Память преподобного отца нашего Платона исповедника

The Monk Plato was the son of glorious and at the same time pious parents - Christians who bore the names of Sergius and Euphemia. From the very youth of the saint, his parents raised him in piety and taught him Christian virtues, but, not having time to complete the task of educating the youth, they died, passing into eternity, from this transitory life to endless life. Left an orphan, the monk was taken into the house of his relatives, while living with them he showed great success in the sciences, succeeding at the same time in Christian virtues. Having reached adulthood, the monk left the house of his relatives and began to earn for himself the necessary means of subsistence through his labor. The monk was so hardworking and at the same time abstinent that he soon acquired a large fortune through the labor of his hands. However, the heart of the saint was alien to attachment to the blessings of this world. Therefore, he, having distributed all his wealth to the poor and set his slaves free, retired to Mount Olympus 2413, where he took monastic vows in one of the local monasteries. While living in the monastery, the monk led a very strict ascetic life, and used his free time from prayer to rewrite books and compile useful collections from the writings of the Church Fathers. After the death of the abbot of that monastery, Theoktistus, the Monk Plato was unanimously elected abbot of the monastery. This happened in the 35th year of the saint’s life 2414. In the rank of abbot, the monk began to strive with even greater zeal, showing by his example to all the brethren of that monastery the way of life of a true Christian. At that time, Saint Tarasius was the Patriarch of Constantinople. Having heard about the exploits of the Monk Plato, he invited him to take over the administration of the Metropolis of Nicomedia 2415. But the monk, striving for a solitary ascetic life, out of humility, renounced the administration of the metropolis and retired to one secluded place called Sakudion 2416, where he subsequently founded a monastery. On the occasion of the iconoclastic unrest, the then reigning Empress Irina 2417, together with His Holiness Patriarch Tarasius, convened the Seventh Ecumenical Council 2419 in Nicaea 2418, at which the wicked teaching of the iconoclast heretics was condemned and at the same time the veneration of holy icons and the worship of them was restored and confirmed. There were more than three hundred fathers gathered for the council; Among them was the Monk Plato. As a well-read person and knowledgeable in the Divine writings, he was very useful at the council, as he courageously defended the teachings of Orthodoxy and boldly denounced the teachings of heretics. When the meetings of the council ended, the Monk Plato retired to the place of his exploits, to Sakudion. This area was as beautiful as it was convenient for exploits of solitude. Being on a mountain, it was surrounded on all sides by beautiful tall trees; the only access here was provided by a small path, barely visible in the thicket of the forest. Together with Plato, his nephew Theodore labored here. Soon they built a church here in the name of St. John the Theologian. Meanwhile, rumors about the saint’s exploits spread more and more, and many people began to come to him, seeking from him instruction and guidance in Christian life. When the number of the saint's disciples began to increase, he built a monastery on that site, 2420 and the saint performed the duties of abbot himself. With his ascetic life, the Monk Plato offered all the brethren a good example for competition. His nephew, Blessed Theodore, especially zealously imitated the monk, spending his days and nights in unceasing feats of prayer and contemplation of God. Seeing such a virtuous life of Theodore, the Monk Plato was very happy for him. Deciding to honor Blessed Theodore with the holy rank, the monk went with him to Byzantium to His Holiness Patriarch Tarasius, who ordained Theodore to the rank of presbyter, however, not so much of his free will as out of his obedience, for the blessed one, considering himself unworthy of such a rank, did not want to accept it and said that this rank was beyond his strength. But being unable to contradict the will of his spiritual father, as well as the will of the patriarch, he obeyed and accepted the priesthood. When the Monk Theodore returned to his monastery in a new rank - priesthood, he continued to strive here with even greater zeal and zeal. After several years, the Monk Plato, having become infirm as a result of his many labors and old age, decided to relinquish his leadership of the monastery and wished that Blessed Theodore would take over the power of hegumen after him. He often told him about this, begging him to free him from the heavy burden of leading the monastery. But Blessed Theodore each time refused to rule the monastery, agreeing to live better himself under the command of others than to rule over anyone, and believing that for the salvation of the soul it is easier and more useful to receive instructions from others than to instruct someone himself. The Monk Plato, seeing that it was difficult for him to overcome the humility of Blessed Theodore, decided to do the following: he went to bed as if sick - since in reality he was weak - and, having called all the brethren, he told them about himself that he felt the approach of his death, and then asked them: -Who do you want to have as abbot after me? Who is most capable of this in your opinion? The monk knew that the brethren would wish to have Theodore as their abbot, since everyone loved and respected him for his great virtues. And so it happened. Everyone unanimously answered the proposed question: - After you, may Theodore be abbot over us! Then the Monk Plato transferred his power to Blessed Theodore, since this latter could not resist the desire of all the brothers. Having assumed the rank of abbot, Blessed Theodore at the same time intensified his exploits, being a model for everyone and teaching everyone a virtuous life not only in word, but also in deed. At that time, Tsar Constantine, the son of the pious Queen Irina, came of age, removed his mother from the royal throne, taking control of the state into his own hands 2421, being young and depraved, he indulged in various kinds of sins. So, he decided to expel his wife Maria from himself, for which he forcibly tonsured her into monasticism, but instead of her he took another wife named Theodotia, who was a relative of his father 2422. His Holiness Patriarch Tarasius did not approve of this lawless act of the king and did not want to bless his marriage. But one presbyter, named Joseph, who was the steward of the Church of Constantinople 2423, violated Divine laws and, disobeying the patriarch, agreed to perform the sacrament of marriage over the king. Hearing about this, blessed Theodore, and with him the Monk Plato, were greatly grieved in soul. Inflamed with zeal for the law of God, Theodore, together with Saint Plato, sent a message to all the monks, in which he reported on the royal lawlessness and exhorted everyone to consider the king excommunicated from the Church of Christ, as a destroyer of the law of God. The rumor about this zeal and courage of blessed Theodore and Plato spread everywhere, so that the king himself, whom they denounced, knew about it. Having become very angry with the holy men, he ordered the Monk Theodore, after cruel torment, to be sent to prison in Thessaloniki 2424, and Plato to be imprisoned. After the death of the wicked emperor, the Monk Plato was released from prison, while Saint Theodore was returned from prison. Meanwhile, Saint Theodore, due to the constant raids of the Hagarians 2425, who devastated and captured various regions of the Byzantine Empire, left Sakudion, not wanting to endanger the lives of the brothers of the monastery, and came with his brothers to Constantinople, where he took control of the famous Studian monastery 2426. The Monk Plato, who once had the rank of abbot, now, as a humble monk, came to Blessed Theodore and began to asceticize in his monastery. At the same time, the Monk Plato humbled himself to the point that he voluntarily put chains on his feet, constantly indulging in the feats of fasting and prayer. Soon after this, the Byzantine throne was illegally occupied by Emperor Nicephorus 2427, who by his own authority returned to the Church the aforementioned presbyter Joseph, excommunicated from the Church by Patriarch Tarasius for his lawless act. When after this Saint Theodore, together with his brethren, denounced the king for acting contrary to church rules, the king became very angry with him and with all the brethren of the Studian monastery and sent them all, together with the blessed elder Plato, into exile to one of the islands located near the city 2428. Having spent four years in captivity, the Monk Plato, already in old age, returned to Constantinople, where he settled again in the Studite monastery. Laboring much and diligently in that monastery, the Monk Plato lived here for another three years and finally departed to the Lord, in order, together with the other saints, to appear before His throne and glorify Him in heaven forever 2429. Amen. Olympus is a mountain in the Asia Minor region of Mysia, on the border between Phrygia and Bithynia. Here was a monastery that was very famous for the asceticism of its inhabitants, called the monastery “in Symbols,” where the Monk Plato labored. Nicomedia is a city in the Asia Minor region of Bithynia, located in the northeastern corner of the bay formed by the Sea of ​​Marmara. Nicomedia was built in 264 BC by the Bithynian king Nicomedes I, from whom it received its name. Nicomedia was the favorite residence of Roman emperors and generals when they made campaigns to the east. Currently, on the site of ancient Nicomedia there is the town of Ismid. This place was not far from Mount Olympus. Saint Irene, the wife of Emperor Leo Khozar, ruled the state after his death during the infancy of her son Constantine (VI) Porphyrogenitus from 780 to 790 and then independently from 797 to 802. Her memory is celebrated on August 7. In church history, Nicaea is known as the site of two Ecumenical Councils: the first, which took place in 325 and gathered to expose the heresy of the Alexandrian presbyter Arius (who denied the equality of the Son of God with God the Father) and the seventh, which is discussed here. Nicaea was in ancient times a rich and flourishing city in the Asia Minor region of Bithynia. Currently, on the site of ancient Nikea there is a very poor and sparsely populated town of Isnik. The cathedral was created in 787. This monastery was founded by the Monk Plato in 782. This was in 790, when Constantine was twenty years old. The first wife of Emperor Constantine VI Porphyrogenitus was Maria - the granddaughter of Saint Philaret the Merciful (December 1), who entered into marriage with her at the will of his mother. The second marriage of the emperor with Theodotia, who had been a court lady until that time, was concluded in 795. The position of steward of the Church of Constantinople was one of the most important positions under the Patriarch of Constantinople: the steward managed not only the household of the patriarch (housekeeper from Oixonomeo - I manage the house) and managed his treasury, but also took part in resolving issues related to the management of the patriarchy itself. Thessaloniki or Thessaloniki, a very significant city in Macedonia in ancient times, lying on the shores of the Thessalonica or Fermean gulf near the Aegean Sea (Archipelago). In the history of the Russian Church, this city is known as the birthplace of the holy first teachers of the Slavs - Cyril and Methodius and can be classified as one of the first trading cities (after Constantinople) in European Turkey. The Hagarians are Muslims - Arabs, so called by the name of Hagar, the concubine of Abraham, the mother of Ishmael, from whom the Arab tribe originated. Taking advantage of the constant unrest and civil strife at the Byzantine court, the Hagarians at that time made devastating raids on the borders of the Byzantine Empire. The Monk Theodore the Studite was installed as abbot of the Studite monastery in 798 - the Studite monastery received its name from the name of its founder, the Roman patrician (a person of the upper class corresponding to our nobility) Studius. Studius built a large and beautiful church in Constantinople in the name of St. John the Baptist and established a monastery with it, inviting here the monks of the Constantinople monastery of the “Unsleepless” (founded in the 5th century). This was the beginning of the existence of the Studite Monastery. Emperor Nikephoros I reigned from 802 to 811. The death of the Monk Plato followed in 814, on Lazarus Sunday, in the 79th year of the saint’s life. You might be interested in: