since at that time there was a sudden change in the vizier himself, Patriarch Ioannikis was released from custody, but did not receive his see. It happened at this time that Saint Athanasius Patelarius came to Constantinople from Moldavia, probably due to the needs of his Thessalonica diocese, and perhaps the governor of Moldova, who himself was struck by the unexpected death of Patriarch Parthenius, hoped that the presence of Athanasius in Constantinople, as a friend of the great Cyril, would draw the attention of the bishops who hated Ioannikius to him. And so it was; everyone unanimously turned to Athanasius and fifteen years later, for the third and last time, they elevated him to the universal throne. However, the decrepit old man could sit for no more than seventeen days on the patriarchal see, shaken by so many storms, because he was unable to satisfy Turkish greed. He asked him to be released in peace to Moldavia and could not even retain the See of Thessalonica due to the same unrest and burdensome debts. An experienced and strong man, Paisiy, Metropolitan of Laria, was elevated to his place; Athanasius retired to Moldavia, under the shadow of the ruler Vasily, who gave him control, for a peaceful refuge, of the monastery of St. Nicholas near the city of Galati, but the thoughts and heart of the elderly Athanasius drew him to Russia, where he hoped to find help for himself and found his last peace. On April 16, 1653, the former patriarch of Constantinople Athanasius and with him his archimandrite Dionysius, cellarer Daniel, ecclesiarch Joasaph, archdeacon Christopher, the white patriarchal nephew Miron and, in addition, the treasurer, the clerk, the equestrian elder, the cell attendant and four patriarchal servants arrived in Moscow. At the same time, the Greeks from the Cretan Assumption Monastery, Archimandrite Neophytos with cellarer Gregory, and the city of Thessaloniki, St. Nicholas Monastery, Archimandrite Christopher with cellarer Theodore, and also from the city of Ioannina, from the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin, Archimandrite Dosifei with his cellarer, his nephew Balti, came to beat the sovereign with their foreheads. On April 22, the sovereign ordered Patriarch Athanasius, with all his retinue and the archimandrites who arrived with him at the same time, to be in his courtyard; The ceremony of the royal reception corresponded only partly to what was done three years earlier to the Patriarch of Jerusalem Paisius, according to the strict ceremonial of our court, for Paisius was an actual patriarch, while Athanasius, although of Constantinople, was the senior throne, but had already left his throne, and such people had never happened in Moscow. His bailiff Kuzmin, with a Greek translator, was sent for the patriarch, and the sovereign's horse with a not magnificent saddle was assigned for him, and the elders and archimandrites had to go on foot; the patriarch dismounted from his horse at the embassy courtyard and there waited for the royal exit, while the Jerusalem patriarch, who was traveling in a sleigh as a couple on the occasion of winter, went out much closer to the palace, to the locker of the Annunciation Cathedral and, without waiting at all, went to the king; he was greeted with three honorary meetings, while Athanasius had none. The Emperor received him in the dining room, in ordinary dress, and not in the royal attire on the throne, and not in the golden chamber, like in Jerusalem, and the boyars with him were not in gold, but in colored dress. Okolnichy presented Paisiy to the sovereign, and here only the Duma clerk Lopukhin, saying: “The Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of All Rus', autocrat and owner of many states, the former Patriarch of Constantinople Afanasy and other elders and Beltsy struck you, the great Sovereign, with their forehead.” Then he named the shrine brought to the sovereign: the image of the Savior in an ark, a carved wooden cross, the relics of the Evangelist Matthew, the holy chrism compiled by all four ecumenical patriarchs; from the archimandrites: Yaninsky - a carved cross, and from Crete - the relics of St. Alexius the Man of God. After this, the patriarch spoke, and the sovereign called him to his hand, asking him about salvation, very briefly and without any title: “Is Patriarch Athanasius saved?” The Emperor ordered the Patriarch to sit down and tell him his salary: a silver goblet with a gilded top, damask, two smooth satins, two forty sables and one hundred rubles of money. And there was also a difference in the gifts compared to those in Jerusalem. Two archimandrites received a damask, forty sables and 12 rubles each, and the cellarer and other elders were told what they would receive from the treasury in due time. The Patriarch of Jerusalem was escorted to the door by the sovereign and released to the cathedral church to listen to the Liturgy and meet with the patriarch; Athanasius was released directly to the courtyard, where food was sent to him from the royal table: consequently, the reception was given to him more according to the rank of metropolitans than the patriarchal one. The steward Zmiev was sent to Afanasy, at the Kirillovsky courtyard, with food and drink. He was ordered, if the Patriarch began to drink the sovereign’s cup and handed it to the steward, so that he would say: “The cup of the Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of All Rus', the autocrat, his royal majesty; God grant that he, the great sovereign, the pious king, with his pious queen and faithful princesses will be healthy for many years,” and whatever the Patriarch says about the sovereign’s salary or anything else, will report all this to the sovereign. In June, the patriarch and all his elders asked to go to Bogomolye in the Sergius Lavra and were sent there. There they were ordered to honor them and present gifts, following the example of how the Patriarch of Jerusalem was greeted. Patriarch Athanasius, at the procession of the cross to the Sretensky Monastery on June 23, personally asked the sovereign: that all of his hierarchal clothes - the omophorion, sakkos and miter - had become worn out from many years, and that the sovereign would grant him permission to renew his hierarchical clothes and enter the names of his royal parents into the synodik. Therefore, it was ordered to inquire in the embassy order: how much was given to the Patriarchs and Metropolitans for this subject, and it was ordered that Athanasius be given 200 rubles from Novgorod revenues for vestments and a miter and another 18 rubles in money when he was at the Novospasskaya monastery for the Divine Liturgy. The Patriarch submitted a petition of his own with the following content: “For your royal alms, for your long-term royal health, your pilgrim Athanasius, the former Patriarch of Constantinople, must forever pray to God and always remember your royal righteous parents, in the Voloshsky land, in the city of Galati, in the monastery of the great miracle worker St. Nicholas, until the end of the century, in all holy services, until I your pilgrim is alive. Merciful Sovereign, Tsar, Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich, Autocrat of all Rus', welcome me, your sovereign’s pilgrim, for your royal long-term health, with your royal grant with a gold seal, as the merciful Lord God will inform you, with your royal alms for food, so that I can send from my monastery to you, the righteous sovereign, his archimandrite every year, while I, your royal pilgrim, am found alive, and after my death from that monastery for your royal alms, the archimandrite was ordered to come in the third year; Yes, I, your pilgrim, ordered, sir, to print 500 letters of permission in my yard, because as I was traveling to you to Moscow through the army of Zaporozhye Cossacks, at that time, sir, many Cherkasy people came to confession and, according to their custom, asked me, your pilgrim, for a letter of permission, and at that time I had to send it to Kyiv There is no one to print permits, and when I, your pilgrim, go back from Moscow, those, sir, Zaporozhye Cossacks will begin to ask me, your pilgrim, for permits, and others will come again in spirit: Tsar Sovereign, have mercy, perhaps.” Below is the patriarch’s own signature in Greek: “former Athanasius of Constantinople, warmest and most vigilant prayer book of the most pious king.” According to this petition, a letter of grant was issued. On October 29, 1654, the sovereign and his entire royal family were at the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, in their courtyard above, at mass, and the former Constantinople Patriarch Athanasius served and the Greeks sang in the choirs. This was the work of Patriarch Nikon, who sought to introduce Greek church order and received a scroll of the Hierarchical Liturgy from Athanasius. After mass, the royal table was sent to the patriarch with steward Nechaev, and clerk Pyotr Arbenyev took from the queen and princesses 1,200 rubles in sables, which were taken from the Siberian order. Patriarch Afanasy submitted another petition to the Tsar: “Having heard about the ineffable sovereign mercy, he came to beat him with his forehead. Previously, at the request of bishops, priests and clergy and other Orthodox Christians, he was in the patriarchate in Constantinople and, seeing the wicked Hagarians' inconstancy and taxes, he left his patriarchal throne. After that, at the request of the bishops and clergy and other Orthodox Christians, he was again in Constantinople on the patriarchal throne and, not many days later, the Hagarians began to impose considerable taxes on him from the Sultan, on the vizier and on other close people; that he had his estate, distributed everything and the rest to the Basurmans, and borrowed more with great growth and, seeing their insatiability, called to him bishops and clergy and nobles of Orthodox Christians and gave up his patriarchal throne at the cathedral by his will, and now resides near the Danube, in the monastery of the wonderworker St. Nicholas; Why should the sovereign resort to anyone and have no one to help him with his debts, and therefore the sovereign would reward him, his pilgrim, with his royal salary, as God notifies him.” The sovereign ordered: to give out his salary for alms during the holidays, half as much as the Patriarch of Jerusalem Paisius, 2,000 sables, and his archimandrite and the elders were given a salary against the patriarchs of Jerusalem. Further, the patriarch asked: “... that he submitted a petition to the sovereign boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov, so that the sovereign would grant him a panagia for the Divine service, and he, looking at this panagia, would forever pray to God for the sovereign’s health”; he also asked for local icons for his monastery in Moldova: the image of the Almighty on the Throne, the Mother of God with the Eternal Child, the wonderworker Nicholas and Athanasius the Great, the Great Martyrs Demetrius and George and the Deesis with the 12 Apostles and 12 Feasts, which cost 50 rubles under an agreement with the icon painters; The sovereign graciously ordered on November 19 to give him this money to pay the icon painters. Finally, on December 12, the sovereign ordered Patriarch Athanasius to be in his courtyard with all the elders for a farewell vacation. A sleigh with a bailiff was sent for the patriarch, and he went out to the state courtyard, where he awaited the royal exit. This time the sovereign was in the golden chamber and with him the boyars were wearing fur coats; Deacon Almazov presented him to the sovereign and the entire rank was according to the initial reception. His salary was announced at 2,000 sables, as was said before. The archimandrite and all the elders were admitted to the royal hand, and the table was given to them in the courtyard. After the vacation, the patriarch submitted another petition to the sovereign: “I give thanks to your majesty for your royal salary; It would be proper, sir, to speak this orally to your royal majesty; Only I, your pilgrim, not understanding the Russian language, thank you with this letter, because I wandered here from the insult of the wicked Hagarians to your power, by my own will leaving my patriarchal throne from the Basurman insult and many taxes. And you, righteous sovereign, according to your royal consideration, looked upon me as a foreigner, and with your royal salary you fulfilled my need, and you granted me your royal salary letter, with your golden seal, to send to me, your pilgrim, every year, for the sake of my salary, throughout my life. Your royal mercy, like the sun, shines throughout the entire universe, not only over me alone, your pilgrim. Now you, sir, on earth have become the king of Orthodox Christians and a refuge, and the great lord, His Holiness Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, by the grace of God, the head of the Church and the correction of the present Orthodox Christian faith, to bring the verbal sheep of Christ into one flock, so that they may receive the Kingdom of Heaven and hear the voice of the Lord: Come, blessed of the Father Mine, inherit the Kingdom of Heaven with Me from time immemorial (Matthew 25:34); to the shepherd, sir, the voice of the Lord: “good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.” And I, your pilgrim, for your royal ineffable salary to me, helpless, must forever pray to the Lord God for your long-term health and the subjugation of enemies visible and invisible to your foot, and to proclaim your royal nobility to the entire Greek family, because you, the great sovereign, have grace from God to the strange and the poor, and the poor and oppressed, and from your royal You create countless treasures of help, as much as the philanthropic God has bestowed upon Your Majesty; the hungry come running to you to be fed, and the thirsty as to a spring of water: so we, the poor, by the will of God for our sin, have lost our sovereigns, the Greek holders, and now we live under the region of the infidel; only we have a strong pillar and confirmation of faith and a helper in troubles, you, the great sovereign, are our refuge and liberation. And for my brother, sir, and co-servant, the great lord, His Holiness Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, to consecrate the cathedral Apostolic Church of Sophia of the Wisdom of God! Dear Sir! Have mercy on me, your pilgrim: order me to accept the notebook that I will bring you, so that you know about everything, and I, a foreigner, will not have time to speak verbally before your royal majesty, and I dare to ask you for mercy, since you became a contributor to the monastery of the wonderworker St. Nicholas, for you deigned to make church clothes from your royal treasury, and the blessed empress queen bestowed church vessels and a censer, and you, perhaps, perform your royal favor and order to give your royal salary, a silver cup for the consecration of holy water and an honest life-giving cross; Yes, in the same church, 3,000 sheets of gold are needed for the wall painting, and we have the paints ready, and how the Lord favors you, the great sovereign, for the whole Greek land was established by you and with the blessing of the great lord, His Holiness Patriarch Nikon. Tsar Sovereign, have mercy.” Below is the signature in Greek. According to this petition, it was ordered to make two vestments, first of damask, then of golden satin. In the last days of December, Patriarch Afanasy was released from Moscow, and, at his request, it was ordered that he be given food for the journey, along with all the elders, for two weeks, as much as they gave him in Moscow. But the patriarch did not reach his monastery in Galati and, caught on the way by illness, stopped at the Lubenskaya monastery. This monastery, in the blessed borders of Little Russia, was built shortly before the arrival of Saint Athanasius, in 1619, with the blessing of Bishop Isaiah of Przemysl, his co-named abbot of Gustinsky, at the expense of Princess Raina Koributova, née Princess Vishnevetskaya, who was married to the ruler, or headman, of the region of Ovruch and, due to its Orthodox origin, it especially patronized the Orthodox. The Church in the name of the Transfiguration was at that time still wooden and rather poor due to the modest beginnings of the holy monastery; only forty years later, through the diligence of Hetman Samoilovich, the current magnificent church was put in its place, which flaunts on the top of a wooded mountain, known as Favor of Mgar, after the name of the nearest village, for it just as high dominates the surrounding valleys, where the beautiful Sula River meanders between the groves. The time of Saint Athanasius' stay at the Lubenskaya monastery was very short, for not earlier than February he reached it on his way back from Moscow, probably already exhausted from the long winter wandering, which was burdensome for his senile strength. Perhaps he wanted to wait for spring here and celebrate Easter, but the Lord called him to Himself for Eternal Easter after a difficult feat on April 5, 1654. Anticipating the approach of his death, Saint Athanasius drew up a short spiritual testament, in which he distributed part of the royal alms he brought to various churches and monasteries of Greece and Volosh, leaving a certain part to the Lubensky monastery as a pledge of his gratitude for the hospitality it showed. Even during his passage through Chigirin, he sent 8,000 thalers of royal alms to Iasi in advance, for greater security, through the Greek merchants Zot and his grandson Ivan, taking a receipt from them, with the testimony of two of his relatives, Archimandrite Dionysius and Hieromonk Neophytos, who were supposed to present this receipt to the three primary abbots of Iasi: the cathedral church of the saint Paraskeva and the two monasteries of Archangel Michael and St. Nicholas, in order to receive the money sent from them. From this amount, the saint’s executors were to send 3,000 thalers to Mount Sinai, 300 to the holy city of Jerusalem and 300 to the monastery of the holy martyr Anastasia, located in his diocese of Thessaloniki, and 1,600 thalers were distributed to the 20 great monasteries of Holy Mount Athos. None of the relatives were forgotten by the dying before his exodus. He assigned 1,000 thalers to his two nephews, the monk Jeremiah and Anthony, and 100 to the one who delivered them; 100 thalers were received by the four ministers who were with him, the same amount by Hieromonk Neophytos, and 80 by Archdeacon Christopher; but Archimandrite Dionysius was not refused money for some unknown reason. Of the thousand four hundred thalers that were available, he ordered one hundred to be used for his burial, and three hundred for forty and eternal remembrance for the repose of his soul. Saint Athanasius ordered his executors, the archimandrite and the hieromonk, to take the royal letter of grant, or chrisovulla, written on scarlet satin, with a gold seal, weighing one hundred ducats, to take it to Galati, to his monastery of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. They were supposed to deliver to Mount Sinai, out of his special respect for this desert monastery, which he probably visited in his youth, part of the sacred utensils that were with him: a scarlet sakkos with a miter, panagia and full vestments of the bishop and silver vessels with a cross and a censer; Archbishop Joseph of Sinai received a sable fur coat and a satin cassock; another fur coat, covered with black cloth, was left by the saint as a souvenir to the abbot of the Lubensky monastery - Petronius, and other cell clothes to Archimandrite Dionysius and Hieromonk Neophytos; He bequeathed his cart with four horses to the abbot of Yassy, ​​the cathedral church of St. Paraskeva. In conclusion, he begged that his will not be violated either by the Greek or Russian spiritual authorities, who were under the power of the hetman and the flock of Metropolitan Sylvester of Kyiv, and that no one would disturb his faithful servants for the sake of his inheritance. Therefore, in addition to Abbot Petronius, the saint’s will was sealed with their own hands: Voit Lubensky, the mayor, the local clerk and the tenant. Local legend says that Saint Athanasius, sitting on a high place while reading the Gospel, betrayed his soul to the heavenly Chief Shepherd; but such a legend is probably based on the fact that the deceased saint was buried sitting, according to the ancient custom of the Eastern patriarchs. The abbot of the Lubenskaya monastery, Petronius Levkovich, performed his burial and lowered the saint into the crypt under the pulpit of the wooden Church of the Transfiguration. They show a secluded hill near the monastery, where, according to legend, St. Athanasius loved to come to pray, and this hill is still considered a saintly hill; but due to his painful condition, he could hardly take a short walk in winter. It is closer to attribute the frequent prayerful visit to this hill to another Patriarch of Constantinople, Seraphim, who spent several years in the solitude of the Lubenskaya monastery. No more than ten years passed after the blessed death of Athanasius before his relics were found incorrupt. The Metropolitan of Gaza, Paisius Ligarid, visited the monastery of Lubenskaya and announced to Abbot Victor the revelation that had happened to him on the way, how Saint Athanasius himself appeared to him and revealed about his relics resting under the cathedral pulpit. Indeed, the holy relics were found incorruptible, and the metropolitan, after conferring with the abbot and the brethren, reported about the precious treasure hidden in the bowels of the earth to Joseph of Tukalsky, who was then sitting at the see of the Kiev Metropolis, who ruled the diocese of southern Russia as an independent exarch of the patriarchal region of Constantinople. With his conciliar permission, Metropolitan Paisius, together with the brethren of the Lubenskaya monastery, brought out the relics of St. Athanasius from under the bushel and placed them on the right side of the cathedral, February 1, 1662; The memory of the saint was established to be celebrated on May 2, on the day of remembrance of the great Patriarch of Alexandria of the same name. The relics of St. Athanasius were repeatedly transferred from place to place on the occasion of the construction or renovation of the Lubensky Church, where they rest. When in 1684, the pious hetman of the Zaporozhye army of both banks of the Dnieper, Ivan Samoilovich, began, at the request of Lubensky abbot Macarius, to lay the foundation of a new magnificent Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the relics of the saint were transferred under the bell tower, to the small church of the Great Martyr George, and remained there until the consecration of the cathedral in May 1692. Metropolitan of Kiev Varlaam Yasinsky, whose church region no longer depended on the ecumenical patriarchs, but directly on the All-Russian Patriarch, himself consecrated the church and with great triumph transferred the incorrupt relics of the seated saint into it, placing them under the arch on the right side. When the vaults of this church accidentally fell in 1728, then, with the blessing of another Varlaam - Vanatovich - also the Metropolitan of Kiev, they again touched the holy relics and transferred them to the wooden Church of the Archangel Michael, which is above the holy gates, and again during the terrible fire that happened in 1736, for the sake of safety they transferred the relics of the saint from wooden to stone the refectory Church of the Annunciation, where they remained until the complete renovation of the cathedral church in 1743. Then Metropolitan Timothy of Kiev, who was later of Moscow, solemnly moved them, on the 26th day of August, and placed them on the left side, behind the choir, at the pillar, opposite the miraculous icon of the Lubenskaya Mother of God, which is located at the right pillar. There was also a fire in 1773, on the very day of the church holiday, which threatened to completely destroy the monastery. The frightened brethren carried the relics of the saint, already without a reliquary, on one carpet, with the hands of priests, into the nearest garden on the eastern side, and there they remained for two days, with the reading of the Holy Gospel incessantly before them, with candles lit around them and smoking incense, and on the third day, when the danger had completely passed, Abbot Paisius collectively brought them back into the church, in their surviving reliquary, which was later replaced by a more precious one. During the double fires that devastated the Lubenskaya monastery, in 1736 and 1785, the monastic records of the miracles that took place during the discovery and transfer of the relics of St. Athanasius were destroyed. But zeal for his blessed memory did not wane throughout southern Russia, and every year numerous pilgrims flock to the monastery on May 2, the day of St. Athanasius. Among the newest signs recorded, on May 25, 1813, was the healing of Princess Volkonskaya, who came from Moscow, who, after a long-term serious illness, was brought to the church and laid on the carpet next to the relics of the saint, where she listened to the Liturgy and prayer service, and in the same way was taken to the hotel. That same evening, as soon as she heard the gospel for Vespers, she rose from her sick bed and, to the general amazement of all the pilgrims, came to the church of her own accord. She announced to Samuel, who later became abbot, and the rest of the brethren that she was convinced to go to Lubny by a threefold command that she heard in a dream; she even imagined a monastery in the forest, on the top of a mountain, and sitting in it was a saint, whose name was then known to great Russia. When she heard about him from her relatives, the Vasilchikovs and Tatishchevs, she hurried to the monastery, despite her old age and weakness, and received the desired healing. The next year there was another healing for the saint’s cancer, but this time it was more moral than physical. A man who had given himself over to all his passions from his youth and had almost reached the point of mental insanity, finally felt the need for repentance and decided to go on a pilgrimage to Kyiv. On the way, he and his brother went to Lubny and there, during the Liturgy, which he had previously been unable to listen to due to mental illness, he turned prayerfully to Saint Athanasius, and his mental illness was suddenly healed; Having fallen to the relics of the saint, he kissed them with tears of repentance, and at that moment he imagined that the saint himself was sitting before him, as if alive, and his face was like the face of an Angel of God. In the near future, the noble wife Elizaveta Tolstaya, who lived in Orel, was already at the door of the tomb from a nervous fever, and accidentally received from her relatives an icon of St. Athanasius. As soon as they brought this icon into her house, she fell into a deep sleep and immediately after the prayer she felt relief. There were several other cases of healings of eminent and simple people to whom the saint appeared, calling them to his monastery and promising help there. Even in distant Siberia, he once appeared to barren spouses who were grieving over the lack of children, and consoled them with the promise that their infertility would soon be resolved. They also brought the baby given to them to the monastery, through the prayer of the saint. A Kharkov native, soldier Maria, who had suffered from blindness for three years, was brought by relatives to the monastery of the saint of God Athanasius, and there at the Liturgy, on April 18, 1844, during the Cherubic Song, she suddenly received her sight in one eye, so that she could light a candle in front of the shrine and venerate the relics of the saint who healed her. Three more healings, at a distance of several years, performed on the same person, the merchant daughter of the city of Poltava, Euphrosyne, in her marriage to Velbasova, testify to the never-ending help of Saint Athanasius, when they resort to him in prayer; they were certified in writing at the monastery by the relatives of the healed woman. While still a girl, in 1829, she suffered from deafness and on the feast of the Kazan Mother of God she saw St. Athanasius sitting in a dream. In the morning, while performing a prayer service to the saint of God, she felt as if someone had laid hands on her, and at that very moment, in the presence of her joyful mother, her deafness passed. A year later, suffering from a nervous fever, she was brought to the Lubenskaya monastery and, approaching it, felt extraordinary joy. After Matins, during the prayer service, it seemed to her as if something hard had come off in her chest, and after that the suffocating cough stopped, and the illness completely left her. Seven years later, being already married, she again suffered from nervous attacks, even to the point of fainting, and one day in a sleepy vision she saw Saint Athanasius in front of her, who, through her prayer, took off his miter and touched the sick woman, commanding her to stand up and glorify God. With these words, she came to her senses and after a few days completely recovered. Many such comforting manifestations of God's mercy, through His saint Athanasius, have been preserved in the memory of the Lubenskaya monastery, and they are more often performed with a large gathering of people, which occurs annually on May 2; for this monastery celebrates the feast of its patron not on the day of his blessed death, April 5, but on the day of his Angel, the great Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria. The zeal of the citizens of Poltava built a magnificent silver shrine for the saint, weighing 4 pounds, and his holy relics were transferred with great triumph to this shrine on May 2, 1819 by the reverent Bishop of Poltava Methodius and the rector of the Lubenskaya monastery Kirill. They are placed in the same place behind the choir, between the pillars, under the shadow of the chapel of St. Nicholas, which is built in the church choir. Thus, the miracle worker of Lubensky, sitting high on his patriarchal cathedra, from which he bestows healing on those who come to his protection, himself, as it were, rests under the roof of another great saint of God, the miracle worker of Myra, from whose peaceful monastery, in the land of Moldova, he came to seek his final refuge in the hospitable and same-faith land of Russia (Extracted from the brochure: “The Life of St. Athanasius”). Transfer of the relics of the holy princes Boris and Gleb For life and death, see July 24th. Their holy relics were transferred to the newly built church in Vyshgorod in 1072, and then in Vyshgorod to a stone church, built instead of a wooden one, in 1115. May 2nd. This day is celebrated with particular solemnity in Pereyaslavl Poltava, where there is a religious procession to the site of the murder of St. Boris: a church was built here in 1839, and before that there was a chapel, the oldest mention of which dates back to 1073. Celebration in honor of the Putivl-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God This holy icon appeared in the city of Putivl at the former St. Nicholas Gate on May 2, 1635 at one o'clock in the afternoon. This phenomenon is recorded on the icon case. Located in the Putivl Monastery 722. Day four. Memory of the venerable Alfanov brothers Nikita, Cyril, Nicephorus, Clement and Isaac They were posadniks and died in the 15th century. Previously, their relics rested in the Sokolnitsky Monastery, which they founded, but after the fire of 1775 they were transferred to the monastery of St. Anthony the Roman. For information about them, see June 17th. Day five. Memory of the Monk Micah, disciple of Sergiev The Monk Micah lived in the same cell with the Monk Sergius; under the guidance of the great ascetic he ascended to a high degree of spiritual perfection. The pure in heart will see God (see: Matt. 5:8). The meek soul of Sergiev's cell attendant was purified by obedience and tears and began to contemplate the inhabitants of heaven on earth. The extent of his participation in contemplating the appearance of the Mother of God to the great mentor also shows the extent of his improvement in spiritual life. Once Saint Sergius, having completed the rule of prayer, sat down to rest for a while, but suddenly said to his disciple Micah: “Watch, child, we will have a wonderful visitation.” He had barely uttered these words when a voice was heard: “The Most Pure One is coming.” Suddenly there was a light brighter than the sun. After the removal of the Mother of God, Sergius found Micah motionless: from fear he lay as if dead. Sergius picked him up, and he asked: “Tell me, father, what is this wonderful vision? My soul was almost separated from my body from horror.” Serius could not speak for joy. “Be patient a little,” he said, “until my spirit calms down.” So, the great mentor freely saw the Heavenly Queen and heard her words; and the disciple was struck with horror, did not see everything, but saw the light of heaven. According to the handwritten calendar, “Reverend Father Micah, cell attendant and disciple of Saint Serius the Wonderworker, reposed in the summer of 6893 (1385) May on the 6th day,” therefore, 6 years before the death of his mentor. His relics rest hidden in a church built over the place of his burial, in honor of the appearance of the Mother of God to the Monks Sergius and Micah 723. Memory of the locally revered Blessed Theodosia, mother of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky In the Novgorod Yuryev Monastery, near the southern wall of the cathedral, level with the right choir, there is a tomb on which is placed a white marble slab with the inscription: “On the 5th of May 1244, in the summer of 1244, in Veliky Novgorod, the blessed Grand Duchess Theodosia, the most honest wife of Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, rested in the Lord, with him Live reverently and please God, from him beget the holy noble princes Theodore and Alexander Nevsky and seven other sons, and at the end of her life she took on the monastic image, and in it the name Euphrosyne was given to her; It was laid down in the monastery of Saint George next to his son, the holy noble prince Theodore, in this place in a stone coffin.” Repose of Venerable Adrian of Monza Adrian's homeland, in the world of Amos, was Kostroma. His parents wanted him to marry, and even found him a bride. But this was not what Amos wanted and he became ill. In his illness, he saw a lonely church between two rivers, and he heard a voice: “Here is your place.” Having recovered from his illness, Amos secretly left his parents’ house for the Tolgsky monastery and took monastic vows in the Gennadian Monastery with the name Adrian. He lived here for several years; then he lived on Kamenny Island in the Spasskaya Monastery and in Pavlova’s Obnorskaya Hermitage. The thought of finding the church he had seen between two rivers did not leave him. In the Pavlova Hermitage, Elder Paphnutius fell in love with him, and Adrian told him his old vision. One evening, after the rule, Paphnutius lay down to rest. An unknown man appears to him and says: “Send your friend Adrian to the east; the place is no further than 50 miles from here; there he will see the reverend man.” Paphnutius asked: “Who is he and how does he know that place?” The unknown person answered: “That place is not assigned to you.” Paphnutius told Hadrian about this. Adrian, according to the story of the elderly priest Euplus, found a deserted church in a remote place, the same one that appeared to him in a vision. He returned to Paphnutius with joy, and they agreed to live there together. But unexpectedly, the royal decree demanded Paphnutius to Moscow, where he (1595) was made archimandrite of the Chudov Monastery. Adrian remained at the church with three monks. The place was the most deserted, quiet and pleasant. But there was also an inconvenience: hollow water was washing away the shore and there was a danger that it would undermine the church. One elder told Adrian that the former abbot also wanted to move the church from a dangerous place to another, and pointed out that place. Adrian and the brothers decided to move to that place. But an unknown man appeared and said: “Don’t worry about the place; a place has been appointed for you on the banks of the Monza River; you will know about it after the healing of two sick people.” According to these instructions, Adrian moved the church and monastery to the banks of the Monza River; it is 35 versts from Galich and 20 from Kostroma, at the confluence of the Monza and the Kostroma River. Here Adrian enjoyed for one year the instructions and example of the life of the Monk Ferapont. They got their food by farming, and the builder Adrian was the first to work. During the terrible famine of 1601, the Adrianov monastery inexhaustibly fed those suffering from hunger. Taught by the example of the desert workers in those days, they said: “Incredible bread is not hunger, and a long shirt is not nakedness.” But in 1601 the grain was killed by the summer frost, and whole thousands died of hunger. The Monk Adrian, according to the instructions of his wonderful mentor Ferapont, filled the monastery granaries with bread before the time of famine, and during the general disaster, with complete love, he helped the suffering poor. Then the Lithuanians attacked the deserted monastery and left a fire in the middle of it, with the malicious intention of destroying it; but the monks who retired found the monastery intact. Blessed Adrian died on May 5, 1619. According to the handwritten calendar, he is called a miracle worker. His relics rest in the Annunciation Church of his monastery, abolished in 1764 724. Day seven. Repose of St. Anthony of Pechersk St. Anthony is the father of Russian monasticism, the educator of that strong Christian spirit, without which outward monasticism easily appears and easily disappears, and with which monastic institutions remain intact despite the upheavals of time. Blessed Simon and Polycarp at one time (at the beginning of the 13th century) read the “Life of St. Anthony,” a lengthy and detailed one, which, although briefly, also spoke about his disciples 725 . Unfortunately, this precious description has not reached us. It remains for us to restore the image of the wondrous ascetic based on fragmentary information from antiquity, and moreover, carefully. Anthony, in the world Antipas, was born in the town of Lyubeche, 40 versts from Chernigov 726. The cave in which young Antipas tested his strength for the great feats of monasticism 727 is still visible here. God put on his mind, says the Monk Nestor, the desire to wander, and while wandering he reached the Holy Mountain (Athos). Here he examined many wonderful monasteries and, desiring to be clothed in black vestments, begged the abbot of one of the monasteries to tonsure him; he placed a monastic image on him, calling him Anthony, and taught him the monastic rite 728. The glory of the wondrous exploits of Athanasius of Athos, who was still alive in 997 729, attracted not only ordinary people to Athos, but many from hierarchical departments, even from distant countries. The Monk Athanasius introduced a hostel 730 in his monastery. But most of the Athonite ascetics lived as hermits, sometimes in twos and threes together, sometimes completely alone. Thus, under the Athos type of the 10th century we see the signatures of 50 abbots 731. The crowds of the Lavra were not to Antony’s liking; he sought silent silence. According to information from Athonite, he chose the coastal cliff of Esphigmen, and his spiritual elder was Theoktist, abbot of the Esphigmen monastery, which flaunts in sight of the rock. The abbot blessed him to asceticize in his favorite cave, all the more willingly because Anthony, by his proximity, could have frequent communication with the elder 732. At the very base of Mount Athos in the 10th century we already see a Bulgarian settlement 733. Since the beginning of the 10th century, Athos has been both a shelter and a breeding ground for monasticism in the Slavic lands 734. So the prudent abbot Theoktist, after he saw Anthony strengthened in monastic life, said to him: “Antony! Go to Russia, may you be there for the benefit of others, a blessing from the Holy Mountain.” Anthony obeyed. Arriving in Kyiv, he looked for a place where he could live, as he lived on Athos. The Varangian cave seemed convenient for silence. Mountain Berestovaya “due to its sheer, almost cut off, height from the side of the river seemed impregnable. On it, in the caves, the Varangians had their hangout, robbing the Dnieper.” Anthony chose the cave of villains for the exploits of saints. This was in 1013 735. But the bloodshed and unrest that followed the death of Vladimir forced Anthony to retire again to Athos, and he labored there for several more years 736. Then the abbot repeated to him the previous spiritual advice. He now found silence in Kyiv. This was in 1028 737. The Monk Anthony did not change his chosen path; even now he wanted to live as a hermit. He fell in love with the silent Dnieper Hill, where the pious Hilarion, later Metropolitan, retired. Calling upon God's blessing with warm prayer, he dug himself a cave at the bottom of the hill and began to live in it 738. In the depths of his humble soul, Anthony remained even now only the spiritual son of Mount Athos and worked on himself for his eternity. To his consolation, his cave was far from human eyes. Berestovsky Hill was then covered with dense, dense forest. And, however, people learned about the wondrous caveman and began to come to him. He did not want to shine for others, but his life shone, and with what light! Anthony lived for the Lord alone; and for whom should people live? He spent his time in prayer, labor and deeds, giving himself no rest either day or night; dry bread, and then every other day, was his food; Plain water, and that in moderation, is his drink. What complete love for the Lord! What a sacrifice of oneself for Him! They came to the wondrous ascetic and were revived for a better life. Some brought him what was necessary for life, out of a feeling of good love, and received a blessing for their home; and some decided to live with him. Nikon, according to Nestor’s legend, appears in the cave already in the rank of hieromonk; according to the news of him and others, we see here before 1045 Moses, Leontius, Hilarion, Theodosius 739. “Antony of Kiev,” says Nestor, “became famous as the great Anthony of Egypt!” - and this was still under Yaroslav. Grand Duke Izyaslav, as soon as he ascended the throne, came (1054) and with his retinue to ask for Anthony’s prayers in his cave 740. Anthony shone with the light of his deeds, but maintained deep humility. Out of humility, he did not accept the priesthood. For the tonsure of two courtiers - Varlaam and Ephraim - Izyaslav initiated persecution against the Antoniev cave, and Anthony was ready to leave Kyiv with his disciples without response. The princely youth came running and informed the prince about this. Izyaslav’s wife, a Polish princess by birth, persuaded the prince to leave the monks alone. “For some reason,” she said, “the monks were expelled, and a lot of troubles came out of it in our Polish side.” Izyaslav ordered the departing monks to be brought back, and Anthony remained, also submissive and humble 741. The number of the cave brethren increased to 15, and with the blessing of Anthony, they built a church with a meal in the cave. For a lover of solitude, such a society already seemed very crowded. He said to the brethren: “God has gathered you, brethren, and the blessing of the Holy Mountain rests over you, given to me by the abbot who tonsured me, and from me passed on to you. Now live on your own, I will appoint an abbot for you, but I myself want to go to another mountain to live alone, as I have been accustomed to for a long time.” Having appointed Varlaam as abbot, he himself, at a distance of 100 fathoms from the previous cave, dug himself a new cave, the one that is still called Antonieva, or the near one. His humility did not want to bear the title of abbot; he transferred power to others. But retiring in a new cave, he did not cease to be a great father and mentor for everyone, according to the consciousness of the brethren. On special occasions, the abbot and the brethren turned to Anthony for instructions, and his love did not refuse to give advice and help. So he not only approved (1057) the reasoning of the brethren about the need to build a monastery on the mountain, but sent an offer on his behalf to the Grand Duke: “My Prince! God is multiplying the brethren, but our place is cramped: won’t you give us that mountain that is above the cave?” And the Grand Duke fulfilled the humble request of the great ascetic. In the same way, Anthony himself appointed Theodosius as Varlaam's successor 742. His love for sincere ascetics extended to the point that he himself brought food every day to Isaac, who was imprisoned in seclusion, and this lasted 7 years 743. His spirit constantly remained with the brothers, and his strong prayers brought down heavenly grace onto their hearts, growing and strengthening them in spiritual life. With his invisible help, the number of brethren of Abbot Theodosius increased and the monastery visibly grew. The Monk Nestor rightly said: “Many monasteries were established by kings, boyars, wealth: but they are not like those established by tears, fasting, prayer, vigil; Anthony had neither gold nor silver, but through tears and fasting he acquired a lot." 744 The exhaustion of the body by fasting, the cleansing of the spirit by prayer and the thought of God, elevated Anthony’s spirit to such an extent that in him there was not only the spirit of advice and wisdom, but the spirit of miracles and extraordinary revelations. The sick received healing by taking simple food from Anthony 745. In 1067, the Cumans invaded Russia. Princes Izyaslav, Svyatoslav and Vsevolod decided to fight them on the Alta River and came to Anthony for a blessing. Anthony with tears predicted an unhappy battle for them. Frightened by this, the military leader “Simon, falling at the feet of the elder, prayed for his salvation. The blessed one said to him: “My son, many will fall from a sharp sword, pursued by enemies; you will be crushed, wounded, drowned in water; but you will remain alive and will be laid in the church that will be built here.” The words of the great Anthony were fulfilled in all accuracy. The princes suffered a strong defeat at Alta. “Wounded Simon lay among the dead. Raising his gaze to the sky, he saw a great church. “Lord,” he said. “Deliver me from this bitter death, through the prayers of Your Mother and the Monks Anthony and Theodosius” - And suddenly some force snatched him from among the dead, and he was healed immediately” 746. Then came the temptation for the saint. As a result of the unfortunate battle on Alta, the people of Kiev, dissatisfied with Grand Duke Izyaslav, forced him to flee to Poland, and Vseslav, whom Izyaslav kept imprisoned despite his oath, was elevated to the throne. After 7 months, Izyaslav regained Kyiv and began to be angry with Anthony “for Vseslav”; if Anthony received the former prisoner Vseslav, then of course only in the spirit of holy love; but Izyaslav considered this an insult to himself and rebelled with anger at Anthony. Hearing about the displeasure against Anthony, the Chernigov prince Svyatoslav sent for the Lyubchanin Anthony and took him to the Chernigov Eletsky Monastery, shortly before founded on the site of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God on a fir tree 747. A friend of solitude especially liked Boldin Mountain, covered with forest, and he dug a cave for himself in it; Prince Svyatoslav, according to his will, built a church of the prophet Elijah near the cave, and with the blessing of Anthony, monks soon gathered here 748. Thus, the humble Anthony turned the persecution against him into the glory of God. Izyaslav, who respected Anthony in his soul, soon felt that he had sinned before the man of God, carelessly carried away by the movement of angry pride. He sent to beg Anthony to return to Kyiv, and Anthony returned to the cave in which he lived before retiring to Chernigov 749. For Anthony, earthly humiliation was followed by heavenly glory. Four architects came from Constantinople to the Pechersk monastery and asked: “Where to build a church?” "What does it mean? Who sent you? - they were asked. The Greeks said the following: “Each of us was in his own house, and a messenger came to each of us early in the morning and said: “The queen is calling you to Blachernae.” We appeared and saw the Queen surrounded by her retinue. “I want to build a church for myself in Russia, in Kyiv; take money for three years and go build it,” the Queen told us. We asked: to whom will we go, in the unknown direction? “Here to them - to Anthony and Theodosius, who will appear there,” said the Queen, pointing to the two standing near Her. Why do we need so much money? we suggested. The queen answered: “This Anthony will only bless you for your work, he will retire to eternal rest; Theodosius will follow him next year. So, take more money. However, no one will pay you as much as I do; I myself will inspect the church and want to stay in it.” She also gave us the relics of the holy martyrs Artemios, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Akakios, Arethas, Jacob and Theodore. “Put this,” She said, “at the foundation of the church; the Church will be the Mother of God,” and she gave us an icon.” Having finished the story, the architects repeated the question: “Where to build the church?” Anthony said, “Wait three days.” Then he turned to strong prayer and asked for a miraculous indication of the location of the church. Through the prayer of the saint, one night the chosen place was dry, and all the surroundings were covered with dew; on another night, only it was watered, while the nearby places were dry 750. The blessing of the place for the great Pechersk Church was the last earthly work of the wondrous Anthony. In the 90th year of his life, a year before the death of Saint Theodosius, on May 7, 1073, he peacefully surrendered his spirit to the Lord 751. The relics of the Monk Anthony rest hidden, in the very cave where he labored 752. He maintained deep humility throughout his entire earthly life; by humility he closes himself from human glory and beyond the grave. More than once they tried to open his holy relics, but were stopped by force. Kalnofoisky writes: “when the Muscovites wanted to take the saint’s relics from the tomb, the saint, by the will of God, once drove them away with fire, of which there are signs now, and another with water” 753 . The Suffering of Saint Pachomius Blessed Pachomius was born in Little Russia from pious parents. While still a young man, he was taken prisoner by the Tatars, who sold him to a Turk, a tanner in the city of Usaki, in the Philadelphia district of Anatolia. The buyer, in order to extract more benefits from his purchase, taught Pachomius the leather craft, but also tried to teach him his faith. The blessed one soon understood the craft, but hated the faith of his master and avoided its rituals in every possible way. The Turk more than once scolded the slave, more than once punished him with beatings and deprivation of food: the courageous servant of Christ endured everything for paternal piety. During 27 years of captivity, he served his master with full zeal and with such behavior gained his trust in him; the Turk even wanted to see him as his son-in-law and was ready to transfer his inheritance to him, if only he would renounce Christ. The good servant of Christ kept a clean conscience and considered wealth with the consolations of marriage to be empty in comparison with the Christian faith, irreplaceable for eternity. His master, convinced of the slave’s steadfastness, no longer began to violate his conscience and, for his long service, gave him freedom, allowing him to go wherever he wanted. While preparing for the journey, Pachomius became seriously ill and lay almost unconscious. The neighboring Turks, having learned that the slave had received freedom without accepting Mohammedanism, believed that this was not the case. They dressed the sick man in Turkish clothes, although they did not circumcise him, but announced that he had renounced Christ and became a Mohammedan. The Confessor of Christ, deeply upset by the violence, hastened to retire to Smyrna and here, throwing off his Turkish clothing, sailed to the Holy Mountain. On Athos, in the monastery of St. Paul, having found the hieromonk Joseph of strict life, the blessed one opened his soul and begged the elder to accept him into obedience and tonsure him into monasticism. He spent twelve years under the guidance of Joseph, studying the spiritual life. Then, having heard about the wonderful life of the Monk Akaki Kavsokalivit, he moved into its harsh desert and spent six years with him. Here, feeding on the labors of his hands, he became so famous for the perfection of his life that he was considered a model for the desert brethren; He was especially distinguished by his meekness, friendliness and good nature. But with all the virtues, the soul of Pachomius still thirsted for the feat of confession: he was worried by doubt, whether during his illness any words of renunciation of the Lord had come out, when the Turks dressed him in their clothes, had he not somehow disgraced the name of a Christian? He revealed his desire to Elder Joseph. The elder, believing that his desire was the fruit of spiritual pride, severely scolded him for his desire to confess. Pachomius remained as he wished. The confessor Joseph tested him for a whole year, imposing various penances on him, and found him ready for anything. Then both of them revealed their thoughts to the most virtuous fathers of the Holy Mountain; but everyone approved of the secret thought of Pachomius; and Blessed Acacius encouraged Pachomius to perform a suffering feat through prayer and advice. Pachomius left the Holy Mountain, accompanied by his confessor Joseph. Arriving in the city of Usaki, Joseph stayed at the hotel; and Pachomius went straight to his master’s house and from there to the market so that they might recognize him. The Turks, having learned, grabbed him and took him to the judge; they announced that this was the same slave who, during illness, renounced Christ and dressed in green robes, and now walks in monastic clothes. “Is this true?” – asked the judge. Pachomius answered: “And it was not on my mind to renounce Christ: I recognized and recognize the Christian faith as holy and pure, and I am ready to endure all the torments for my confession.” The judge, showering him with abuse, announced that since he had just renounced Christ, he could no longer wear Christian clothing and must choose one of two things - either completely renounce Christ, or accept death. In response to this, they heard the words of the confessor: “Let it not be so, Christ my King, that I, even with a secret thought, renounce Your name; Out of love for You, I am ready for fire and for all death.” The judge ordered Pachomius to be thrown into a stinking prison. Pachomius considered the prison a paradise, although he was in it without any human consolation. On the third day they condemned him to death. He rejoiced at the news as if it were the sweetest news; glorifying God, he spent the whole night in prayer. At dawn he was brought to court, and the judge said: “Here you are, condemned to death for your stubbornness; be careful not to repent later.” Pachomius answered: “I am ready to endure a thousand deaths for my Christ; let them carry out the sentence." The executioners took the bound martyr outside the city, to where the sheep were being slaughtered. Some of the Turks showered Pachomius with abuse, others persuaded him to renounce Christ: the martyr walked, deep in prayer, and at the place of execution he knelt. The executioner, in an anxious soul, hesitated to cut off his head and whispered in his ear to renounce Christ. The steadfast ascetic answered: “Don’t waste time, do what you’re ordered.” Then they cut off his head. Three days later, Christians took the sacred remains and buried them. The executioner went crazy and died screaming. The confessor Joseph, having heard about the wonderful feat of Pachomius, glorified God and, coming to the place where the body of the martyr still lay, said with tears: “You have received what you have long desired, my good son Pachomius, pray to the Lord for me and for all those who call on your name.” After some time, the fear of cowardice attacked Joseph: but in a dream vision a martyr appeared to him and said: “Do not be afraid, old man, you will not endure torment.” With these words, the fear in Joseph’s soul disappeared. One pious Christian woman of those places, who suffered from a severe headache from a young age, called on the martyr for help, anointed his sore head with drops of blood and was freed from her long-term illness; in memory of her healing, she ordered to paint the face of a martyr. Blessed Pachomius suffered on the day of the Ascension of the Lord, May 7th, 1730. His sacred remains are kept on the island of Patmos, in the monastery of St. John the Theologian, where his memory is celebrated every year 754. Celebration in honor of the Lyubech Icon of the Mother of God The holy icon, known since ancient times, is located in the Resurrection (former monastery) church of the town of Lyubech, Chernigov diocese. Saint Demetrius of Rostov in his Diary speaks of many miracles from her. It was renewed in Kyiv (1701) and, by order of Metropolitan Varlaam Yasinsky, was returned to Lyubech by two hieromonks and placed in the newly built Church of the Resurrection in the monastery. The Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral has a copy of it, brought from Lyubech in 1690 by Metropolitan Gideon 755. Day eight. Memory of Saint Emilia, mother of Basil the Great, Macrina and Theosevia, his sisters The grandmother, mother and two sisters of Basil the Great, by the grace of God, were sincere, wonderful servants of God 756. Blessed Emilia in her youth strongly desired to remain a virgin until death. But, having lost her mother and father early, from whom the emperor’s anger took away her property and life, she was forced to act against her wishes. Her rare beauty made her the subject of youth searches, so there was a plan to kidnap her. Rootlessness and danger to her soul forced her to seek support for herself in a pious husband, and the general opinion about the high qualities of the lawyer Vasily disposed her to agree to give her hand to Vasily. The young wife of Vasily found herself a great mentor in her husband’s mother, Saint Macrina. The grandmother of St. Basil the Great was a wonderful wife in intelligence and piety. She was a student of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea. During the Diocletian persecution, which continued under Galerius and Maximinus, she and her husband were among those who decided better to wander from one place to another, to endure poverty, hunger and all troubles, than to betray the faith. In 305 they retired to the Pontic forests and remained wanderers for seven years. In the dense forest they were deprived of any human assistance, reaching an extreme lack of food; but God, through their prayer, sent them wonderful help. Beautiful goats, descending from the mountain, easily approached them and gave themselves into their hands. This visible cover of the Almighty strengthened the exiles in patience and struggle for faith. Under Licinius (in 320), their estates were confiscated. Macrina remained firm in her faith. It is clear how much such a great wife meant to the young wife Emilia. Her grandson, the great Basil, once wrote to the Neo-Caesareans: “What proof of my faith could be clearer than the fact that I was raised by my grandmother, a blessed wife, who is yours by birth? I’m talking about the fiery Macrina, from whom I learned the words of the most blessed Gregory, which she herself preserved as a gift of tradition, and imprinted on us, still little ones, forming us with the dogmas of piety” 757. Vasily and Emilia lived with the same Christian thoughts and feelings. Emilia, with the consent of her husband, fed the poor, calmed the strange, helped the sick, and made donations to churches. Although the parents of both spouses were deprived of almost their entire fortune during the persecution for the holy faith, God, for the good deeds of the spouses, multiplied their earthly property so much that there was no one in that region richer than them. They owned lands in three provinces: Pontus, Cappadocia and Lesser Armenia. Subsequently, each of the children had more in their share than the father received. When son Peter was born, his father died, and Emilia was left with nine children. She raised everyone in deep piety. Three of them were bishops: Vasily, Gregory, Peter. Saint Gregory of Nazianza spoke with delight about Emilia: “She gave the world so many such lamps, sons and daughters, married and celibate; she is happy and fertile like no one else. Three glorious priests; one participant in priesthood mysteries; and others - the face of the celestials. I'm amazed at how rich Emilia's family is! The pious blood of Emilia is the property of Christ; this is the root! Most excellent! This is the reward for your piety: the glory of your sons, with whom you have the same desires” 758. Son Basil the Great triumphantly pointed out to his enemies that he was taught the faith by his mother Emilia 759. Emilia's granddaughters, the children of one of her daughters, were in charge at the Caesarea monastery 760. The eldest of Emilia's children was Macrina, and Macrina was her mother's helper for earth and heaven. God was pleased, when Emilia was pregnant for the first time, to announce to her about this daughter and show her what the daughter would be. She dreams that she is carrying her daughter in her arms and that a majestic old man, approaching the child, called her Thekla three times. Emilia woke up and gave birth so easily that as soon as the dream ended, a daughter was born. From that time on, mother and father were convinced that the name given to their daughter was a foreshadowing of the daughter’s qualities, close to those of the holy virgin Thekla. A nurse was called into the house; but the child almost never left his mother’s arms, he was at peace only in her arms. Emilia deeply understood the duty of a mother. If a man, in the hustle and bustle of life and caring about it, is not always attentive to himself, then all the more far from him is the constant supervision of the development of inclinations and concepts in children. Therefore, it is primarily the mother’s duty to supervise the development of the child’s mental and physical strength. Unhappy is the mother who does not want to know her calling, so high! Emilia treasured this calling. Apparently, some mothers are not carefree about their children: but from experience it turns out that she still did not fulfill her duty. Why is this so? Because she taught the children the wrong things, what and how they should teach. Macrina's upbringing is all the more noteworthy because Emilia herself took it as a model by which she raised other children and especially her daughters, and one cannot help but wish that other parents would follow this model. The Greeks almost always began teaching children with fables and some literary works, just like our dear progressive teachers. Emilia saw that in pagan works there were many thoughts and pictures that were offensive to a pure soul. (If only there were fewer of those glorified by progressives!) Therefore, she took the sacred songs of David and the parables of Solomon for educational books. From them she chose some passages of prayer or praise, or with lessons of life wisdom, and forced them to learn them by heart. So, no matter what Macrina did, sacred verses and instructions were her constant companions-supervisors (and not dissolute teachers). Emilia taught her daughter to sing, but did not let her sing the song of Anacreon and Sappho. Everything that could leave impressions of rottenness and moral stench in the young soul was removed by the mother from the sight and ears of her youth. Mothers themselves took their children (they still consider it their duty to take them) to the theater and amphitheater. Emilia recognized that even then there is irreparable harm from theatrical scenes, that they wean the soul from the love of work and accustom it to frivolity and absent-mindedness 761. She taught her daughter women's handicrafts and housekeeping, especially since physical labor strengthens her health. Is it so now? Here is a respectable parent and mother walking with their children. A young man walks next to them. The youngest seven-year-old son felt hot, and he took off his velvet caftan. The young man immediately offers his services, takes and carries the caftan, which weighs a pound. The parent stood up and, taking the caftan and handing it to her son, said timidly: “Let him get used to it.” Of course, thank God for the fact that “Let him get used to it!” But, dear mother! Are you kind to your son and to yourself, that your son is weighed down by a pound of weight, and you are preparing different types of weights for yourself from him? Don't be inferior to a female. After homework, Emilia took her daughter to the Church of God to listen to sacred songs and prayers. Her son, already a saint, wrote “to young men about how to use pagan works” 762: Emilia’s pedagogy meant so much. Macrina, who had come of age, was a beauty in body and soul. Protecting her soul, they hid it from immodest eyes. But some managed to see her, others learned about the wonderful qualities of her soul. Therefore they began to look for her hands. The father chose a worthy groom for his daughter and spoke about the chosen one; but God, who was preparing a different atmosphere for the pure dove, arranged it in his own way. While the chosen groom tried to strengthen the good opinion of himself in the Macrina family by defending the innocently accused, an illness was sent to him and he died. This decided the future of Macrina. When her parents offered her other suitors, she answered: “My groom is not dead, he is only away; why cheat on him?” Now Macrina tried more than ever to be useful to her mother. Several maids could not perform as many services as Macrina alone performed. And her mother loved her dearly. “I carried other children,” she said, “only for a while, but I was never separated from Macrina.” This connection between daughter and mother was beneficial for both, and the benefit was invaluable: the mother controlled her daughter’s feelings and thoughts, and the daughter cared for her mother to such an extent that she baked bread for her and sewed linen with her own hands. When the father of the family died, Macrina was her mother’s main assistant in managing estates located in different regions. What was more important was that Macrina had influence on the moral life of the entire family. Although the mother stood on a high level of moral life; but Macrina insensitively led her higher and higher by the example of her selfless life. She inspired Brother Vasily to devote himself exclusively to the study of Gospel wisdom. She formed Peter, becoming a second mother and mentor for him. When all the brothers and sisters could already take charge of themselves, she persuaded her mother to retire with her to the monastery. With such determination, mother and daughter built a monastery in Pontus, on the banks of the Iris River, not far from Mount Ivora. There, having removed everything that could scatter them, they changed their way of life, turned their maidservants into their girlfriends and devoted themselves mainly to prayer. Saint Gregory describes their desert life this way: “There was no difference in the community with regard to food and drink, as well as with regard to cells or furniture and other needs of life. The inequality of fortunes, classes, and significance in the former secular life did not leave any trace here. The life they led was so holy, its virtue so high, that I cannot describe it. Their precision in fulfilling the duties of the charter day and night corresponded to the zeal with which they burned. They could be compared with those blessed souls who, having left the shackles of the body, soar to heaven; their hearts were so cleansed of everything earthly that, one might say, they lived like Angels. There was no sign of anger, envy, suspicion or hatred in them. They threw away all the worldly vanity - the desire for distinction, fame, brilliance. Their pleasure lay in abstinence, glory in obscurity, wealth in lack of property, strength in weakness; They shook off everything worldly from themselves like dust. Every minute was considered lost if it were spent on something external and perishing. Their activities consisted of prayer and the singing of psalms, uninterrupted neither day nor night.” Blessed Macrina ascended from perfection to perfection, conquering with firmness the manifestations of the corruption of nature. Regarding everyday needs, Blessed Peter helped Macrina and the monastery, who was raised by her and who now repaid her for her kindness with diligent care for her sister and mother: he lived not far away, in another monastery, which was built by her mother and where Saint Basil first labored. The latter also helped his sister and mother from time to time. Mother and daughter were visited by an unexpected loss. Naucrates, the second son of Emilia, was brought dead from the desert along with a servant, and no one could explain the reasons for their death. Macrina was all the more amazing in this case because, shocked to the depths of her heart by the loss of her beloved brother, she so overcame her feelings with thoughts of faith that she calmed her inconsolable mother. “There were no screams or moans, no tears or other ordinary manifestations of the cruel grief of the mother and sister; there was only everything worthy of wives who dedicated themselves to God.” How strong in spirit blessed Macrina was, how close her soul was to the Lord, this was revealed on a special occasion. An extraordinary growth had formed under Macrina’s neck, on her chest: it was assumed that it was an internal abscess, and they considered it necessary to perform a surgical operation, so that otherwise the disease would not spread to the lungs and liver and cause death. The mother begged Macrina to agree to follow the medical advice: the doctor was given by God for our benefit, said the tender mother. But the tall virgin decided to endure all the suffering rather than expose her body in front of the cameraman’s eyes. She turned her hopes to the Lord. Having stayed with her mother until the all-night vigil, she retired to the prayer room of the monastery and spent the whole night there in tears, begging the Heavenly Doctor to show His will over her. Then she took some earth, soaked with her tears, and applied it to the sore part of the body. Her hopes were not disappointed. Returning to her mother, she said that if she wishes her recovery, then let her make the sign of the cross over the sore spot. The mother wanted to fulfill this; but, putting her hand to her daughter’s chest, she noticed that the growth had disappeared; only a sign remained, as if the place had been pricked with a needle. “It pleased God,” says Saint Gregory, “to leave this trace as a monument to the miracle that took place.” Emilia, having reached a ripe old age, was finally to experience the common lot of mortals. Of her children, only Macrina and Peter were with her. Feeling the approach of death, she spoke with inexpressible tenderness to those present about those who were absent, and with prayer for her children her holy life ended on May 8, 375 763. Less than four years passed after that, and then Saint Basil the Great died (January 1, 379). If his death plunged the entire Church into deep sorrow, then how must Macrina have suffered when the news of his death reached her desert? She understood his significance for the modern Church, and she was his tender sister. But just as gold is purified by fire, so the soul of the great virgin, having gone through three difficult losses for her, renounced earthly things. 9 months have passed since then. There was a council in Antioch, at which St. Gregory of Nyssa was present. He was in a hurry to see his sister Macrina after the loss of his brother. “The day before my arrival,” he says, “I had a vision in a dream. It seemed that I was carrying the martyr’s relics in my arms, and such light emanated from them that I could not look at its brightness. This vision happened three times a night. And I could not understand the meaning of the vision; there was only some kind of sadness in my soul. Approaching the monastery where my sister spent her angelic life, I asked one of the many who met me: is my brother there? He replied that his brother left in four days, and his sister was sick. I hurried; my heart sank within me. Upon arrival at the monastery and its church, I went to my sister’s cell. She was lying not on the bed, not on the mattress, but on the ground, on a board covered with hair shirt; instead of a pillow under her head there was another board, placed at an angle. My sister was very sick and when she saw me, unable to get up due to weakness, she rose up on her beggarly bed to receive me with honor. I ran up to her, calmed her down, laid her down; then, raising her hands to heaven, she said: “I thank You, Lord my God! You have fulfilled my desire, you have inspired Your servant to visit Your servant.” She tried to hide the heaviness of her breathing from us and, in order to sweeten our sadness about her, she increased her smile and talked to us about subjects pleasant to us. The speech leaned toward the late Great Basil. I couldn't stop the sadness from showing on my face. But she, inspired by lofty thoughts, spoke to us with such sublimity about the wondrous look of God, extending to all cases of earthly life, that my soul, carried away by her, soared above all natural feelings and flew to heaven. Then I could not marvel at how she, consumed by a fever that had deprived her of strength and had already poured cold sweat over her exhausted body, could retain complete freedom of thought, like Job, covered with wounds. She easily, subtly, sublimely explained the state of the soul, the life we ​​spend on earth, the purpose for which we are born, the immortality in which our once mortal body will be clothed, and why we must enter into a new life. Words flowed from her mouth like a stream from a source that nothing stops 764. Finally she told me: “It’s time for you, brother, to rest after a hard and long journey.” What rest could be sweeter than her words? But I obeyed and took refuge under the shade of trees in a nearby garden. My vision about the relics was explained, I told some of those who were here about it. My holy sister, penetrating my thoughts from afar, sent to tell us not to be distressed, her illness is a blessing; she meant death, about which she sighed in order to quickly enjoy the sight of the Savior. We immediately got up and went to her. Not wanting to waste the last minutes of her life on useless things, she began to talk about everything that had happened to her since childhood as if she was reading from a book; I counted all the blessings with which God had bestowed upon our father, mother, and family, and blessed Him from the depths of my soul for His mercies. I began to talk about how much I suffered when I was exiled for my faith by Emperor Valens, and about other disasters of church unrest. "Will you stop," she said, "to lose sight of all the blessings that you owe to God? Fear ingratitude. He rewarded you with favors more generously than his parents. Even though my father became famous in his youth in public affairs, which earned him the respect of his fellow citizens, his name did not cross the borders of Pontus. And your name has spread so far that the Churches invite you, they turn to you to restore order and rules between them. Find out, with deep gratitude of your heart, this is the mercy of God and the effect of the prayers of our parents.” After listening to the prayers of the all-night vigil and resting at night, when morning came, it was not difficult for me to be convinced that this morning was the last for the patient; the fever had consumed the remainder of the sufferer’s strength. My soul was agitated by two feelings: grief, because my sister’s tenderness aroused in me tenderness for her - a saint; I heard the last words from her lips; another feeling was amazement at the sight of the inexpressible calm with which she awaited her death. The sun was already close to setting; the strength and energy of her mind did not weaken in the least. She stopped talking to us. With folded hands, motionless eyes fixed on the dwelling of the Heavenly Bridegroom (her beggar's bed was facing the east), she spoke to Him sweetly and so quietly that we could hardly hear other words. But we understood what she was saying to Him: "Lord! You deliver us from the fear of death... The end of this life is the beginning of true life... You leave us to rest for a while and awaken us with the sound of the trumpet at the end of the ages. Eternal God, to Whom I belong from my mother's womb, Whom I have always loved with all the strength of my heart, to Whom I have dedicated my body and soul! Give me a bright Angel who would accompany me, would lead me to holy fathers, to a place of peace and coolness. You, who forgave one of those crucified with You, as soon as he resorted to Your mercy, remember me in Your Kingdom. May the terrifying darkness not separate me from Your chosen ones; may the envious spirit not prevent me from soaring to You; You forgive mortals, forgive the sins that I have committed through the weakness of nature, in a word, in a thought, so that, leaving this body, I feel cleansed from all filth and You would accept my soul as an incense before You!” After this touching and loving conversation with the Savior, she made the sign of the cross on her lips, eyes and heart. When it got dark and the candles were brought in, she opened her eyes and said that she wanted to read the all-night vigil, but her voice betrayed her, she only mentally prayed and read psalms, we were silent. Having finished, she tried to raise her hand to her face to cross herself - a long and deep sigh escaped from her chest, and her life ended along with her prayer.” The hermits, who had drowned out sadness and groans in their hearts out of respect for the abbess, now that she was gone, filled the air with sobs and cries of grief. Vestiana, a pious woman who, having lost her husband, chose the Monk Macrina to lead spiritual life, remained with the deceased when others left. The saint asked: would they not consider it necessary to dress the deceased in decent clothes? They called Lampadia, and she answered that the deceased had never liked beautiful clothes, and she had no other clothes except the one they saw on her. “Do you have anything left?” - asked the saint. “Here,” answered Lampadia, “a worn-out robe, a basting and shoes - all her wealth. The chests and closet are empty; she has nothing on earth. Such was the poverty of the holy virgin! A thin robe, a basting and shoes - these are all the property of the abbess, the one who received a rich inheritance. The body was covered with one of the saint's brother's robes, and on top was covered with the mantle of the deceased mother. Vestiana, who dressed the deceased, found under the deceased’s head a cord on which there was a cross 765 and a small iron ring 766. “Let’s divide the inheritance,” said the saint, “take yourself a cross, and give me a ring.” “Your choice is happy,” answered Vestiana, “in this ring there is a piece of the Life-Giving Tree.” The rumor about the death of the saint called a countless number of people of all ranks to the monastery. The local bishop arrived with his clergy. He and Saint Gregory with the senior presbyters carried the coffin to the Church of the Martyrs, where it was placed near the coffin of the mother in the family crypt. Blessed Macrina performed miracles even in her earthly life, healed the sick, cast out demons, miraculously multiplied bread. But, says the saint, people are reluctant to believe what they do not see with their own eyes, and therefore, in order not to lead to unbelief, he does not describe miracles. Epitaph of St. Gregory of Nazianza to Macrina: “Here is a monument to the famous maiden. You, of course, have heard about Macrina, the eldest daughter of the great Emilia. She hid from the eyes of every man. But now she is on everyone’s tongue and her glory is the most resounding” 767. The same great saint saluted another daughter of Saint Emilia - Saint Theosevia. A strange mistake was made about Theosebius, an offensive mistake especially for the saint, one or the other. Theosevia, glorified by the great Theologian, was considered the wife of either St. Gregory of Nyssa, or St. Gregory of Nazianza 768. Why did they think so? Because they did not take the trouble to understand the exact meaning of the name: ispsô ai(g uoˆ, with which Theozevia is honored by the Theologian. In relation to the Archpastor of Nyssa, it must be borne in mind that the holy Theologian calls Theosevia the sister of Gregory of Nyssa and the daughter of the great Emilia. How could she be the wife of her own brother? After that, only paganism could have kept behind the words: ispsô ai (g uoˆ meaning the wife of a priest. For the Holy Theologian, this means that Theosevia, in the rank of deaconess, was a faithful companion of her brother, a zealous assistant to him in the affairs of the episcopacy. Then it is easy to understand that the words: Ispsô auZnyô were in vain attributed to the marriage of Gregory of Nazianza. He says: “my Theosevia,” but he also directly says that he does not understand bodily relations. Comforting Saint Gregory of Nyssa at the death of Theosevia, the holy Theologian wrote: “I hear that after the repose of your holy and blessed sister, you maintain amazing patience and wisdom, like a good man, perfect, standing before God, knowing more than others both God’s and man’s. What is very bitter and difficult for others was easy for you - to send such a sister who lived with you away from you, to place her in a safe home, I will say in the words of the Holy Scriptures, as sheaves of wheat are laid in due time (Job 5:26). Although she tasted the pleasures of life, however, due to age itself, she was freed from sorrows. Before I mourned you, I was honored by you with a wonderful burial, which should be for such wives. And I myself, believe me, desire death, if not to the same extent as you (to say this about myself would be a lot), then no less than you. But are we able to do anything against the statute of God, which has long been so powerful over us, which stole my Theosevia (who lived for God I call mine, because spiritual kinship is higher than the physical), Theosevia, the glory of the Church, the adornment of Christ, the need of our age, the boldness of the female sex, who, with such beauty of her brothers, was distinguished by her brilliant beauty, Theosevia, truly sacred, a fellow priest, venerable and worthy of great sacraments. Theosevia, whose memory will be preserved in the future on immortal pillars, because on the souls of all those who knew her until now and who will recognize her later! And don’t be surprised if I repeat her name many times, because I enjoy the memory of the blessed one. And this is my funeral word for her, and for you a comforting word, which contains a lot in a little." 769 Saint Gregory also left the epitaph “Theosevia, sister of the great Basil”: “And that Theosevia, daughter of the glorious Emilia, faithful comrade of the great Gregory, was covered here with sacred soil. Supporter of pious wives, you left this life in time” 770. In Emilia’s inscription, he distinguishes Theosevia from Emilia’s other children as follows: “one is a participant in the mysteries of the priesthood.” Thus, Blessed Theosevia was a deaconess who dedicated her life to being a faithful assistant to her brother-bishop. Theosevia, “worthy of great sacraments, participant in the mysteries of the priesthood.” As a deaconess, she was an actor in the baptism of wives; as a deaconess, she experienced the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which was inaccessible to the laity, even to men. “Choose,” the ancient canons tell the bishop, “a faithful and holy deaconess to serve wives. It sometimes happens that in some houses you cannot send a deacon to the wives because of unbelievers, then to calm the thoughts of bad people you can send a deaconess” 771. As a deaconess, Theosevia carried out the bishop's orders for wives in hospitals, prisons, and on deathbeds. It is not for nothing that the Theologian more than once calls Theosevia a comrade, a faithful comrade of the great Gregory. This name allows us to see that if Gregory the bishop suffered, then Theosevia also suffered. In 375, Gregory, slandered, was expelled from the throne by the Arians, and for three years, until Valens died, he wandered, moving from one place to another. The zealous shepherd did not remain inactive even then: “The good that you spread is durable, although you yourself do not have a stable place,” the holy Theologian wrote to him 772. Theosevia, the faithful companion of the great Gregory, shared a wandering life with her brother-bishop; she, on behalf of the bishop, acted on the wives in maintaining Orthodoxy, oppressed by Arian power. What a great service of the wondrous virgin! Theosevia is “truly sacred, the support of pious wives.” She is a deaconess in more ways than one; she sanctified herself with zealous service to the holy faith and the sisters. The letter comforting his brother about the death of Theosevia was written in 385 773. This means that Theosevia, upon her brother’s return to the see, continued her ministry as a deaconess for another seven years. The memory of Saint Theosevia is on January 10th on the same day when the memory of Saint Gregory of Nyssa, to whom she was such a zealous helper, is celebrated. Day nine. Memory of Saint John, Wonderworker of Zedaznia, Chief of the Syrian Fathers John was born, raised and reached adulthood in Antioch. According to the custom of that time (at the beginning of the 6th century) and most importantly, following his inner calling, he entered into monasticism and was a zealous and humble ascetic. He did not leave the knowledge and spiritual enlightenment he acquired under wraps and taught the inhabitants of the Antiochian country the knowledge of God and the fulfillment of Christian duties. The fame of the good mentor soon began to attract countless people to him, and then, burdened by the constant violation of his beloved solitude, John retired to a deserted place. Only a few disciples followed him here, and all of them completely devoted themselves to the thought of God and prayer. Feeding on their labors, they secretly sold their handicrafts in the city, until, finally, people opened the way to them and into the desert and again began to flock to their father John, who miraculously knew how to heal their mental and physical ailments. Some time later, according to a revelation that came to him, in which he saw the will of the Mother of God, so that he would go to Iberia to establish the Church planted there, John, choosing by lot 12 people from his disciples, set off with them on this long and difficult journey. Barefoot, in rags, the Syrian monks were greeted with reverence by the Iveron Catholicos (patriarch) Eulavius ​​and the people and received an invitation from Eulavius ​​to stay with him. Soon abundant streams of Divine teaching flowed from their lips, and their preaching, accompanied by miracles, confirmed the Ivertians in their faith in the Holy Trinity and enlightened almost the entire country of Kartalinskaya. The holy fathers walked around all the places where Blessed Nina, Equal to the Apostles, taught the faith of Christ, venerated those places that were marked by some incident in her life, and marveled at the apostolic activity for which the Lord strengthened the weak woman. Having worked hard to spread and establish in the hearts of the people the Gospel truths planted by them and before them, the holy fathers prayed to God to show them a place of permanent residence. They were attracted by the high and inaccessible Mount Zaden 774 on the left bank of the Aragva River, 8 versts northeast of Mtskheta, the capital of Iveria, and 15 versts north of Tiflis. Having prayed and received the blessing of the Catholicos, who, although he held them back, was not able to deny them their desire to retire in this wild area, the holy fathers left Mtskheta and, with great difficulty, making their way through the thorny bushes at the base of the mountain and the dense forest on the mountain, they finally ascended to the top of Zaden, where they decided to asceticize in silence. John turned the cave found here into a church, around it the hermits built huts made of tree leaves; Their food was various herbs and roots growing on the mountain. As soon as rumors spread about the settlement of Syrian monks on the mountain, the people opened the road to them; The sick, the crippled, and sufferers of all kinds again rushed to them in order to receive from them both spiritual and physical wonderful benefits, and they were not deceived in their trust in God-pleasing people, personally glorified by God. At this time, the bishops of the dioceses of Tsilkan and Nekres died. Catholicos Evlavius ​​decided to replace them with one of the 13 Syrian aliens. He went to them on the mountain and decided to choose those of them who would perform the Divine Liturgy that day. These were Aviv and Ise 775. He greeted them, one as the bishop of the city of Nekresi, the other as the bishop of the city of Tsilkani. It was hard for them to part with Elder John, but when he reminded them that they had come to work and sow the Word of God here, they did not resist and were soon ordained bishops. After their departure from the mountain, John’s visitors multiplied, many of them left the world, settled with him, and a path was paved along the impassable mountain and a monastery was created for those who were kindled with the desire to devote themselves to serving God under the guidance of the good and wise teacher John. One day the blessed one was awarded a vision of the Mother of God with Saint Ninoy, who commanded him to send his disciples to different places in Iberia to preach the Word of God and teach the people. This is what John did. Having admonished his disciples with holy edification, endowing them with particles of the relics of the holy martyrs, so that they would be inspired by the memory of them and imitate their example, he sent them throughout Georgia, leaving with him only one disciple - Deacon Elijah, who served as a support for his senile weakness; He himself devoted himself to vigilant spiritual exploits, which completely enslaved his flesh. Enriched with all the gifts of grace, but always humble in spirit, John visited his disciples in order to support them in their spiritual exploits. And they visited John and, strengthened by the spiritual joy of being with him, returned to their places of service. The mountain on which John lived, barely cleared here and there of dense forest, was at first completely waterless; They worked in the sweat of their brows to extract water from Aragva, which washes the base of the highest mountain Zedazen. John took pity on them, and behold, through his prayers, a life-giving spring flowed on the mountain, the waters of which still testify, without ceasing, of the miracle created by God to glorify His servant... After a long life, glorified by deeds and miracles, as if to fulfill the words of the Savior: He who believes in Me will do works like Me, and even greater than Me... (John 14:12) Blessed John received a revelation of his death. With fear and trembling, he directed his mental gaze beyond the boundaries of the earthly world... “If the great Apostle Paul could say to himself: “What I had to do, I did, and yet I remain the unbreakable servant of the Lord,” the last earthly idea flashed through the memory of the person standing before the Heavenly Judge, “then can I consider myself safe?” Having commanded his disciples to bury him in the cave in which he labored, John received Holy Communion of Christ the Savior. Upon receiving the Holy Mysteries, his soul was filled with divine delight, and amid inexplicable joy, he betrayed his pure soul to God. After his burial, many miracles began to flow from his tomb, which have not been exhausted to this day. Now the toiling body of Blessed John, who enlightened the people of Iveron not only with the example of his own life, but also through his disciples, rests at the altar itself in the chapel of the church in honor of John the Baptist, built on the southern side of the cave where John labored and was buried. The Iverskaya Church celebrates his memory on May 7 with 12 of his disciples. The death of John of Zedazni followed between 557–560 under Catholicos Macarius. Memory of the Venerable Shio (Simeon) of Mgvimsky The life of the Monk Shio (translated into other languages, this name can mean: Simeon) is also the fertile fruit of the soil, fertilized by Christian education, which pious parents tried to give him, who from childhood carefully instilled the Word of God into the understanding of their only son. And love for the Word of God was so deeply rooted in the heart of young Shio that he constantly kept it in his mind, and even always carried with him the Gospel, the epistles of the Apostle Paul and the Psalter. His parents, finally fearing their son’s excessive mental stress and wanting to give him rest, decided one day to take these books away from him. “Why did you interrupt my Divine studies? “- the saddened youth objected to them, “whoever does not constantly study the Law of God moves away from the Kingdom of Heaven... Give me back my treasures...” And the parents, admonished by the words of their wise son beyond his years, no longer began to restrict his freedom... Over time, he convinced them to spend the rest of their lives in monasticism, and he himself, having used the property left behind for the benefit of the poor and the monastery, came to John (of Zedaznia), who was still shining in Antioch at that time, and, having received monastic vows from him, became his disciple. He was one of those 12 whom John took with him to Iberia to confirm the believers who had been converted by Saint Ninoy. Having served this cause, the Monk Shio wished to live as a hermit and, with the blessing of Catholicos Evlavius, directed his path to the west of Mtskheta - into the impenetrable wilds of the forest. Here, in the desert, protected by the sheer and completely steep walls of a sandy mountain from human sight, Shio settled in a cramped cave, barely large enough to hide in it... Difficult asceticism lay ahead of the lonely, helpless fighter in the midst of the harsh, wild desert, but the wonderful Provider about him was the One to whom he constantly turned with prayer: “The Lord is my enlightenment and Savior; Who am I afraid of? The Lord is the Protector of my life—whom shall I fear?” A spring opened in the rock, flowing water for the hermit, and a dove flew to him with food... This dove, by the will of God, who determined not to leave the blessed lamp hidden, opened the dwelling of Shio to people... A certain Evagrius, a noble courtier, hunting as usual behind the Kura River, followed the dove carrying food to the hermit, and found the monk, immersed in prayer, with his hands raised to the sky... He was so amazed at the meeting with this one who had taken refuge from the world a man standing in prayer in the desert before the face of the One God, who suddenly realized in himself the renunciation of everything worldly and began to struggle in a cave under the guidance of a hermit who completely surrendered to God... From then on, other people in the area became aware of Shio. Many began to settle near it, and thus up to 25 voluntary desert dwellers gathered... At the place chosen by revelation to Blessed Shio, they built a church in the name of the example of desert dwellers - John the Baptist. Subsequently, King Parsman VI, who visited his former favorite Evagrius in the desert and treated the ascetic Shio with reverence, gave him land for a monastery and provided him with significant funds for the construction of churches 776. The number of brethren of the new monastery increased to 2,000, for whom there were no more free places in the gorges, and they settled beyond the gorge, in the east and in the west beyond the Kura River, where the vast Kvaytakhevsky Lavra was subsequently formed. Here blessed Shio labored and became famous for his gift of miracles. Here his former teacher John of Zedazni visited him and, after staying for three days, he had the joy of verifying the high degree of spiritual perfection of the new monks. But the desire for complete solitude prevailed in Shio’s soul. He left the monastery he founded, said goodbye to the brethren with the most edifying words, left 160 written teachings for them and, interrupting all communication with the world, doomed himself to a reclusive life in a dark, deep cave. The saint's food was lowered there along a rope. Who can comprehend and count the unspeakable feats of this Angel in the human body, who in spirit anticipated communication with God, that is, Paradise on earth... Therefore, there are no words in human language to express such a spiritual state. Having foreknowledge of the time of his death, Shio wished to receive the priest with the Holy Gifts. John of Zedazni himself came to him and stayed with him until that wonderful moment when Shio, having received the Holy Mysteries and exclaimed: “Into Your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit! Accept my soul, given by You!” - ended his earthly life. His body was buried in the same cave where he died. His former beloved teacher, John of Zedaznia, and his beloved disciple, Evagrius, wrapped the ascetic in his own clothes and buried him in the ground, while from above, around the opening of the cave, the funeral parting singing of the monks, who had gathered to attend the burial of the great recluse, now standing before God as a prayer book and about themselves, was heard. And after death he was a strong helper and patron in the troubles and sorrows of all who worshiped his tomb with faith. Day ten. Memory of Saint Taisia the Younger The skete fathers John Kolov and his brother Daniel were jealous not only of their own salvation, but also of the salvation of others. John Kolov said: “You cannot build houses from the top, but start from the foundation.” What kind of foundation is this? “The foundation is love for one’s neighbor, caring for his salvation,” says Abba. It was because of this love that Abba loved to speak and do useful things for others. It was this love that brought Taisiya, who had strayed from the good path, back to the Lord. Taisiya was the daughter of rich and kind parents: they taught her good things, and their lessons were not fruitless in the daughter’s soul. Left orphaned, she turned her house into a shelter for wanderers. The monks of the monastery, sent by the elders to the city for various needs, especially found peace with her. So for a considerable time she received with the generous love of the desert fathers. Finally, her funds were greatly reduced. I had to become familiar with the needs and bitterness of poverty. Bad people came to the young girl, and she, having lost her innocence, began to engage in fornication in Alexandria. The skete elders, having heard about this, greatly grieved over the damage to the poor girl. In the general meeting it was said to John Kolov: “God has given you wisdom; Sister Taisiya, who has done so much good for us and to whom we should show love for her goodness, is heard to live poorly; take the trouble, Abba, to visit her and talk to her if she will come to her senses.” Avva went. Arriving at Taisiya’s house, he asked the servant to tell Mrs. Taisiya about him. “You monks ate and robbed her,” the old servant answered angrily. Abba endured the battle with meekness. “Report to the lady,” he said affectionately, “that I can bring her good things.” She reported. “Yes, it’s very possible,” said Taisiya. “Monks walk along the seashore, and they come across expensive things, pearls, stones: let it come.” Avva, entering, sat down near Taisiya and, looking at her, burst into tears. “What are you crying about, Abba?” – Taisiya asked anxiously. “I see,” Abba answered, “Satan is playing on your cheeks and in your eyes: how can I not cry!” Hearing this, Taisiya, who had previously loved goodness so much, felt the abomination of her new life 777. “Is there repentance for people like me, Abba?” – she asked. “Yes,” answered the Abba. “Lead me wherever you want,” said the repentant sinner. And she got up and followed Abba. He, walking ahead, was amazed and said to himself: this is how she abandoned everything at once, without even making orders about the house. Arriving in the evening in a deserted place, the elder made a bed of sand for Taisia ​​and, overshadowing her with the sign of the cross, said: “Sleep peacefully.” Then, having prepared a similar bed for himself nearby, he prayed and fell asleep. Waking up at midnight, he sees some bright path going from Taisiya’s bed to heaven, and the Angels are lifting up the soul. He stood up and, approaching, pushed Taisiya. It turned out that she died. Confused by all that had happened, he fell to the ground and fervently prayed to the Lord to reveal His will. And then he hears a voice: “And one hour of Taisia’s repentance was accepted by the Lord and accepted better than the long, but insincere repentance of others” 778. Celebration in honor of the Kiev-Brotherly Icon of the Mother of God It is located in the Kiev-Brotherly Monastery, and was formerly local in Vyshgorod. During the war with Poland (1659–1667), when the Crimean Tatars, who were allied with the Poles, were crossing the Dnieper at Kiev Vyshgorod, icons and plaques were taken from the church by the enemy. In this case, the Vyshgorod local icon of the Mother of God, hidden from the unbelievers by the waters of the Dnieper and brought to the shores of Kiev-Podol, appeared in 1662 in Kyiv, where it was joyfully and with due honor accepted and brought by the Orthodox to the Bratsky Monastery. The legend also adds that one Tatar wanted to cross the Dnieper on an icon against the Brotherhood Monastery. The icon floated on its own and stopped in the middle of the river opposite the monastery. The one floating on it began to scream; They sailed from the monastery and took the icon and the Tatar onto the boat, who was then baptized and tonsured a monk. Since that time, she has been in the Brotherhood monastery and is called Brotherhood by her name. Day twelve. Memory of St. Dionysius, Archimandrite of Sergius Lavra A native of the city of Rzhev, baptized David 779, from his youth he was distinguished by good qualities - heartfelt simplicity and meekness; playful children tried to lure him into games - he did not want pranks; in annoyance at David, who was unlike them, the naughty boys beat him - he endured the beatings patiently; learned to read and write willingly. As a child, his parents moved to the city of Staritsa, and here his father was the foreman of the Yamskaya settlement. When David reached adolescence, his parents demanded that he enter into marriage. He fulfilled the will of his parents, for an approximately good life he was ordained to the priesthood, but 6 years after marriage his wife and two children died. Then he entered the Staritsa monastery and was tonsured a monk with the name Dionysius. Convinced of the importance of knowledge of holy truths for a holy life, he passionately loved book teaching. Once a tall, slender monk came to the Moscow market, where books were sold. Everyone's eyes turned to him, and one said to him out loud: “Why are you here, monk? Instead of being offended by the insolence, the monk answered: “Yes, brother, I am exactly the sinner you think of me. If I were a real monk, I would not wander around the market. Forgive me, a sinner." Those around him were moved by the monk’s humility and turned with indignation at the impudent man, calling him an ignoramus. “No, brothers,” the monk told them, “it is not he who is ignorant, but I; I need to know and remember that my job is to sit in my cell.” The offender wanted to ask for forgiveness, but the monk disappeared. It was Dionysius Staritsky, the treasurer of the monastery. In 1605 he was ordained archimandrite of the Staritsa Monastery. With a sincere soul he cared about the well-being of his monastery. To this day, some of his 780 donations are still intact. He buried Patriarch Job, who was living in retirement in Staritsa, together with two saints. Blessed Patriarch Hermogenes set the Staritsky Archimandrite as an example to others. “Look,” he says, “at Archimandrite Staritsky: he never leaves church service and he is always at the royal meetings.” When bad people agitated the people against Tsar Vasily, Archimandrite Staritsky, following the example of the patriarch, persuaded the restless people to remember that they were Christians; once the traitors to the fatherland by force brought the patriarch to the place of execution and here they extended their insolence to such an extent that they pushed the saint, and others threw dirt at him; Dionysius was constantly with the patriarch and protected the saint as much as he could, persuading the people not to forget the fear of God and to refrain from criminal self-will. In 1610, Patriarch Hermogenes designated Dionysius as the archimandrite of the Sergius Lavra, which had not yet recovered from the siege of the Poles. It was a very difficult time. Moscow was in the hands of the Poles. Lyakhs and vagabonds were rampant in the vicinity of Moscow. Crowds of unfortunate people from different sides gathered at the Sergius Lavra and in what form! Some were broken and burned; others had their belts cut out of their backs and their hair torn off; those without an arm or leg, crippled; others died on the road or were awaiting death, without a companion. Gathering all the brethren and servants of the monastery, Saint Dionysius tells them: “Christian love helps those in need at all times, and even more so should it help in such a terrible time.” - “Who can help in such trouble? One God." So they answered him with hopeless sadness. Saint Dionysius began to cry and said: “In temptations we need firmness. The Lord delivered us from the siege. What if laziness and stinginess begins to humble us even without a siege? “What should we do?” - they asked. “Let everyone,” answered Dionysius, “do everything he can for others; and the house of the Holy Trinity will not become scarce.” The servants consulted among themselves and declared: “If you, sirs, will provide what is needed for food and clothing, we are ready to lay down our lives.” And then activity began to boil. Homes and hospitals were opened for the bloodless and sick in the monastic settlements. The brethren, according to Dionysius, decided to be content with oatmeal bread and water in order to save wheat and rye bread for the sick. Special messengers were sent out to search through the forests and roads for those exhausted from exhaustion. Day and night, Dionysius's cell attendant carried towels and money to the sick and poor 781. Dionysius moved from concerns about private disasters to concerns about the entire holy fatherland. He wrote Christian exhortations to different cities. In 1610, he wrote to Kazan to the builder Amphilochius, who, together with his relative Shulgin, was planning to betray the Russian government. At the same time it was written to Ryazan with the conviction to stand for the fatherland 782. On July 13, 1611, Dionysius and the cellarer wrote to Nizhny Novgorod and other Volga cities, begging for help to Moscow with people and money. When Khodkevich arrived to Moscow with new troops, on October 6 they wrote to Perm and other cities with a prayer for a hasty gathering of military men to save the faith and the fatherland, and monastic servants were sent to Moscow with lead and gunpowder taken from the monastic siege weapons 783. Pozharsky hesitated in Yaroslavl to gather his forces. Monks were sent to him one after another with the conviction to rush to the aid of Moscow. On August 11, 1612, Archimandrite Dionysius on Mount Volkusha blessed the army for battle. To reassure those who distrusted success, the wind, hitherto contrary, became favorable to the Orthodox army 784. Pozharsky and Trubetskoy, who united near Moscow, were not peaceful with each other; The rulers of Russia quarreled due to the whims of pride, to the death of their fatherland. “Seven shepherds do not have a flock,” the people said. The venerable archimandrite wrote to the rulers a heartfelt, eloquent admonition about peace and love 785. When the efforts of the friends of the fatherland finally managed to drive the Poles out of Moscow, Dionysius was among the first to perform a grateful prayer at the place of execution 786. It was now necessary to take care of the restoration of the monastery, which had been greatly shaken by disasters. Its towers and walls were cracked after the siege; The cells that survived the fire stood almost without a roof; estates were ruined and workers fled. At the request of Dionysius, the king confirmed the rights of the Lavra with letters and ordered the return of its dispersed farmers to their places. The activities of the abbot gradually erased the traces of ruin in the monastery. The begun amendments to the management of the monastery had not yet been completely completed when the Monk Dionysius had to begin his exploits for the holy faith - the tsar instructed him (by letter dated November 8, 1616) to revise, together with Elder Arseny and the priest John, the breviary printed in 1602 787 . Dionysius and his collaborators set to work with lively zeal and not without the necessary aids: in addition to the ancient Slavic lists, including the missal of Metropolitan Cyprian, they had Greek missals 788. The correctional officers worked hard and for a long time. Many errors were found, some of them extremely gross. “The incarnation of the Son of God was found in the written consumer books and in the service books of the first seals, as the Father God became incarnate with the Son.” The correctional officers presented their case to Moscow. But here they were declared heretics. In July 1618, the council decided: “Archimandrite Dionysius wrote according to his own will, and for this reason Archimandrite Dionysius and priest Ivan are excommunicated from the Church of God, so that they may not hold the priesthood.” Dionysius was accused of “ordering to defile the name of the Holy Trinity in the books and not confessing the Holy Spirit, as if there is fire.” This meant that the correctors intended to make changes in the hymns to the Holy Trinity, which ended various prayers; and in the rite of blessing of water they excluded the word: “and by fire” as introduced by the arbitrariness of ignorance 789 . In his defensive speech, the Monk Dionysius wrote: “It is written in all the old written breviaries, including parchment ones, in the prayer: “By your will you have brought all things from non-existence into being... You and now, Master, sanctify this water with Your Holy Spirit.” This is how the words stand in parchment and paper lists and there is no word in them: and by fire. So it is in the lists sent from Moscow - in the book of Metropolitan Cyprian (and Metropolitan Cyprian is a holy man, as everyone knows) and in two other lists! So it is in the Greek books! But not so in the Moscow printed service book, where it is printed: “By Thy Holy Spirit and fire.” We don’t know why “and by fire” was printed. We thought that it was printed in accordance with the words of the Evangelist Luke: He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16). But knowing that the evangelists Mark and Matthew did not say: and by fire, but only by the Spirit, they accepted as a basis the words of the Lord to Nicodemus: unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:5). The Evangelist Luke himself, offering the promise of the Lord, writes: you are about to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, but he did not say “and with fire.” According to the book of the Acts of the Apostles, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and appeared to them, dividing the nations like fire (Acts 2:3); It is not said: tongues of fire appeared, but as if they were fire. And the book of Acts does not determine in what form the Holy Spirit descended on those who were baptized. Baptism by fire signifies only a fiery test” 790. It is very interesting and instructive what Arseny said about the addition of the word “and by fire” in the rite of baptism. Of the 12 Slavic lists, he wrote, 10 did not have this word; in one it is written on the field: and by fire, and in the other the same word is written above the line; in the printed missal this word is already included in line 791. This is the origin of the additions for which the zealots of imaginary antiquity so stubbornly stand! The Monk Dionysius had to endure many, many undeserved insults. They decided to imprison Dionysius in a distant monastery; but since gangs of Poles and vagabonds still roamed around Russia, Dionysius, returned to Moscow, was locked up in the Novospassky Monastery. Here they languished him in the smoke of the bathhouse and starved him to death; ordered to make 1000 bows every day. The monk, strengthened by the Lord, not only fulfilled the imposed penance, but also, out of his zeal, performed another: 1000 bows every day. On holidays they took him to the metropolitan before mass for humility. In the bishop’s courtyard, he stood in chains until Vespers in the summer heat, not even refreshed by a cup of cold water. Moreover, the evil ignoramuses scolded and pushed him. The monk was as cheerful as a baby. “They threaten me with Siberia and Solovki,” he said, “but I’m glad of that, this is life for me.” When others said with compassion: What is this trouble with you, father? - he answered: “There is no trouble, but the mercy of God; Saint Jonah the Metropolitan humbles me according to my deeds, so that I will not be proud; troubles and misfortunes of time are the mercy of God; That's the problem if you have to burn in Gehenna fire. May God deliver us from this!” When the poor prisoner was being carried around the city on a nag, the people shouted: “Here is a heretic, he wants to bring fire out of the world,” and threw dirt at him. The monk endured this too with the gentleness of a child. The main accusers of Dionysius at the cathedral were the “register of the Sergius Monastery, Filaret, and the headman, Loggin,” with whom the archimandrite also had dealings at the monastery. Their deeds and qualities explain the dispute about the correction of books and together reveal other high feats of the Monk Dionysius. Headman Loggin had previously been a book collector at the printing house and, therefore, now stood for his own business. He was a “loud singer,” but “he called grammatical cunning and bookish philosophy heresy.” The Monk Dionysius, as part of his duty, often admonished him about the erroneous pronunciation of words when singing and reading, but the proud singer took this as an insult. The monk introduced the conversations of Chrysostom, translated by Maxim the Greek, to be read in the church; Loggin wanted everything to be done at his discretion, while his spiritual taste was so subtle that “the sea of ​​sweetness seemed to him like a worthless puddle.” His impudence knew no bounds. The monk tried to persuade him with all the meekness of love to take care of himself, but without success. Loggin brazenly insulted the archimandrite himself. Once Dionysius began to read the sermon. Loggin ran up and snatched the book from him - the cashbox with the book flew, there was a knock, thunder, temptation. Dionysius crossed himself and silently retreated to his place. Loggin, having read the teaching, approached the archimandrite and began to spit and shout at him. “Stop it, Loggin, don’t interfere with the Divine service, we can talk to you after Matins,” says the meek abbot. Loggin snatched the archimandrite's staff from his hands, broke it into pieces and threw it to Dionysius. Having left his place, the monk stood before the icon of the Mother of God and wept at Matins. Loggin did not ask for forgiveness from the archimandrite even after that, despite the admonitions of the brethren 792. The charterer Filaret was a friend of Loggin. This one was even more wonderful. He lived as a monk in the monastery for more than 50 years. But “from the simplicity of unlearning, two thoughts of unkind wisdom came to his mind; Sitsev’s first thought: the verb, as our Lord Jesus Christ was not born before the age of the Father; He had another thought - the co-creator of God, incomprehensible and indescribable, described in a verb and a humanoid being. So, in one and the same person is both the darkest ignoramus and the daring heretic! It is easy to notice that these two persons are very close in personal qualities to some Habakkuk or Lazarus. The Monk Dionysius grieved for Philaret and told him that he was ruining his many years of exploits through the self-will of his ignorance. But this was a feat useful for the Monk Dionysius and in vain for Philaret 793. Loggin and Philaret, being angry with the Monk Dionysius, not only informed the council that Dionysius was heretical, “does not confess the Spirit with Holy Fire,” but they also animated the queen nun Martha, the mother of Tsar Michael, with their evil spirit. And the indignation of the simple-minded old woman against the imaginary heretic aggravated the fate of Dionysius. “I rightly allow myself,” wrote Arseny, who suffered with Dionysius, “I dare to say about those who are bringing lies against us, that they know neither Orthodoxy nor crooked Orthodoxy, they read the Holy Scriptures letter by letter and do not try to understand their meaning” 794. Such are always the blind zealots of the old letter! The Jerusalem Patriarch Theophan, arriving in Moscow in 1619, drew the attention of love to the sufferer Dionysius. He suggested that Patriarch Philaret alleviate his situation, and in his justification pointed to the Greek missal. Dionysius was released from prison. The perfect justification of the Monk Dionysius was not pronounced before the answer about the word: “and by fire” was received from the other Eastern Patriarchs. Patriarch Theophan, having visited the monastery, placed his hood on the sufferer of the faith. “A cell should not have a charter,” the Monk Dionysius used to say. And in his cell, out of ardent love for the Lord, he spent most of his time in prayer. In his cell he read the psalter with bows and passages from the Gospel and the Apostle. He sang six and seven prayers a day; In addition to the usual canons for Jesus and the Mother of God with akathists, he sang canons for the day, holidays and various saints. He went to bed three hours before the bell ringing for Matins, and yet, when the sexton came to him with a candle, he bowed down 300 times in a small robe, then, waking up his cell attendants, went to church. He strictly observed the church rules, not allowing anything to be taken away from him. He himself read and sang in the choir. Grateful to the benefactors of the monastery, he demanded that the synodics be read at the proskomedia; During the cathedral service, all the priests in stoles stood at the altar and commemorated the names of the deceased contributors. Every morning he walked around the church and inspected whether everything was in the church. He went out with the brethren to work at the monastery. He had painters, icon painters, and silversmiths. He diligently took care of the churches not only of the monastery, but also of the monastery villages, where he built several new churches, especially after the defeat of the Polish. Everything that he received for himself from benefactors, he did not use for himself. Under him there were 30 hieromonks and 15 hierodeacons in the monastery. His ascetic life inspired others to deeds of piety. Following his example of humility, even the elders of the brethren were not ashamed to go and ring the bell tower. Of the disciples of Dionysius, the Monk Dorotheos is especially famous. In the handwritten calendar we read: “Reverend Dorotheos, a great worker, was a disciple of Saint Dionysius of Radonezh and reposed in the summer of 7130 (1622).” Simon writes about Dorotheus: “He was so strong in piety that he never left church services, filled the position of sexton in the church of the wonderworker Nikon, and at the same time was a canonarchist and book guardian. In his cell he followed an extraordinary rule: he read the entire Psalter and made up to 1000 bows; Moreover, he wrote books. He slept very little and never went to bed. His food was a piece of bread and a spoonful of oatmeal, and not every day; It was only through the archimandrite’s conviction that he began to eat bread with kvass.” According to Nasedka, Dorofey, who worked so hard for the wounded and sick, suffered a lot of troubles and in the peculiarities of his life. Those who followed his life noticed that he did not eat for three or four days, and sometimes for a whole week. Others said about him that he was a holy man; others, seeing him lying near the wall or stove, laughed at him as if he were a fool. “Once upon a time,” says the Mother Hen, “I laughed at him along with others. Dionysius, noticing this, looked at me sternly. 10 years later, in a spiritual conversation in Moscow, I reminded Dionysius of his remark regarding Dorotheus; Abba said: "Do not ask monks about the affairs of monks. It is a disaster for us to reveal our secrets to the laity. It is written: Let not the fool know what your right hand is doing." I, a sinner, began to ask him to explain this to me. “You laymen,” he said, “if you hear bad things about the monks, you condemn them, to your own sin; and if you hear good things, you are not jealous of it, but only praise it, and from your praise comes a dangerous temptation for us, pride is born.” When asked about the meaning of his stern look, he said: “You laughed at a holy man because he did not live according to you. I know that he did not eat for a week, for 10 days there was not a drop of water in his mouth; he walked barefoot, naked, hungry, with unwashed hands and face. He was tormented by lustful thoughts and that is why he tormented himself with hunger and thirst.” After the devastation of the Polish in the villages of the Lavra, the churches were either burned or robbed. The venerable archimandrite built several rural churches, some of which are still intact. Zealous for the splendor of the house of God, he had all kinds of church utensils in stock and, when petitioners appeared, he lovingly gave out what was needed for one church or another. Having spent his life in high deeds of love for the Lord, Abba Dionysius reposed peacefully on May 10, 1633, and Patriarch Philaret himself performed his funeral service 795. On the very day of the death of Dionysius, the priest of the Lavra settlement, Theodore, could not see his death and greatly grieved over it. In a dream, he saw that he was in a hurry with others to accept the last farewell of the Monk Dionysius, but the saint said to him: “Why are you in a hurry? They ask for blessings by staying here, and you will soon follow me.” After 8 days, Theodore died. The priest of Ilyinskaya, Pushkarnaya settlement, Theodore, lay seriously ill. On the day of the Great Martyr Demetrius, the Monk Dionysius appeared to him in the full vestments of an archimandrite, preceded by a monk with a burning candle. Dionysius lifted the sick man by the hand and ordered the monk Dosifei to lead him to church. Here the saint lit candles in front of the icons and said: “Glory to Thee, Lord, that the church of St. Elias has been established.” The patient woke up healthy; and the church was actually finished after the death of Dionysius. In 1640, the Monk Dionysius appeared together with Saint Alexei to the Monk Nicodemus of Kozheozersk with the news of his imminent death 796. According to Simon, the Monk Dionysius was tall, stately, with a splendid face, cheerful eyes, and a long and wide hair; a portrait of the deceased was taken from him. Nowadays the Lavra houses an ancient portrait of him with the caption: “Image of St. Dionysius, Archimandrite of the Trinity.” The portrait is similar to the description of a contemporary 797. Day thirteen. Memory of St. John, his son Euthymius and nephew George, Iveron The Monk John the Gruzin, of a princely family from the city of Artanucha (near Kars), leaving military service, family and acquisitions, entered one of the Imereti monasteries, and from here, taking his son Euthymius, he moved to the monastery of Mount Olympus, in Greece, and, finally, to the Athos Lavra of St. Athanasius. He meekly fulfilled all the obediences assigned to him, led a strict and hardworking life; Following his example, other Georgians arrived at the Lavra of Athanasius. Considering that it was inconvenient for the large Georgian brethren to live among the Greeks, John, by general advice, bought a place on the eastern side of Mount Athos and, having built a church in the name of John the Baptist, laid the foundation of the Iveron Monastery, of which he was the first abbot (982). During his days, the monastery was honored with a gracious visit from the Mother of God through Her miraculous icon, called Iveron. He died in 998, handing over the abbess, with the general choice of the brethren, to Euthymius. During the lifetime of his parent, the Monk Euthymius spent many years working on translations of the books of the Holy Scriptures and Divine services from Greek into Georgian, and during his 12-year abbotship he zealously continued the work begun by his father in organizing the monastery and brotherhood, established order and order in the administration of church services and wrote the rules of the hostel, in the implementation of which he served as an example for the brethren. Since with the acceptance of the abbot he involuntarily stopped his work on translating the sacred books, many of the highest spiritual and secular Georgian dignitaries convinced him to lay down the burden of abbotship and continue the work he had begun for the good of the Church and his people. Euthymius handed over the abbess to his relative, the monk George, and again began the work that had been interrupted; died in the 65th year of his godly life, in 1028, immortalizing his name in the memory of the grateful Georgian people. The Monk George, nephew of John, was the sixth abbot of the Iveron monastery, which under George, the third abbot, and his two immediate successors was not free from some troubles. He was born in Georgia in 1014 and in the 25th year of his life he was tonsured in the Khakhul monastery, from where he later visited the holy places of Syria and Palestine, and finally, according to the conviction of the elders, he went to Holy Mount Athos to continue the work of Euthymius in translating books into Georgian. He spent seven years in unconditional obedience to the brotherhood and, having been awarded the rank of presbyterate, then only began to bring to an end what Euthymius had begun. In 1047, the brethren elected him abbot, and he erected the still existing cathedral church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God and transferred the relics of John and Euthymius here. After 10 years, he resigned as abbess in order to have more time for educational activities, visited the Marvelous Mountain near Antioch, where there were then many Georgian monks, and, at the invitation of King Bagrat IV, lived in Georgia for four years to organize church affairs. He died on the way back to Athos, in Constantinople, in 1066, at the age of 52. Memory of the righteous girl Glykeria According to the chronicle, on the 14th day of June 1572 in Novgorod, near the Church of Saints Florus and Laurus, the incorruptible relics of the holy maiden Glyceria, who had died 50 years earlier, were found; it was the daughter of the headman of Legoshchinskaya Street Panteleimon; Archbishop Leonid and the council of clergy placed the relics in the church itself. On the same day, the four-year-old son of clerk Bogdan Suvorov 798 received healing at the tomb of the righteous woman. The memory of the righteous woman is locally honored on May 13, 799. The righteous woman is depicted on the ancient image of the Novgorod miracle workers, which is now in the sacristy of the Chernigov department. The image is worthy of attention! At the top is Saint Sophia with the Mother of God and the Forerunner appearing. In the first row: “Nicetas, Niphon, John, Euthymius, Jonah, Moses, Serapion, Gregory, Theoktistus, Luke”; in the second row: “Joachim, Simeon, Martyrius, Vasily, Anthony (hierarchs), Varlaam (Khutynsky), Savva (Vishersky), Mikhail (Klopsky), Alexander (Svirsky).” In the 3rd row: “Alexander (Oshevensky), Zosima and Savvaty (Solovetsky), Nil (Stolobensky), Arseny (Konevsky), Nikodim (Kozheezersky), Ephraim (Novotorzhsky), Anthony (Roman), Anthony (Siysky).” In the 4th row: “Antony (Leokhnovsky), Ephraim (Perekomsky), Varlaam (Shenkursky), Serius and Herman (Valaamsky), Euphrosynus (Sinozersky), Vladimir (prince), Anna (princess), Theodore (holy fool), Nikolai (holy fool).” In the 5th row: “Arseny (Novgorodsky), Afanasy (Cherepovetsky), Korniliy (Paleostrovsky), Anthony (Dymsky), Xenophon (Robeisky), Nikita, Kirill, Nikifor, Clement, Isaac (Alfanovs).” In the 6th row: “Martirius (Zelenetsky), Theophilus and Jacob (Omuchsky), Cyril (Chelmogorsky), Theodore (prince), Mstislav (prince), John Loggin (Yarengsky), Diodorus (Yuryegorsky), Eleazar (Anzersky), Macarius (Oredezhsky), Artemy (Verkolsky), Jacob and John (Menyuzhsky), Glyceria." Saint Sergius the Confessor, who died in exile under Emperor Theophilus (829–842). He is known as a hymn writer and describer of events from the time of Copronymus to Mikhail the Zaika. Day fourteen. Celebration in honor of the Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God In Yaroslavl, the bourgeois Alexandra Dimitrievna Dobychkina suffered for 17 years from a very severe illness, first with internal melancholy, then with aches in her hands and in all parts; excruciating pain brought out terrible screams from her. In 1823, she saw in a dream a certain church with an icon of the Mother of God in it. Walking through churches, she looked everywhere for this church. On May 1st she came to the Yaroslavl bishop's house and, seeing here under the bell tower the Church of the Origin of the Honest Trees, recognized in it the church she had seen in a dream. With a joyful presentiment she entered and, as soon as she saw the icon of the Mother of God of Pechersk written on the wall, she was suddenly thrown to the floor with extraordinary contortions of the whole body. Having come to her senses and nourished by the undoubted hope of receiving healing of her long-term ailments from the icon of the Mother of God, which she had seen in a dream, she came to this church the next day, May 2nd, and, having prayed before the icon of the Mother of God, wanted to come up and venerate it; but suddenly I felt some strong and incomprehensible movement inside me and at the same time received complete healing from the disease. From that time on, from this icon, the grace of the Mother of God began to flow countless miracles to everyone who flowed to her with faith. Day fourteen. Memory of the Holy Martyr Isidore, on the island of Chios Isidore, an option in military service (i.e., a non-commissioned officer), during the persecution of Dekievo, was presented to the governor as a Christian, and when ordered to make a sacrifice to the gods, he answered: “Who are your gods? Aren’t they insensitive idols?” The governor first ordered to beat him with ox sinews, then cut out his tongue and finally behead him. His body was carried away by Ammonius, a secret Christian, and buried honestly. This was in the year 250. Subsequently, a church was built over his relics. Commemoration of the first discovery of the relics of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk In the Zadonsky Monastery, where the relics of the saint rest openly, on May 14th a festive commemoration of their first secret discovery in 1846 by Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh is celebrated, as a result of a special vision. Day fifteen. The Suffering of Saint Demetrius Tsarevich Saint Demetrius Tsarevich, son of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Maria Feodorovna from the Nagikh family, was born in 1582 on October 19, 800. Tsar John, who was close to death, appointed Uglich as an inheritance for the prince and his mother, and entrusted his upbringing to the royal adviser Belsky 801. Tsar Theodore, soon after ascending the throne, at the insistence of strong boyars who feared the rivalry of the Nagi, sent Queen Maria and her son to Uglich. The good king wept bitterly, saying goodbye to his only brother; he appointed the prince a magnificent court staff, but grieved that his brother’s removal to Uglich was nothing more than imprisonment; teacher Velsky remained in Moscow 802. Godunov soon after became the sovereign ruler of Russia: the good Theodore remained with almost only the name of the tsar, and everything was done as Boris wanted; foreign courts sent gifts to Godunov on a par with the tsar. Meanwhile, Boris knew that everyone in the state, starting with Tsar Theodore, recognized Demetrius as heir to the throne, and his name was commemorated in churches. Boris himself, in various matters of Feodorov's time, recognized Demetrius as heir to the throne. When in 1586, a council of nobles with those chosen by the people suggested that Tsar Theodore divorce his barren wife, Godunov’s sister, due to her childlessness, Godunov replied that there was a legitimate heir to the throne, Demetrius 803. The next year, when the Russian ambassadors went to the Warsaw Sejm to lobby for Poland to recognize Theodore as its tsar, Godunov wrote in an order to the ambassadors: “If the gentlemen begin to ask the sovereign to appoint his brother to their state, then answer that this is impossible—the prince is still young, only four years old.”804 So Boris saw Dimitri as the heir to the throne. But how, with a passion for power, how can one who is accustomed to control everything with the power of an autocratic king give up all hopes of continuing power? Unfortunately, the flatterers told Boris that under Demetrius it was not the power of a royal adviser that awaited him, but the scaffold, and that the relatives of the Tsarevich Nagy were ready to take revenge on him for their imprisonment 805. Alarmed by fears for his future and seduced by dreams of power, Boris began to act against the prince as against his personal enemy. At first he forbade commemorating his name in churches, letting Russia know that the son of John’s seventh wife was not the heir to the throne. since Boris knew that there were many who, by the very fact that the offensive order about the prince belonged to Boris, were ready to act by all means for the prince; then to Boris the death of the prince seemed necessary. People who made their fate dependent on the fate of Godunov brought this idea to the point of conviction in him 806. As a result, clerk Mikhail Bityagovsky was sent to Uglich to manage zemstvo affairs and the household of the queen’s widow. Together with him, Bityagovsky’s son Daniil, nephew Nikita Kachalov and Osip Mikhailov, son of mother Dimitrieva, came to Uglich. And so on May 15, “the prince was gone in Uglich” 807. How did this happen? Prince Vasily Shuisky, okolnichy Klepshin and clerk Vyluzgin, sent from Moscow, delivered an investigative file to Tsar Theodore, who assured that the prince, while playing poke with a knife with the children, suddenly fell from an epileptic illness and stabbed himself 808. But this was only slander, with which the name of the holy prince was again insulted. The investigation, considered before the court of impartiality, turns out to be a pathetic effort to hide the truth in the eyes of Tsar Theodore. It did not record the common voice of the Uglich residents, who assured the investigators that the prince had been killed. They tried not to reveal the truth, but only to make the prince look sick. For example, the very first interrogation was as follows: “Which custom did the prince no longer have? And what is his illness?” Throughout the entire investigation, all the diligence of the investigators is aimed at gaining as many votes as possible about the prince’s illness. On the contrary, if one of the interrogated mentions the violent death of the prince, such testimony remains without any attention - they do not ask: “Who was it with? Who are the killers? How and when was the prince killed? The investigators' reluctance to reveal the truth and the desire to cover it up is evident from the testimony of almost every defendant 809. Contemporaries, with the exception of Boris's helpful servants, both their own 810 and others 811 unanimously say that the prince was stabbed to death by assassins, at Godunov's request. In 1606, Shuisky himself testified before the whole of Russia that Tsarevich Prince Dimitri Ivanovich, out of envy of Boris Godunov, “like a lamb, kindly slain, was killed like an innocent lamb” 812. The lie with which they wanted to cover up the murderers and with which they insulted the martyr was clearly revealed when the prince’s coffin was opened in 1606; then they found that “in his left hand the prince was holding a towel embroidered with gold, and in the other nuts,” in which form death befell him 813. If his right hand was occupied with nuts, then how could he hold a knife in the same hand? In addition, in epileptic illness, voluntary movements of the hand to stab oneself are impossible; if the prince fell directly with his larynx on the knife, his larynx would have been pierced, and not cut, as they see it now. So the prince, innocent and pure, was killed villainously. According to the chronicles and partly according to the investigative case itself, the crime was committed like this: on May 15, at noon, when Nagikh was not in the palace, Volokhov’s mother carried the prince out into the courtyard; The nurse also came down here, in vain trying to persuade the mother not to carry the prince 814. The killers were already waiting for the victim. Osip Volokhov, taking the prince by the hand, asked: “Is this your new necklace, sir?” The child raised his head and answered: “No, it’s old.” At that moment the knife flashed, but the killer did not grab the larynx and ran away. Dimitri fell. The nurse fell on him to protect him with herself, and began to scream. Bityagovsky and Kachalov took the prince from her and killed her. The mother ran out and started screaming 815. The cathedral sexton, who saw the murder, rang the bell to gather the people. Mikhail Bityagovsky rushed to the bell tower to stop the alarm, but the sexton locked himself in the bell tower and continued the alarm 816. The people who came running, having learned about the crime, at the suggestion of Nagikh, killed the killers - Mikhail Bityagovsky and 12 other people: unfortunate arbitrariness made it easier for investigators to close the main crime. The prince was buried in Uglich. Godunov ascended the throne, but did not sit on it for long. The shadow of Saint Demetrius appeared - the first False Demetrius, and Boris died. The impostor was also killed. Shuisky ascended the throne. But the Poles prepared another False Dmitry in place of one and worried Russia. Tsar Vasily Shuisky decided to display the body of the true prince in Moscow in order to dispel deception in the eyes of the gullible people. With such intentions, at the end of May 1606, Metropolitan Philaret, Bishop Theodosius and four boyars were sent to Uglich to collect the body of the prince. “When the prince’s coffin was opened,” those sent to the king reported on May 28, “the relics turned out to be safe and sound, with the exception of some parts; the face, the hair on the head, the flesh on the bones are unharmed; in the left hand there is a taffeta fly, a shroud, a damask caftan, boots, a handful of nuts - everything is intact”; At the same time, various patients received healing at the tomb of Tsarevich Dimitri, of which there is written evidence 817. On June 3rd, the king with all the court and clergy met the holy relics outside the city; On June 5th they placed them in the Archangel Cathedral in order to lower them into the ground the next day, but the next day 13 miraculous healings took place, and on the 6th 12 sick people recovered with the relics of the prince and they were left forever open in the cathedral. Then they decided to celebrate the prince on October 19, May 15 and June 3 818. St. Silouan, disciple of St. Pachomius the Great Memory There should be no limits to the caution that should be applied to measures punishing a person for his crimes or misdeeds - and there are many examples proving that forbearance and long-suffering have brought a guilty person to a complete spiritual, saving revolution. If only he were given time to repent and only love would be watchful over him, which is merciful, is not irritated, covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything, never ceases... (1 Cor. 13, 4, 5, 7, 8). One example of a grace-filled conversion produced by patient love and extreme tolerance appears in the life of St. Silouan, remembered today. He belonged to the class of comedians, but his impressionable nature was not alien to various aspirations. The glory of the asceticism of modern monks awakened in him a desire to partake of their lives; Therefore, he came to the common father and leader in monastic life - Pachomius - and asked to be accepted as one of the disciples. Pachomius imagined all the difficulties of this path to the carried away young man, but, seeing his zealous readiness to devote himself to monastic life, he accepted him into his monastery. For some time, young Silouan actually fulfilled his new duties with great zeal, but then his jealousy cooled, his previous and other dispositions, temporarily suppressed, awoke again and began to act with renewed strength. His absent-mindedness, his playfulness inappropriate for a monk, coupled with mockery and idle talk, entertained others, and, serving as a laughing stock, Silouan created a temptation among the concentrated, severely strict life of the monks. More than once Pachomius tried to arouse in him the mood appropriate for a monk. The young man corrected himself for a while, but then again became distracted, weakened, and became carried away by a completely unusual mode of action in his new field. Finally, the older brethren began to insist that Silouan be removed from the monastery, and Pachomius, denouncing in front of everyone the irregularity of the life of the unworthy monk, announced to him that he must leave the monastery. Then a prevailing spiritual aspiration manifested itself in the young man’s soul. In despair, he fell at the feet of Pachomius and begged not to expel him, promising that he would completely correct his life. It was difficult for Pachomius to believe the sincerity of promises that had already failed several times... but one of his best students, Petronius, could not bear the sight of the grief of his contrite and repentant brother; compassionate love inspired him with confidence in his impulse, and he vouched for him, and with his requests kept the unfortunate man in the monastery in his care. And sensitive, prophetic love was not mistaken. Silouan seemed to be transformed. The humble consciousness of his guilt penetrated his soul so deeply that he did not dare raise his eyes to his brothers; Instead of idle talk, he almost fell silent and bowed down to such an extent that he did not dare to pick the grass without permission... Abundant tears expressed the tender and contrite state of his spirit - and his jealousy did not weaken. Sometimes getting tired in the late hours of the day, he would sit on the floor of his cell and still work on weaving mats. “Can I help but cry,” he said to the brethren, “when the holy monks serve me, while I should kiss the very dust trampled by them... I, one of the comedians, was accepted among the ascetics, learned the truth and was so careless about my salvation that they almost kicked me out of the monastery... I am afraid that the earth will open up under me and swallow me up. I see the immeasurability of my sins and am ready to give my life just to receive forgiveness..." Seeing such sincere repentance, Pachomius recognized and testified to everyone its height. And the Lord Himself glorified what was most precious to Him - the repentance of man... When Silouan died eight years later, it was revealed to the Monk Pachomius in a vision how many heavenly powers gathered his soul and presented it to the Lord as a chosen sacrifice and the fruit of the victory of love over sin. Day sixteen. Memory of the holy martyrs Abdijesus, Abdelai and others, in Persia Under the terms of the peace concluded in June 363 between the Roman Empire and Persia, the latter acquired five provinces beyond the Tigris River, mostly inhabited by Christians, and therefore the Persian government was forced to give more freedom to Christians in the old regions. According to Syrian news, the chair of Seleucia-Ctesiphon was occupied at this time by Tamuza, about whom, except for his name, no other information has been preserved. The peace of the Church continued for about twelve years, when persecution resumed on the following occasion. Avdijesus, bishop of the region of Kaskar in Babylonia, probably the city of Bizetun, had a nephew as a deacon, whom he was defrocked for his depraved life. The former deacon, wanting to take revenge, went to Susa, where the king was then, and reported to him that “in the province of Cascar there lives the head of Christians, named Abdijesu, and with him the priest Abdalaha. They have relations with Roman spies, inform them about the internal affairs of Persia and write to the emperor about everything that happens in the east. They despise your decrees, they ridicule your words and do not carry them out, they do not recognize the sun and moon, fire and water as gods and laugh at them.” The king immediately ordered Ardshir, the ruler of Adiabene, to seize the bishop and his presbyter and bring them to consciousness through torture. Why were Abdijesus and Abdelai brought to a certain populated place near the city of Beth Lapeta and interrogated. To the question “who are they,” they answered: “we are Christians,” and then to the speech that if they are Christians, then they are the enemies of the king, they said: “no, he is our enemy, because he hates the true God and kills His true admirers.” In response to the demand to speak more clearly, if they did not want to die a blasphemous death, they said: “We love the truth and do not allow ourselves to be deceived by lies; and you complete your trickery. Let every death befall us, whatever your greed may think of; we will gladly die for God's sake." Obedius completely rejected the further accusation of having relations with the Romans, and regarding the disrespect of the Persian gods, he expressed that this should not be discussed, since they were of a completely different faith. Then the executioners tied each of them with three ropes, so that one tightly clasped the ribs, the other the thighs, the third the shins, and under each rope they put wood, which they turned and thereby gradually twisted it so that the bones and veins cracked. The hands were tied back. In continuation of these tortures, they were ordered to honor the sun, the god of the sovereign, and reveal the secrets of the emperor. And since the confessors of the faith remained unshakable, the torture was renewed seven times, and finally the half-dead ones were carried to prison. And here no one was allowed near them and they were given bread and water only to support life: but for six whole days they could not eat rough food and were rotting by hunger. Finally, one compassionate widow, despite the prohibition, brought down to them through a small window of the prison more suitable and strengthening food, with which they refreshed themselves, thanking God. Ardshir reported to the king about the situation of the prisoners, adding that, despite all kinds of torture, the accused did not confess to the crimes. The king, believing that this could be achieved in another way, called the accuser and asked him if there were any other suspicious Christians in Cascar? The traitor pointed him to Bishop Avda of Kaskar and the priests and deacons there. Then the king instructed him to bring them, giving for this purpose a detachment of soldiers (ten horsemen and twenty foot soldiers). Meanwhile, Avda, not at all foreseeing the trials that were preparing for him, left the city with his priests and deacons to correct church affairs outside of it. He was in a certain Christian village when soldiers sent there entered and captured both him and those accompanying him; all those captured were twenty-eight, including seven virgins who dedicated themselves to God. In chains they were brought to Leda, where the king was, who entrusted the dignitary, together with two magicians, with an investigation. The judges asked: “Why do you hold on to error, deceive the souls of ignorant people and bring corruption with your flattering teaching?” To this Avda answered: “We walk the straight path with complete confidence, and everyone who joins us acts wisely, does not walk in the dark and does not wander, because he walks in the light, listens to us in the wonderful hope of a future life and lags behind his error.” When the dignitary therefore ordered them to bow to the sun, because otherwise he would deal with them on the basis of the authority given to him, Avda said: “Neither your king and his command, nor you and your power, nor scourging can separate us from the love and mercy of our God and from our true faith in Jesus Christ. We will never worship the creation, the sun, instead of its Creator, and we will not change the Most High and Holy King for any insignificant and godless king.” This decisive speech aroused the anger of the judge, and he ordered, throwing them to the ground, to give each of them a hundred blows with a whip. Then he said to the confessors: “How dare you humiliate Sapor, the king of kings, the one who, like a god, rules over creatures?” Avda answered: “Sapor is nothing more than a man, and is subject to all human weaknesses and shortcomings; he eats and drinks like anyone else, dresses, works and gets tired, is joyful and sad, weak and sick, and finally must die. This dominion was given to him by the Most High God, so that he would rule the lands and peoples in His righteousness.” The magicians present became irritated and beat him in the face with their fists, reproaching him for defaming the sovereign. When the judges were convinced that all attempts to overcome the firmness of the prisoners were unsuccessful, they considered it best to notify the king about this and ask for his further orders. The king asked them: “How do you find these sorcerers? Do they stick to their convictions, and what do they say?” The chairman replied that he did not dare repeat what they said. But at the insistence of the king, he reported everything that had happened and the fact that Avda did not consider him a deity, but an ordinary person. The king laughed and said that Avda is just reasonable, because the king is only a man. Not entirely satisfied with the reports, the king appointed a new dignitary to complete the trial, who, accompanied by the previous judges, arrived at the place and began interrogating the prisoners, saying: “Are you not obeying the king’s orders?” They replied: “We obey the commands of God, the Lord of all creatures, but we do not submit to the will of the lawless king.” Then he announced that he had the authority to spare them if they worshiped the sun, and otherwise he would order them to be executed. They listened to this calmly, and Avda immediately said on behalf of everyone that they did not want or expect mercy, since they could not obey this order. Then the shackles were removed from them and they were all executed. By this hour, two brothers arrived, Bargadbesiav and Samuel, from the retinue of Bishop Avda, who were not present when he was taken into custody because they had been sent by him before to collect alms and buy food supplies. When they learned about the fate of the bishop and others with him, they hurried to the place of execution, rushed to the body of the holy martyr, kissed him, sprinkled themselves with his blood and said to the executioners: “Kill us too, because for us death is more pleasant and dearer than a dishonest and dull life; and we despise and revile the king; and we are Christians, just like them.” The amazed judges did not dare to pronounce sentence on the new confessors themselves, because their names were not on the list of those condemned by the king, and they reported everything to the king. The latter's decision was soon received, and on the same day, May 15, both confessors were executed. Having taken up the case of Abdas and his companions, the judges completely forgot about Abdijesus and Abdelai. The king was the first to remember them and ordered them to be beheaded. They were in such a pitiful condition that they themselves could not go to the place of execution; they were carried there on their shoulders. Their appearance was terrible. Only bones and skin were visible on them; hair fell out from the head, ribs and limbs were broken; it was barely possible to discern a human image in them. They couldn't stand straight. Once again they were asked to renounce their faith, and their refusal was followed by beheading on May 16th. There were then Roman Christian prisoners of war in the city; They secretly took the bodies of the martyrs and placed them in a secret place. So the men suffered, and the king ordered seven holy virgins to be taken to Bet-Lapet for execution. When they were led through the city, voices were heard from the crowd that innocent blood was being shed, but this did not stop the decision. At the place of execution they were asked if they would submit to the will of the king and marry? The virgins answered: “We have placed all our hopes in God, and we worship Him alone; We do not recognize any other gods. Do what is entrusted to you, and do not delay! Because, you know, we will not obey the will of the lawless king, we will not bow to the sun, creation, and no one will convince us to marry.” Their beheading followed on May 22, and on the same night Christians secretly buried their bodies. Memory of Saint Nicholas the mystic, Patriarch of Constantinople The title of Mystic (senior member of the privy council) indicates that he served at the (Greek) court; after that he was a monk and, for his strict life, was elevated to patriarch in 895. A steadfast guardian of the decrees of the Church, he was not afraid to openly denounce the improper entry into the 4th marriage of Emperor Leo with Zoe - in 901. He dismissed a presbyter who had committed an illegal marriage, and forbade the emperor from entering the church, for which he was deprived of his chair and imprisoned in a monastery. After the death of Leo (911) he was returned to the department and died in 930, managing church affairs until the end. He left behind various works 819. Day seventeen. Transfer of the relics of St. Adrian Ondrusovsky His memory is on August 26; and now I remember the discovery and transfer of his relics to the Ondrusov monastery on Lake Ladoga, near Olonets, in 1551. Day twentieth. Memory of Blessed Thalassius, Abba and Abbot of the Libyan monastery, who lived in the middle of the 7th century Entirely devoted to pious asceticism, Blessed Thalassius was also remarkable for his love for spiritual enlightenment; diligently studied the Holy Scriptures and left behind many precious works (which were later used by John of Damascus), for example: the doctrine of the Persons of the Divine; this teaching was repeated and explained by John of Damascus in his exposition of the faith. Saint Maximus the Confessor, a contemporary of Saint Thalassius, also highly respected him, wrote letters to him, dedicated his essay on difficult passages of Holy Scripture to him, and in one essay calls him his mentor. “If you want to free yourself from all evil collectively,” the Monk Thalassius taught in one of his writings, “then renounce the mother of evils - self-love. All passions are preceded by pride, and all will be followed finally by pride...” 820 Repose of Saint Simon, Bishop of Vladimir Blessed Simon, writer of the lives of the ascetics of Pechersk and Bishop of Vladimir, laid the foundation for monastic life in the Pechersk monastery of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius and here he spent a long time in monastic exploits. In 1206 we see him as abbot of the Vladimir Nativity Monastery and confessor to the pious Princess Maria, founder of the convent 821. When the blessed Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich wished to have a special bishop for Vladimir Klyazmensky, who had hitherto depended on the Bishop of Rostov, Blessed Simon was installed as bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal. This was in 1214 822. In 1217, Prince Constantine ousted Prince Yuri from Vladimir and sat on the table of the Grand Duke. Blessed Simon shared with his beloved prince the removal from Vladimir to the poor town of Radilov. Although the good-natured Konstantin soon made peace with his brother and, declaring him his heir, gave him Suzdal, although during this reconciliation Konstantin lovingly accepted Simon and presented him with gifts, but Simon even after that did not separate from Prince George and remained with him in Suzdal; only after the death of Constantine did he “reenter his bishopric of Vladimir” 823. In September 1218, Blessed Simon, in the presence of Grand Duke George, consecrated a new church in the monastery where he was abbot. Prince George loved Blessed Simon, who showed so much love to him in a bitter time: he announced his readiness to open a special bishopric in Suzdal for his friend Polycarp, but Blessed Simon, not finding it useful for Polycarp, rejected the prince from his intention. The daughter of Grand Duke Vsevolod Verkhuslav, the wife of Prince Rostislav Rurikovich since 1189, was the spiritual daughter of Blessed Simon and was also ready for all kinds of sacrifices out of respect for the blessed bishop. But Simon firmly followed the path of spiritual life, not getting carried away by happiness and not indulging his pride. In 1225, he consecrated the cathedral church in Suzdal, which he and the prince built on the site of an ancient collapsed cathedral. In May 1226, feeling the approach of his death, he put on the schema, and on May 22, the “blessed, merciful and teaching bishop” died. He was buried in the Vladimir Cathedral 824, but subsequently his relics were transferred to the Kiev caves, where they now rest 825. The chronicle rightly calls Blessed Simon a teacher. His excellent message to Polycarp, the Pechersk monk and spiritual friend, fully justifies this name. It also shows how full of sincere piety the soul of Blessed Simon was. The monk Polycarp was troubled by thoughts of ambition, which drove him from the Pechersk monastery to one place or another. To heal his friend, Simon depicts the importance of the Pechersk monastery in spiritual life and does not spare Polycarp in his accusations. "Brother! - this is what the saint writes. - Sit in silence, collect your mind and say: man, have you not abandoned the world and your carnal parents? If you came here for salvation, but you are not doing spiritual things, then why did you put on monasticism? Black robes will not relieve you of torment. You see, the princes, boyars and all your friends praise you here; they say: he is happy that he has hated the world and its glory - he no longer cares about anything earthly, desiring heavenly things. But you don’t live like a monk. I'm ashamed of you. What if those who please us precede us into the Kingdom of Heaven? They will be at peace, and we, cruelly tormented, will scream. Who will have mercy on you when you destroy yourself? Wake up, brother, wake up and take care of your soul; work for the Lord with fear and with all humility; Don’t be meek today and angry and angry tomorrow; silent for a while, and then again ready to murmur against the abbot and his servants. Do not be deceitful, do not leave the church meeting under the pretext of illness. Just as rain grows a seed, so the Church fertilizes the spiritual soil for the growth of good deeds. Whatever you do in your cell does not have the same power as what is done in the church. Whether you read the psalter or sing 12 psalms, it cannot be compared with one cathedral singing: “Lord, have mercy.” Remember, brother, that the Supreme Apostle Peter, himself being the Church of the Living God, was taken by Herod and put in prison, and through church prayer was delivered from the hands of Herod. David in prayer says: “One thing I ask of the Lord and this I seek: to live in the house of the Lord, to see the beauties of the Lord and to visit His holy church” (see: Ps. 26:4). The Lord Himself says: Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). If more than a hundred of them gather, believe all the more that God is there with them. Their dinner is also prepared from the church fire; I want one grain of this dinner more than everything I have. I testify to the Lord that I would not want to touch any other food than a piece of bread and peas prepared in the presence of that holy brethren. And you, brother, don’t do it in such a way that now you share this meal with pleasure, and tomorrow you grumble against the cook and the serving brother and thereby, insulting the boss, are subjected to the same punishment as the dissatisfied person about whom the patericon speaks. Do not scold the cellarer: whoever grumbles harms himself. Whether you eat or drink, do everything for the glory of God. Be patient, brother, even with insult: He who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). If you happen to be offended and someone tells you: so-and-so spoke very badly about you, tell the messenger: although he reproached me, he is my brother, and I am worth it, and it is not he who is doing this, but the enemy who wants to quarrel us; May the Lord punish the evil one and have mercy on his brother. You will say that he insulted me to my face in front of everyone. Do not be embarrassed, son, and do not indulge in anger, but bow to your brother and say: forgive me. By correcting your sins, you will defeat the enemy’s power. If you respond to abuse with rudeness, you will doubly insult yourself. Are you greater than King David, whom Shimei scolded to his face? He said to the servant who wanted to take revenge for him: do not do this; May the Lord see my humility and reward him with good for his abuse! Remember, son, and more than that, how the Lord humbled Himself, being obedient to His Father unto death. While suffering, he did not threaten (see: 1 Pet. 2:23), listened to blasphemy, endured slaps and spitting, but did not get angry; He prayed for His crucifiers and taught you to pray for your enemies. Love, he said, your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who harm you (see: Matt. 5:44). Enough, brother, is what I did out of my pride. You should mourn the fact that, having left the holy monastery and the holy fathers Anthony and Theodosius and the holy monks who were with them, you took upon yourself to be the abbot of the holy unmercenaries. You did well when you quickly left it and did not expose your back to your enemy, who wanted to destroy you. Don't you know that a tree that is not watered and replanted often soon dries up? And you, having refused to obey your father and brothers, would soon have died. A sheep is safe in a herd, but when it moves away from the herd, it soon becomes prey for wolves. You should have first thought about why you wanted to leave the holy, blessed and honest monastery of Pechersk, where it is so convenient for anyone seeking salvation to be saved? I think, brother, that God Himself allowed this as a punishment for pride, for the fact that you did not want to serve a holy man, your master, but our brother, Archimandrite Akindinus, Abbot of Pechersk. Have you written about your frustration? Woe to you! You will destroy your soul. I ask you: how do you hope to be saved? If you were truly always sober and poor, spend your nights without sleep, but if you cannot bear insults, you will not be saved. The abbot and the brethren rejoiced over you, and we were comforted by the thought of your finding. But you also allowed it to be your will, and not the will of the abbot, you wanted to once again be the abbot of Saint Demetrius, although no one forced you: neither the abbot, nor the prince, nor me. And now I’ve already experienced it. Understand, brother, that God does not like your leadership, and therefore He sent you weakness of vision. But even so you did not understand to say: it is good for me, for you have humbled me, so that I may learn through your justification. I see that you are proud and seek glory from people, and not from God. Am I not worthy of such a dignity? Why am I worse, for example, as an economist? That's what you said. And the wife of Prince Rostislav Verkhuslava writes to me, wanting to see you as a bishop in Novgorod in the place of Anthony, or in Smolensk in the place of Lazar, or in Yuryev in the place of Alexy. She says: for you and Polycarp, I am ready to spend at least a thousand silver. But I answered: my daughter, Anastasia! It is not a work pleasing to God that you want to do; if Polycarp had remained in the monastery with a clear conscience, in obedience to the abbot and the brethren, and lived in strict abstinence, he would have been awarded not only the priesthood, but also the Heavenly Kingdom. Have you, brother, wished for the episcopal rank? Of course, you wish well. But listen to what the Apostle Paul says to Timothy, and think, do you have the qualities that a bishop should have? If you were worthy of such a rank, I would not have let you go, with my own hands I would have installed you as governor of both bishoprics - in Vladimir and Suzdal, as Prince George wanted, and I did not want. Brother! The perfection of the soul is not about being honored by people, but about improving in life and being pure. Many from the Pechersky Monastery were appointed bishops. Just as the apostles were sent by Christ Himself throughout the entire universe, so by His Mother, our Lady, the Mother of God, many from Her monastery were appointed bishops throughout the Russian land. The first was Bishop Leonty the Holy Martyr of Rostov, whom God glorified with incorruption. This was the first throne; the infidels tortured and killed him, and he became the third citizen of the Russian land, receiving, together with two Varangians, a crown from Christ, for whom he suffered. You yourself read about Metropolitan Hilarion in the life of Saint Anthony, that he was tonsured by him and awarded the priesthood. After them, bishops Nicholas and Ephraim were installed in Pereyaslavl, Isaiah in Rostov, German in Novgorod, Stefan in Vyshgorod, Nifont in Novgorod, Lavrentiy in Turov, Marin in Yuryev, Mina in Polotsk, Nikolai in Tmutarakan, Feoktist in Chernigov, Luka in Belgorod, Ephraim in Suzdal. If you want to know everyone, read the old Rostov Chronicle; there you will find that there were more than 30 of them all, and if you read further, before us sinners, then I think there will be about 50. Understand, brother, what the glory of that monastery is and, having established yourself, repent. Love the quiet and serene life to which the Lord has led you. I am glad to leave the bishopric and serve the abbot at the Pechersky Monastery. But you know what's holding me back. Who doesn’t know that I, the sinful Bishop Simon, have a cathedral church in Vladimir, the beauty of the city, and another in Suzdal, which I myself built? How many cities and villages they have! And tithes are collected from all that land. And all this is owned by our thinness. But before God I tell you: I would consider all this glory and power to be nothing if I were to stick out with a stake outside the gates of the Pechersk Monastery and be trampled upon by people. One day in the house of the Mother of God is better than a thousand years of temporary honor. I would like to live in it better than in the villages of sinners” 826. This is what blessed Simon taught! Memory of the Holy Martyrs Thalaleos, Alexander and Asterius Falaley, an eighteen-year-old youth who studied the art of medicine and was a free doctor, was captured during the reign of Numerian and presented to the ruler of the city of Aig (Aigi, now Ayaskala, by the sea) in Cilicia. As a Christian firm in his faith, he was given over to torture, but the warriors Alexander and Asterius, who were to torture him, themselves believed in Christ and were condemned to death by the sword. After that, Falalei was thrown to the beasts, but as the beasts did not touch him, he was beheaded (284). Day twenty one. The Suffering of St. Agapit Markushevsky The Monk Agapit labored for a long time in the Solvychegodsk Boris and Gleb Monastery. Once he was seriously ill. Saint Nicholas, who appeared in a dream vision, directed him to go to the Markusha River and found a monastery there; the sick man was healed at the same time and went on his way. On the rivers Markush and Tarnakh (100 versts northeast of Totma) he built a chapel and then in 1578 two churches, one in honor of St. Nicholas, the other in the name of Procopius of Ustyug. In the same year, he asked the Tsar for land and a place for a mill on the Lakhta River for the monastery, and from the Metropolitan for a blessing to consecrate the church. Returning from Moscow, he lived as an ascetic of God. Not content with the work of establishing the monastery, he secretly wore chains on his body. Residents of the village of Kashnina, out of greed for self-interest, angry for the land allocated for the monastery, decided to kill the caring founder of the monastery. On May 21st, 1584, they attacked the monk at the mill, killed him and threw him into the Uftyuga River. The monks found the body of the murdered saint and buried him in the chapel, between the churches he had built, and the chains found on his body were hung over his coffin. His relics rest hidden in the church of the abolished (1764) Markushevskaya monastery 827. Memory of the holy bishops and confessors Ammonius, Eulogius, Philo, Paphnutius and others, during the reign of Constantius (338–361) for disagreement with the Arian heresy, deprived of their thrones in Egypt, Libya and Pentapolis, and exiled to prison. Day twenty two. Memory of the Holy Martyr Basilisk the Warrior Basilisk was the nephew of Saint Theodore Tyrone; he suffered along with Eutropius and Cleonikos (their commemoration is March 3), but died by the sword after them. The torment to which he was subjected was accompanied by the most amazing miracles, as evidenced by their eyewitness - the holy martyr Evsignius (his memory is August 5). This martyr Basilisk, as many historians testify, appeared to Saint John Chrysostom before his death and said: “Tomorrow we will be together.” Basilisk suffered during the reign of Maximian, in 308, from Agrippa, who subsequently, having received healing from an illness at the burial place of Basilisk, which exuded miracles, himself believed in Christ. In Comana, where Saint Basilisk suffered, a church was built in his name, and his relics were transferred to it. Memories of the Second Ecumenical Council It took place in Constantinople, during the reign of Theodosius the Great, in 381, to establish the true teaching about the Holy Spirit, against the heresy of Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople, and his like-minded people who rejected the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. At this Council, the one hundred and fifty fathers gathered supplemented the Nicene Creed with the doctrine of the Divinity of the Spirit. Day twenty-three. Memory of Saint Dodo The Monk Dodo, who labored in Iberia, in the Gareji desert under the leadership of Saint David and the founder of the monastery (now in ruins). During his lifetime he was awarded the gift of miracles and died at an advanced age in 623 828. Holy Martyr Michael the Monk, monk from the monastery of St. Sava, disciple and relative of St. Theodore, Bishop of Edessa (July 9). Slandered, like the chaste Joseph, by the wife of the Persian king Ardammelech and who resisted the king’s insistence that he accept Mohammedanism, he was condemned by the king to be beheaded with a sword (in the 9th century). Abbot Daniel saw his relics in the body “like a living one” at the beginning of the 12th century, in the Lavra of St. Sava 829. Day twenty-four. Memory of Saint Martha of Monemvassia and three unknown ascetics Saint Martha was the abbess of the Monemvassia monastery of the Holy Mother of God. Morea was occupied by the Slavs from the 7th century, and Monemvassia, to which the saints were known from the 8th century 830, was placed in the Slavic land in the 8th century 831. Blessed Martha, like the preachers of the faith of her day, had to, among other things, confirm the faith and piety of recent pagans 832 . The Christian life is light in itself; only in its exact form it is not easy for us, the weak. Saint Basil the Great wrote to the noble nun Theodora of his time: “It is not an easy feat for one who promises to fulfill his promise. It is the duty of everyone to choose the life of the Gospel law. But, as we know, not many succeed in doing everything to the smallest extent and not neglecting anything written in the Gospel. It is necessary to bridle the tongue and eyes, enlightened by the Gospel teaching; It is necessary that the hands should be used to please God, that the legs should move, and that each member should be used as the Creator originally intended for us. One must observe modesty in clothing, caution in relations with men, moderation in food, and not have excess of necessary things. All this seems just a small thing, but requires a great feat when carried out, as we find out in practice. We must maintain humility so as not to remember the nobility of our ancestors, not to be proud of the natural gifts of body or soul, not to be exalted by the good opinions of others about us. The life of the Gospel requires all this; In addition, we need: constancy in abstinence, diligence in prayer, compassion of love for others, generosity towards those in need, humility in thoughts, contrition of heart, integrity in faith, indifference in sorrows; constant remembrance of that terrible and inevitable judgment, which we are all approaching and which, however, not many remember, carefree about its decision” 833. Blessed Martha herself labored vigorously along the path of the Gospel law and zealously forced her sisters to perform deeds of piety 834. Then she suffered a painful death with three sisters at the end of the reign of Constantine Porphyrogenet. The note about her, now known only from a fragment, does not explain on what occasion and from whom this death occurred; but since, on the one hand, “men famous for piety” suffered along with Saint Martha and the three sisters, as happens when attacked by enemies, on the other hand, the only enemies of the Greek power in Morea were then the Slavs, some of whom were still pagan: it is more than likely that Saint Martha and her sisters suffered from the pagan Slavs. The same blessed Paul, Bishop of Monemvassia, who wrote about Saint Martha, left the following news about three contemporaries of Saint Martha 835. “I was,” he says, “sent to the east on royal business. On the road I came across a deserted monastery, and I wanted to visit it. The abbot and the monks came out to meet me and, having said hello, we sat down on the mountain. There were fruitful trees here. And so the birds, flying in, broke the branches with fruits and quickly carried them away. I asked the abbot: “Why don’t birds eat fruits, but carry them somewhere with branches?” He answered: “This is already the eleventh year that they have been doing the same thing every summer.” “Here in the mountains,” I said, out of some inspiration, “either men or wives live, and they bear fruit for them.” As I was saying this, a raven flew in and broke the branch with the fruit. I told the abbot: “Let’s go after him,” and they went. A raven with fruit flew ahead of us and, having reached the cliff, laid down a branch. When we approached him, he took a branch and flew into the hole and, leaving the branch there, returned without everything. Arriving at the gap, we threw a stone down. And then someone shouts: “If you are Christians, don’t kill us.” “Who are you?” – we asked. “If you want,” was the answer, “to see us, throw us three robes, we are naked women; walking along the mountain, you will see a path and along it you can go down to us.” Hearing this, the three monks took off their clothes and, wrapping them around the stone, let them down. Having found the indicated narrow path, we walked down it with difficulty to the saints. The three wives, seeing us, bowed to the ground and, having said a prayer, we sat down. One of them also sat down, and two stood. Then the abbot asked the woman who sat down: “Where are you from, lady mother, and how did you come here?” “I am from Constantinograd,” she answered. “My husband served under the emperor and died young; I was left a widow for 20 years and cried bitterly both about widowhood and about the fact that I had no children. A few days later, one nobleman sent servants to me in order to forcibly bring me to him. The servants, not listening to anything, wanted to tell me. I prayed to the Lord Jesus, may he deliver me from that, who is ready to defile my soul and body. Then she said to the servants: “I am glad to go to your master, who is so glorious; but now I am very sick, the blood is constantly flowing; be patient until I recover, and then I will go with joy.” “Okay,” they said, “the master will wait up to 40 days.” After they had left, I called my servants and, having given them money, set them free, and left with me only the two maids you see. Then, having invited one relative, a Christ-loving man, under oaths I bequeathed to him to sell my villages and house and distribute the money to the poor. So I was left without the worries of everyday life. At night, taking my maids, and now my sisters, I entered the ship with them, and we came to this place where you see us. This is the eleventh year since we have seen a single person except you. Our clothes are worn out and disintegrated." The abbot said: “Where, madam, do you get food from?” “The Good and Humane God,” she answered, “who fed His people in the desert for 40 years, sends food to us, His unworthy servants. Every summer birds bring every vegetable, even to the point of excess. And nakedness does not burden us - we are not afraid of the cold in winter, nor in the summer - the heat, glorifying the Holy Trinity." We listened to this with amazement. The abbot said: "If you order, my lady, I will send my brother to the monastery to bring food, and we will eat with you." She answered: "Order the priest to come, let him pray in advance, and we will partake of the Holy Mysteries - from the time We left the city, we were not worthy to receive the Holy Mysteries." The abbot sent a monk to the monastery to call the presbyter and bring food. The presbyter, having arrived, performed the service, and God's slaves partook of the Holy Mysteries. Then they ate with us. “I pray to your sanctuary,” said the saint, “to stay here for three days.” The abbot made a promise. The blessed one stood up, fervently prayed and quietly reposed to the Lord; having performed the funeral hymn, we buried her. The next day the other died just as peacefully, and on the third, the third, having buried them, we returned, glorifying Christ God, who works miracles.” The holy martyr Meletius Stratelates and with him 1218 soldiers with their wives and children, and the holy martyr Serapion and his squad, who died from various torments under the emperor Antoninus, in the 2nd century. Day twenty-fifth. The suffering of Saints Pasikrates, Valention and their friends The martyrs of Christ Pasikrates and Valention were, says the ancient news of 836, from the city of Dorostol of Macedon, warriors, but Christians. Both of them were young, Pasicrates was 22 years old and Valention 30 years old; but both were mature in spirit. When they saw that worshipers of idols bowed to stones, and weak Christians, fearing torment, made sacrifices; They, inspired by holy zeal, freely confessed that only the Christian God is the true God, and idols are soulless substance. Having been captured, they were brought to the prefect. When they were told to make a sacrifice to the god Apollo, Pasikrates spat on the idol. Then his brother Panian, who had previously retreated from Christ out of fear of torment, approached Pasikrates and began to convince him to make a sacrifice in order to get rid of the torment. Pasikrates drove his brother away, calling him unworthy of being related to him. When Valention was questioned, he answered that he was of the same convictions as Pasikrates. Therefore, both were deprived of their heads, while the mother of Pasikrates stood right there and persuaded her son to martyrdom. Following this, the exploits of the friends of Pasikrates and, first of all, Saint Julius began. According to modern news 837, blessed Julius was captured by the servants and brought to the prefect Maxim. “Is it true what they say about you, Julius?” - Maxim asked, Julius answered: “It’s true, I’m a Christian, I don’t want to pretend to be someone else.” “Don’t you know,” said the prefect, “the decree of the emperors commanding sacrifice to the gods?” Julius answered: “I know; but I am a Christian, I cannot do what you want; I should not renounce the living and true God.” Maxim said: “What is the importance of smoking incense and leaving? Diocletian, as is known, was the first to command that honors be given to him as a deity 838. When accepting his salary, the warrior smoked incense in front of the image of the new deity. The pagan prefect senses the strangeness of this trick of Diocletian and thinks to cover it up with the sarcasm of indifference.” Julius answered the prefect: “I cannot break the commandment of God. I served in the military service for 26 years, and they did not bring me before a judge as a criminal or as an absurd person; I went to war seven times; I was not disobedient before my superiors and fought no worse than anyone. Don’t they think that then, just as I was faithful in the lowest, I will turn out to be unfaithful in the highest?” Maxim asked what army Julius served in? “I served,” answered Julius, “in the light army and left the service; I am a veteran 839. But I honored the Living God, who created heaven and earth, and now I render eternal service to Him.” Maxim said that Julius would receive 10 denarii as a reward and would be left alone if he only obeyed now. “Neither money nor flattering convictions will turn me away from the Eternal Lord,” answered the confessor. “We must obey the laws,” said Maxim. “I suffer for the eternal laws,” answered Julius. “For those that the Crucified One taught you? It’s not smart to respect a dead man and not living emperors,” said the prefect. Julius answered: “He died for our sins to give us Eternal life, but He is Eternal God.” Maxim said: “Obey, make a sacrifice, otherwise you choose death for yourself.” “I choose the share of dying for a while and living forever,” answered Julius. The prefect pronounced the decision: Julius, who disobeys the decrees of the emperors, should be deprived of his head. When Saint Julius was led to the place of execution, Hesychius, a warrior and Christian who was in custody, said to the martyr Julius: “I ask you, Julius, fulfill your promise with joy, you will receive the crown that the Lord promised to His confessors. But remember also about me - I am coming after you, especially greet Pasikrates and Valention, the servants of God, who before us came to the Lord with a good confession. Julius, kissing Hesychius, said: “Hurry to come, brother; and your wishes are heard by those whom you welcomed.” Then Julius took a handkerchief, blindfolded his eyes with it and, stretching out his neck, said: “Lord Jesus Christ! I am dying for Your name; deign to accept my soul as one of the saints.” The servant cut off his head. The servant of Christ suffered on the 6th calendar. June (May 27). Saint Hesychius, with two others, suffered martyrdom on June 25, 840. Two days after that, two more soldiers, also friends of Saint Pasikrates, Nikander and Marcian 841, suffered. When they were presented for trial, Prefect Maximus told them: if you did not know the decree of the emperors commanding sacrifices to the gods, then fulfill them now. “The decree,” answered Nikandr, “applies to those who wish to make a sacrifice; but we, Christians, cannot be subject to it.” Maxim said: “Why don’t you accept awards for your services?” “The money of wickedness is unpleasant for the worshipers of the True God,” answered Nikander. “Smoke only incense for the gods,” said Maxim. Nikander answered: “A Christian cannot honor stones and trees and forget about God, who created everything from nothing and is able to save me and all those who hope in Him.” The wife of Saint Nikander told him: “Beware, my lord, of doing this; beware of denying our Lord Jesus Christ; look to the sky and there you will see Him, to whom you must remain faithful.” Maxim said: “Stupid woman’s head! Why do you want your husband to die? “In order,” she answered, “so that he may live with God and never die.” No, said Maxim, you want to get a healthier husband. “If you think so about me,” she answered, “kill me first for Christ, if only you have a decree about women.” Maxim said that he did not have such a decree, but she would be in prison, and she was taken to prison. Maxim gave Nikandr time to think about the cost of life. Nikander replied that the matter had already been thought out and that he wanted nothing more than spiritual salvation. “What do you say, Markian?” - said the prefect. “I stand on the same ground as my military comrade,” answered Marcian. “So, you both will be taken to prison and will undoubtedly suffer execution,” said the prefect. After 20 days they are brought from prison to the prefect. “Enough time has been spent admonishing you to submit to the decree of the emperors,” said Maxim. “Your words,” answered Marcian, “will not force us to abandon our faith and abandon God. He is present here and we know where He is calling. Don't hold us back. Now our faith is perfected in Christ. Send us away quickly so that we may see the Crucified One; You reproach Him with unclean lips, but we honor Him.” “According to your wishes, you will be put to death,” said the prefect. “For the health of the emperors, we ask you,” answered Marcian, “to quickly release us. We are not afraid of torment, but we wish that our wish would come true as soon as possible.” “It is not I who are persecuting you,” said Maxim, “but the decrees of the emperors; I am innocent of your blood.” Then he pronounced the death sentence. The holy martyrs of Christ seemed to say with their lips alone: ​​“Be happy, philanthropic prefect!” They left the court joyfully. Nikander was followed by his wife and Pinian, the brother of the martyr Pasikrates, who was carrying the baby, Nikandrov’s son. Markian's relatives and his wife followed. “Woe to me, poor thing! – the last one shouted. “Have mercy on me, my lord, look at your dear son; do not reject us." Marcian, looking sternly at her, said: “How Satan has darkened your mind! Get away from us; let me finish my martyrdom.” Zotik the Christian, supporting his hand, said: “Be strong, sir - brother! You are doing a good deed. Where can we weak people get such faith? Marcian said to Zotik: “Support my wife.” And Zotik took it. When they arrived at the place, Markian called his wife, kissed her and said: “Go with God; You cannot look at the glorious feat of martyrdom; your thoughts are confused by the evil one.” And kissing his son and looking at the sky, he said: “Lord Almighty! Take care of him." Nikander also said goodbye to his wife. “God be with you!” - he said. She joyfully said: “For ten years I was without you in my homeland and every hour I wanted to see you; Now I see and rejoice that you are moving towards life; I rejoice that I am becoming the wife of a martyr.” The martyrs were blindfolded, and the sword ended their lives. The martyrs of Christ Nikander and Marcian rested on the 15th day of July (June 1st). Since Prefect Maximus persuaded the “emperors” to carry out the decree and more than once mentioned emperors, it is clearly seen that the suffering of the Durostol warriors took place during the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, in 302, and not under the Emperor Severus, as Baronius thought 842. It is known that on the right bank of the Danube, where Durostol, in the 3rd century the Slavs already lived in strong masses 843, and they were the best warriors of the empire 844. Thus, the holy martyrs, both in their place of residence and in their service, were from the Slavs, and the example of their firm self-sacrifice for the holy faith certainly aroused in many relatives their respect and love for the holy faith 845. The Third Finding of the Head of Saint John the Baptist During the persecution of holy icons, in the 8th century, the head of the Forerunner was transferred from Constantinople to Comana, the place of exile and death of Chrysostom, and there it again hid and was unknown until the restoration of Orthodox icon veneration. During the reign of Michael, in 857, the honorable head of the Forerunner was found for the third time and transferred to Constantinople for the second time by Patriarch Ignatius. On the day of the third discovery of the honest head of the Forerunner, the Church cries out: “As a Divine treasure hidden in the earth, Christ has opened your head to us, Prophet and Forerunner. All who have come together in this acquisition, let us sing the songs of God’s words to the Savior, saving us from corruption through your prayers.” Memory of the Holy Hieromartyr Ferapont Bishop of Cyprus, who performed a suffering feat and accepted martyrdom during, as is believed, the persecution of Diocletian. Before the Saracen invasion of the island of Cyprus, the relics of the saint were transferred to Constantinople. During this transfer, in the year 806, it is believed, on May 25, during the reign of the Greek Emperor Nicephorus, many miracles were performed from the relics of St. Ferapont; they were described by a contemporary and, in many ways, an eyewitness of them, who, narrating about them, testifies that he described “of many miracles only a few.” Day twenty-seven. Memory of Saint David of Gareji A stranger from Syria, who followed the great teacher John of Zedazni (May 7), came with him to Iveria, to its capital - Mtskheta. When John sent his disciples to preach the Gospel to different countries, David, with John’s blessing, chose Tiflis (Tbilisi) as his field and settled in a wretched cave on a semi-mountain, now called Mtatsminda or Holy Mountain. Subsequently, David, together with his disciple Lucian, retired to the Gareji desert (60 versts from Tiflis - to the east along the left flow of the Kura). Here, placing their hope in the One God, who fed Israel in the desert, they chose a place “beautiful, serene,” but completely inconvenient for life, “replete with shortcomings and needs for bodily reinforcement,” they were content with only plant roots to satisfy hunger, and only rainwater to satisfy thirst; but when the heat and then the frost deprived them of both and Lucian began to lose heart, David did not waver in the hope of a miraculous providence for the people of Almighty God, and indeed, three female deer with their fawns came running to the hermits in the desert, with their milk they began to soak... Let the poor eat and be satisfied; let those who seek Him praise the Lord; May your hearts live forever! (Ps. 21:27) the hermits sang together with King David in the tenderness of a grateful soul... One day, hunting for animals, hunters came here and, amazed by the wonderful life of the hermits, they spread rumors about them among the surrounding residents; then lovers of silence began to come here and settle, who gradually formed 12 monasteries here 846. Deciding to settle here in order to labor under the leadership of David, they had to carve out caves for themselves to live in and dug wells - artificial ones, into which channels were lowered for rainwater in the direction from the high mountain ranges surrounding the desert, down into wells or stone pits. After several years, when the welfare of all the monasteries had been established, David decided to fulfill his constant desire - to visit Jerusalem to worship the holy places. Having entrusted the management of the monasteries to Lucian and the presbyter Dodo (his memory is May 23), the elder, with some of his disciples, set off on the road. When they reached the heights from which Jerusalem opened before them, David's heart was filled with fear and trembling... “How dare I,” he said with tears, “to trample with my sinful feet the footprints of the God-Man...” - and, dismissing his disciples as more worthy than him to worship the holy places, David himself, in sight of the holy Church of the Holy Sepulcher, took three stones from the Holy Land and went back... But such high humility of the ascetic was not hidden from the world. According to the revelation that was about him in a dream vision, Elijah, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, sent messengers from the patriarch, who caught up with him on the way and to whom he returned two stones that he had taken from the Holy Land, while the third David kept with him, with the permission of the patriarch, “so that he would take it, like grace, into his desert, for the memory and notification of his faith”... The rumor of such a wonderful incident spread throughout Jerusalem and its surroundings. David returned to his desert, bringing the stone with him, which is now preserved on his tomb and exudes the grace-filled power of healing to all who come with faith to worship the saint. Soon after his return, Saint David received notification from his father of his imminent death. Calling the brethren, he taught them saving instructions, then, after listening to the Liturgy, he received Holy Communion and, on his knees, with his hands outstretched to heaven, died peacefully - in the middle of the 6th century. Its desert became famous for many other saints and wonderworkers. Repose of St. Ferapont of Mozhaisk The Monk Ferapont, in the world Theodore, came from a family of nobles, the Poskochins, and his homeland was Volokolamsk 847. From a young age, filled with the fear of God, he thought only about how to get rid of the rebellious world. He loved to talk about piety and prayed to the Lord to grant him angelic life. Having chosen a favorable time, he secretly left his parents' house and in the Simon's monastery begged the abbot to tonsure him as a monk. Here he performed menial tasks with complete obedience and at the same time always attended church vigils and cell prayers. He sincerely revealed his secret thoughts to his elder and thereby maintained spiritual and physical purity. From time to time he listened to the instructions of the Monk Serius. The abbot, noticing his ability and diligence in fulfilling his obediences, gave him various assignments, among other things, sent him to the distant Belozersk region. With a wandering staff, he walked along the deserted Belozersk side and was captivated by the silence of its forests. Returning to Simon's monastery, he brought with him a thirst for desert solitude. The Monk Kirill at this time was already living on the old Simonovo, in solitude. Striving with his soul for deeper silence, he asked Ferapont: “Is there a place on White Lake where a monk could be silent?” Ferapont replied that there were many of them there, and both agreed to go secretly to the deserted side. Kirill found here the place indicated to him in the vision: they both erected a cross and dug dugouts for their homes. However, Ferapont did not stay long with Cyril and retired 15 versts to a beautiful place, between two lakes, to be alone with the Lord 848. Here he cleared the land for planting vegetables and, according to the legend of the desert fathers, drove away the despondency of silence, either by labor, or by prayer and vigil; He also had to experience a lot of fear from the robbers, who, not tolerating the righteous man near them, drove him out of the desert. People began to come to him with a desire to share his desert exploits. At their request, he built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God and established a hostel. This was in 1398. The arrival of the elder hieromonk delighted the monk, since he himself did not want to take upon himself either eldership or hieromonkship. He continued to labor in hard labor, not missing church services and cell rules. From time to time he went for spiritual conversations with the Monk Cyril. His brotherhood multiplied, and the example of the saint inspired everyone with a love for harsh deeds. Wealthy people began to endow the monastery with alms. The brethren asked the monk to take over the management of the monastery; The monk said: “It was not I who fenced this place, but the Most Pure Mother of God: She can instruct you in everything useful.” Seeing the elder’s firm reluctance to assume authority over them, they chose an abbot for themselves. For everyone, however, the monk remained a father and mentor. People came to his cell for advice in mental confusion. According to his thoughts, everything was located in the monastery. No one dared to keep anything in their cells except icons of saints, edifying books and simple handicraft tools. The brothers were busy either copying books or weaving fishing rods. There was deep silence in the church and the meal. Prince Andrei Dmitrievich Mozhaisky, to whom the Belozersk country also belonged, having heard about the new monastery in his desert homeland, granted the new monastery land and lakes, sent utensils for its church and asked to pray for it 849. So this beggar cried out, and the Lord heard and saved him from all his troubles (Ps. 33:7). The deputy of the Mozhaisk prince, returning from Beloozero, told the prince what an ascetic Blessed Ferapont was in his Belozersk country. The prince, who had long wanted to build a monastery near Mozhaisk, sent his boyar to invite the elder to Mozhaisk to talk with the prince about the necessary matter. This invitation worried the elder, but he said: the will of the Lord be done, and, in accordance with the thoughts of the brethren, he went to Mozhaisk. “The Lord will reward you for your work, but I will forever remain your debtor,” said the delighted prince when meeting the monk. Then, revealing to him a long-standing desire, he asked him to take upon himself the establishment of a new monastery. At first, the monk responded only with tears, then he prayed to the Lord and agreed to fulfill the will of the prince. With the prince's rich means, a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Luzhki, a mile from the city, was soon established. This was in 1408. The venerable abba enjoyed the respect of High Hierarch Photius, who lovingly talked with him about spiritual life and invested him with the rank of archimandrite. Under the supervision of the experienced Abba, monastic life flourished in the new monastery; the number of brethren was significant. The venerable Abba repeated the apostolic admonition to the brethren who lived not far from the city: The night has passed, and the day has drawn near: let us therefore reject the works of darkness and put on the weapons of light. As during the day, let us behave decently, not indulging in feasting and drunkenness, nor in sensuality and debauchery, nor in quarrels and envy; But put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not turn cares for the flesh into lusts (Rom. 13:12-14). The Monk Ferapont reposed at a ripe old age on May 27, 1426. His holy relics rest hidden in the cathedral church of the Luzhetsk monastery, exuding miracles for believers. In the Belozersk Desert, church 850 is dedicated to his name. Day twenty eight. Memory of Saint Sophrony I will tell your love about a wondrous personality, says a modern description of the exploits of St. George the Martyr (1515). Presbyter Stefan, from the village of Penkovets, near Sofia (Sredets), left his homeland due to Turkish violence and, coming with his wife, lived in my house; We learned a lot of useful things with him. From here he retired to the Wallachian land and was received by the great commander Radul. There his wife moved to God, and he became hieromonk Sophrony. After the death of the governor Radul, he again came to the Danube, settled in a monastery near Rusa and strengthened himself with fasting, prayers, labor, patience and alms. Here he did not live long: the devil did not tolerate his exploits, he raised up his servant against him; he hits him on the head with an ax and takes his life. Buried “he, three years later, appeared living in the monastery; They open the coffin and find it as if asleep and emitting a fragrance. They put him in a ruck. He works miracles and healings all over the country. Whoever doesn’t trust, let him go and make sure himself” 851. Voivode Radul, who laid to rest the Monk Sophronius-Stephen, is known as one of the best voivodes of Wallachia; he begged from the Sultan the blessed Patriarch Niphon, who lived in captivity in Adrianople; with the assistance of Saint Niphon, Radul managed to do a lot to improve civil and church affairs in Wallachia. He died in 1508 852. Since the Monk Sophronius, according to a contemporary, lived “shortly” after the death of Radulus, and his relics were discovered three years after his death; it is clear that his painful death followed no later than 1510, and his relics were discovered in 1512 853. Day twenty-nine. Memory of the holy martyrs Theodosia, Virgin of Tire, and another Theodosia, Constantinople An 18-year-old girl, a native of the city of Tyre, while in Caesarea in Palestine, visited the place of imprisonment of the confessors of Christ, greeted them and asked them to remember her when they appeared before the face of God. The soldiers immediately seized her as a criminal and presented her to the ruler Urban. And this one subjected her to fierce tortures, during which her ribs and breasts were cut to the bone; then he ordered the one still breathing to be drowned in the sea. She died on April 6, 308 854. Theodosia of Constantinople, a nun of a noble family, publicly denounced the wickedness of King Leo the Isaurian and Patriarch Anastasius, who ordered the destruction of the image of Christ the Savior on the cross, which stood at the top of the copper gates of the large imperial palace. As soon as the sent official climbed the stairs and began to hit the image with a hammer, the assembled crowd pushed down the stairs and put the fallen official to death. The army dispersed the people; Many were captured, including Theodosius. As the noblest and most guilty, it was ordered to scourge her for seven days, a hundred blows a day; and in the eighth news of dishonor through the city, and the executioner, irritated by an accidental bruise, killed her with a goat’s horn picked up from the street. Her body was buried in her monastery, at the Golden Horn, and exuded healing. Memory of the holy martyrs Cyril the Youth, Carellus, Primolus, Finodus, Venustus, Gissinus, Alexander, Tredentius and Iocundus Particularly remarkable of them was the youth Cyril, who amazed with his firmness all those who, not knowing the Christian faith, could not comprehend what power it gives to its confessors... The son of a pagan, Cyril, suffered cruel treatment from his father for joining the Christians and was finally kicked out of his home. This did not separate him from Christ. The youth was not embarrassed by the ridicule of his pagan comrades; to the convictions of the judge, who at first kindly addressed him and promised him to return him to his father’s house if he ceased to be stubborn in his error, Cyril objected: “My father kicked me out, but God will accept me and give me an eternal home...” “When the judge began to threaten the 16-year-old confessor, showed him the fire prepared for him, Kirill answered: “I’m not afraid of death, it will give me a better life...”” Then Kirill was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Seeing that some of those gathered around him began to cry, the youth calmly said to them: “What are you crying about? You should rejoice for me, not cry... but, however, you don’t know what hope I have and where I’m going.”... And then, without the slightest embarrassment, he ascended the fire and accepted martyrdom... All of them suffered in Caesarea Cappadocia during the persecution of Valerian (253–259). Remembrance of the Holy Great Ecumenical Council of the first, which took place in Nicaea The Council of 318 Fathers took place in Nicaea in 325 against Arius, who rejected the eternity of the Son of God and His consubstantiality with God the Father. At this council, the Creed was also drawn up, obligatory for all believers. The foundation of the holidays on the 50th day after Easter of the Most Holy Trinity is indicated in Scripture, and the beginning of this celebration dates back to the beginning of Christianity. Jesus Christ himself, predicting to the apostles about the most joyful event of the New Testament Pentecost, attributed its fulfillment to the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible; about the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Lord said: When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me (John 15:26). Moreover, the appearance of the Holy Spirit, descending from God the Father and sent by God the Son, spread in the world the grace-filled knowledge of the mystery of the Holy Trinity (see John 16:8-15; 14:26). Therefore, from the time of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, the Orthodox Church, on the day of Pentecost, constantly worships and glorifies the Holy Trinity. The Apostle Peter, in preaching the Word of God to a large crowd on the day of Pentecost, explaining the appearance of fiery tongues to the apostles, among other things said: This Jesus God raised up, of which we are all witnesses. So He, having been exalted by the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, poured out what you now see and hear (Acts 2:32-33). On the very day of the Holy Trinity, 3000 of the listeners of the Apostle Peter accepted the Word of God and were baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (see: Acts 2:41). So the creation, redemption, and sanctification of the world was accomplished by the love of God the Father, who sent the Savior to earth, by the grace of the Son of God, who redeemed people, and by the influx of the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies believers (see: Acts 2:17). Therefore, the day of Pentecost is a celebration both for the glory of God the Father, from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds, and of God the Son, who sent the Holy Spirit from the Father, and for the glory of the Holy Spirit, who apparently descended on the holy apostles and disciples of Christ. Monday of Pentecost is called Spiritual Day. The name of the day comes from the ancient holy fathers in their words on the day of Pentecost. St. Gregory the Theologian calls it the day of the Spirit; St. Augustine calls it the feast of the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Day of the Spirits is a continuation of the feast of Pentecost and was established in order to, after the worship of the Most Holy Trinity, give special worship to the Holy Spirit, who apparently descended on the holy apostles and by His descent called believers to glorify the Most Holy Trinity. “The longed-for day has dawned on us, brothers,” says Blessed Augustine, “and the Holy Church now shines in the eyes and flames in the hearts of believers. We celebrate the day on which the Lord Jesus Christ, glorified by his resurrection by ascension, sent the Holy Spirit. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4). For just as after the flood, the proud wickedness of people created a high tower against the will of the Lord, and the human race was then divided into different languages, so that each people, speaking in its own language, would not be understood by others: so the humble piety of the faithful turned the difference of languages ​​to the unity of the Church, so that what was scattered by discord would be gathered by love, and the scattered members of the human race, as members of one body, would be united under the one head of Christ and the fire of love would be fused into a single holy body. So, this gift of the Holy Spirit is completely alien to those who hate the grace of the world and do not maintain the fellowship of unity. Let them even gather now solemnly, let them hear readings telling how the Holy Spirit is promised and sent; they hear this to condemn themselves, and not for their benefit. For what good is it for them to accept with their ears what they reject with their hearts, and to celebrate that day whose light they hate? But you, my brothers, members of the body of Christ, branches of unity, sons of the world, you spend this day joyfully, celebrate safely. What was foreshadowed in those days when the Holy Spirit came is being fulfilled in you. Just as then everyone who received the Holy Spirit spoke in all languages, so now unity among all nations speaks in all languages. Living in this unity, you have the Holy Spirit, for you are not separated by any schism from the Church of Christ, which speaks in all tongues.” “So we have also received the Holy Spirit if we love the Church, if we are united by love, if we have the Catholic name and faith. We believe, brothers, that as much as someone loves the Church of Christ, so much does he have the Holy Spirit. The Apostle preferred love to the tongues of men and angels, he preferred it to the miracles of faith, he preferred it to knowledge and prophecy, he even preferred it to the great work of mercy - the distribution of all property to the poor, and finally, he preferred it to the very suffering of the body (see: 1 Cor. 13, and further). Having love, you will have everything. And that love belongs to the Holy Spirit, heed the word of the Apostle: The love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, given to us (Rom. 5:5). Why did the Lord deign to bestow this Spirit, by which the love of God was poured into our hearts, after His resurrection? What did the sim mean? So that our love burns in our resurrection, so that it removes us from the love of the world, so that everything flows to God. For here we are born and die, let us not love what is here; Let us be moved by love and filled with grief, by the love that we have for God. The Lord did not promise us the blessings of this world when he said: He who believes in Me, let him come and drink, and rivers of living water will flow out of his belly (John 7:38). He promised Eternal Life, where there is no place for any illness, no confusion, where we will not pass away, where we will not die, where they do not mourn the dead and do not expect heirs. This is what He promised to those who love; and therefore He deigned to bestow the Spirit only for His glorification, so that He might manifest in His body the life that we do not now have, but which we expect in the resurrection.” Day eleven. Hieromartyr Joseph, Metropolitan of Astrakhan Hieromartyr Joseph, the first Metropolitan of Astrakhan, was born in 1579 in Astrakhan into the family of parents Clement and Varvara. Sorrow and suffering accompanied him from his youth until his martyrdom. The boy was seven years old when unrest broke out in their city, caused by supporters of the impostor False Dmitry. Cossacks burst into his parents' house, one of whom hit the boy on the head with a stone, which caused him to suffer throughout his life. Having taken monastic vows, Saint Joseph, in the 52nd year of his life, was promoted to the rank of Archimandrite of the Astrakhan Trinity Monastery. In 1656 he was in Moscow, after which he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Astrakhan. According to the same monthly book, in 1659 he was consecrated Archbishop of Astrakhan, in 1667 he was in Moscow at the council, where he received the rank of metropolitan with the right to serve in sakkos; He was also allowed to make a procession on a donkey during the week of Vai. And in May 1672, during the rebellion of Stenka Razin, Saint Joseph suffered martyrdom in Astrakhan. This sad event was described in detail by eyewitnesses and witnesses, the priests of the Astrakhan Cathedral, Kirill and Peter. When the Cossacks, having taken Astrakhan, surrounded the cathedral, they demanded that the saint come out to them. He ordered the big bell to be rung so that all the clergy would gather, he himself put on his clothes and, accompanied by the clergy, went out. Having accused him of having relations with the Moscow government and the Cossacks who had broken away from Razin, the villains demanded that he expose himself. After much torture, Saint Joseph was thrown from the slope of the cathedral roof. The priests lifted the body of the holy martyr and, dressing him in holy clothes, placed him in a prepared coffin. The next day after the funeral service, the body of the saint was transferred to the chapel of Athanasius and Cyril in the Astrakhan Cathedral and remained unburied for nine days. Then the relics were placed in the tomb and soon became famous for their miracles. The canonization of the saint took place at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in April 1918. The saint's memory is to be celebrated on May 11, the day of his martyrdom. Day twelve. Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, wonderworker Hieromartyr Ermogen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', came from the Don Cossacks. According to the testimony of the patriarch himself, he was a priest in the city of Kazan at the Kazan Gostinodvorsky Church in the name of St. Nicholas. And during his service there in 1579, the appearance and discovery of the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God took place. With the blessing of the then Kazan bishop Jeremiah, the future His Holiness Patriarch Ermogen transferred the newly appeared icon from the place of its discovery to the church in the name of St. Nicholas. Possessing an extraordinary literary talent, the saint himself subsequently (in 1594) composed a legend about the appearance of the miraculous icon and the miracles performed by it. He soon became a monk and from 1582 was the archimandrite of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in Kazan. On May 13, 1589, he was consecrated bishop and became the first Metropolitan of Kazan. In 1591, the saint gathered newly baptized Tatars to the cathedral and instructed them in the faith. In 1592, the relics of St. Herman, the second Kazan Archbishop (September 25, November 6, June 23), who died in Moscow on November 6, 1567 during a pestilence and was buried near the church in the name of St. Nicholas, were transferred. With the blessing of Patriarch Job (1589–1605), Saint Hermogen performed their burial in the Sviyazhsk Dormition Monastery. On January 9, 1592, Saint Hermogen sent a letter to Patriarch Job, in which he reported that in Kazan there was no special commemoration of the soldiers who laid down their lives for the faith and Fatherland near Kazan, and asked to establish a specific day of remembrance. At the same time, he reported on three martyrs who suffered in Kazan for the faith of Christ, one of whom was Russian, named John (January 24), originally from Nizhny Novgorod, captured by the Tatars, and the other two, Stephen and Peter (March 24), converted Tatars. The saint expressed regret that these martyrs were not included in the synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and that eternal memory was not sung to them. In response to Saint Hermogen, the Patriarch sent a decree dated February 25, which ordered “for all Orthodox soldiers killed near Kazan and within Kazan, to perform a requiem mass in Kazan and throughout the Kazan Metropolis on Saturday after the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and to include them in the large synodikon read on the week of Orthodoxy”; It was ordered that the three Kazan martyrs be included in the same synodik, and the day of their memory was entrusted to determine Saint Hermogenes. The saint announced a patriarchal decree for his diocese, adding that all churches and monasteries should serve Liturgies and memorial services for the three Kazan martyrs and commemorate them at litias and Liturgies on January 24. Saint Hermogen showed zeal for the faith and firmness in observing church traditions, and cared about enlightening the Kazan Tatars with the faith of Christ. In 1595, with the active participation of the saint, the discovery and opening of the relics of Kazan miracle workers took place - Saints Guria, the first Archbishop of Kazan (October 4, December 5, June 20), and Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver (October 4, April 11). Tsar Theodore Ioannovich (1584–1598) ordered the construction of a new stone church in the Kazan Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery on the site of the previous one, where the saints were buried. When the coffins of the saints were found, Saint Hermogenes came with a council of clergy, ordered the coffins to be opened and, seeing the incorrupt relics and clothes of the saints, informed the patriarch and the king. With the blessing of Patriarch Job and by order of the king, the relics of the newly-minted wonderworkers were placed in the new church. Saint Hermogen himself compiled the lives of Saints Gurias and Barsanuphius. For his outstanding archpastoral qualities, Metropolitan Hermogen was elected to the primatial see, and on July 3, 1606, he was elevated to the patriarchal throne by the Council of Saints in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. Metropolitan Isidore presented the patriarch with the staff of St. Peter, the Moscow Wonderworker (October 5, December 21, August 24), and the Tsar presented the new patriarch with a panagia decorated with precious stones, a white hood and a staff. According to the ancient rite, Patriarch Hermogenes made the procession on a donkey. The service of Patriarch Hermogen coincided with a difficult period for the Russian state - the invasion of the impostor False Dmitry and the Polish king Sigismund III. During this dark period of troubled times, the high priest devoted all his strength to serving the Church and the Fatherland, but in this feat he was not alone - he was imitated and helped by his selfless compatriots. With special inspiration, His Holiness the Patriarch opposed the traitors and enemies of the Fatherland, who wanted to introduce Uniateism and Catholicism in Russia and eradicate Orthodoxy, enslaving the Russian people. When the impostor approached Moscow and settled in Tushino, Patriarch Ermogen sent two messages to the rebellious traitors. In one of them he wrote: “...You forgot the vows of our Orthodox faith, in which we were born, baptized, raised and grew up, you broke the kiss of the cross and the oath to stand until death for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for the Moscow state and fell to your false king... My soul hurts, my heart hurts and all my insides are tormented, all my limbs are shaking; I cry and cry out with sobs: have mercy, have mercy, brothers and children, your souls and your parents, departed and living... Look how our Fatherland is plundered and ruined by strangers, how holy icons and churches are desecrated, how the blood of the innocent is shed, crying out to God. Remember who you are taking up arms against - is it not God who created you? Is it not your brothers? Are you ruining your Fatherland?.. I conjure you in the name of God: leave your undertaking while there is time, so as not to completely perish.” In another letter, the high priest called: “For God’s sake, know yourself and convert, bring joy to your parents, your wives and children and all of us, and we will pray to God for you...” Soon, God’s righteous judgment was carried out on the Tushino thief: he suffered the same sad and inglorious fate as his predecessor: he was killed by his own confidants But Moscow continued to remain in danger, since there were Poles and traitorous boyars loyal to Sigismund III in it. The letters sent by Patriarch Ermogen to cities and villages excited the Russian people to liberate Moscow from their enemies and elect a legitimate Russian Tsar. Muscovites started an uprising, in response to which the Poles set the city on fire and took refuge in the Kremlin. Together with the Russian traitors, the Poles forcibly removed the holy Patriarch Hermogenes from the patriarchal throne and placed him in custody in the Chudov Monastery. On Bright Monday 1611, the Russian militia approached Moscow and began a siege of the Kremlin that lasted several months. The Poles besieged in the Kremlin more than once sent ambassadors to the Patriarch demanding that he order the Russian militias to move away from the city, threatening the death penalty. The saint answered firmly: “Why are you threatening me? I fear only God. If all of you, Lithuanian people, leave the Moscow state, I will bless the Russian militia to leave Moscow; if you stay here, I will bless everyone to stand against you and die for the Orthodox Faith.” Already from prison, the holy martyr Hermogenes addressed his last message to the Russian people, blessing the liberation war against the conquerors. But the Russian governors, without showing coordination, were unable to take the Kremlin and free their high priest. He languished in difficult captivity for more than nine months and on February 17, 1612 he died a martyr’s death from hunger. The liberation of Russia, for which Saint Hermogenes stood with such indomitable courage, was successfully completed by the Russian people. The body of the holy martyr Hermogenes was buried in the Chudov Monastery, and in 1654 it was transferred to the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. For three centuries, the memory of Patriarch Hermogenes as a martyr saint was passed down from generation to generation, and people's faith in him grew as an intercessor and prayer book for the Russian land at the Throne of the Almighty. In the difficult years of domestic disasters, the prayerful thoughts of the people turned to the memory of the patriarch-hero. Russian people went to his tomb with their personal sorrows, ailments and illnesses, reverently calling for help from St. Hermogenes, believing in him as a warm man of prayer and intercessor before the Lord. And the All-Merciful Lord rewarded this faith. On the day of the solemn glorification on May 12, 1913, which coincided with the 300th anniversary of the death of the Holy Martyr Hermogenes, believers from all over Russia began to flock to Moscow. Pilgrims rushed to venerate the relics of the holy patriarch, located in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, where funeral services were served almost continuously. On the eve of the glorification, a religious procession was held, at the head of which they carried the icon of St. Hermogenes, and after it the cover from the tomb, on which the saint is depicted full-length in a mantle and with a staff. Next to the icon of the patriarch they carried the icon of his companion in spiritual and patriotic activities for the liberation of the Russian land from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, St. Dionysius of Radonezh. On the bell tower of John the Great there was a huge inscription: “Rejoice, holy martyr Hermogenes, great intercessor of the Russian lands.” Hundreds of thousands of candles burned in the hands of believers glorifying the saint of God. At the end of the procession at the shrine with the relics of the patriarch, the reading of the Easter canon began with the addition of the canon to St. Hermogenes. All-night vigils were held in the open air on all squares of the Kremlin. That night several healings took place through the grace-filled prayers of St. Hermogenes. For example, one patient came to the Assumption Cathedral on crutches, but felt healing after venerating the shrine containing the relics of the saint. Another patient, who suffered severely from relaxation, was also healed. He was brought on a towel to the shrine of the holy martyr Hermogenes, where he received complete healing. These and other similar healings, witnessed by numerous believers, became a significant confirmation of the holiness of the new Russian miracle worker. On Sunday, May 12, at 10 a.m., the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Assumption Cathedral. His Beatitude Gregory, Patriarch of Antioch, arrived to celebrate the glorification of the new saint, heading the service. At the end of the Liturgy, prayers to St. Hermogenes were served in all Moscow churches and a procession of the cross took place in the Moscow Kremlin, in which more than twenty bishops took part, accompanying the solemn procession by singing: “St. Father Hermogenes, pray to God for us.” The service ended with a prayer to the holy martyr Hermogenes. From this day the liturgical veneration of St. Hermogenes began. Thus the desire of the Russian believers was fulfilled, through whose prayers the Russian Orthodox Church received the gracious heavenly patron of our Fatherland. The Holy Synod of the Russian Church established the days of celebration of the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia: February 17 - repose (information about his life and feat is placed on this day) and May 12 - glorification as a saint. Saint Hermogenes, a tireless fighter for the purity of Orthodoxy and the unity of the Russian land, is of great national importance. His church and state-patriotic activities for several centuries serve as a vivid example of fiery faith and love for the Russian people. The church activity of the high priest is characterized by an attentive and strict attitude to worship. Under him, the following were published: the Gospel, Menaions for September, October, November and the first twenty days of December, and also the “Great Supreme Charter” was printed in 1610. At the same time, Saint Hermogenes did not limit himself to blessing the publication, but carefully monitored the correctness of the texts. With the blessing of Saint Hermogenes, the service to the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30) was translated from Greek into Russian and the celebration of his memory in the Assumption Cathedral was restored. Under the supervision of the high priest, new presses were made for printing liturgical books and a new printing house was built, which was damaged during the fire of 1611, when Moscow was set on fire by the Poles. Concerned about observing the liturgical rite, Saint Hermogen composed a “Message of discipline to all people, especially priests and deacons, on the correction of church singing.” The “Message” denounces the clergy for the unregulated performance of church services – polyphony, and the laity – for an irreverent attitude towards divine services. The legend of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the service to this icon (1594), a letter to Patriarch Job containing information about the Kazan martyrs (1591), a collection that deals with issues of worship (1598), patriotic letters and appeals addressed to the Russian people (1606–1613), and many other works of the high priest replenished the spiritual treasury of the Russian Church. “The sovereign is great in reason and sense and wise in mind,” it is written about Patriarch Hermogenes. “He is very wonderful and has a lot of reasoning”, “he is very adorned with wisdom and is elegant in book teaching”, “all the books of the Old Law and the New Grace and the rules of the church and legal rules are constantly practiced on Divine words.” Saint Hermogen worked a lot in monastery libraries, primarily in the rich library of the Moscow Chudov Monastery, where he copied the most valuable historical information from ancient manuscripts, which formed the basis for chronicle records. In the writings of the Primate of the Russian Church and his archpastoral letters there are constantly references to the Holy Scriptures and examples taken from history, which testifies to a deep knowledge of the Word of God and church literature of that time. With such high knowledge, Patriarch Ermogen combined his extraordinary abilities as a preacher and teacher. Contemporaries characterized the moral image of the high priest as a “pious man”, “a well-known pure life”, “a true shepherd of the flock of Christ”, “a true stand in the Christian faith”. And all these qualities of Saint Hermogenes manifested themselves with particular force when the misfortune of internal disorder, aggravated by the Polish-Lithuanian invasion, befell the Russian land. The High Hierarch of the Russian Church selflessly protected the Russian state, defending in word and deed the Orthodox faith from Latinism and the unity of our Fatherland from enemies internal and external. Saint Hermogen crowned his feat of saving the Motherland with his martyrdom, which turned into grace-filled, prayerful, heavenly intercession for our Fatherland at the throne of the Holy Trinity. The memory of Saint Hermogenes is celebrated on February 17 - on the day of his righteous death, on May 12 - on the day of church glorification and on October 5 - on the day of the commemoration of the Council of Moscow Saints. Day nineteen. Blessed Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy The Holy Prince Dimitri, nicknamed Donskoy, was born in 1350. Very little is known about the childhood of the future Grand Duke, the son of John the Red and Grand Duchess Alexandra. “He was brought up in piety and glory, with spiritually beneficial instructions,” says Dimitri Ioannovich’s “Sermon on the Life...”, “and from infancy he loved God.” Further, the “Tale of Life...” gives the following characterization of Demetrius the youth: “He was still young in years, but he devoted himself to spiritual matters, did not have idle conversations and did not like obscene words, and avoided evil people, but always talked with the virtuous.” The childhood of Saint Demetrius passed under the direct influence of Saint Metropolitan Alexy, who was a friend and adviser to Demetrius’s father, John Ioannovich. At first, the saint’s role in state activities was reduced to spiritual support for the first among the Russian princes, but after the death of John Ioannovich in 1359, the metropolitan became the de facto head of the Russian principalities. He, who headed the boyar duma, bears responsibility for the entire course of political affairs in Rus'. For nine-year-old Dimitri, he replaces his father for a long time; until his death in 1378, the saint was one of the closest people in the grand ducal house. It is not surprising that his educational influence developed Demetrius's own high qualities; This image of the young prince was immortalized by the ancient descriptor of his life. From the very beginning of his life, the Grand Duke was involved in the environment of Russian asceticism, and was in the atmosphere that St. Sergius created around himself. From an early age, the Grand Duke had to learn to overcome himself, to face mortal danger, to act in a completely unknown environment. In 1359 (or 1361 - according to other assumptions) Demetrius was forced to travel to the Horde; this was due to two coinciding events - the death of the Russian Grand Duke and another change on the Khan's throne. The trip of the youth Demetrius to the Horde was still accompanied by mortal danger. But she was also extremely useful to him, the future head of state; Apparently, Saint Alexy thought about this, blessing Demetrius for her. He had to see with his own eyes the state of affairs: to come into contact with an enemy who had been tormenting his native land for more than a century, with whom he had to be able to speak; and also, having sailed along three Russian rivers, the prince had to survey the Russian land, which he was supposed to rule. After the death of his father Ioann Ioannovich in 1359, the Grand Duke's label was temporarily lost by Moscow: the Horde preferred Suzdal's Dimitri Konstantinovich, a mature husband, to the young prince of Moscow. But in 1362, as a result of another coup in the Horde, Khan Amurat came to power. Considering the actions of his predecessors lawless, he sent the Grand Duke's label with the ambassador to Moscow. The Suzdal prince could not come to terms with this. With his troops, he occupied Pereyaslavl, not wanting to let Demetrius of Moscow through to Vladimir, where he, accompanied by his army, was going to marry the Grand Duchy. But, seeing the regiments of Moscow, he fled in fear and shut himself up in Suzdal; Demetrius, having reached Vladimir, went through the ancient rite of enthronement here. The Grand Duke-Youth comprehended the science of Moscow politics, which consisted in a combination of force and mercy. Under the guidance of the Metropolitan, the prince gradually acquired that special wisdom of a state ruler, which his contemporaries associated with his personality. Moscow was rising. She also strengthened the alliance with Suzdal, which ended in 1366 with the marriage of Grand Duke Dimitri and Suzdal princess Evdokia Dimitrievna. However, the constant difficulty of the position of Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich was that almost throughout his life he had to wage incessant wars with numerous enemies. In addition to the constant confrontation between Rus' and the external powers - the Horde and Lithuania, the Grand Duke had to vigilantly remember the opponents within the Russians, the strongest of which were the principalities of Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan and especially Tver. The year 1368 was marked by the end of forty years of relative calm in Russia: the troops of Olgerd of Lithuania marched through the Russian land towards Moscow, destroying everything in their path. The Grand Duke, Metropolitan Alexy, Prince Vladimir Andreevich, cousin of Dimitri Ioannovich, secluded themselves in Moscow. Olgerd began the siege. But the sight of the stone Kremlin confused him; behind the new buildings one could see confidence in one’s own strength and in one’s right, concentrated power; and, after standing in sight of Moscow for three days, Olgerd lifted the siege and left for Lithuania. The Moscow land was devastated by the terrible invasion of the Lithuanians. But Dimitri Ioannovich had no intention of abandoning his broad unification policy. His closest friend, Prince Vladimir Andreevich, was sent to the veche republics of Novgorod and Pskov to conclude an alliance with them; The princes of Smolensk and Bryansk were punished for supporting Lithuania. Metropolitan Alexy excommunicated Princes Michael of Tver and Svyatoslav of Smolensk from the Church. In 1371, Prince Mikhail of Tver went to Mamai to ask for a label for himself. Mamai, who had long been warily watching the actions of the Moscow prince Dimitri, who had not paid him tribute for a long time, willingly gave the label to Mikhail. Ambassador Sary-Khozha was sent to Moscow with an insulting invitation to Dimitri Ioannovich to Vladimir for Mikhail’s wedding. And here the Grand Duke acted as a free man, the true master of the situation: “I’m not going to the label, and I won’t let you go to the land to reign in Vladimir, but for you, ambassador, the path is clear.” The main thing in this act was disobedience to the Horde, and in a very important matter. Dimitri Ioannovich, indeed, blocked Mikhail’s path to Vladimir by introducing his troops into Pereyaslavl: the Horde ambassador, who arrived in Moscow, was received well by the Grand Duke. Appeased by Sary-Khozha in the Horde, he interceded for the Moscow prince, which to some extent prepared his further success. Soon that same year, Dimitri Ioannovich went to the Horde to stop Mikhail’s machinations. For this act, as for his other important political actions, the Grand Duke had the blessing of Metropolitan Alexy. The eighty-year-old elder accompanied him all the way to Kolomna; Apparently, he attached great importance to this trip. The Grand Duke made virtually no significant government decisions without the blessing of the Church. Three figures invested with clergy turned out to be key for his life path: these are St. Alexy, St. Sergius and Theodore Simonovsky, later Archbishop of Rostov; each had a special influence on the Grand Duke. The leadership of Metropolitan Alexy, which continued until his death in 1378, according to the very personality of the saint, was of a vital and practical nature, and was for Dimitri Ioannovich a school not only for spiritual life, but also for governing the country. The Grand Duke returned to Moscow with the necessary label, but Mikhail received a message from Mamai, which contained a denial of the right to a great reign. Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich is an outstanding politician, statesman and warrior. His reign was marked by decisive changes in the political sphere of life. The cause of Moscow’s rise required creative solutions and tasks; setting up his own home - this is how the Grand Duke began a national undertaking. At the heart of the life of the grand ducal house was a truly Christian marriage. The family life of the grand ducal couple took place under the spiritual guidance of St. Alexy, later Theodore Simonovsky. The Monk Sergius also influenced her: of the twelve children of Dimitri Ioannovich and Evdokia Dimitrievna, two sons were baptized by the Trinity Abbot. History has preserved some features of the high image of the Grand Duchess. She belonged to the disciples of St. Sergius and led an ascetic family life. Evdokia Dimitrievna built a number of monasteries and churches both in Moscow and in Pereyaslavl Zalessky, the residence city of the Grand Duke. In Moscow, in the Kremlin, in memory of the Battle of Kulikovo, she founded the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. After the death of Dimitri Ioannovich, Grand Duchess Evdokia became a monk with the name Euphrosyne in the Monastery of the Ascension of the Lord, which she founded in Moscow; the rest of her life (year of death 1407) was marked by ascetic deeds and miracles. The princess was canonized. The author of “The Lay of Life...” by Dimitri Donskoy finds precise and deep words to describe the life together of the grand ducal couple: “The wise man also said that the loving soul is in the body of the beloved. And I am not ashamed to say that two such people carry one soul in two bodies and both have one virtuous life; they look at future glory, raising their eyes to heaven. Likewise, Demetrius had a wife, and they lived in chastity. Just as iron is heated in fire and tempered with water so that it is sharp, so they were inflamed by the fire of the Divine Spirit and purified with tears of repentance.” The ancient scribe names extraordinary love for God as the main personal trait of the Grand Duke. One of the names that he gives to Dimitri Ioannovich in praise of him is “He who does everything with God and fights for Him.” “Despaired by the rank of king, he lived like an angel, fasted and stood up again to pray, and always remained in such goodness. Having a perishable body, he lived the life of an incorporeal one.” “Governing the Russian land and sitting on the throne, he thought in his soul about solitude, wore a royal scarlet robe and a royal crown, and wanted to put on monastic robes every day. He always accepted honors and glory from the whole world, and carried the cross of Christ on his shoulders, kept the divine days of fasting in purity, and every Sunday he partook of the Holy Mysteries. With the purest soul he wanted to appear before God; truly an earthly angel and a heavenly man appeared.” The name of Dimitri Ioannovich is associated with the construction of a number of new monasteries and churches. With the blessing of St. Sergius, he founded the Assumption Stromynsky Monastery in 1378; It was intended - on the eve of the decisive battle with the Horde - to gather prayer books from all over the Russian land into it in order to spiritually support Russia. Leonty, a disciple of St. Sergius, became the rector of the monastery. Another, also the Assumption Monastery, was built by the Grand Duke in gratitude to God for the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo. It is called the monastery on the Dubenka River; Its first abbot was also a disciple of St. Sergius, the future Saint Savva of Zvenigorod. On the Kulikovo field itself the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built: the victory took place on this very holiday. Also after the victory, Dimitri Ioannovich built the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery near Moscow and the Church of All Saints in Kulishki in Moscow. In 1379, again with the help of St. Sergius, Dimitri Ioannovich built the Golutvinsky Monastery, as well as the stone Assumption Cathedral of the Simonov Moscow Monastery. In the 70s, Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich joined the fight against the Golden Horde. This movement, inspired by the Russian Church, developed widely among the enslaved people. In 1376, a campaign against Volga Bulgaria took place. The Russians besieged the Bulgars and, despite the presence of cannons in the city - a weapon unprecedented at that time - they forced it to surrender. This was a significant success for Moscow, its first offensive victory in the fight against the Tatars. In 1378, Mamai sent a large army to Rus', headed by the governor Begich; in July the Tatars invaded the Ryazan lands. This campaign was aimed not only at the robbery of the Ryazan principality, but, judging by the size of the convoys, Begich did not exclude the possibility of reaching Moscow itself. Dimitri Ioannovich came out to meet the enemy, whose regiments defeated the Tatars. The won battle on the Vozha River was a dress rehearsal for the battle on the Kulikovo Field. The terrible year 1380 was approaching. Having learned about Mamai’s preparations, Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich began to gather forces to fight back: he understood that the Russian land was threatened by a repetition of the terrible blows of 1237–1240. The decisive moment of his life had arrived; everything previous was just preparation for September 1380. The personality of the Grand Duke was ready to carry out the task providentially assigned to him. For thirty years he was surrounded by the influence of the great saints of his time; in this beneficial atmosphere, his spirit acquired strength and freedom. He was accustomed to acting in trust in the One God, and now, having God as his assistant, he was able to oppose the Horde. Under the influence of the Church, the idea of ​​a united Russian land was formed and strengthened in his soul. He imagined the confrontation with the Tatars not as a lonely opposition from the Moscow principality, but as a rebuff from the union of all Russian destinies, who sought not only to liberate their native land, but also to defend the faith. As mentioned above, the Grand Duke sought to receive the blessing of the Church for all his deeds. At a crucial moment in his life, the prince wanted to have real spiritual support. It was for her that he turned to the great prayer book, who during his lifetime became famous for miracles and was revered as a saint, St. Sergius. On the second day of the Dormition, when troops were already gathering in the vicinity of Moscow, coming to her call from different parts of the Russian land, the Grand Duke and his retinue set off along the Vladimir Road to the Trinity Monastery. After the Liturgy, the saint had a conversation with Dimitri Ioannovich. The saint immediately blessed him to go to battle, trusting in God, and promised without doubt the highest help. He predicted victory for him, spoke about the crowns prepared for many Orthodox warriors in the upcoming battle, but the Grand Duke himself was supposed to pass a mortal fate in it. Dimitri Ioannovich asked St. Sergius to let two monks of the Trinity Monastery go with him to battle - Alexander Peresvet and Andrei Oslyabya. It is unlikely that, with his one hundred and fifty thousand strong army, he needed them as additional warriors, although they, the former Bryansk boyars, were distinguished by military bearing and art; most likely, in their person, the Monk Sergius himself seemed to go to battle with the Tatars. Probably, they were immediately tonsured into the schema in view of the mortal danger; the schematic vestments, which, according to the saint, should replace their helmet and armor, he himself placed on them. Having received new great powers along with the blessing of the monk, Dimitri Ioannovich and his soldiers returned to Moscow. Just before the Grand Duke’s speech against the Tatars, a miraculous event occurred as a Divine sign: the relics of the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, the great-grandfather of Dimitri Ioannovich, were discovered in Vladimir. The monk-sacristan of the church where the prince’s tomb was located, sleeping on the porch at night, suddenly saw that the candles standing in front of the icons lit up by themselves, and two elders approached the tomb, emerging from the altar. Turning to the prince lying there, they called out to him, forcing him to get up and go out to help his great-grandson, who was going to fight with the foreigners. The prince stood up and, together with the elders, became invisible; the next morning the coffin was dug up and the incorruptible relics were discovered. Apparently, Dimitri Ioannovich learned about this event even before the battle; it was reliable evidence of invisible help to him from his great ancestor. The gathering of the troops of the Russian land was appointed in Kolomna; some appanage princes with their regiments came to Moscow. Almost all principalities responded to the call of Dimitri Ioannovich - with the exception of Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Tver. On August 20, after prayers in the Kremlin, the army of the Grand Duke left the three Kremlin gates; near each stood priests who blessed the warriors and sprinkled them with blessed water. The regiments moved to Kolomna. Along the path passing through the village of Brashevu, the Grand Duke laid the foundation for a new monastery. It happened like this. Driving through the forest, the prince saw the image of St. Nicholas on one of the trees. Taking this phenomenon as a favorable sign, he exclaimed: “This place has sinned me!”, then promising to found a monastery in case of victory. The Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery, built after the Battle of Kulikovo, had a white stone church, so rare at that time. An extremely important event, especially noted in all historical sources, was the transfer to the service of the Moscow prince of two sons of Olgerd of Lithuania - Dimitri and Andrei. Their regiments, along with troops from other destinies, united in Kolomna with the armies that came from Moscow and headed towards the enemy. Mamai, with countless forces, slowly moved towards the Don River, probably hoping for a meeting with the allies. The Russian military leaders were faced with the question: should they transport their people across the Don to meet Mamai. And the fact that the Grand Duke spoke out in favor of the crossing is very significant. Russian troops crossed the Don on September 7 - on the eve of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The chronicler puts into the mouth of the Grand Duke an inspired speech delivered that day; it contains a deep, religious experience of the approaching battle, the humility of a sublime Orthodox soul: “The time of our battle has come, brothers, and the feast of Queen Mary, the Mother of God, Theotokos and all the heavenly Orders, the Lady of the whole universe and Her holy Nativity has come. If we stay alive - for the sake of the Lord, if we die for this world - for the sake of the Lord! The next morning on the day of the battle there was fog over the Kulikovo field until noon; when it dissipated, two armies were revealed, their very appearance signifying the confrontation between darkness and light. The Tatar hordes seemed dark, as the chronicler notes: “the armor of the Russian sons is like water that flows in the wind, the gilded helmets on their heads glow like the dawn in clear weather, and the yalovs of their helmets sway like a fiery flame.” In the middle of the army fluttered the scarlet grand ducal banner with the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Before the battle, the noble Prince Dimitri addressed the soldiers with the words: “My fathers and brothers, for the sake of the Lord, fight for the sake of the saints for the sake of the churches and the Christian faith, for this death is not death for us now, but eternal life; and, brothers, do not think about anything earthly, for we will not retreat, and then Christ the God and Savior of our souls will crown us with victorious crowns.” Chroniclers also talk about a reliquary hanging from the prince’s neck, which contained a piece of the life-giving Tree. Before the battle, a letter with the blessing of St. Sergius was brought to the Russian camp from the Trinity Monastery; the great saint prayerfully supported the Russian army, and he himself, as his life writer narrates, saw in his spirit the entire course of the battle - right up to its outcome, to the names of the dead soldiers, for whom he himself served funeral services. The victory on the Kulikovo Field was a joint victory of the forces of the Russian land and the Russian Church, which prepared, inspired and supported the Russian rebuff of the hordes of Tatars. This unity was also manifested in an extremely important action: the representative of the Church and personally of St. Sergius, monk Alexander Peresvet, began the battle and became its first victim. He accepted the challenge of the Tatar hero; Having said goodbye to his neighbors and calling on the prayers of the monk to help him, with a spear at the ready, he rushed at the Tatar; colliding with each other with incredible force, both warriors died in mortal combat. Ancient sources speak of a significant act of the prince before the battle: calling the boyar Mikhail Brenk to him, he took off the grand-ducal armor and put it on him, and he himself put on the clothes of a simple warrior. This was his response to the requests of those close to him to retreat to the rear of the army, so that from there, being safe, he could observe the battle. The prince's most ardent desire was the desire to take part in the battle; he was guided by the readiness to fight for faith and suffer for Christ. He neglected his privileged position and, in an impulse to merge with the military mass, showed his great humility. Witnesses saw him carried on horseback from regiment to regiment, boldly fighting the Tatars, sometimes withstanding the attack of several warriors. The beginning of the battle was preceded by the prayer of the Grand Duke in front of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, embroidered on the banner. With the name of the Most Holy Trinity and the Mother of God on their lips, with hope for the intercession of St. Sergius, the soldiers began the battle. The battle was many hours, furious, bloody for both sides. “And there was a fierce and great slaughter, and a fierce battle, and a terrible roar,” the chronicler narrates. “Since the creation of the world there has not been such a battle among the Russian great princes as during this great prince of all Rus'.” People died not only from swords, spears and under the hooves of horses, but many suffocated from the terrible cramped conditions and stuffiness; The Kulikovo field did not seem to accommodate the fighting armies, the earth sagged under their weight, writes one of the ancient authors. The spiritual essence of what was happening was revealed to those especially sensitive during these hours. We saw Angels helping Christians, at the head of the “three-solar” regiment was the Archangel Michael, the armies of the holy martyrs marched across the heavens and with them the holy warriors George the Victorious, Demetrius of Thessalonica, Boris and Gleb; Clouds of fiery arrows flew towards the Tatars from the spiritual armies. We also saw a cloud appear over the Russian army, from which many crowns fell on the heads of the Orthodox soldiers. The first half of the battle was marked by the success of the Tatars. But the outcome was decided by the entry into the battle of a reserve regiment in ambush; It was headed by princes Dimitri Mikhailovich of Volyn and Vladimir Andreevich of Serpukhov, nicknamed the Brave for their heroism. Fresh cavalry crashed into the Tatar army - and Mamai and his regiments shamefully fled, abandoning their carts; the Russian chase continued for a long time... Returning to the Kulikovo field, now covered with dead bodies, Prince Vladimir Andreevich began asking everyone about the Grand Duke. They testified that he fought in the front ranks, that he was surrounded by many enemies; someone talked about his injury - the last one who saw him claimed that the prince was wandering from the battlefield, reeling from his wounds. They began to look for the prince among the dead; Finally he was found in a grove nearby, lying unconscious. God protected the prince; despite the numerous blows he received from his enemies, he remained unharmed from serious wounds. Hearing the voices, he came to his senses, but the news of the victory finally returned his strength. The victory of the Battle of Kulikovo came dearly to the Russians: almost the majority of the army died - ordinary soldiers and princes - although with even more significant losses of the Tatars. Many warriors were buried right there, on the Kulikovo field; a cemetery church was immediately built by the forces of the living, which was dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. For the victory on the Kulikovo field, Prince Dimitri began to be known among the people as Donskoy. Returning to Moscow, the Grand Duke immediately went to the Monk Sergius. Numerous memorial services were served in the Trinity Monastery for the fallen soldiers; a special day of their annual commemoration was established, called Demetrius Saturday. Later it became a day of common remembrance of deceased ancestors, a parent's day. This is how the Battle of Kulikovo was immortalized in church memory. The last years of the life of Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich were probably the most difficult for him; After the Battle of Kulikovo, many difficult trials awaited him. In the autumn of 1380, chronicles testify, Dimitri Ioannovich was first visited by serious illnesses, as the inhuman stress of the great battle took its toll. The entire Russian land was exhausted; it manifested itself during the new trials that visited her. In the summer of 1382, with a countless army, the new Tatar Khan Tokhtamysh marched on Moscow, ravaging the Russian lands. Having captured Serpukhov and set it on fire, the Tatar Khan approached Moscow. The Grand Duke, due to disagreements among the boyars - as the ancient author says - was unable to gather enough troops to repel the Tatars; then, to find people, he went to Pereyaslavl, and then to Kostroma. Metropolitan Cyprian remained in Moscow; but he could not resist the unrest that began here. The Metropolitan decided to leave Moscow, as did the Grand Duchess and her children. With difficulty they managed to leave the city walls; The Metropolitan went to Tver, the princess to her husband in Kostroma. The siege of Moscow began, and the city held out for three days. But on the fourth, Tokhtamysh’s warriors burst into the city. The pogrom they committed in Moscow was terrible: they killed people in a row, desecrated altars, robbed churches; the treasury of the Grand Duke was plundered; books brought from all the surrounding areas to Moscow churches were burned - the city itself was eventually set on fire. Having virtually destroyed Moscow to the ground, the enemy moved to other Russian lands. Zvenigorod and Mozhaisk were captured; the inhabitants of Pereyaslavl, having learned about the approach of Tokhtamysh, sailed on boats to the middle of their lake and thus escaped; only Volokolamsk, where the army of Prince Vladimir Andreevich was stationed, resisted the Tatars and put them to flight. Then Tokhtamysh went south, captured Kolomna and, entering the Ryazan land, plundered it. When the Grand Duke returned to Moscow, he found the city ruined and deserted. According to legend, Dimitri Ioannovich cried in the ruins of Moscow and ordered the dead to be buried with his own money. Another great grief for the Grand Duke was the renewal of the old enmity with Tver: having despised all the written promises of 1375, Prince Mikhail went to the new khan to ask for a label for the great reign. In 1383, Grand Duke Dimitri was forced to send his eldest son, eleven-year-old Vasily, to the Horde to defend the Grand Duke's label. At the cost of renewing the annual tribute, Moscow managed to retain the label; Mikhail failed, but Vasily was detained as a hostage in the Horde for two years. Oleg Ryazansky also wanted to take advantage of Moscow’s troubles: suddenly he started a dispute with Moscow over Kolomna. The Grand Duke sent the army of Vladimir Andreevich to Ryazan; in a decisive battle it suffered great damage. And at this difficult moment, Dimitri Ioannovich, as always happened, turned to the Church for help. The Monk Sergius helped the Grand Duke end his many years of litigation with Ryazan. He came to Prince Oleg and with his meek words convinced him to make peace with Moscow. This decision was consolidated according to the custom of that time: in 1386, a marriage was concluded between the son of Prince Oleg Fedor and the daughter of Dimitri Ioannovich Sofia. Feeling the approach of death, Demetrius Ioannovich sent for St. Sergius. The monk, who observed the entire course of the Grand Duke’s life, not only was the main witness in the drawing up of his spiritual will (which is confirmed by documents), but also taught Demetrius Ioannovich all the Christian sacraments he needed. The ancient source reproduces, if not the dying words of the Grand Duke in their historical literalness, then the general spirit of his edification to his neighbors. Firstly, referring to the Holy Scriptures, the prince commanded his children to deeply honor their mother. Secondly, his appeal was to the boyars close to him. The essence of this appeal is in the prince’s recollection of his friendly unity with them, in the call to maintain peace among themselves and honestly serve the cause, which his descendants will continue. On May 19, 1389, Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich reposed. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral, next to the tombs of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. According to legend, at the funeral service among the numerous clergy was the patron, prayer book, elder of the Grand Duke, St. Sergius of Radonezh. The Grand Duke laid the foundation for the comprehensive liberation of Rus' from the enemy yoke. His activities were distinguished by wise measures and high morality: the prince avoided resorting to those dishonest and rude methods that were characteristic of his time. The prince's righteous deed was not forgotten by the Orthodox believing people, who saw in the prince's appearance an example of holy and saving love for neighbors and the Fatherland. He still encourages the children of the church to serve for the good of the Motherland and its people. A special sign of the Lord’s will was the veneration of Prince Demetrius as God’s chosen one. According to the testimony of numerous sources, written monuments and iconography, the glorification of the prince began first in Moscow, and then throughout Russia. Soon after his death, the “Elocution”, the text of which was included in the Russian chronicles, and “Life” were written. The life notes Christian generosity and great love for the people, combined with widespread charity. Iconographic images of the Grand Duke have also been preserved - on the fresco of the Archangel Cathedral and in the Chamber of Facets. A description of the prince’s image can also be read in “Iconographic Originals” (under May 9). The memory of the Grand Duke is always alive and especially increases in years of wars and dangers. Thus, during the Great Patriotic War, the name of Prince Dimitri in the patriotic messages of the patriarchal locum tenens Metropolitan Sergius stood next to the name of St. Alexander Nevsky; both warrior princes were called upon to help the suffering Fatherland. A tank column created at the expense of believers was named after Dimitri Donskoy. The holy noble prince Dimitry Donskoy was canonized as a saint at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, dedicated to the anniversary of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, in 1988. The memory of the holy noble Grand Duke Demetrius Donskoy is celebrated on May 19, the day of his blessed death. Day twenty-seven. Holy Righteous John the Russian, Confessor The Orthodox Church, in addition to the ancient saints, reverends, prelates and martyrs, also has a host of new saints, most of whom are martyrs. With their testimony and martyrdom, they strengthened the faith and adorned our Orthodox Church with new crowns, which alone has remained unchanged and unshakable since the time of the apostles, reminding us of the words of the prophet Haggai: The glory of this last church will be greater than the former (Hag. 2:9). Just as in our long-suffering homeland a great many new martyrs appeared after the October Revolution, so in Greece and on the land of Ancient Byzantium many new martyrs and confessors of the faith appeared after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire by the Turks. One of them is Saint John the Russian, whose relics rest in the town of Neoprokopion on the island of Euboea in Greece. The very name of this saint suggests that he is not Greek, but Russian, although he became famous among the Greeks. John is of Little Russian origin. He was born around 1690 from pious Orthodox parents. In his youth, he became a soldier of Emperor Peter I. In the unsuccessful Turkish war of 1711 (the king himself almost died at the hands of the Turks), John, among others, was captured. He was probably captured in the battle for the liberation of Azov and transported to Constantinople. John ended up in the hands of the Tatar allies of the Turks. The Tatars sold the young man to the Ottoman cavalry commander, a certain Agha, originally from Prokopion in Asia Minor, 12 hours’ journey from Caesarea Cappadocia (in Turkish Prokopion is now called Urkub). This Aga took his new slave to his village. As a result of Peter's military failure, Türkiye was filled with countless Russian prisoners, languishing under the weight of the Turkish yoke. In order to alleviate their slave fate, many of them renounced the faith of Christ and became Muslims. But John was raised “in the teaching and instruction of the Lord” and loved God and the faith of his fathers very much. He belonged to those young men who are made wise by the knowledge of God. As the wise Solomon wrote, a righteous man, even if he dies early, will be at peace, for honest old age is not in longevity, and is not measured by the number of years: wisdom is gray hair for people, and blameless life is the age of old age (see: Pres. 4, 7-16). With this wisdom that the Lord gives to those who love Him, Blessed John patiently endured his slavery, the bad attitude of his master towards him, the mockery and ridicule of the Turks. They called him “kafirin,” that is, an unbeliever, thereby showing their contempt and hatred. It should be taken into account that Prokopion was the camp of the fierce opponents of Christianity, the Janissaries. John was hated by them. The Turks subjected John to severe beatings, spitting on him, burned his hair and scalp, threw him into dung, but could not force him to renounce Christ. The confessor invariably and boldly answered his master and those who persuaded him to deviate from his faith that he preferred to die rather than fall into the grave sin of apostasy. Disregarding everything earthly and directing his mind to heavenly, eternal blessings, the fearless warrior of Christ said to his master: “Nothing will separate me from the love of Christ: not seductive promises of temporary benefits, not beatings, not wounds, not any other cruel torments. Having my Savior before me, I complacently accept blows from the stick for faith in Him; Imagining the crown of thorns placed on the Divine head, I am ready to joyfully endure putting on the red-hot helmet, with which you burn to the brain the heads of Christians who resist your wrong desires, and other, more severe, torments. I am zealous for the grace of my Christ, who taught us by His death on the cross firmness, patience, fearlessness in the most cruel death for Him as the culprit of eternal ineffable bliss in Heaven. I am Russian, a faithful servant of my earthly king, although I am captivated by you, but I will never renounce the true service and right faith of my parents to the Heavenly King: I was born in Christianity, I will die a Christian.” God, seeing the firmness of John’s faith, softened the heart of the owner, who over time even began to feel affection for his slave, seeing his faithfulness to the promise he had given to God. This was, of course, facilitated by the great humility that adorned John, his meekness and hard work. “If you leave me freedom of faith, I will willingly carry out your orders.” Finally the prisoner was freed from the violence and threats of his master and was assigned to duty in the stable. There, sheltered in a corner, John stretched out his tired body and rested, thanking God for deigning him to have a manger bed, just as He Himself chose the manger as the place of His birth in the flesh. Diligently fulfilling his duties, John tenderly cared for his master's horses. Feeling the saint's love, they waited for him when he was absent, and neighed with joy, as if talking to him, when he caressed them - they neighed to express pleasure. Over time, Agha and his wife fell in love with their slave and offered him a small place to live near the straw barn. John refused to go there and continued to sleep in his favorite stable. In it, he exhausted his body with hardships and an ascetic life, not paying attention to the inconveniences and restless neighborhood. At night, the stable was filled with the prayers of the saint, and the stench from the manure seemed to disappear, turning into a spiritual fragrance. Blessed John labored in this stable in accordance with the patristic canons. He prayed for hours on his knees, slept very little on straw under an old sheepskin coat, his only blanket. He ate very little, often only bread and water in limited quantities, thus fasting most days. He quietly read to himself the psalms of David, which he knew by heart in his native Church Slavonic language. Staying daily in fasting and prayer, resting on dung, like a new Job, at night he went secretly to the church of St. George, located on the top of a rock, opposite the house of his master. There he read the all-night vigil and received Holy Communion every Saturday. The Lord, who searches hearts, looked upon His faithful servant and made it so that other slaves and people of other faiths stopped mocking, ridiculing and insulting him. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, which reigned in the house of his owner, the Turkish cavalry commander, he became rich and became one of the most influential people of Procopion. He felt where the blessing came from on his home, and everywhere he told his fellow citizens about it. Having become wealthy, Agha decided to undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca. It was difficult at that time to make such a long journey, but, having overcome all the hardships and difficulties of the road, after some time John’s host safely arrived in the holy city for Muslims. These days, Aga’s wife invited her husband’s relatives and friends to dinner in Prokopion to have fun and pray for his safe return home. Blessed John served in the dining room. They served Aga’s favorite dish – pilaf. The hostess, remembering her husband, said to John: “How glad your master, Ivan, would be if he were here and ate this pilaf with us!” Then John asked the hostess to give him a dish filled with pilaf, promising to send him to Mecca. The guests thought it was very funny. But the hostess ordered her cook to prepare a dish with pilaf for John. She thought to herself that he either wanted to feast on it himself, or decided to give it to some poor Christian family. She knew that John often gave his food to the poor Greeks. John took the dish and went into the stable. Kneeling down, he fervently and with all his heart prayed to God to send the pilaf to the owner. In his simplicity, the blessed one was absolutely sure that the Lord would hear his prayer and that the pilaf would somehow supernaturally end up in Mecca. John believed, without doubt and without any reasoning, according to the word of the Lord, that the Lord would fulfill his request. As the great ascetic St. Isaac the Syrian says: “These supernatural signs are given only to those who are simplest in understanding and at the same time the strongest in hope.” And, indeed, the dish of pilaf disappeared before John’s eyes. The blessed groom returned to the hostess and reported that the food had been sent to Mecca. Hearing this, the guests laughed and decided that John ate everything himself and only jokingly told them that he had sent the pilaf to the owner. But how surprised everyone in Aga’s house was when, after some time, he returned from Mecca and brought with him a homemade copper dish. Only Blessed John was not amazed. Aga told his family the following: “One day (and it was just during a dinner party) I returned from the big mosque to the house where I was staying. Entering the room, which was locked with a key, I found a dish of pilaf on the table. I stopped in bewilderment, wondering who could have brought it to me? I could not understand how the locked door was opened. Not knowing how to explain this strange event, I curiously examined the dish in which the hot pilaf was steaming, and, to my surprise, I noticed that my name was engraved on it, like all the copper utensils in our house. Despite the emotional disturbance caused by this incident, I ate the pilaf with great pleasure. And so I brought you this dish. It really is ours. Hey, Allah, I just can’t understand how it ended up in Mecca and who brought it.” All the Agi household were stunned by this story. The wife, in turn, told him how John begged for a plate of food, promising to send it to Mecca, and how all the guests laughed when they heard about John’s idea. It turned out that the blessed one was not joking at all and everything really happened. The news of the miracle spread throughout the village and surrounding area. After this, everyone began to honor John as a righteous man beloved by God. They looked at him with fear and respect. No one dared to offend a Russian slave anymore. His master and his wife cared for him even more and again begged him to move from the stable to the house nearby. But the saint again refused. He continued to live as before, laboring in prayer, caring for his master’s animals, willingly fulfilling all his wishes. He spent his nights in prayer and singing psalms, according to the word of the Lord: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's (Matthew 22:21). After years of fasting, prayer, and humiliation, nearing the end of his life, John fell ill. Anticipating the approach of death, John wished to partake of the Holy Mysteries and therefore sent for an Orthodox priest. Because of the fanaticism of the Turks, the priest was afraid to openly bring the Holy Gifts into the stable. But God admonished him to hide them in an apple. Having received communion, blessed John at that same hour gave up his soul into the hands of the Lord he loved with all his heart. Thus did Saint John rest in God in the summer of 1730, on May 27th. The late Russian slave was buried with honors in a local church in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George. The inhabitants of Prokopion: Greeks, Turks and Armenians buried him with tears and reverence. Aga covered his holy remains with a precious carpet. Among the local Greeks, the veneration of John began very soon. There were many cases of miraculous help and healing through the intercession of the righteous: the paralyzed began to walk, the demoniac calmed down, the blind regained their sight, the sick were healed, not only Orthodox Christians, but also Armenians, Protestants and Turks. Thus, the burial place of the saint became a place of pilgrimage throughout Cappadocia. The priest, who confessed and gave communion to John every Saturday, saw the saint in a dream in November 1733. The saint told the elder that by the grace of God his body remained entirely incorruptible, the same as he was buried 3.5 years ago. The priest was in doubt, and now, by Divine grace, heavenly light appeared over the saint’s grave in the form of a pillar of fire. Christians decided to open the grave. And, lo and behold! The saint's body turned out to be absolutely incorruptible and fragrant. This fragrance continues to this day. Then, with reverence, the believers took the body (the holy relics) and transferred it to the church, which John himself had once visited. The next event occurred in 1832, when Ibrahim Pasha rebelled against the Turkish Sultan Mahmud II in Egypt. While the Sultan's army was approaching Prokopion, the village residents, mainly the Janissaries hostile to the Sultan, did not want to send the army. The Greek Christians did not agree with this. But being a minority, they could not do anything. Fearing the revenge of the Sultan's army, they fled to nearby villages and took refuge in caves. Only the elderly and weak remained. The military leader entered Prokopion as an enemy. The soldiers plundered not only all the houses, but also the Church of St. George. When they opened the tomb of St. John and did not find any valuables in it, they angrily threw the holy relics into the courtyard and wanted to burn them in order to laugh at the Christians. Having gathered wood, they lit a fire, but, to their surprise, the relics were again in the church. Not being enlightened by this miracle, they took them out a second time and put them on the fire, but the fire did not touch the shrine. And then the soldiers saw John alive, standing with a menacing look in the middle of the fire, with a gesture of his hand and words threatening them for their insolence. At this point the Turks could stand it no longer and fled in horror, leaving not only the relics of the saint, but also all the loot in Prokopion. The next day, several old Christian men came to the church and found the saint’s body intact among the burnt coals and ashes. It was blackened by smoke and soot, but was just as fragrant and incorruptible. The believers placed the saint's relics back into his shrine. Two years have passed. The Christian population of Prokopion built a large church in honor of St. Basil the Great. The Greeks wanted to transfer the relics of the holy righteous John to this beautiful church. They were transferred twice, but each time they disappeared and again ended up in the church of the Holy Great Martyr George. When the Greeks decided to transfer the relics for the third time, they served a prayer service and held an all-night vigil, turning their prayerful sighs to the Lord. This time the Lord heard the prayers of His servants, and the relics of John found peace in the church of St. Basil the Great. Around 1862, a pious woman saw in a dream St. John holding the roof of a village school in his hands. The next day, during the Divine Liturgy, she spoke about this. Before she had time to finish her story, a terrible roar was heard. Everyone ran out of the church in fear and saw with horror that the roof of the school, which was located opposite the church, had collapsed. People rushed there, because all the children of the village were there! Beside themselves, they began to lift the collapsed roof, and, lo and behold! – all the children got out from under the rubble alive. It turned out that the children heard a terrible crash above them and, realizing what was happening, managed to crawl under their desks. When the roof collapsed, the beams fell onto the desks without crushing any children. It is also worth telling about the transfer of the hand of Righteous John to the St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos - a miracle of the saint’s special condescension to his compatriots fleeing there. Saint Righteous John never allowed particles to be taken away from his relics. He always forced those who dared to do such a thing by appearance and threats to return what they had taken. But there was no obstacle to the removal of the hand for the Athos Monastery. It happened like this. For several years before 1880, the fathers who labored in the monastery of St. Panteleimon, having learned about the miracles performed at the shrine of St. John, asked the inhabitants of Prokopion for part of his multi-healing relics. The Greeks refused for a long time, but finally, suddenly everyone, as if by a miracle, agreed to fulfill the request of the Russian fathers of the monastery. Having served a prayer service and separated her right hand from the relics, they sent her in 1880, accompanied by Father Dionysius and one of the respected elders of the village of Athos. The reception of the relics in the monastery was very solemn: all the monks, led by their abbot, Father Macarius, came out to greet them with chants, ringing of bells, and striking of the beater. Having placed the venerable relics in the cathedral church on a lectern, they sang a solemn doxology. Then everyone came up to worship the shrine with great reverence. Thus, being now within the lot of the Most Holy Theotokos, the hand of Righteous John the Russian is revered there on a par with the honest relics of other saints. Thus the Lord glorified and continues to glorify His saint to this day with many great miracles. They poured out especially abundantly in 1924 and 1951. After the terrible defeat of the Greeks in the war with the Turks, the entire Greek population had to leave Anatolia in exchange for the Turkish population of Greece. The Greeks from Prokopion moved to the island of Euboea to the village of Akhmet Aga, which after the departure of the Turks was renamed Neoprokopion. They also brought with them a shrine containing the relics of Saint Righteous John the Russian, which was first placed in the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen. And when on May 27, 1951, the magnificent new church in honor of St. John, begun in 1930, was completed, his relics were solemnly transferred there. The body of the holy saint of God, preserved incorrupt, rests there in an open shrine under glass. Hundreds and hundreds of Orthodox pilgrims flock to him every day, asking for the intercession of the holy righteous man and relief in their grief. And Saint John does not refuse emergency aid to all those who turn to him with true, deep faith. In 1962, by decision of the Greek Church and the state, a law was adopted on the basis of which the Society in the name of St. John was created and two boarding houses were built: one to receive pilgrims, the other for the needs of the Society. Two orphanages have been created, one almshouse in Chalkis and one in Neoartaki, a student dormitory, a children's camp for a thousand people and other institutions. Saint John is a wonderful example of a person’s life “according to God,” for with his miracles he reveals divine power and leads us to the spiritual knowledge of holy life, so beneficial for man. We were born not only for this life, but we also belong to the future life, Eternal, Heavenly. Our soul is immortal. Saint John, with his miracles, brings heavenly light into the hearts of believers, divine power that conquers the bonds of matter, overcomes all obstacles, brings great changes to human characters, and revives souls. With his miracles, his constant intercession, Saint John helps people find inner freedom, the very freedom that inspires people and entire nations. Saint Righteous John of Russia was canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church in 1962 and subsequently included in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church for church-wide veneration. The memory of the holy righteous John the Russian, confessor, is celebrated on May 27 - the day of his blessed death. Collection l. 2, 358–360; Suprasl. l. 141–145. According to Gustin. chronicle, “it was truncated by the Tatars over the river. Pripyat in the village of Strigolovykh.” Collection l. 2, 360. Kyiv. years. according to Suprasl. sl. 145, 146. Afanasy (Kalnofoisky). Teraturgima, or miracles that occurred both in the Pechersky Monastery itself and in both of its caves. Kyiv, 1638 (hereinafter – Afanasy (Kalnofoisky). Teraturgima. – Ed.); The Legend of St. Macarius. M.-K., 1848. The Gustine Chronicle says: “his relics still lie incorrupt in St. Sophia" (Collected l. 2, 360). Fundukley I. Review of Kyiv in relation to antiquities. Kiev, 1847 (hereinafter referred to as Fundukley I. Review of Kyiv. – Ed.). There is also an image of a cross. RKP. life of St. Gerasim, written by his disciple Anthony, later Bishop of Vologda (1588), and supplemented with miracles in 1686, according to Undolsky’s list. The same in the imperial library No. 711. RKP. life of St. Daniel, ch. 26. RKP. life of St. Daniel, ch. 26; RKP. life of St. Gerasima. Ratshin A. Complete collection of information about monasteries. RKP. Saints about Vologda. saints See Sep. 24. Trofimovsky N.V. Historical and statistical description of the Smolensk diocese. St. Petersburg, 1864. Ambrose (Ornatsky), archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. Part III; Ratshin A. Complete collection of information about monasteries. See: Patericon of Athos or biography of the saints who shone on Mount Athos: In 2 parts. St. Petersburg, 1860. Part II. Constantine Porphyrogenitus (Constantine VII Progenitors. De Administrator Imperio) calls Boris the son of Presiam: Prga1ac toi patron aitoi (Bopiâ). According to Theophylact (Tale of the 15 Martyrs), Boris is the son of Zvinich, and Zvinich is the brother of Malomir and Boyan and, therefore, the grandson of Hrubosh. So Presiam and Zvinich are one and the same person and after Malomir he was on the Bulgarian throne (830–840). Safarik, denouncing Engel's mistakes, did not get rid of the mistake himself, considering Presiam to be the same person as Malomir (Safarik. Slavic Antiquities. Vol. 2, book 1). Stritter I. News of Byzantine historians: Explaining the Russian history of ancient times and the migration of peoples: In 4 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1770–1775. T. 4. Cont. Constantine; Kedrin G. Review of History; Theophylact of Bulgaria. A Word about 15 Martyrs. Nowadays in southern Zagorje there are the cities of Eski Zagora (old Zagorje) and Yeni Zagora (new Zagorje). Er. ad Michaelem r. 18. 24. et. Montac. 1651. Konstantin Porphyrogenitus. About the management of the empire; Kedrin G. Review of History; Zonara I. Abridged history. T. 2. Bulgarian. Synaxarion of the 13th century (Filaret of Chernigov. Historical teaching about the Fathers of the Church). And according to the testimony of Genesius (Regum lib. 4), Theophylact (The Sermon on the 15 Martyrs), Constantine (On the Administration of the Empire), not just one bishop was sent to Michael, but with many clergy. Anastasius Bibliothecarius. Praefatio in Synodum VIII; Philip of Cyprus. Chronicon ecclesiae Graecae. Hincmari Remensis. Annales ap. Pertz 1, 465. The Pope expressed his delight in a letter to Gincmari (Hincmari Remensis. Annales ar. Baronium ad an. 867). Response p. Nicolai ad consulta Bulgarorum in t. 22 Concil. (Anastasius Bibliothecarius. De vitis Romanorum pontificum). The answers show that the questions to the pope were written on behalf of the Bulgarians under the influence of Roman missionaries. Message from Patr. Photius (Muravyov A.N. The truth of the universal church about the Roman and other patriarchal sees. St. Petersburg, 1849). Annales Fuldenses; Hincmari Remensis. Annales ap. Pertz 1, 379. 380. 474; Anastasius Bibliothecarius. De vitis Romanorum pontificum. This is how the librarian Wilhelm judged it (Anastasius Bibliothecarius. De vitis Romanorum pontificum). Anastasius Bibliothecarius. De vitis Romanorum pontificum; Constantine VII Progenitors. Vita Basilii; Georgii Cedreni. Synopsis historiarum. Pope John VIII wrote 6 letters to the book. Michael and 3 to his nobles, Adrian 2 letters, soliciting with caresses and threats to convert Bulgaria to the pope, and everything remained in vain (Mansi J. D. Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collection: In 31 vols. Florence and Venice, 1758–1798. V. XXIV (hereinafter - Mansi J. D. Sacrorum Conciliorum. – Ed.). Life of St. Clement § 4: “They, although late, entered the garden of the Lord, who had called them by His grace; the calling of this people took place in the summer of comrade. world 6377 (869).” Theophylact. Sermon on the 15 Martyrs, § 37–46; In the monthly book of the Asseman Gospel of the 11th century. on August 29: “memory of the saints of Strumnitsa: Timothy, Theodore, Eustovius (Eusebius) and their squad.” According to Theophylact, the Strumnitsa martyrs suffered under Julian on November 28, 362. So August 28 is the day of transferring the relics to Bregalnica. According to the geography of Meletius, “Strumnica is a city of Trivalli (Serbs) at the end of Macedonia, between Strymon and Axios, located on a steep mountain, three days’ journey from Scupa.” Nowadays Strumnitsa is located at the foot of the mountain, and the ruins of the castle remain on the mountain (Grigorovich V. Travel sketch). Tafel remarks about the description of the martyrs: ubi additur, olim dictum fuisse Tiberiopolin, quod posterius mihi dubium videtur (Tafel. De Thessalonica). About Bregalnica, see April pr. 49 p. 50. Life of St. Clement § 12. 13. Baronius (Baronius. Annales ecclesiastici a Christo nato ad annum 1198. Ad an. 1071) contains a letter from Theophylact, Archbishop. Bolgarsky, which directly speaks of seven cathedral churches built by Prince. Boris. In the life of Clement it is said: “The prince surrounded all of Bulgaria under his control with seven Ka0o\iKoî churches.” The last word means cathedral church. Nestor in the life of the book. Boris and Gleb speaks about Metropolitan. John: “So the Catholics returned to their ikklisiya” (Vostokov A. Description of the Rumyantsev Museum). At the end of the 13th century, during the predominance of Greek, there were 5 metropolises in Thrace, Moisia and Macedonia: in Plovdiv, Odrina, Trayanople, Pereyaslavets and Thessaloniki and bishops - in the first 10 (Great, Bykovy), in Odrinskaya - 11 (Travitsa, Pravod, Debelogo), in the third - 8 (Mokra, Topora), in Pereyaslavetskaya - 6 (Obritogo, Durosten, Novaya on the Litra River, Velbuzhda, Vrana), in Solunskaya - 7 (Velikaya, Smolyany, Drogovitsy, Strumnitsa, Verei, Stolbov) (see: list of dioceses of Emperor Leo in: Tafel de provin. p. 49. 50; Wiltsch. Handbuch der kirchlichen Geographie und Statistik. Berlin, 1846 (hereinafter – Wiltsch. Handbuch der kirchlichen. – Ed.)). Prince Boris built cathedral churches not everywhere where they were before; in Vidin (Vodina) there was no cathedral in front of him. In Fulda. l. (Annales Fuldenses): mense novembri (anno 873) Agathon archiepiscopus, Basilii imperatoris legatus, ad renovandam pristinam amicitiam cum epistolis et muneribus ad Ludovicum Katisboniam venit. Assem. Calen. II, 209. In 879, “Agatho of Moravia” was present at the Council of Constantinople along with two bishops: Gabriel of Ohrid and Simeon of Debel (Assemani. Kalendaria Ecclesiae Universae. Vol. III). Agathon was called Moravian because its diocese extended to the river. Morave. His department must have been located in Viddin - Bdynia. In the definition of imp. Andronicus (1282) says: “82 Metropolitan of Viddinsky; this is the see of the bishop of Bulgaria, but has been elevated to a metropolitanate” (Tafel. De Thessalonica). Theophylact ends the description of the miracles of the Strumnitsa martyrs during the time of Simeon and, therefore, under Simeon; but he dedicated his work to Tsar Peter and described his life - and therefore, he died no earlier than 967; the latter also agrees with what he says about himself in the life of Clement. Theophylact. Sermon on the 15 Martyrs, § 36, 47–55. Initial book deletion time. Boris to the monastery is defined as follows: Clement from 885 was a teacher for 11 years and in 898 under Prince. Simeone was elevated to the department of archpastor (see: July 27th day). Then Vladimir Borisovich was a sovereign prince (892–895), and Boris renounced the throne at the beginning of 892. And according to the chronicles, Vladimir turns out to be a sovereign prince from 892. Preface of the Exarch to the Theology of Damascus Christian antiquities and archeology / Ed. Prokhorov V. A. St. Petersburg, 1864. Tetr. 8). Savelyev-Rostislavich N.V. Slavic collection. Bishop Constantine in the translation of the words of St. Athanasius (Kalaidovich K.F. John, Exarch of Bulgaria Note 40). Bulgarian, contemporary of Prince. Simeon, talks about the book. Boris: “And God grant that we may receive an angelic image from this flattering life in the highest, Jerusalem reposed to Christ” (Synaxarion of the 13th century; on the first page the picture represents the prince with the inscription: “Holy Boris”). Sreznevsky’s doubt about the meaning of this picture is in vain. Russian St. book Boris has always been depicted together with the prince. Gleb and never alone, and the entire manuscript is in Bulgarian language. See: Demetrius, Archimandrite. Months of the saints, the entire Russian Church or locally revered: In 4th issue. Tambov, 1878–1883. Vol. 3rd). Epiphanius (the Wise). The life of our venerable and God-bearing father, Abbot Sergius the Wonderworker; Nikon. l. 4, 236–238; Church historical month book of the Trinity Lavra. M., 1850. RKP. the legend of the Monzen monastery (in Tsarsky No. 118); Ratshin A. Complete collection of information about monasteries; Ambrose (Ornatsky), archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. Part VI. RKP. Saints: “St. Hieromonk Adrian the Wonderworker, builder of the Annunciation Monastery on the Monza River. reposed in L. 71 May 27 at day 5.” Simon's words about Hilarion are given on August 28; about Onesiphorus: “And this is what you will find, brother Polycarp, in the life of Saint Anthony”; about Athanasius: “If anyone thinks that what is written is not correct, let him honor the life of St. Anthony." Polycarp about Agapit: “In the life of Saint Anthony, the entire life of them (the ascetics contemporary with Anthony) is described in essence and briefly stated.” Pereslav. l. 45. Supraslsk. l. 163. 164. See: Filaret, Archimandrite. Chernigovsky. Women's and closed monasteries. Chernigov, 1873. Index of acts of Mount Athos // Journal of the Ministry of Public Education. St. Petersburg, 1847. Life of St. Afanasy in the RCP. and in the Menaion of St. Dimitri. Grigorovich V. Travel essay. Grigorovich V. Travel essay; Muravyov A.N. Letters from the East. Part 1. Acts of Athos, art. 4. act. 6. stat. 7. act. 3. John Kolov founded his monastery near Ierissa; and the Bulgarians lived in Ierissa. So according to the Gustino Chronicle (Collected l. 2, 261). Along Novgorodskaya l. this was in 1012 (Collected l. 3, 208). The advantage goes to the first, like the Kiev one. According to Kasyanov's list of the patericon, Anthony was on Mount Athos with St. Vladimir (IORYAS. T. V). About the Varangian Cave, see: Afanasy (Kalnofoisky). Teraturgima. Spriga canon: “The fasting women of the robbers made the churches of God a habitation.” So according to the patericon of Kasyanov’s list (IORYAS. T. V, 154) and his news about his two-time journey to Athos is taken, of course, from the ancient life of Antoniev. Nestor in the chronicle speaks of a one-time trip to Athos. But here is not the life of Anthony, but a part, and even in that year, under 1051, there is the installation of Hilarion as metropolitan. If we assume that Anthony began to live in the Kyiv cave in 1051, then this would be irreconcilable either with the news about Moses Ugrin, Leontius, Hilarion, Nikon and Theodosius, or with the news about Anthony himself. How to fit into the “few days” of the same year 1051 a trip to Athos, visiting the inhabitants there, tonsure as an abbot, studying monastic life, returning to Russia, searching for a convenient place in the monasteries here, settling in a cave? How to reconcile 40 years of stay in the Kyiv cave when Anthony died in 1073? According to the printed patericon, Anthony returned to Kyiv for the second time in 1017, but then strong unrest in Russia did not stop, but began. According to Gustinskaya L. Anthony went to Mount Athos for the second time in 1017 and returned in 1027 (Collected fol. 2, 263. 266). “There was strife and rebellion, and there was great silence on earth” in 1028 (Collected l. 1, 64). Collection l. 1, 67. 68. 255. The words: “digging a cave” would have been superfluous for Nestor if Anthony had settled in Hilarion’s Cave, as others want (Additions to the edition of the works of the Holy Fathers. Part 9). Anthony no longer lived in Hilarion’s Cave because Hilarion himself took tonsure from Anthony: “That’s why he was tonsured quickly,” writes Simon. And not a single best list of the chronicle says: “dwell in it” - in Hilarion’s cave, but it says: “Love this place and dwell in it”; in the ancient patericon they read: “Love this place and dwell in it,” or “Dwell in it.” Collection l. 1, 67. 68. 255; Tatishchev V.N. Russian history. T 2; Butkov P. Answer to a new question about Nestor, the Russian chronicler. St. Petersburg, 1850. See the lives of January 28, May 3 and 23, July 26, August 28, November 19. Nestor, St. Life of St. our father, Abbot of Pechersk, Theodosius // Scientific notes of the second branch of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. St. Petersburg, 1856. Volume 2, issue 1 (hereinafter referred to as Nestor, Venerable Life of our Venerable Father, Abbot of Pechersk, Feodosius. - Ed.); Polycarp (Pechersky). Message about Moses Ugrin. Nestor, St. Life of St. our father, abbot of Pechersk, Theodosius; Collection l. 1, 68. 69. Polycarp in the life of Agapit, saying that Agapit witnessed how St. Anthony healed the sick with prayer, giving them to eat his food; at the end of his life he expresses regret that cases of miraculous healing were not described even in that full life of St. Anthony, which was known in his time. “Having remembered their (the holy monks) virtuous life, I am amazed at how silent was the great correction (as he calls it above healing) of the saint. our father Anthony." Simon (Bishop of Vladimir). The story of the founding of the Pechersk monastery; Collection l. 1, 73. 74. 79. 2, 270. Collection l. 1, 73. 74. 83. 2, 272; Ioannikiy (Golyatovsky), archimandrite. Treasurer's box. Novgorod-Seversky, 1676. Dmitry of Rostov, St. Irrigated fleece; Nestor, St. Life of St. our father, abbot of Pechersk, Theodosius; Filaret of Chernigov Cathedral Chernigov monasteries: Ilyinsky, Eletsky and Borisoglebsky. Chernigov, 1861. Collection l. 2, 272. Nestor in the life of Theodosius: “he came - where and now his clean body lies.” According to the chronicle, “he excavated a cave that already exists under the new monastery, and in it he died his life, alive in virtue, without leaving the cave for 40 years anywhere.” Collection l. 1, 68. From what time do you count 40 years of staying in a cave? From 1068 going to the beginning of the life. In 1057, he only moved from one cave to another for 100 fathoms; and in 1068 he came out not only from the cave, but also from Kiev, into the world. Simon (Bishop of Vladimir). The story of the founding of the Pechersk monastery. He says: “In the life of St. You will find Anthony more expansively.” Collection l. 3, 2. “In l. 6581 (1073) the Pechersk Church was founded by Theodosius the abbot.” Brief Kyiv. l.: “Antony, abbot of Pechersk, reposed, having blessed and marked the place of the Church of the Holy Mother of God” (Suprasl. l. 139). But here the death of Anthony and Theodosius is mistakenly referred to as 1074. To Gustin. l. and in 3rd Novgor. (Collected l. 2, 274. 3, 208) the year of Antonieva’s death is attributed to the year of the foundation of the church, but it was mistakenly set to 1071. The day of the death of St. Anthony according to the ancient calendar was set on May 7 (Makariy (Bulgakov), Metropolitan. History of the Russian Church. Vol. 1). In the Menea of ​​Macarius on the 7th of May, “a word about St. Antonia Pecherstem." His service is on May 7 (at Tsarsky No. 563). In the ancient calendar (Synodal. Apostle of the 16th century according to the description of the Synod. R. 1, 339 and the charter of the 12th century in Tolstoy, I, No. 100) the memory of St. Anthony also under May 7; and on July 10, the charter noted: “the cathedral church of St. Anthony is not celebrated." The last note makes it clear that at that time the Lavra was already celebrating St. Anthony on May 7. About the ancient celebration of St. Anthony, except Simon and Polycarp, unknown in the 15th century collection. (Vostokov A. Description of the manuscripts of the Rumyantsev Museum. No. 406). Pech. Patericon L. 10. Cheti-Minei July 10. Afanasy (Kalnofoisky). Teraturgima Nicodemus (Svyatogorets). New Martyrology; Sergius (Vesnin), hieroschemamonk. A guide to the Holy Mount Athos and an index of its shrines and other attractions. St. Petersburg, 1854. Memory of St. Pachomia is celebrated on May 20th; but the day of the Ascension of the Lord in 1730 was the 7th day of May. Dimitri, archimandrite. Months of the saints, the entire Russian Church or locally revered: In 4th issue. 1878–1883. Around May 7th. The main source of information is the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa on the life of Macrina, see: Acta Sanctorum, julii tom. IV; GregoriusNyssenus. Opera/ed. 1638. T. 2. In the Chetya-Minea of ​​July 19, abbreviated. St. Basile. Epistolae 204 ad Neocaesar / ed. Migne. V. 4, 751 (Russian translation: Works of St. Basil: At 7 hours M., 1845–1848. T. 7). In another letter, against the Eustathians, he says: “The concept of God that I acquired from childhood from my blessed mother and grandmother Macrina grew in me” (ibid.). The Roman Church glorifies the memory of the elder Macrina on January 14. In the month books of the Greek Church, for some strange reason, her name is not visible among the saints, while Gregory of Nyssa, in describing the life of the younger Macrina, speaks of her confessional exploits. St. Gregorii. Or. 4, 37. Sons of Emilia: Basil of Caesarea, Naucratius (killed early), Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebaste, the monk mentioned by Philostorgius; daughters of Macrinus, Theosevia, three others unknown by name. St. Basile. Epistolae 223 n. 3. “The theater is an open school of intemperance (oaeXyiâ),” says Basil the Great (Conversation 4, for six days). Tertullian: “The theater is a privileged hall of shamelessness and a castle of all infamy” (Tertullianus. De spectaculis). Works of St. Basil: At 7 o'clock M., 1845–1848. T. 4. According to the Roman martyrology, the memory of St. Emilia - May 8 and also May 30 “in Caesarea Cappadocia the memory of St. Vasily and Emmelia his wife, parents of St. Basil, who, during the time of Maximin, were expelled, lived in the Pontic deserts and after persecution, leaving their children as heirs of their virtues, they rested in peace.” The news is incorrect. The grandfather of St. is mixed here. Vasily with his father. St. Gregory subsequently described “a conversation with sister Macrina about the soul and immortality” (see: Gregory the Theologian. Creations / Translation of the Moscow Theological Academy: In 6 hours M., 1843–1848. Part 4). Here St. Gregory calls Macrina his mentor. Let not all the words learned by St. Macrina, belong to her - St. Gregory, while free, revealed the subject of the conversation with the dying woman and in some ways supplemented the conversation: but even then in Macrina one can see not only amazing firmness and depth of thought, but also extensive acquaintance with pagan philosophy. Let the new materialists listen to Macrina, who discusses the spirituality of the soul; They will probably not be left without benefit, if only they value the truth at all. In the life of St. John the Merciful (§ 1) says about his disciple Zechariah: “he took off the silver cross he was wearing and gave it to him” (the beggar) (Patr. Lat. 73, 341). The cross on his neck was worn by the martyr Procopius under Diocletian (Rules of the Council of Nicaea, rule 4; Nicephorus Callistus. Church history; Cheti-Minea July 8), the Christian warrior Orestes (Cheti-Menaion Dec. 13). They think that this ring was placed on Macrina’s hand when she accepted monasticism as a sign of betrothal to Christ. To justify this idea, the words of St. much Agnes from the story of her suffering: “My Lord Jesus Christ betrothed me with His ring and crowned me as His bride.” Optatus of Milevitsky says about the crown: “there are no rules given what kind of wool the crown should be made of and what kind of purple it should be covered with” (Lib. 6, cont. Donat). The crown is now the nun's kukul (On ancient local rites of initiation of a virgin, see: Additions to the publication of the works of the Holy Fathers. Part 1; Orthodox Interlocutor. Kazan, 1865. No. 3). St. Gregorii Nazianzen. Or. 4, 76. St. Macrina died in 383, and her memory is on July 19. The wife of Gregory of Nyssa is called Theosevia (Vershinsky D.S. Months; St. Demetrius in the Chetya-Menaia Jan. 10). Irenaeus (Short Lives. M., 1861) weaves fables like this: “When he (Gregory) was still a presbyter, his wife Theozva was a deaconess; after being ordained to the priesthood, they lived like brother and sister.” Even the learned Theiners (Einfuhrung. enzwungen Thelosigkeit. Altenburg, 1845. 1, 2667) do not part with the thought of Theosevia, the wife of Nyssa. The muratorium passed off Theosevia as the wife of Gregory of Nazianza. St. Gregorii Nazianzen. Or. 2, 322–326 (in Russian translation: Gregory the Theologian. Creations. / Translation of the Moscow Theological Academy: In 6 parts M., 1843–1848. Part 6). St. Gregorii Nazianzen. Or. 4, 78 (Gregory the Theologian. Creations. / Translation of the Moscow Theological Academy: In 6 hours M., 1843–1848. Part 5). Apostolic Decrees (in Russian translation). Kazan, 1864. Book. 3, ch. 15. St. Gregorii Nazianzen. Epistolae 34 (cf.: Epist. 35); Filaret, archbishop. Chernigovsky. Historical teaching about the Fathers of the Church. St. Gregorii Nazianzen. Or. 3, 318–322/ed. Migne. Here in 109 BC the idol of Zaden was erected by the Georgian king Farnadzh, which was subsequently destroyed by St. Ninoya. Memory of St. Aviva - November 29, and St. Ise - December 2. The main one was the church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God; the second - in honor of the Nativity of John the Baptist, where the remains of St. Shio. Both of these churches are dilapidated, and in the monastery, which was once flourishing, there is now such poverty that there is often no bread and wine to celebrate the Liturgy... Such is the fate of many Iveron churches, standing in ruins in places that witnessed their flourishing state in ancient times... Skete patericon under the sign of I. Chetya-Minea May 10. Metaphrastus in the description of the life of St. Theodora in the Chetya-Menaia on September 11, at Surius on September 9. Extract of the Acta Sanctorum. Sept. T. 3. Other special cases are doubtful. Brief extract in Basil's Menologue; more extensive - in the prologue on September 11. In the Greek menaion the synaxarion is in verse. The canon was written by an unknown person. Life of St. Dionysius is described by his disciple, cellarer Simon (See: Simon (Azaryin). The life and exploits of our father Archimandrite Dionysius. M., 1824 (hereinafter referred to as Simon (Azaryin). The life and exploits of our father Archimandrite Dionysius. - Ed.)). Ambrose (Ornatsky), archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. Part VI. Simon (Azaryin). The life and exploits of our father, Archimandrite. Dionysius; Abraham (Palitsyn). The legend about the siege of the Trinity Monastery from the Poles and Lithuania, and about the rebellions that subsequently took place in Russia, composed by the cellarer Abraham Palitsyn of the same Trinity Monastery. M., 1784 (hereinafter referred to as Abraham (Palitsyn). The Legend of the Siege of the Trinity Monastery. - Ed.). Ivan Nasedka. Note on the life of St. Dionysius // Lives of Dionysius, M., 1824; Karamzin N. M. History of the Russian State. T. XII, approx. 663–666. Simon (Azaryin). The life and exploits of our father, Archimandrite. Dionysius; Collection of state charters and agreements. Part 2. Abraham (Palitsyn). The legend of the siege of the Trinity Monastery. Snegirev I.M. Russians in their proverbs. Reasoning and research on domestic proverbs and sayings: In 4 books. M., 1831–1834. Book 3. Acts collected by the Archaeographic Expedition. T. 3; hagiography Arsenia's petition to the Synod. RKP. No. 298. Acts of the Council on the RKP. Sakharov (Northern Bee. 1842. No. 198). Simon (Azaryin). The life and exploits of our father, Archimandrite. Dionysius. Simon's defense of Dionysius was added to the life of Dionysius, but it is not in the printed life; it is in the Synod. RKP. No. 298 (John 416) and another No. 192. In the same Synod. RKP. No. 298. Simon (Azaryin). The life and exploits of our father, Archimandrite. Dionysius. Arseny Glukhoy, monk. Message to boyar Saltykov about correcting books (RKP. Lavra. books, 700 l. 295). Here: “...it was not enough to destroy our works; They aroused the meek, kind heart of the good to anger. state and the great old nun Marfa Ivanovna.” Simon's tale according to the RKP. About St. Nicodemus July 3. Service of St. Dionysius was printed along with his life (Simon (Azaryin). Canon to our venerable father Dionysius, Archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Radonezh Wonderworker, with the addition of his Life. M., 1855). Antiquities of the Russian State. Dept. IV. Collection l. 3, 172. Inscription on the shrine of the righteous woman. Macarius (Mirolyubov), archimandrite. Archaeological description of church antiquities in Novgorod Part 1; Tikhomirov P.I., priest. The legend of the Novgorod miraculous holy icon of the Sign of the Mother of God. Novgorod, 1872. Karamzin N. M. History of the Russian State. T. IX, approx. 741. Karamzin N. M. History of the Russian State. T. X, approx. 9; Abraham (Palitsyn). The legend of the siege of the Trinity Monastery. Latukhin's degree book; Nikon. l. 8, 4. 5. Karamzin N. M. History of the Russian State. T. X, approx. 147. Karamzin N. M. History of the Russian State. T. X, approx. 159. In addition to the chronicle of the rebellions and the new chronicler, Palitsyn: “the caresses and planners of great troubles, composed of ten lies, approach Boris and from many troubles reduce him to sin” (Abrahamy (Palitsyn). The Legend of the Siege of the Trinity Monastery). Investigative case about the death of the prince in: Collection of state charters and agreements. Part 2. No. 60. And here we see Bityagovsky and his gang in Uglich. The chronicle shows it more directly. Investigative file in: Collection of state charters and agreements. Part 2. No. 60. An investigative case, which I analyzed in detail in a study about the death of the prince (Filaret, Archimandrite of Chernigov. Research about the death of Tsarevich Dimitri. M., 1858). Here, as an example, some evidence of the investigators' guilty conscience is pointed out. They force many to say that the prince stabbed himself with a knife. But they didn’t ask anyone: where did this knife go? and has anyone seen it? Grigory Nagoy was having dinner in his house and, running at the sound of the bell, found the prince alive; and Andrei Nagoy was having dinner in the palace and, running out to hear the cry: “The prince has been stabbed to death,” found him already dead, in the arms of his nurse. There were clear contradictions and omissions, and they did not try to explain them, for fear of hearing something even more unpleasant. Patr. Job in the letter of 1606: “accepted the slaughter innocently at the hands of his traitors” (Abrahamy (Palitsyn). The Legend of the Siege of the Trinity Monastery), Patr. Hermogenes in “The Tale of the Murder of Tsarevich Dimitry of Uglich” (list of the mid-17th century), the new chronicler (New Chronicler, compiled during the reign of Mikhail Feodorovich / Published according to the list of Prince Obolensky. M., 1853) say the same. According to the Morozov Chronicle, the murderers themselves, before their deaths, showed that they had carried out the will of Godunov. Kissel (Kissel F. History of the city of Uglich. Yaroslavl, 1844) points to five more Uglich chronicles almost contemporary with the death of the prince. See: Filaret, Archimandrite. Chernigovsky. Research on the death of Tsarevich Dimitri. M., 1858. Collection of state charters and agreements. Part 2. No. 147. Ibid; Karamzin N. M. History of the Russian State. T. XII, approx. 24. Four nuts, found in the hand of the murdered incorruptible prince, are still kept in the Uglich Church of St. Tsarevich, which is built on blood, c. Mikhail. They are placed here in a silver folding box along with soil soaked in the blood of the prince (Russian antiquity in monuments of church and civil architecture / Compiled by A. A. Martynov, text by I. M. Snegirev: in 3 volumes: in 18 tetras. M., 1846–1859. Vol. 1). In addition to the chronicles, the investigation showed that, apart from Andrei, there was neither Mikhail nor Grigory Nagikh in the palace, and that Volokhova and the nurse Irina Zhdanova were with the prince. According to the investigative case, and precisely according to Volokhova’s testimony, the queen was the first to pronounce the names of the killers. But she was not a witness to the misfortune. It follows that she heard about it from someone! Who is this? Investigators haven't shown it, but the case shows it. The Tsarina so definitely shows the three murderers - Danila Bityagovsky, Kachalov and Volokhov, but did not name Mikhail Bityagovsky, the main enemy of her brothers and herself. So the case shows that the chronicles are right when they say that Zhdanov’s nurse screamed about murder and murderers, and as a result this is hidden, and instead of this, a testimony about the illness of the prince was given. Subsequently, the corrupt Volokhova was awarded estates, and Zhdanova was put in chains. In the investigative case, the unfortunate sexton, avoiding trouble, became completely confused in his testimony. According to him, the cathedral watchman Kuznetsov was the first to start calling; he, the sexton, was forced to ring the bell by the court solicitor, Protopopov, and hit him in the neck, saying that the queen had ordered the ringing and that this had been ordered under Gregory Nagy. Nagoy testified that Protopopov did not give orders in front of him, and the sexton himself told him about Protopopov’s order and that “Mikhail Bityagovsky came running to him (the sexton) and he locked himself in and did not let him into the bell tower.” Protopopov testified that Mikhaila Nagoy, having arrived at the yard, ordered him to ring the bells, and he ordered the sexton. But the Naked Ones repeated that they themselves ran to the ringing of the bell. And this is quite certain. Moreover, if, according to the sexton, the ringing was already happening - the watchman Kuznetsov was already calling, then there was no need for Protopopov to push the sexton in the neck and force him to ring the bell. The investigators, not paying attention to the confusion in the testimony, did not even demand Kuznetsov to answer. So here, too, the case itself justifies the testimony of the chronicles that the sexton himself saw the murder and hastened to sound the alarm. The tsar’s charter in the “Collection of state charters and agreements” (Part 2. No. 147). The queen’s charter in the “Collection of state charters and agreements” (Part 2. No. 148). The same is in the manuscript of Filaret (Karamzin N. M. History of the Russian State. T. II, note 23–25). The prince's cap, made of cloth, with pearls and stones, in the Archangel Cathedral (Antiquities of the Russian State. Section II). The same charters in the “Collection of State Charters and Agreements” (Part 2. No. 147, 148); Philaret's manuscript (Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian State. T. XII, note 25); A new chronicler compiled during the reign of Mikhail Feodorovich / Published according to the list of Prince Obolensky. M., 1853. Service of St. to the Tsarevich on May 15 (at Tolstoy 2. No. 190). Celebrations of June 3 and October 19 were canceled in 1768 (Orthodox Review. 1861. No. I). About them see: Filaret Chernigovsky. Historical teaching about the Fathers of the Church: In 3 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1859. Vol. III, § 293. Filaret, Archbishop. Chernigovsky. Historical teaching about the Fathers of the Church. § 252. Pereslav. l. 107. 108. The printed patericon says that Simon from the Pechersk monastery was taken to the bishop of Vladimir. This is an inaccuracy. Collection l. 7, 119; Pereslav. l. 112. Others stubbornly want to follow the opinion of the Suzdal keymaster Anania and Simon, the writer of lives, separate the bishop of 1214–1226 from Simon (Reader OIDR. 1860. Book 4). But: a) it is not clear why the Suzdal keymaster of 1770 received such authority when resolving issues about the events of the 12th century. Ananias, as obviously, did not have any evidence about his first Bishop Simon when he said: “in the year 6600.” On the contrary, the chronicles say otherwise. The confusion in Ananias’s head is due to the fact that he mistook Polycarp, the writer of lives, for the same person as St. Archimandrite Polycarp; b) Simon, the writer of biographies, says: “the wife of the prince. Rostislava Verkhuslava writes to me, wanting to see you (Polycarp) as a bishop in Novgorod in the place of Anthony.” Anthony was ordained in Novgorod in 1211 in place of the expelled Mitrofan, and at the end of 1218 the Novgorodians accepted Mitrofan again, and the next year Anthony and Mitrofan were at the court of Metropolitan. Matthew (see February 10). It is this confusion at the Novgorod See that the blessed one means. Simon. So the writer of the lives of Simon was Bishop of Vladimir in 1218, and not before that. According to the chronicle, “in l. 6697 (1189) prince v. Vsevolod gave his daughter to Verkhuslav Belgorod for Rurikovich Rostislav M. July 30th.” (Collected l. 1, 171). It is clear that the writer of the lives took the throne after 1189 and it was in vain that they invented the first Bishop Simon, who supposedly preceded Luke, who was dedicated in 1185 (Collected l. 1, 165). Otherwise, Simon would have received a letter from Verkhuslava while he was already lying in the ground. Nikon. l. 2, 333, 336, 340. Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov), Metropolitan. Description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra; Cheti-Minea May 10. Probably May 10, when the Lavra celebrates St. Simon, was the day of transferring his relics to Kyiv. According to the RCP. Saints of St. Simon is shown both among those resting in the Kiev cave, and among the saints of the city of Vladimir. Monuments of the 12th century see: Buslaev F.I. Historical reader. Description of the life and miracles of St. Agapit was compiled in 1715 by the will of Barnabas, Bishop of Kholmogory, during his forced stay with his retinue in the monastery (Vologda Provincial Gazette. 1849. No. 44. 45; Ratshin A. Complete collection of information about monasteries; Ambrose (Ornatsky), archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. Part V). About him, see in detail: Sabinin M.P. Complete biography of the saints of the Georgian Church. St. Petersburg, 1871; World calendar for 1874 Sergius, archim. Complete months of the East. T. II. The Monemvasian bishop subscribed to the definitions of the Council of Nicaea in 787 (MansiJ. D. Sacrorum Conciliorum. V. XII, XIII; Le Quien. Oriens christianus. V. II). The Morea has been occupied by the Slavs since the time of the Emperor. Mauritius (502–602). The traveler Willibald wrote in 723: “sailing from Sicily, we passed across the Adriatic to the city of Monovasia in the Slavic land” (Tafel. De Thessalonica; Fallmerayer, Jakob Philipp. Geschichte der Halbinsel Morea im Mittelalter. Stuttgart, 1830–1836). Constantine clearly dates the conversion of the Morean Mayonites to the time of the Emperor. Basil (Constantine VII Progenitors. De Administrator Imperio). At the same time, that is, when Cyril and Methodius translated the holy books into the Slavic language, they turned to St. faith and the Morean Slavs (Fallmerayer, Jakob Philipp. Geschichte der Halbinsel Morea im Mittelalter. Stuttgart, 1830–1836). St. Basile. Epistolae. 173. “Paul, Archbishop of Monemvassia, the story of St. Martha, the abbess of the church of the Most Holy Theotokos, located in the God-saved city of Monemvassia below the monastery of Hodegetria, and about other husbands and wives famous for virtue, and about three especially wives, who were all put to death under Constantine, the son of Leo and Zoe and the son-in-law of Romanus the Elder” (Acta Sanctorum ad. 24 Maii). Vershinsky does not have this saint (Vershinsky D.S. Mesyatseslov). Prologue for December 10: “in the same (10) day, the memory of the holy three wives found on the mountain, about whom Paul Bishop of Monemvassia spoke. Paul, son of Leonov, the tale of these saints” and so on. The narrator is called by name and father. This is not in Greek, but in Slavic. It is not surprising that the Morean Slav was in the service of the emperor, as well as the fact that later he was a bishop in his homeland, in Monemvassia. It is not surprising that he knew Greek as well as Slavic. The same news is in the Chetya-Minea, only one story begins like this: “I was sent to a layman.” Menologist of Vasily and Chetya-Minea. The suffering of the martyrs is placed here under April 24, and in the prologue - under April 21. But the modern description of the suffering of their friends Julius and Hesychius shows that the suffering took place in May and that Pasikrates’ comrade was called Valention, and not Valentinus, as in the menologist. In the martyrology of Adov and Usuard - on May 25: “in Mysia, in the city of Dorostel, the torment of Pasikrates, Valention and two others crowned together” (Patrolog. 124, 86. 87. 94). We translate the ancient description of martyrdom published by Ruinart (Acta martyrum sincera). Prosper in the chronicle: Primus Diocletianus adorari se ut Deum iussit (Prosperus Aquitanus. Epitoma chronicon). The expression: sub arma militavi, put in the text of Ruinart, only in later times began to be used in the meaning of frontline military service, so that the army is opposed to the police and the Cossacks. Therefore it is permissible to read in the text: sub parma militavi. This means that Julius served in the light army, for which a round shield (rata, partzp), made of wood and covered with oxhide, was a necessary accessory. The light army (milites levis armaturae, leves) was also distinguished by the fact that it was not divided into cohorts and fought in scattered groups (Adam A. Roman antiquities, or a depiction of Roman morals, customs and regulations, serving for the easiest understanding of Latin writers: In 2 parts M., 1824. Part 2 (hereinafter - Adam A. Roman antiquities. - Ed.)). This reading of the text is also supported by the fact that what was needed on the Danube was an irregular, light army, always ready to repel the Transdanubian enemies of the empire. In Adon and Usuard, Julius is depicted as follows: cum esset veteranus et emeritae militiae. So in the martyrologies of Jerome, Adon and others. Their Greek acts of martyrdom were known to Allatius (Allatius. De Symeonum scriptis diatriba. P., 1664). The Latin acts were published by Ruinart (Acta martyrum sincera). The Greek text was published by Papebrochus (Acta Sanctorum, jun. 3). The suffering of Nikander and Marcian took place in lower Mysia, in the same place where the saints suffered. Pasicrates and Julius; in both acts the prefect is the same, and his action is the same, and the same saint. Pasikrates with his brother. In Basil's menology the legend of St. Nikandra and Marciana on July 7 are close to the testimony of the record of their martyrdom, but the legend of the synaxar on June 8 exposes much that is not at all in the acts. Acta martyrum sincera; Vershinsky D.S. Monthsword. About the Slavs of Durostol and its neighboring places, see July 18. Durostol by Ptolemy, Durosten on the Peftinger map, Diristra and Dristra by the Byzantines, Drestvin in Russian chronicles, by the Turks Silistria, by its ancient name, is a Slavic city. “Under the emperors, the Roman troops were mostly composed of foreigners, and the provinces saw with chagrin that the flower of their youth was being taken to the battlefield” (Adam A. Roman Antiquities. Part 2). In 537, 1600 Antes and Slavs from those who lived settled along the Danube were sent to Velichar in Rome (see: Procopius Caesarensis. De Bello Gothico Procopius). At the Council of Ephesus in 431 there was a bishop of Durostol; but after that there was no bishop in Durostol until the 10th century (Wiltsch. Handbuch der kirchlichen). In the Gareji area, remote from the center of Georgia and uninhabited, of the 12 former monasteries, only two now stand out, and those are dilapidated, carved into the rocks. The rest are deserted and stand in ruins, representing magnificent art of antiquity. RKP. life of St. Ferapont at Tsarskoye No. 136. Pachomius' Life of St. Kirill. St. Kirill Beloezersky wrote to Prince Yuri: “your brother, Prince Andrey, was here; here is his patrimony, and we needed to pay our respects to him, our sovereign” (Acts collected by the Archaeographic Expedition. Vol. 1). Prologue May 27; Ambrose (Ornatsky), archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. Part. VI. Between the manuscripts of Patr. Philaret according to the inventory of 1630, “book of St. father of Ferapont and Martemyan≫ (Ivanov P.I. Description of the State Bit Archive). Life of St. George, see: Chronicle of the activities of the Archaeographic Commission. St. Petersburg, 1864. Part 2. Palauzov S.N. Romanian dominions of Moldavia and Wallachia. St. Petersburg, 1859. About St. Nifonte see: Athos Patericon. Part 2. Serblyak in the preface regrets that he could not prepare the services of “St. Stefan, his relics rest in Piper.” St. Philotea, whose memory is May 28 and whose life is described by Ternov. Patr. Euthymius in the Menaion Met. Macaria, as it turned out from her life, was a Greek from Paphlogonia, and Euthymius described her life only on the occasion that her relics were transferred to Ternov. Therefore, we do not place her life between the lives of the holy Slavs, just as we would not place the lives of the martyrs under June 2. John, a native of Trebizond, therefore a Greek, although he rests in Moldavia. Eusebius Pamphilus. Church history. St. Petersburg, 1848.