Житие преподобной Аполлинарии

After the death of the Greek king Arkady 257, his son Theodosius 258 remained a small, eight-year-old boy and could not rule the kingdom; Therefore, Arcadius’s brother, the Roman Emperor Honorius 259 entrusted guardianship of the young king and the administration of the entire Greek kingdom to one of the most important dignitaries, an anphipat 260 named Anthemius 261, a wise and very pious man. This anfipat, until Theodosius grew up, was revered by everyone at that time as a king, which is why Saint Simeon Metaphrastus, beginning to write this life, says: “during the reign of the pious king Anthemius,” and in this whole story he calls him king. This Anthemius had two daughters, one of whom, the youngest, had an unclean spirit in her from childhood, and the eldest spent time in holy churches and prayers from her youth. The name of this last one was Apollinaria. When she reached adulthood, her parents began to think about how to marry her off, but she refused this and told them: – I want to go to a monastery, listen to the Divine Scripture there and see the order of monastic life. - We want to marry you. “I don’t want to get married, but I hope that God will keep me pure in fear of Him, just as He keeps His holy virgins in chastity!” It seemed very surprising to her parents that she spoke like that when she was still so young, and that to such an extent she was enveloped in love for the Divine. But Apollinaria again began to beg her parents to bring to her some nun who would teach her the Psalter and reading the holy scriptures. Anthemius grieved a lot about her intention, because he wanted to marry her off. When the girl did not change her desire and refused all the gifts that were offered to her by the noble young men who were looking for her hand, her parents told her: - What do you want, daughter? - I ask you, give me to God - and you will receive a reward for my virginity! Seeing that her intention was unshakable, strong and pious, they said: - May the will of the Lord be done! And they brought an experienced nun to her, who taught her to read Divine books. After this she told her parents: “I ask you to let me go on a journey so that I can see the holy places in Jerusalem.” There I will pray and worship the Honorable Cross and the Holy Resurrection of Christ! They did not want to let her go, because she was the only joy for them in the house, and they loved her very much, since her other sister was possessed by a demon. Apollinaria begged her parents for a long time with her requests, and so they, against their wishes, finally agreed to let her go. They gave her many male and female slaves, a lot of gold and silver and said: “Take this, daughter, and go, fulfill your vow, for God wants you to be His servant!” Having put her on the ship, they said goodbye to her and said: - Remember us too, daughter, in your prayers in holy places! “As you fulfill the desire of my heart, so may God fulfill your petitions and deliver you in the day of trouble!” So, separated from her parents, she set sail. Having reached Ascalon 262, she stayed here for several days due to rough seas and went around all the churches and monasteries there, praying and giving alms to those in need. Here she found companions for her journey to Jerusalem and, having arrived in the holy city, venerated the Resurrection of the Lord and the Precious Cross, performing fervent prayer for her parents. During these days of her pilgrimage, Apollinaria also visited women’s monasteries, donating large sums for their needs. At the same time, she began to release surplus slaves and slaves, and generously gave them a reward for their service and entrusted herself to their prayers. A few days later, at the end of her prayers in holy places, Apollinaria, visiting the Jordan, said to those who remained with her: - My brothers, I want to free you too, but first we will go to Alexandria and worship Saint Menas. - Let it be as you command, madam! As they approached Alexandria, the proconsul 263 learned of her arrival and sent honorable men to meet her and greet her as a royal daughter. She, not wanting the honors prepared for her, entered the city at night and, appearing herself at the proconsul’s house, greeted him and his wife. The proconsul and his wife fell at her feet, saying: - Why did you do this, madam? We sent to greet you, and you, our lady, came to us with a bow. Blessed Apollinaria told them: - Do you want to please me? - Of course, madam! Then the saint said to them: “Release me immediately, do not bother me with honors, for I want to go and pray to the holy martyr Mina.” And they, having honored her with precious gifts, released her. The blessed one distributed those gifts to the poor. After that, she remained in Alexandria for several days, visiting churches and monasteries. At the same time, she found in the house where she was staying one old woman, to whom Apollinaria gave generous alms and begged her to secretly buy her a mantle, a paramand 264, a hood and a leather belt, and all the men's clothes of the monastic rank. The old woman, agreeing, bought it all and, bringing it to the blessed one, said: - May God help you, my mother! Having received the monastic robes, Apollinaria hid them with herself so that her companions would not find out about it. Then she released the slaves and slaves who remained with her, except for two - one old slave and another eunuch, and, boarding a ship, sailed to Limn. From there she hired four animals and went to the tomb of the holy martyr Mina. Having venerated the relics of the saint and completed her prayers, Apollinaria in a closed chariot went to the monastery to venerate the holy fathers who lived there. It was evening when she set out, and she ordered the eunuch to be behind the chariot, and the slave, who was in front, drove the animals. The blessed one, sitting in a closed chariot and having monastic robes with her, performed a secret prayer, asking the Lord for help in the task she had undertaken. Darkness had fallen and midnight was approaching; The chariot also approached a swamp located near a spring, which later became known as the spring of Apollinaria. Throwing back the cover of the chariot, blessed Apollinaria saw that both of her servants, the eunuch and the driver, had dozed off. Then she took off her worldly clothes and put on a monastic man’s robe, turning to God with these words: - You, Lord, gave me the firstfruits of this image, grant me the privilege of carrying it to the end, according to Your Holy will! Then, making the sign of the cross, she quietly descended from the chariot, while her servants were sleeping, and, entering the swamp, hid here until the chariot drove on. The saint settled in that desert by the swamp and lived alone in the face of the One God, Whom she loved. God, seeing her heartfelt attraction to Him, covered her with His right hand, helping her in the fight against invisible enemies and giving her bodily food in the form of fruits from the date tree. When the chariot, with which the saint secretly descended, moved on, the servants, the eunuch and the elder, woke up in the light of the approaching day, noticing that the chariot was empty, and were very frightened; they saw only the clothes of their mistress, but did not find her herself. They were surprised, not knowing when she came down, where she went and for what purpose, having taken off all her clothes. They searched for her for a long time, called her in a loud voice, but not finding her, they decided to return back, not knowing what else to do. So, returning to Alexandria, they announced everything to the proconsul of Alexandria, and he, extremely surprised by the report made to him, immediately wrote about everything in detail to Anfipat Anthemius, the father of Apollinaria, and sent him with the eunuch and the elder the clothes remaining in the chariot. Anthemius, having read the proconsul’s letter, together with his wife, Apollinaria’s mother, wept together for a long time and inconsolably, looking at the clothes of their beloved daughter, and all the nobles wept with them. Then Anthemius prayerfully exclaimed: - God! You chose her, You and establish her in Your fear! When after this everyone began to weep again, some of the nobles began to console the king with these words: - Here is the true daughter of a virtuous father, here is the true branch of a pious king! In this, sir, your virtue received evidence before everyone, for which God blessed you with such a daughter! Saying this and much more, they somewhat calmed the king’s bitter grief. And everyone prayed to God for Apollinaria, so that He would strengthen her in such a life, for they understood that she had gone to a difficult desert life, as it actually happened. The holy virgin lived for several years in the place where she got off the chariot, staying in the desert near a swamp, from which whole clouds of stinging mosquitoes rose. There she fought with the devil and with her body, which was previously tender, like the body of a maiden who grew up in royal luxury, and then became like the armor of a turtle, for she dried it up with labor, fasting and vigil and gave it to be eaten by mosquitoes, and in addition, she was scorched by the heat of the sun. When the Lord wanted her to find shelter among the holy desert fathers and for people to know about her for their own benefit, he brought her out of that swamp. An angel appeared to her in a dream and ordered her to go to the monastery and be called Dorotheus. And she left her place, having such an appearance that no one could probably tell whether the person in front of him was a man or a woman. When she was walking through the desert early one morning, the holy hermit Macarius met her and said to her: She asked him for his blessing, and then, having blessed each other, they went together to the monastery. To the saint's question: - Be kind, father, let me stay with your brothers! The elder, bringing her to the monastery, gave her a cell, not knowing that she was a woman, and considering her an eunuch. God did not reveal this secret to him, so that later everyone would receive great benefit from it and for the glory of His holy name. When asked by Macarius what her name was, she answered: - My name is Dorofey. Hearing about the holy fathers staying here, I came here to live with them, if only I turned out to be worthy of it. -What can you do, brother? And Dorotheus replied that he agreed to do what he was commanded. Then the elder told her to make mats from reeds. And the holy virgin began to live like a husband, in a special cell, among husbands, as desert fathers live: God did not allow anyone to penetrate her secret. She spent days and nights in constant prayer and handicrafts. Over time, she began to stand out among her fathers for the severity of her life; Moreover, she was given from God the grace of healing ailments, and the name of Dorotheus was on everyone’s lips, for everyone loved this imaginary Dorotheus and revered him as a great father. Quite some time passed, and the evil spirit that possessed the king’s youngest daughter Anthemia, Apollinaria’s sister, began to torment her more and shouted: “If you don’t take me to the desert, I won’t leave it.” The devil resorted to this trick in order to discover that Apollinaria was living among men and to drive her out of the monastery. And since God did not allow the devil to say anything about Apollinaria, he tortured her sister so that she would be sent to the desert. The nobles advised the king to send her to the holy fathers in the monastery so that they would pray for her. The king did so, sending his demoniac with many servants to the desert fathers. When everyone arrived at the monastery, Saint Macarius came out to meet them and asked them: - Why, children, did you come here? “Our pious sovereign Anthemius sent his daughter so that you, having prayed to God, would heal her from her illness. The elder, having accepted her from the hands of the royal dignitary, took her to Abba Dorotheus, or otherwise to Apollinaria, and said: “This is the royal daughter who needs the prayers of the fathers living here and your prayer.” Pray for her and heal her, since you have been given this healing ability by the Lord. Apollinaria, hearing this, began to cry and said: -Who am I, a sinner, that you attribute to me the power to cast out demons? And, bending to her knees, she begged the elder with these words: - Leave me, father, to cry about my many sins; I am weak and unable to do anything in such a matter. – Don’t other fathers perform signs by the power of God? And this task is also given to you. Then Apollinaria said: And, having compassion on the demoniac, she took her into her cell. Recognizing her sister in her, the saint hugged her with tears of joy and said: - It's good that you came here, sister! God forbade the demon to announce Apollinaria, who continued to hide her gender under the guise and name of a man, and the saint fought the devil with prayer. Once, when the devil began to torment the girl especially severely, blessed Apollinaria, raising her hands to God, prayed with tears for her sister. Then the devil, not being able to resist the power of prayer, shouted loudly: - I'm in trouble! They are driving me out of here, and I am leaving! And, throwing the girl to the ground, he came out of her. Saint Apollinaria, taking with her her recovered sister, brought her to church and, falling at the feet of the holy fathers, said: - Forgive me, a sinner! I sin a lot living among you. They, having called the messengers from the king, gave them the healed royal daughter and sent her with prayers and blessings to the king. The parents were very happy when they saw their daughter healthy, and all the nobles rejoiced at the happiness of their king and glorified God for His great mercy, for they saw that the girl became healthy, beautiful in face and quiet. Saint Apollinaria humbled herself even more among the fathers, taking upon herself more and more new exploits. Then the devil again resorted to cunning to upset the king and dishonor his house, as well as to dishonor and harm the imaginary Dorotheus. He again entered the king's daughter, but did not torment her as before, but gave her the appearance of a pregnant woman. Seeing her in this position, her parents were extremely embarrassed and began to interrogate her with whom she had sinned, but the girl, being pure in body and soul, answered that she herself did not know how it happened to her. When her parents began beating her to tell her who she fell with, the devil said through her lips: “That monk in the cell with whom I lived in the monastery is responsible for my downfall. The king became very irritated and ordered that the monastery be destroyed. The royal commanders came with soldiers to the monastery and angrily demanded that the monk, who had so cruelly insulted the royal daughter, be handed over to them, and if they resisted, they threatened to exterminate all the hermitages. Hearing this, all the fathers came into extreme confusion, but blessed Dorotheos, going out to the royal servants, said: - I am the one you are looking for; take me alone as guilty, and leave the other fathers alone as innocent. The fathers, hearing this, were upset and said to Dorotheus: “And we will go with you!” - because they did not consider him guilty of that sin. But blessed Dorotheos told them: - My gentlemen! You just pray for me, but I trust in God and in your prayers and I think that I will soon return safely to you. Then they took him with the whole cathedral to the church and, having made a prayer for him and entrusting him to God, gave him to those sent by Anthemius; Abba Macarius and other fathers were, however, confident that Dorotheus was not guilty of anything. When Dorotheus was brought to Anthemius, he fell at his feet and said: “I beg you, pious sir, to listen patiently and in silence to what I say about your daughter; but I will tell you everything only in private. The girl is pure and did not suffer any violence. The king and queen were then left alone with Dorotheus, and he said to them: “I beg you, in the name of God, promise me that, having learned the truth, you will release me to my place of residence.” When they gave him their royal promise to this, blessed Apollinaria said to them: “It was I, the humble one, who healed your daughter, with the help of God and through the prayers of the holy fathers.” The king and queen seemed speechless with surprise and listened to the blessed one with attention. “I will reveal to you,” she continued, “a great secret, which I have carefully kept until now, in order to shame the devil, who slanders the innocent.” Having said this, she removed the veil from her chest, and the king and queen saw that before them was not a man, but a woman. “Father,” the blessed one said then, “I am your daughter, Apollinaria!” Hearing this, the parents at first seemed deadened with horror and surprise, but then, recognizing their daughter in her, they were extremely happy and shed many joyful tears that day. Then they brought to blessed Apollinaria her sister, who was considered pregnant, and told her: - Do you know this black man? – Yes, this is indeed the same person who healed me by the power of God. And, falling at the saint’s feet, the girl begged her to heal her womb. Apollinaria, raising her sister from the ground, put her hand on her womb, and the demon immediately fled, and the girl became healthy as before. Seeing this, the parents glorified God and said: – Indeed, this is our daughter, Apollinaria! And a joyful cry arose in the royal house both that the eldest daughter, Apollinaria, had been unexpectedly found, about whom there had been no news until then, and that the other daughter had been freed from undeserved shame. Saint Apollinaria stayed with her parents for several days and told them in detail everything about herself, and the parents who listened to her glorified God for His wonderful providence. When the saint intended to go to her abode, her parents began to pray for her to stay with them. But they could not beg her, and, moreover, they did not want to break the king’s word given to her that they would release her to her place of residence before revealing her secret. So, against their own wishes, they let their beloved daughter go, crying and sobbing, but at the same time rejoicing in the soul of such a virtuous daughter who devoted herself to the service of God. Blessed Apollinaria asked her parents to pray for her, and they told her: – May God, to whom you have disgraced yourself, complete you in fear and love for Him and may he cover you with His mercy; and you, beloved daughter, remember us in your holy prayers. They wanted to give her a lot of gold so that she could take it to the monastery for the needs of the holy fathers, but she did not want to take it. “My fathers,” she said, “have no need for the riches of this world; We only care about not losing the blessings of heaven. So, having said a prayer and cried for a long time, hugging and kissing their beloved daughter, the king and queen released her to her place of residence. The blessed one rejoiced and rejoiced in the Lord. When she came to the monastery, the fathers and brothers rejoiced that their brother Dorotheus returned to them safe and sound, and that day they held a celebration in thanksgiving to the Lord. No one ever found out what happened to her at the Tsar’s, and the fact that Dorofey was a woman also remained unknown. And Saint Apollinaria, this imaginary Dorotheus, lived among the brethren, as before, staying in her cell. After some time, foreseeing her departure to God, she said to Abba Macarius: - Do me a favor, father: when the time comes for me to depart to another life, then let the brothers not wash or debride my body. When she reposed before the Lord 265, the brothers came to wash her and, seeing that there was a woman before them, they loudly exclaimed: – Glory to Thee, Christ God, who has many hidden saints with Himself! Saint Macarius was surprised that this secret was not revealed to him. But in a dream vision he saw one man who told him: - Do not grieve that this secret was hidden from you, and it is fitting for you to be crowned with the holy fathers who lived in ancient times. The one who appeared spoke about the origin and life of blessed Apollinaria and named her name. Rising from sleep, the elder called the brethren and told them about what he had seen, and everyone marveled and glorified God, marvelous in His saints. Having decorated the body of the saint, the brethren buried him with honor on the eastern side of the church, in the tomb of St. Macarius. From these holy relics many healings were performed, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory forever, amen. Arcadius, following the division of the Roman Empire by his father Theodosius I the Great, reigned in the Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantium, from 395–408. Theodosius II is the son of Arkady, called the Younger, in contrast to his grandfather Theodosius I the Great; reigned in Byzantium from 408–450. Honorius, another son of Theodosius the Great, received the West during the division of the empire, and reigned from 395-423. Anphipat (Greek: Ανθύπατος), or proconsul, was a dignitary in the Byzantine Empire who held the public position of ruler of a separate region or province. Anthemius - the father of Apollinaria - was a proconsul or anfipat from 405. And he enjoyed influence at court, so that after the death of Emperor Arcadius in 408, his brother, Honorius, the emperor of the Western Empire, appointed this Anthemius guardian to Arcadius's 8-year-old son Theodosius and entrusted him with temporary rule of the entire Eastern Empire. Therefore, Anthemius is called a king in his life. Blessed Theodoret mentions him, and a letter to him from St. John Chrysostom Ascalon is one of the five main Philistine cities in Palestine on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, between Gaza and Azoth. Assigned as an inheritance to the tribe of Judah and conquered by it, it, however, was later independent and, like other Philistine cities, was at enmity with Israel. Proconsul is the ruler of a region. Paramand, otherwise called analav, is an accessory to the monastic robe. In ancient times, the paramand consisted of two belts worn over a tunic or shirt in a cross shape on the shoulders, as a sign of the raising of the yoke of Christ on the cross. Otherwise, the paramand was made of double woolen belts that descended from the neck and hugged the shoulders crosswise under the arms and then girded the lower clothing. Subsequently, to these belts and baldrics they began to attach a small linen cloth on the chest with the image of the suffering of Christ, girding the ends of the belts or baldrics crosswise, like a deacon’s orarion. Some of the monks wore a paramand over monastic clothing, others not only over a tunic or shirt, as they wear now. At present, only schema-monks wear an elongated paramand or analav over their clothes. You might be interested in: