Память святой царицы Феодоры

Saint Theodora was the wife of the iconoclast King Theophilus of 1311, but she did not share the iconoclast heresy of her husband. The iconoclast king expelled Patriarch Methodius of Constantinople from the capital, installed Annius in his place and burned the holy icons. The fiery Queen Theodora, although she clearly did not dare to worship the holy icons, secretly had them in her bedroom and stayed awake at night in prayer, praying to God that He would bestow His mercy on the Orthodox. She had a son named Mikhail, whom she raised in the Orthodox faith. After the death of her husband, Blessed Theodora again restored Saint Methodius to the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople and convened a sacred council, at which the iconoclasts were cursed, Annius was deposed from the throne, and the holy icons were brought into the churches of God 1312. After consulting with the entire holy council of fathers, Theodora prayed to God for her husband, to take him away from eternal torment, so that he could receive indescribable life. After that, the blessed Queen Theodora labored well in piety and then soon gave up her soul to God, to whom she strove, leaving the kingdom to her son Michael 1313. Emperor Theophilus the iconoclast reigned from 829 to 842. Thus, the restoration of icon veneration took place at the Council of Constantinople in 842. In memory of this, a special “rite of Orthodoxy” was then established in the Church, which is still performed today on the first Sunday of Holy Pentecost. Emperor Michael III reigned from 855 to 867. You might be interested in: