Перенесение честных мощей Никифора, патриарха Цареградского

The great bishop of God, Saint Nikephoros, Patriarch of Constantinople, for the pious veneration of holy icons, was overthrown from his throne by the evil king Leo the Armenian and sent to the island of Prokonnis 1920. Here he spent thirteen years in captivity and desecration and, having reposed in the Lord, was buried at the church of the holy martyr Theodore, in a monastery he himself created in 1921. A few years later, after the death of the evil kings - Leo the Armenian, Michael Valvos and his son Theophilus - the pious Queen Theodora took possession of the scepter of the Greek kingdom, ruling the kingdom together with her son Michael, then still very young in 1922. At the same time, the false patriarchs of Constantinople also died - Theodotus Cassiter, Theodore Spasarokandilat, then Anthony Fasimat and, finally, John, nicknamed Annius 1923; by his cunning he seemed to be a sorcerer, and, as if he had been installed illegally, he was dethroned from the throne by pious people. After him, Saint Methodius entered the See of Constantinople, who returned the veneration of icons to the Holy Church in 1924. At this very time, the honest relics of Christ’s confessor, Saint Nikephoros, were returned from the island of Prokonnis to Constantinople. His Holiness Patriarch Methodius advised the pious Queen Theodora: “It is indecent,” he told her, “for the best of the patriarchs - Saint Nicephorus, expelled from the throne for Orthodoxy, even having died - to still be in exile: his holy body must be returned to his throne; after all, we will not avoid sin if we leave his relics in captivity - we even seem to show ourselves approving his expulsion and agreeing that this overthrow of him from the throne was fair. We know that the tribe of Joseph was blessed for the fact that four hundred years later they transferred the bones of their father from Egypt to the land of Canaan, but we, the sons of piety, will we allow the absence of the relics of our father, by whose Divine teaching we were raised in orthodoxy, even longer; This royal city itself, one of the best in the heavenly world, longs for the honorable remains of its holy leader and shepherd, and is ready to keep them with reverence. May the bride-Church rejoice again in her bridegroom. When he was alive, the Church lost him due to royal injustice; Let her now accept, at the command of the shepherd-loving queen, the body of that man who has reposed in the Lord. O pious queen, you see how the people, pacified by you in their orthodoxy, are burning with the desire to hear in spirit even their deceased shepherd. If he sees even a shadow of him brought to him, he will consider him as if alive and, having accepted him as alive, will preserve his remains as some kind of rich treasure. With these words of His Holiness Patriarch Methodius, the Christ-loving Queen Theodora immediately agreed, saying: “This will be useful for our souls, and our name will be preserved with honor in future times.” Then the Holy Patriarch, without delay, taking with him the elders and monks, went to the island of Prokonnis, accompanied by many people. Arriving at the monastery of the holy martyr Theodore, the patriarch opened the tomb of St. Nicephorus, and everyone saw the honest body, nineteen years after the burial, perfectly preserved; without even a trace of decay, it gave off a fragrance. Having performed the all-night vigil and the Divine Liturgy, Saint Methodius entered the tomb and, embracing the venerable relics of Saint Nicephorus, said to him, as if alive: – O most blessed man, in everything likened to Saint John Chrysostom! After all, you have endured the same labors and endured the same sorrows as he; like Saint John, you boldly denounced lawlessness, suffered an unjust exile, and now for more than thirty years - first alive and then dead - you have been in captivity. Now give yourself to us, your beloved sons, and after leaving here, return to your country, and your loving people, as before, will joyfully receive you. The godless king, who illegally expelled you from the church, accepted the punishment worthy of his deeds, losing both his kingdom and his life itself. Now the pious kings are returning your church to you, as if alive; together with me, like Christ-loving sons, they cleansed the church from heretical defilements and arranged it as splendidly as it was before, after your labors. Look and see your children gathered together; they all came from nearby cities; the rest, who live much further away, are looking forward to you; Do not leave them sad as orphans and do not move away from them, so that your city may have your relics as a precious gift; adorned with them, he will be more exalted and adorned than with a royal crown. Having said this, His Holiness Patriarch Methodius raised the relics of the saint and placed them in a new shrine; then, together with the Consecrated Cathedral, lifting them onto the shoulders, with psalmody, he transferred the holy relics to the ship; raising the sails, they soon reached Constantinople. The pious Queen Theodora, together with her son Michael and the entire synclite, clergy and many people, with candles, censers and singing, filled with indescribable joy and joy, went out to the pier to meet the honorable relics of their holy patriarch Nicephorus. Having taken his holy remains, they first of all carried them to the cathedral church of St. Sophia, from where St. Nikephoros was expelled. This transfer of holy relics took place on the thirteenth day of March 1925 - on the very day when Saint Nicephorus was expelled by the evil king from the royal city. When the day turned to evening, an all-night vigil was held over the holy relics in the Church of St. Sophia, and in the morning they were transferred from the Church of St. Sophia to the Church of the Holy Apostles and laid there with reverence. From that time on, they decided to honor the memory of Christ's confessor Nicephorus for the glory of Christ our God, glorified with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. On the same day, the memory of the holy martyr Christina, who suffered in the 4th century in Persida. Prokonnis is one of the islands of the Sea of ​​Marmara; Currently this island is called "Marmara". This island served as a place of exile for many confessors during the iconoclastic unrest. Saint Nikephoros was at first a dignitary at the court of Empress Irina and in his secular rank he famously defended the veneration of icons at the VII Ecumenical Council; During the reign of Emperor Nicephorus, in 806, he was elevated to the patriarchal throne and ruled the Church for 9 years, after which he was exiled to the island of Proconnis. He died in 828 on June 2, without ceasing to testify with his writings to the truth against the iconoclasts until his death. His memory is celebrated on June 2. Emperor Leo the Armenian reigned from 813 to 820, Michael Valvos (tongue-tied) reigned from 820 to 829; Theophilus reigned from 829 to 842. Emperor Michael III (from 842 to 867) took the throne for 4 years, and therefore the state was ruled by his mother, the holy queen Theodora, until 855. These patriarchs ruled the Church during the period from 815 to 842. Saint Methodius was thrown into prison for his zeal for icon veneration under Michael Valvos. Mikhailov's successor, Theophilus, ordered that he be beaten on the cheeks: his jaw was so broken that an ugly scar, like the seal of martyrdom, remained on his face for the rest of his life. To cover it, Methodius, being a patriarch, cut the ends of the hood and tied them around his jaw. Out of respect for the confessor, all monks from that time began to wear a hood with slits. Then Theophilus exiled him to an island, where he imprisoned him in a stuffy underground cave with two robbers. Empress Theodora elevated him to the patriarchal throne and with his help restored the veneration of icons. This saint shepherded the Church of God for 4 years and more than 3 months; died in 847 on June 14. You might be interested in: