Страдание святого великомученика Георгия Победоносца

The unworthy ruler of the Roman kingdom, the wicked Diocletian 2715 was an ardent follower and patron of idolatry. Above all the gods he revered Apollo 2716, who was reputed to be a prophet of the future. For the demon that lived in his soulless idol prophesied about the future, but these predictions never came true. One day Diocletian asked Apollo about a certain thing 2717. The demon answered him: - I cannot truly proclaim the future, because righteous people hinder me, which is why the magic tripods lie in the churches 2718: the righteous destroy our power. Diocletian began to ask the priests what kind of righteous people they were for whom the god Apollo could not prophesy. The priests answered that Christians are the righteous on earth. Hearing this, Diocletian was filled with anger and rage at the Christians and resumed the ceased persecution against them. He drew his sword against the righteous, innocent and blameless people of God and sent a command to execute them to all the countries of his kingdom. And so, instead of adulterers, robbers and worthless people, the prisons were filled with those confessing the true God. The usual methods of torment were abolished as unsatisfactory and the most severe torments were invented, to which many Christians were subjected every day and everywhere. From all sides, especially from the East, many written slander against Christians was delivered to the king. These denunciations reported that there were so many people who did not fulfill the royal commands and were called Christians that one should either leave them to continue in their faith, or take up arms against them in war. Then the king summoned his anfipats and hegemons from everywhere to a council in Nicomedia 2719, gathered the princes, boyars and his entire senate and, revealing to them his rage against Christians, ordered everyone to give advice according to their own understanding on how to deal with those who had fallen away from paganism. After many speeches by those present at the council, the tormentor declared that there was nothing more honest and beneficial than the veneration of the ancient gods of our fathers. When everyone agreed with what the king had said, he continued: “If you all think so and want to do it diligently, and if you value my love, then try by all means to destroy throughout our entire kingdom the Christian faith, which is contrary to our gods.” So that you can do this more successfully, I myself will help you with all my might. Everyone accepted this royal word with praise. Diocletian and the Senate met for a council on the eradication of Christianity for the second and third time. Then they announced the decision to the people so that it became an indispensable command. At that time, in the Roman army there was a wonderful warrior of Christ, Saint George, originally from Cappadocia 2720, the son of Christian parents, raised by them in piety from a young age. Even as a child, he lost his father, who died tortured for confessing Christ. George's mother moved with him to Palestine, since her homeland and rich possessions were there. Having come of age, Saint George was distinguished by the beauty of his face, courage and strength of body, which is why he was appointed tribune 2721 in the famous military regiment. In this rank, he showed such courage in battle that King Diocletian, who did not yet know about his Christianity, honored him with the rank of comite 2722 and governor. George's mother had already died at that time. When Diocletian plotted to exterminate Christians in a painful manner, Saint George was with the king. From the first day, as soon as Saint George became convinced that this unrighteous plan could in no way be canceled, and learned about the cruelty of the wicked against Christians, he decided that the time had come that would serve to save his soul. Saint George immediately distributed all his wealth, gold, silver and precious clothes to the poor, granted freedom to the slaves who were with him, and about those slaves who were in his Palestinian possessions, he ordered that some of them be freed and others transferred to the poor. On the third day, when the final meeting of the tsar and his princes about the lawless killing of innocent Christians was to take place, the courageous warrior of Christ, Saint George, having rejected all human fear and having in himself only the fear of God, with a bright face and a courageous mind, appeared at that wicked and lawless gathering and addressed him with the following speech: - O king, and you, princes and advisers! You were established to observe good laws and righteous judgments, but you furiously stir up your rage against Christians, establishing lawlessness and issuing incorrect decrees regarding the judgment of innocent people who have not offended anyone. You persecute them and torment them, forcing those who have learned to be pious to your insane wickedness. But no, your idols are not gods! Don't be seduced by this lie. Jesus Christ is one God, one Lord in the glory of God the Father, by whom all things were created and all things exist by His Holy Spirit. Either you yourself learn the truth and learn piety, or do not confuse with your madness those who know true piety. Amazed by these words of Saint George and his unexpected boldness, everyone turned their eyes to the king, impatiently expecting him to answer the saint. The king could not come to his senses from surprise and, as if deafened by thunder, sat in silence, holding back his anger. Finally, the king indicated to his friend Magnentius, who was present at the council, with the rank of anfipat, that he was present at the council, so that he should answer George. Magnentius called the saint to him and said to him: -Who prompted you to such boldness and eloquence? “Truth,” answered the saint. – What kind of truth is this? - said Magnentius. Georgy said: – The truth is Christ Himself, persecuted by you. - So you are a Christian too? - asked Magnentius. And Saint George answered: “I am a servant of Christ my God, and, trusting in Him, I of my own free will appeared among you to testify to the truth.” From these words of the saint, the whole assembly became agitated, everyone began to speak, one one thing, the other another, and a discordant cry and cry arose, as happens in a large crowd of people. Then Diocletian ordered silence to be restored and, turning his eyes to the saint, recognized him and said: “I was amazed at your nobility before, O George!” Having recognized your appearance and your courage as worthy of honor, I honored you with no small rank. And today, when you speak impudent words to your own detriment, I, out of love for your intelligence and courage, as a father, give you advice and admonish you so that you do not lose military glory and the honor of your rank and do not betray the colors of your youth to torment with your disobedience. Make a sacrifice to the gods, and you will receive even greater honor from us. “Oh, if only you, O king, would know the true God through me and offer Him His beloved sacrifice of praise!” He would grant you a better kingdom - an immortal one, for the kingdom that you now enjoy is fickle, vain and quickly perishes, and with it its short-term pleasures perish. And those who are deceived by them receive no benefit. None of this can weaken my piety, and no torment will frighten my soul or shake my mind. These words of Saint George drove the king into a frenzy. Without allowing the saint to finish his speech, the king ordered his squires to expel George from the assembly with spears and imprison him. When the soldiers began to carry out the king’s order and one spear touched the saint’s body, immediately his iron became soft, like tin, and bent. The martyr’s lips were filled with praises of God. Having brought the martyr into prison, the soldiers stretched him out on the ground, face up, hammered his feet into stocks and placed a heavy stone on his chest. This is what the torturer ordered. The saint endured all this and continually gave thanks to God until the next day. When the day came, the king again called the martyr to the test and, seeing George crushed by the weight of the stone, asked him: – Have you repented, George, or are you still in your rebellion? Saint George, oppressed by the heavy stone that lay on his chest, could barely speak: - O king, do you really think that I have become so exhausted that after such a small torment I will renounce my faith? It is more likely that you will become exhausted, tormenting me, than I, tormented by you. Then Diocletian ordered to bring a great wheel, under which were placed boards pierced with iron points similar to swords, knives and knitting needles; some of them were straight, others were curved like fishing rods. On that wheel, the king ordered to tie a naked martyr and, rotating the wheel, cut off his entire body with iron points mounted on boards. Saint George, cut into pieces and crushed like a reed, valiantly endured his torment. At first he prayed to God in a loud voice, then quietly, silently, he thanked God, not uttering a single groan, but remaining as if asleep or insensible. Considering the saint dead, the king joyfully brought praise to his gods and turned to George with the following words: - Where is your God, George; Why didn’t he save you from such torment? Then he ordered George, as he was already dead, to be untied from the wheel, and he himself went to the church of Apollo. Suddenly the air darkened and terrible thunder roared, and many heard a voice from above: – Don’t be afraid Georgy, I’m with you. A radiance appeared, great and unusual, and the Angel of the Lord in the form of a beautiful and clear-faced youth, illuminated by light, appeared standing by the wheel and, laying his hand on the martyr, said: And no one dared to approach the wheel and the martyr while the vision continued. When the Angel disappeared, the martyr himself came off the wheel, removed from the wheel by the Angel and healed by him from his wounds. And Saint George became unharmed in body and called on the Lord. At the sight of this miracle, the soldiers fell into great horror and bewilderment and announced what had happened to the king, who was then present in the church performing unclean services to idols. Saint George followed the soldiers and appeared before the king in the church. At first the king did not believe that Saint George was in front of him, but thought that it was someone similar to him. Those around the king looked intently at George and were convinced that it was he, and the martyr himself announced in a loud voice: Horror and bewilderment sealed everyone’s lips for a long time. The two men who were there, Anatoly and Protoleon, respected by the rank of praetor 2723, who had already previously been declared in the Christian faith, seeing this wondrous miracle, were completely confirmed in the confession of Christ and cried out: – There is one great and true God, the Christian God! The king immediately ordered them to be seized, taken out of the city without interrogation and beheaded with a sword. Queen Alexandra, who was also present in the church, seeing the miraculous healing of the martyr and hearing about the appearance of the Angel, knew the truth. But when she wanted to boldly confess Christ, the eparch restrained her and, before the king knew this, ordered her to be taken to the palace. The villainous Diocletian, incapable of doing good, ordered George to be thrown into a ditch lined with stones with quicklime and the martyr to be covered with it for three days. Led to the ditch, the saint prayed to the Lord so loudly: – Savior of the sorrowing, refuge of the persecuted, hope of the hopeless, Lord my God! Hear the prayer of Your servant, look upon me and have mercy on me. Deliver me from the deceits of the opposite and grant me to observe the confession of Your Holy Name until the end of my life. Do not forsake me, Master, for my sins, lest my enemies say: “Where is his God?” Show Your power and glorify Your name in me, Your indecent servant. Send me an Angel, a guardian of me unworthy, - You, who turned the furnace of Babylon into dew and kept Your youths unharmed (Dan. 3), for You are blessed forever. Amen. Thus, having prayed and protected his entire body with the sign of the cross, George entered the ditch, rejoicing and glorifying God. Having tied up the martyr and, according to the command, covered him in a ditch with quicklime, the king’s servants left. On the third day, the king ordered the bones of the martyr to be thrown out of the ditch with lime, for he thought that George had burned there. When the servants came and raked up the lime, they found the saint, contrary to expectation, unharmed, alive, healthy and released from his bonds. He stood with a bright face, stretched out his hands to the sky and thanked God for all His blessings. The servants and people who were present were horrified and surprised and, as if with one mouth, they glorified the God of Georgiev, calling Him the Great. Having learned about what had happened, Diocletian immediately ordered the saint to be brought to him and said with surprise: “Where do you get such power, Georgiy, and what magic do you use?” tell us. I think that you deliberately pretended to be a believer in Christ in order to show magical cunning, surprise everyone with your sorcery and show yourself great through it. “O king,” answered the saint, “I believed that you would not be able to open your mouth to blaspheme the omnipotent God, for whom all things are possible and who delivers those who trust in him from troubles.” But you, being deceived by the devil, have fallen into such depths of error and destruction that you call the miracles of my God, visible to your eyes, sorcery and enchantments. I cry for your blindness, call you damned and consider you unworthy of my answer. Then Diocletian ordered to bring iron boots, heat the long nails driven into the soles of them, put the martyr in these boots and so drive him with beatings to prison. When they drove away the martyr, shod in this way, the torturer, insulting him, said: - What a fast walker you are, Georgy, how fast you walk! The martyr, inhumanly dragged, subjected to cruel blows, said to himself: – Go, George, to achieve, because you are not going “to something unknown” (see: Glorious 1 Cor. 9:26, that is, to eternal salvation). Then, calling on God, he said: - Look down from heaven, Lord, look at my work and hear the groaning of Your bound servant, for my enemies have multiplied and “they hate me with fierce hatred” (Ps. 24:19), but You Yourself heal me, Master, for my bones are broken, and give me patience to the end, so that my enemy does not say: I am strong against him. With such a prayer Saint George went to prison. Prisoner there, he was exhausted in body, his legs torn to pieces, but he did not faint in spirit. All day and all night he did not stop offering thanks and prayers to God. And that night, with God’s help, he was healed from ulcers, his legs and whole body again became unharmed. In the morning, Saint George was presented to the king at the shameful place where the king was staying with his entire synclite. Seeing that the martyr walked correctly and did not limp in his legs, as if no ulcers had been caused to him, the king said to him in surprise: - Well, Georgy, do you like your boots? “Very,” answered the saint. “Stop being impudent, be meek and submissive, and, rejecting the magic trick, make a sacrifice to the merciful gods, so as not to be deprived of this sweet life through many torments.” - How crazy you are, who call the power of God sorcery and are shamelessly proud of demonic charm! Looking at the saint with angry eyes, Diocletian interrupted his speech with a fierce cry and ordered those present to beat him in the mouth; Let, said the tormentor, he learn not to annoy the kings. Then, he ordered George to be beaten with ox sinews until his flesh and blood stuck to the ground. Fiercely tormented, Saint George did not change the brightness of his face. Greatly surprised by this, the king said to those around him: - Truly this is not from the courage and strength of George, but from magical cunning. Then Magnentius said to the king: “There is a certain man here who is skilled in magic. If you order him to be brought, George will soon be defeated and come into obedience to you. Immediately the sorcerer was called before the king, and Diocletian said to him: – What this nasty man George did here, the eyes of all those present saw; but how he did this, only you know, who are skilled in that cunning. Either defeat and destroy his sorcery and make him submissive to us, or immediately take his life with magical herbs, so that he accepts the death befitting of himself from the cunning that he has learned. That's why I kept him alive until now. The sorcerer, named Athanasius, promised to fulfill everything commanded the next day. Having commanded that the martyr be guarded in prison, the king left the judgment seat, and the saint entered the prison, calling on God: - Show, O Lord, Thy mercy upon me, direct my steps to Thy confession and preserve my path in Thy faith, so that Thy most holy name may be glorified everywhere. In the morning the king appeared again at the trial and sat on a high place in full view of everyone. Athanasius the Magus also came, proud of his wisdom, carrying magical drinks in various vessels to show the king and everyone present. And Athanasius said: “Let the condemned man be brought here now, and he will see the power of our gods and my spells.” Then, taking one vessel, Athanasius said to the king: “If you want that madman to obey you in everything, let him drink this drink.” Taking another vessel, the sorcerer continued: - If it pleases your court to see the bitter death of him, let him drink this. Immediately, by order of the king, Saint George was brought to trial. And Diocletian said to him: – Now your sorceries, George, will be destroyed and cease. And he ordered to forcefully give the saint a magical drink. Having drunk without hesitation, George remained unharmed, rejoicing and mocking the demonic charm. Seething with rage, the king ordered to force him to drink another drink full of mortal poison. The saint did not expect violence, but voluntarily took the vessel and drank the deadly poison, but remained unharmed, being saved from death by the grace of God. The king and his entire council were surprised; Athanasius the Magus was also perplexed. After some time, the king said to the martyr: - How long, George, will you surprise us with your deeds, until you tell us the truth, by what magical machinations you have reached the point of contempt for the torments inflicted on you and remain unharmed from the deadly drink? Tell everything truly to us, who want to listen to you with meekness. Blessed George answered: - Do not think, O king, that I do not pay attention to the torment, thanks to human intentions. No, I am saved by the calling of Christ and by His power. Trusting in Him, according to His mysterious teaching, we consider torment nothing at all. – What is the mysterious teaching of Thy Christ? “He knows that your malice will achieve nothing, and He taught His servants not to be afraid of those who kill the body, since they cannot kill the soul.” For He said: “But not a hair of your head will perish” (Luke 21:18), “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them” (Mark 16:18). “He who believes in Me, the works that I do will he do also” (John 14:12). Hear, O king, this true promise of His to us, which I briefly tell you about. “What are these works of His that you speak of?” - Diocletian asked. - To enlighten the blind, to cleanse the lepers, to give walking to the lame, hearing to the deaf, to cast out unclean spirits, to raise the dead - these and similar works of Christ. Turning to Athanasius the Magus, the king asked him: “I’m surprised,” answered Athanasius, “how he outrages your meekness, telling lies in the hope of escaping your sovereign hand.” We, who daily enjoy the many benefits of our immortal gods, have never seen them raise the dead. This one, trusting in a dead man and believing in a crucified God, says without shame that He has done great things. Since George confessed before all of us that his God is the performer of such miracles and that those who believe in Him accepted from Him a false promise that they too would do the same things that He did, then let George raise the dead man before you, O king, and before all of us. Then we too will submit to his God as almighty. From here you can see from afar the grave in which a dead man I knew during his lifetime was recently laid. If George resurrects him, he will truly defeat us. The king was amazed at this advice from Athanasius. The tomb indicated by him was half a stage away from the judgment seat 2724. For the trial took place on the site of the former theater, at the gates of the city. That tomb was outside the city, since, according to the custom of the Hellenes, their dead were buried outside the city. And the king commanded the martyr to raise the dead to demonstrate the power of his God. Magnentius anfipat begged the king to free George from his shackles. When the shackles were removed from George, Magnetius said to him: - Show, George, the wonderful works of your God, and you will lead us all to faith in Him. “My God, who created everything out of nothing, has the power to raise that dead man through me; But you, having darkened your mind, cannot understand the truth. But my Lord, for the sake of the people present, will do what you, tempting me, ask, so that you do not attribute this to sorcery. The words of the sorcerer you cited are true that neither sorcery nor the power of your gods could ever resurrect the dead. But in the presence of everyone standing around, I will call upon my God loudly and loudly. Having said this, George knelt and prayed to God for a long time with tears; then standing up, George cried out to the Lord in a loud voice: - Eternal God, merciful God, God of all powers, Almighty, do not disgrace those who trust in You, Lord Jesus Christ; Hear me, Your humble servant, at this hour, You who heard Your holy Apostles in every place, with all miracles and signs. Give this evil generation the sign it asks for and raise the dead man lying in the tomb to the shame of those who deny You, for the glory of Your Father and the Most Holy Spirit. O Master, show those present that You are One God for the whole earth, so that they may know You, the Almighty Lord, to Whom all things obey and whose glory is forever. Amen. When he said “Amen,” suddenly thunder roared and the earth shook, so that everyone was horrified. Then the roof of the tomb fell to the ground, the coffin opened, and the dead man stood up alive and came out of the coffin. Everyone who saw this died with horror. Word immediately spread among the people about what had happened, and many wept and glorified Christ as a great God. The king and everyone who was with him, filled with fear and unbelief, at first said that George, being a great sorcerer, raised from the grave not a dead man, but a certain spirit and a ghost, in order to deceive those who saw this. Then, making sure that before them was not a ghost, but really a man risen from the dead and calling on the name of Christ, the king and nobles came into great bewilderment and amazement and silently surrounded George, completely not knowing what to do. Athanasius fell at the feet of the saint, confessing that Christ is the Almighty God, and praying to the martyr to forgive him for his sins committed in ignorance. After a long time, Diocletian finally commanded the people to be silent and said: – Do you see the deception, O men; Do you see the malice and deceit of these wise men? The most wicked Athanasius, helping a sorcerer similar to himself, gave George not poison to drink, but some enchanted drink that would help him deceive us. They gave a living person the apparent appearance of a dead one and by magic they restored him before our eyes as if he had risen from the dead. Having said this, the king ordered that the heads of Athanasius and those who rose from the dead be cut off without interrogation or preliminary torment; He ordered the holy martyr of Christ George to be kept in prison and in chains until he himself freed himself from the affairs of popular government and figured out how to deal with the martyr. The emperor retired to his palace, and Saint George was taken to prison, where he rejoiced and thanked God: – Glory to You, Lord, who does not shame those who trust in You. I thank You for helping me everywhere and every day showing me greater and greater benefits and decorating me with Your grace, who is unworthy. Grant me, O God, my God, to soon behold Your glory, having shamed the devil to the end. When the Great Martyr George was in prison, people who believed in Christ because of his miracles came to him, gave gold to the guards, fell at the feet of the saint and were instructed by him in the holy faith. By invoking the name of Christ and the sign of the cross, the saint also healed the sick, who came to him in large numbers in prison. Among those who came was a certain man named Glycerius, a simple farmer, whose ox fell from the mountain into the forest and was killed. Hearing about the miracles of the saint, Glycerius went to him, grieving over his dead will. The saint smiled and said to him: - Go, brother, and don’t be sad. Christ my God will bring your ox back to life. The farmer went with firm faith in the words of the martyr and actually saw his ox alive. He immediately returned to George and, walking in the middle of the city, cried out loudly: – Truly great is the Christian God! For this, the soldiers seized him and reported him to the king. Diocletian was filled with anger, did not want to see him, and ordered his head to be immediately cut off outside the city. Glycerius went to die for Christ with joy, as if at a feast, ahead of the soldiers, calling on Christ God with a loud voice and praying that He would accept the outpouring of his blood as baptism. This is how Glycerius died. Then some men who belonged to the synclite announced to the king that George, being in prison, was disturbing the people, turning many away from the gods to the Crucified One, and working miracles through sorcery so that everyone came to him. At the same time, they advised that George should be tortured again, and if he did not repent and turn to the gods, then he should be immediately condemned to death. Summoning the anfipat Magnentius, the king ordered the next morning to prepare a trial at the church of Apollo in order to test the martyr in front of the people. That night, when Saint George was praying in prison, dozing off, he saw in a dream the Lord appearing, who lifted him with his hand, hugging him, kissed him and placed a crown on his head, saying: - Do not be afraid, but dare, and you will be worthy to reign with Me. Do not faint, you will soon come to Me and receive what is prepared for you. Waking up from sleep, the saint joyfully thanked the Lord and, calling the prison guard, said to him: “I ask you, brother, for one good deed; order my servant to come here. I need to tell him something. The guard called a servant, who constantly stood at the prison and carefully recorded the actions and speeches of the saint. Having entered, the servant bowed to the ground to his master, who was sitting in chains, and crouched at his feet and burst into tears. The saint raised him from the ground, told him to strengthen his spirit and announced to him his vision, saying: - Child! Soon the Lord will call me to Himself, but after my departure from this life, take my humble body and, according to the will that I wrote before my feat, take it, with the help of God, to our Palestinian home and fulfill everything according to my will, having the fear of God and firm faith in Christ. The servant with tears promised to fulfill the command. The saint lovingly embraced him, gave him his last kiss and sent him away in peace. The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, the king sat down at the judgment seat and, holding back his anger, began to meekly talk with George, who was brought before him: “Don’t you think, O George, that I am filled with philanthropy and mercy towards you, enduring your crimes with mercy?” My gods are my witnesses that I spare your youth for the sake of your blooming beauty, intelligence and courage. And I would like to have you as a co-ruler, second in honor in my kingdom, if only you wished to turn to the gods. Tell us what do you think about this? “O king, you should have shown me such mercy first, and not tormented me with such fierce torment.” Hearing with pleasure this speech of the martyr, the king said: “If you want to lovingly obey me as a father, for all the torments that you have endured, I will reward you with many honors.” “If you wish, king, we will go inside the church to see the gods you worship.” The king joyfully rose up and went with the entire synclite and people to the church of Apollo, honorably leading Saint George with him. The people greeted the king with a cry, glorifying the power and victory of their gods. Entering the church where the sacrifice was prepared, everyone looked at the martyr in silence, no doubt expecting that he would bring a sacrifice to the gods. The saint approached the idol of Apollo, extended his hand to it and asked him crazy, as if alive: - Do you want to accept a sacrifice from me, like a god? At these words the saint made the sign of the cross. The demon who lived in the idol exclaimed: “I am not a god, not a god, or anyone like me.” There is only one God, Whom you confess. We are apostates from among the Angels who served Him; We, possessed by envy, seduce people. The saint then said to the demon: “How dare you live here when I, a servant of the true God, came here?” At these words of the saint, noise and crying arose from the idols. Then they fell to the ground and were crushed. Immediately the priests and many of the people, like frantics, furiously rushed at the saint, began to beat and bind him and cried out to the king: “Kill this sorcerer, O king, kill him before he destroys us.” The rumor of this confusion and cry spread throughout the city and reached the ears of Queen Alexandra. Until then, harboring faith in Christ, the queen did not have the strength to hide her confession any longer and immediately went to where the Holy Great Martyr George was. Seeing the popular confusion and seeing from afar the martyr who was being kept tied up, the queen tried in vain to get through the crowd to him and began to cry out loudly: - God of George, help me, since You Alone are Omnipotent. When the people's cry died down, Diocletian ordered the martyr to be brought to him and, becoming like a demon possessed in his rage, he said to the saint: “This is the kind of gratitude you give, vile one, for my mercy; this is the way you are accustomed to make sacrifices to the gods.” Saint George answered him: - Yes, I’m so used to honoring your gods. O foolish king, be ashamed to attribute your salvation to the gods who can neither help themselves nor tolerate the presence of Christ’s servants. While the saint was saying this, the queen finally walked through the crowd into the middle, boldly confessing before everyone that Christ is the true God. She fell at the feet of the martyr and, mocking the madness of the tormentor, reproached the gods and cursed those who worshiped them. Seeing his wife, who at the feet of the martyr with such courage glorified Christ and humiliated idols, the king came into great amazement and said to her: - What happened to you, Alexandra, that you join this sorcerer and sorcerer and so shamelessly renounce the gods? She turned away and did not answer the king. Diocletian was filled with even greater rage and no longer began to torture either George or the queen, but immediately pronounced the following death sentence on both: “The most evil George, who declared himself a follower of the Galilean 2725 and blasphemed me and the gods a lot, together with Queen Alexandra, who was corrupted by his sorcery and, like him, insanely reproached the gods, I command to be beheaded with the sword. The soldiers grabbed the martyr, bound in chains, and took him outside the city. They also attracted the most noble queen, who followed George without resistance, praying within herself and often looking at the sky. On the way, the queen became exhausted and asked permission to sit down. Having sat down, she leaned her head against the wall and gave up her spirit to the Lord. Seeing this, the martyr of Christ George glorified God and went, praying to the Lord that his path would end with dignity. When George approached the place designated for his execution, he said a prayer in a loud voice: “Blessed are You, O Lord my God, for You did not give me up as a prey to those who sought me, You did not rejoice at my enemies, and You delivered my soul like a bird from a snare.” Hear me now, Master, appear to me as Your servant at this last hour and deliver my soul from the machinations of the prince of the air and from his unclean spirits. Do not put into sin those who sinned against me out of ignorance, but give them forgiveness and love, so that they, having come to know You, will receive participation in Your Kingdom, with Your chosen ones. Accept my soul with those who have pleased You from all eternity, despising my sins committed in knowledge and ignorance. Remember, O Lord, those who call on Your glorious name, for You are blessed and glorified forever. Amen. Having prayed, Saint George joyfully bowed his head under the sword and thus died on the twenty-third day of the month of April, having worthily made his confession and preserved the immaculate faith. That is why he is crowned with the chosen crown of truth 2726. Such is the triumph of the great exploits of the brave warrior, such is his taking up arms against his enemies and the glorious victory, thus laboring, he was awarded an incorruptible and eternal crown. Through his prayers, may we also be worthy of the inheritance of the righteous and to stand at the right hand on the day of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongs all glory, honor and worship forever and ever. Amen. Miracles of the Holy Great Martyr George In the Syrian countries there was a city called Ramel, in which a stone church was built in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George. And there were no suitable stones in that place from which it would have been possible to make great stone pillars for the establishment of the church building. Such pillars were usually bought in distant countries and brought by sea. Many of Ramel's God-loving citizens traveled to various countries to buy stone pillars for the church being built. For this purpose, a certain pious widow, who had zeal and faith in the holy Great Martyr George, also went, wanting to buy from her small funds one pillar for the church of George. Having bought a beautiful pillar in a certain country, she brought it to the seashore, where the mayor Ramel, who had acquired several pillars, loaded them onto a ship. And that woman began to beg the dignitary to take her pillar on his ship and deliver it to the martyr’s church. The rich man did not listen to her request, did not take her pillar, but sailed away, loading the ship only with his pillars. Then the woman fell to the ground out of pity and with tears called for the help of the great martyr so that he could somehow arrange for the delivery of her pillar to Ramel to his church. She fell asleep in sadness and tears, and the holy Great Martyr George appeared to her in a sleepy vision, on horseback in the form of a commander, lifted her from the ground and said: - Oh woman, tell me what’s the matter? She told the saint the reason for her sadness. He got off his horse and asked her: -Where do you want to place the pillar? - On the right side of the church. Immediately the saint inscribed the following on the pillar with his finger: “Let this widow’s pillar be placed second in a row of pillars on the right side of the church.” Having written this, George said to the woman: And so, when they took hold of the pillar, the stone became light, and they threw the pillar into the sea. This is what the woman saw in her dream. Waking up, she did not find the pillar in her place and, placing her hope in God and His servant, Saint George, she set off for her homeland. But before she arrived there and before the ship sailed, the day after her vision, her pillar was found lying on the shore of the Ramel pier. When the mayor, named Vasily, brought his pillars on the ship and went ashore, he saw the pillar of the widow and the inscription on it, depicted with the finger of the saint. That husband was amazed and, realizing the miracle of the holy great martyr, recognized his sin and repented of having despised the widow’s request. With many prayers he asked George for forgiveness and received it from the saint who appeared to him in a vision. The pillar of the widow was placed in the place where the inscription on it indicated, in memory of the pious woman, in amazement at the miracle performed by the holy great martyr, and in honor of Christ our God, the Source of miracles. Many years later, when Syria was conquered by the Saracens, in the city of Ramel, in the church of the Holy Great Martyr George, the following miracle took place: A certain noble Saracen, accompanied by other of his fellow tribesmen, entered the church during the church rule and, seeing the icon of St. George, as well as the priest standing before the icon, worshiping it and sending prayers to the saint, said to his friends in Saracen: – Do you see what this madman is doing? - The board is praying. Bring me a bow and arrow, and I will shoot through this board. A bow was immediately brought, and the Saracen, standing behind everyone, pulled the bow and shot an arrow at the icon of the great martyr. However, the arrow did not fly towards the icon, but rose upward and, falling down, pierced the hand of that Saracen, severely wounding him. Immediately the Saracen went to his home, feeling severe pain in his arm. The pain increased more and more, the Saracen's hand swelled, puffed up like fur, so that the Saracen groaned from intense suffering. This Saracen had several Christian slaves at home. Calling them, he said to them: – I was in the church of your god George and wanted to shoot his icon. However, I shot an arrow from a bow so unsuccessfully that, falling down, the arrow severely wounded me in the arm, and now I am dying from unbearable pain. The slaves said to him: – What do you think: did you do well by daring to inflict such an insult on the icon of the holy martyr? – Did this icon have the power to make me sick now? “We are not knowledgeable in books and therefore do not know what to answer you.” But call our priest and he will tell you what you are asking. The Saracen listened to the advice of his slaves and, calling the priest, said to him: “I want to know what power that board or icon you worshiped has.” “I did not worship the board, but my God, the Creator of the universe.” I prayed to the Holy Great Martyr George, who was inscribed on the board, that he would be my intercessor before God. – Who is George if not your god? – Saint George is not our god, but only the servant of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. He was a man like us in every way. He suffered many torments from the pagans, who forced him to renounce Christ; but, courageously opposing them and becoming a confessor for the name of Christ, he received from God the gift of performing signs and wonders. We, Christians, honoring him, respect his icon, and, looking at it, as if at the saint himself, we worship it and kiss it. You do the same; So, when parents or brothers dear to your heart die, you, looking at their clothes, cry in front of them, kiss them, imagining in these clothes as if the very people who died. In exactly the same way, we venerate the icons of saints - not as gods (let that not happen!), but as images of the servants of God who work miracles even with their very icons; you yourself, who dared to shoot an arrow at the icon of the holy martyr, happened to recognize its power for teaching and edification to others. Having heard this, the Saracen said: – What should I do now? You see that my hand is very swollen; I am suffering unbearably and approaching death. - If you want to stay alive and recover, then order the icon of the Holy Great Martyr George to be brought to you, place it over your bed, arrange a lamp with oil in front of the icon and light a lamp in it for the whole night; In the morning, anoint your sore hand with oil from the lamp, firmly believing that you will be healed, and you will be healthy. The Saracen immediately began to ask the priest to bring him the icon of George and, accepting it with joy, did as the priest had taught him. In the morning he anointed his hand with oil from the lamp, and immediately the pain in his hand stopped, and his hand became healthy. Being surprised and amazed by such a miracle, the Saracen asked the priest if anything was written in his books about Saint George? The priest brought him a story about the life and sufferings of the saint and began to read it to the Saracen. The Saracen, listening with attention to the reading, all the time held the icon of the martyr in his hands and, turning to the saint depicted on the icon as to a living person, exclaimed with tears: - Oh Saint George! You were young but wise, I am old but mad! You pleased God even in your youth, but I have lived to an old age and still do not know the true God! Pray for me to your God, so that He will grant me the privilege of being His servant! Then, falling at the feet of the priest, the Saracen began to ask him to grant him holy baptism. At first the priest did not agree to this, for he was afraid of the Saracens. But seeing his faith and being unable to resist his requests, he baptized him at night, secretly from the Saracens. When morning came, the newly baptized Saracen left his house and, standing in the middle of the city in front of everyone, began with great zeal to loudly preach Christ, the true God, while the Saracen began to curse the faith. Immediately a multitude of Saracens surrounded him: filled with anger and rage, they rushed at him like wild animals and cut him into small pieces with their swords. Thus, that Saracen, in such a short time, accomplished the good feat of confession for Christ and accepted the crown of martyrdom, through the prayers of the holy Great Martyr George. On the island of Mytilene 2727 there was a church, great and glorious, created in honor of the holy Great Martyr George. The inhabitants of this island had a pious custom - on the day of remembrance of the holy martyr, they gathered in this church for a general solemn honor of St. George. The Hagarians 2728, who lived on the island of Crete 2729, learned about this, and one evening they attacked that place. Those Christians who were outside the church fled from the hands of the Hagarians; Those who were in the church were taken by the Hagarites and taken captive. Among these latter, one Christian youth was captured, who was taken to the island of Crete and taken into his service by the chief of the Hagarians. The parents of this young man, although they lost their son, did not change their pious custom: when the annual holiday in memory of the holy martyr arrived, they went to the church to offer prayers to the holy martyr, and then held a feast at home in honor and memory of St. George. When the guests began to gather for the feast, the mother of that captive young man, having come to the church (which was not far from her house), fell to her knees with tears and fervently prayed to the saint to deliver her son from captivity by destinies that the saint himself knew. Her fervent prayer was heard. When she, having finished her prayer, returned to the guests for the feast, then at that moment when her husband, having prayerfully called upon the holy great martyr and praising him as a helper and intercessor, was already preparing to honor the guests and the cupbearers were already standing ready - suddenly at that moment that young man was taken by Saint George from the place of his captivity and brought to the house of his parents; at the same time, the young man held a vessel of wine in his hand, which he offered to his mother. It turned out that at that moment the young man, being in Crete, was serving the chief of the Hagarians, who was eating food, and was already preparing to serve him wine, when suddenly, like the ancient Habakkuk, he was caught up into the air and transported to the island of Mytilene with a vessel filled with wine. Everyone sitting at the table, seeing the young man, was greatly amazed, and in one voice asked him: – Where were you, where did you come from and how did you end up here? “I filled this vessel with wine to serve it to my boss.” But at that moment I was suddenly taken by some glorious man sitting on a horse, who also put me on a horse. With one hand I held on to this man’s belt, and in the other I held this vessel of wine, and then I ended up here, as you can see for yourself. Hearing this, everyone was surprised at such a glorious miracle and, rising from the table, gave thanks to God and His saint, the Holy Great Martyr George. Cosmas the monk also told a similar miracle to this: - During the reign of the Greek king Vasily 2730 (I was still a youth then), my boss, the governor for whom I served, was sent by the king to the island of Cyprus 2731. Having come here, we heard the story of a miracle performed by the holy Great Martyr George in the church, created for the glory and honor of his name, on the day of his feast, namely: the son of the priest who served in this church was captured by the Saracens, and now - on the day of memory of Saint George, he found himself near his father, during the celebration of the liturgy. The governor, calling the mentioned priest and his son to him, asked the latter: - How did you escape from the Saracens? The young man told the following about himself: - God was pleased that Saint George freed me. I myself don’t know how I came here; I only know that I have been in captivity for three years now. One day my father sent me on a ship to make some purchases together with several companions. But the Saracens attacked us, captured us all and took me to Palestine (at that time Jerusalem and all of Palestine in general were already in the hands of the Saracens). “Here I served,” the young man said, “to my master for three years; Today is already the eighteenth day since my master ordered me to bring his bed to the bathhouse, intending to wash here. When he washed himself, he said to me: “Would you bring me a drink so I can drink it?” I told him (the young man narrates): - No, I didn’t bring it, my lord. He was already planning to hit me, but I, having avoided his hands, went to my mistress’s house and, taking the vessel with that drink from her, returned to the bathhouse, to my master. The road along which I walked ran past a Christian church, in which the Divine Liturgy was being celebrated at that time. I heard the kontakion that was sung to Saint George: “Thou hast appeared to be carved by God.” This singing touched me to tears, and I said from the depths of my heart: – Holy Great Martyr George! Did the groaning of my father not reach God and you? Will you really despise his tears, which he sheds in the church dedicated to your name, begging you for me, so that you save me from this captivity and deliver me from this slavery? Having said this, I went to the bathhouse. My master, seeing the tears in my eyes, began to scold me and said to me with anger: - Pour me this drink. I poured the drink into the vessel. Then the gentleman said to me: When I took the vessel to pour the drink from it, it seemed to me that I was beginning to see my master poorly. I exclaimed: At that time, some kind of power took me away from the earth, and therefore I no longer heard what my master was saying to me, but I heard the singing of these words: “One is holy, one Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen". Immediately I saw myself in the altar, and I also saw my father, holding the holy chalice in his hands and saying to the church servants: Standing near my father, I wanted to pour the drink that I had in my hands into the holy chalice, because at that very moment when I was in the bathhouse and stood near the Saracen, holding a vessel with a drink in my hand, at that same moment I suddenly found myself in the altar near my father, who was performing the liturgy. My father, looking at me, asked his colleagues: They answered with surprise: “We don’t know who he is and where he came here from, since I had my hair cut and wore Saracen clothing.” I told my father: - Father! Don't you recognize me? I am Philotheus - your son. Then my father said to me: - Why is this vessel in your hands and what is in it? - This is a Saracen drink. I was at that moment with my master in a bathhouse, near Jerusalem, and at that moment, as I wanted to serve him this drink, I suddenly found myself next to you in this church. Hearing this, my father was very horrified and almost let go of the holy chalice from his hands. And at that moment I let go of the vessel with the drink from my hands and, supporting my father’s hands, said to him: “Don’t be embarrassed, my father, but finish the service.” Then my father, having placed the chalice on the holy meal, raised his hands to heaven and thanked God and His holy saint George. The vessel that I dropped on the marble floor did not break. Having finished the service, my father hugged me and kissed me with tears; then we went home. All our relatives and friends, having heard about everything that happened to me, gathered at our house and, seeing me, rejoiced and glorified God and His saint, Saint George, who delivered me from the Saracens in the blink of an eye. The governor and all those who were with him, having listened to this story of the priest’s son, glorified God and Saint George; then, having given this young man and his father large gifts, they released him with honor. They tell about another similar miracle of the Holy Great Martyr George as follows. In Paphlagonia 2732, in the city of Amastris, there lived a pious couple - Leontius and Theophanes. Both of them had great faith in the holy Great Martyr George and often came to the church named after him, which was located not far from them, near the river called Parthenios (from the name of the river and the church it bore the nickname: “Partenie”). This pious couple, out of their love for the saint, decorated this church from their wealth, considering this holy martyr the guardian and provider of all their property. Every year these pious Christians honestly and reverently celebrated the memory of the holy martyr, and on this day they did a lot of alms and organized a feast for the poor and wretched, as well as for their relatives and friends. They had a son named George; Constantly keeping the holy martyr in mind, they named their son George. At this time, Constantine the 7th, 2733, reigned over the Greeks, the son of King Leo the Wise. Then the war began between the Bulgarians and Greeks; the Bulgarians, having entered into an alliance with the Hungarians and Scythians, approached the Greek regions and devastated them, capturing the inhabitants; for this reason, it was necessary for the Greeks to prepare for war. And since Leonty, a resident of the city of Amastris in Paphlagonia, was a warrior, it was necessary for him to go to war with the Bulgarians. But in view of the fact that Leonty was already in old age, and his son, George, was in his youth, he decided to send his son into the army in his place. Having taken him, Leonty and Theophanes first of all went with him to the aforementioned church and, praying here before the icon of the great martyr, said this: – To you, Holy Great Martyr George, we entrust our only begotten son, whom we, loving you, named after you! Be his leader on the road, his guardian in battle, and return him to us alive and healthy, so that we, having received benefits from you according to our faith, will always glorify your care and concern for us with many good deeds. Having prayed like this, they released their son into the regiments of the Greek army. Then the war began. Initially, the Greeks defeated the Bulgarians, but then the Bulgarians, gathering their strength, began to defeat the Greeks, by God's permission. A decisive battle took place between the opponents, and many of the Greeks fell from the enemy’s sword. At this time, George, the son of Leontiev, was taken prisoner by a certain Bulgarian and, through the prayers of Saint George, was saved from death, for, regretting his youth and the beauty of his face, the Bulgarian spared George and took him to his land, where George served his master as a slave. Leonty and Theophanes, having heard that the Greek army had been defeated by the Bulgarian, and seeing that their son was not returning to them, cried and sobbed inconsolably, thinking that their son had been killed on the battlefield. Arriving at the mentioned church, they turned to the icon of the holy great martyr with the following words: - Is it for this reason, Martyr of Christ, that we entrusted our son to you, so that he could be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth? Is this how you hear our daily prayers and sighs for you? If you did not have compassion for us, who have already come to old age, then at least you would have had pity on the blooming youth of that youth. Why did you despise our humility, saint of God? This and other similar things were said by the elders with a great cry and many tears, so that everyone who was in this church could not restrain themselves from tears. Especially the mother of that young man cried incessantly every day. The mentioned victory of the Bulgarians over the Greeks took place in the month of August. When autumn and winter passed, the month of April arrived and the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr George was approaching. Leonty and his wife, although they already despaired of the life of their son, thinking that he had died on the battlefield, however, did not forget their zeal for the holy martyr and, according to custom, prepared a rich dinner for his memorial day. When the church services ended, Leonty and Feofan invited many guests to their place - relatives, acquaintances, beggars, and wretched people. During dinner, the guests talked all the time only about George, the son of Leonty and Theophanes, who had not returned from the battle. The young man's parents cried all the time, but the guests tried to console them, and especially consoled their greatly sad mother. Meanwhile, George, while in captivity, performed the duty of a cook for his master. On this day, while preparing food, he remembered the house of his parents, the celebration that took place in their house, he also remembered his relatives, friends and acquaintances, and in his thoughts he thought: - It would be good to know: what is dinner like at my parents’ house these days? Who's invited to dinner? How do they think about me: am I alive or dead? Thinking this to himself, Georgy wept bitterly. Meanwhile, the time had come for his master’s dinner, and it was necessary for George himself to carry one of the dishes in the pot to his master. Georgy wiped away his tears and, taking a hot pot from the stove, carried it. Suddenly he felt himself standing in his parents' house among all the guests. Great miracle! Everyone who was here, seeing George, son of Leontiev, with a hot pot, came into great horror; His parents thought that they saw a ghost in front of them; then, realizing that this was not a ghost, but reality, with great joy they rushed to their son and, falling to his chest, hugged and kissed him, crying from such unexpected and great joy. When they began to ask George: how he remained alive, where he was and how he ended up here, he told everything in detail, both about his captivity and about his deliverance from captivity. Namely, he said the following: “This minute I was working in my master’s kitchen.” I was ordered to bring this food in a pot to my master. Taking the pot, I went to my master, but, having taken a few steps along the stairs leading to the upper room in which my master was dining, I unexpectedly saw some warrior sitting on a horse and shining with an indescribable light; he took me along with this pot and placed me here in front of you, I don’t know how. Hearing this, everyone who was there, and especially George’s parents, gave fervent thanks to God and His holy saint, Great Martyr George. When, then, everyone began to eat food from that pot, a new miracle happened: as much as they ate from the pot, so much was added to it again; although the pot was so small that one person could eat its contents, there were quite a lot of people dining, but everyone ate until they were full, praising God and saying: - Here, the Holy Great Martyr George sent us good food from the Bulgarians for his holiday! Then that pot was transferred, along with many gifts and offerings, to the church of the holy great martyr and was kept there among the sacred vessels, in memory of the glorious miracle performed by the holy great martyr George. The mentioned church of St. George was very ancient and had already become very dilapidated, so that it could fall at any moment; but there was no one who would build a new church, or renovate that old church: for due to the poverty of the inhabitants of that place, that church was ignored. One day such a miracle happened in her. Children, gathering near this church, played here with each other, and they reviled and mocked one youth, whom they always defeated in games. Having lost patience due to constant ridicule, that youth, turning to the church of St. George, said: - Saint George! Help me overcome my opponents; in gratitude for this, I will bring your big pie to the church. And indeed the boy defeated his comrades in the games, and won not once, but twice and many more times. Having come to his mother, the boy told her that he had promised the saint a pie as a gift, and asked her for it in order to fulfill his vow to the saint. His mother, out of love for the child, as well as out of respect for the martyr, prepared a pie, according to her son’s request, and handed it to her son while still warm, not having had time to cool down. The boy brought the pie to the church and, placing it before the altar, bowed and left. It happened that at that time four merchants were passing by that church. They entered the church to venerate Saint George, and saw a delicious cake on the floor (it had not yet cooled down and fragrant steam was coming from it). The merchants said to each other: “The saint doesn’t need this.” Let's eat the pie and put some incense instead. When they had eaten the pie, they headed out of the church; but they could not find the doors, because the doors seemed to them like a wall. Then they put one silver coin on the floor, however, they could not find a way out. Then they all put one gold coin together and fervently prayed to the saint to help them get out; but this time they did not find a way out, being overcome, as it were, by blindness. Finally, all four of them put down a gold coin and prayed even more fervently, and then they found a way out, for they found the church doors open and walked through them. These gold and silver coins served as the beginning of collecting the money necessary to renovate that church, for the rumor about that miracle spread throughout that country and many pious people voluntarily brought gold and silver there; With this money, a new stone church was created, more extensive, sufficiently decorated and equipped with all the necessary accessories for worship. In that church many miracles were performed to the glory of Christ God and to the praise of the Holy Great Martyr George. They also tell about the next miracle performed by the holy Great Martyr George over a youth wounded by a deadly snake. The story of this miracle was relayed by one of the pious ascetics, Abba George, who had his namesake assistant, Saint George. – When I was walking one day, climbing a mountain, and holding a cross in my hands, some old monk met me; Taking the cross from me, he walked ahead of me. After walking a little, he turned onto the path. I followed him. Continuing to walk, I saw a flock of sheep and a shepherd boy lying on the ground, dying from a snake bite. There was a spring near that place. The elder told me: - Scoop up some water to pour it on the cross. Then we scooped up the water and opened the youth’s mouth, pouring this water poured onto the cross into his mouth; at the same time the elder said: – In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, the Holy Great Martyr George heals you! Bending down, the youth spewed out deadly poison and rose to his feet. “Tell me, didn’t you swear yesterday to the wretched widow whose sheep you were entrusted with shepherding, but whom you sold for three pieces of silver?” Didn't you tell her: the wolf ate the sheep? - Yes, father, it really was like that. But how did you know this? “When I was sitting in my cell, a certain man came to me on a white horse and said to me: - Sophrony, get up and quickly go to the source located on your right, to the south. There you will find a youth bitten by a snake, and you will also see a monk carrying in his hand a cross carved from wood. Having taken that cross, you pour water over it and let the youth drink that water, while you say the following words: - in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the servant of God, the martyr George, heals you. Then tell that youth: do not swear anymore by the name of God or His saints, do not act untruthfully with anyone, and give the sheep to that wretched widow, so that nothing worse happens to you. When the young man heard this from the elder, he fell at his feet and said: “Forgive me, father, for it really was like this: I sold that widow’s sheep for three pieces of silver and yesterday I deceived her, saying that the wolf ate her sheep.” The woman said to me: “Is this true or not?” I told her: “Yes, I can call the true God as a witness.” The woman said to me: “Don’t you know that I am a poor widow? However, do as you please. But look, God and Saint George will exact it from you, because I promised to give that sheep to the poor for the Feast of George.” “But I,” the young man continued, “since I was deceived and fell into sin, I pray to you, Father, pray for me to God and Saint George, so that my sin may be forgiven me.” And now I will give that woman three goats on the day of remembrance of St. George, and for the rest of my life I will give every year on the day of remembrance of the holy martyr to the benefit of the poor, a tenth of all that I earn. In this way, the healed young man, having asked for prayer and forgiveness from Blessed Sophrony, began his work, thanking God and His saint, the Holy Great Martyr George. It is impossible not to mention the glorious miracle of killing the serpent, performed by the holy Great Martyr George near his Palestinian fatherland, in the Syro-Phoenician country, in the city of Beirut 2735, standing on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, not far from the city of Lydda, where the body of the holy Great Martyr was buried. The place where this miracle took place is shown to travelers in Palestine. According to the description of the narrators of this miracle, it occurred under the following circumstances. Near the mentioned city of Beirut, near the Lebanese mountains, there was a large lake in which lived a serpent - a destroyer, great and terrible. Coming out of this lake, the snake kidnapped many people, carried them into the lake and devoured them there. Many times the people, armed, spoke out against him, but each time the snake drove the people away, because, approaching the walls of the city, it filled the air with its destructive breath, so that from this alone many fell ill and died. Because of this, in that city there was constant sorrow, sadness, crying and great lamentation. In this city lived infidel people - idolaters, and their king himself lived here. One day the inhabitants of that city, having gathered together, went to their king and said to him: - What should we do, for now we are perishing from that serpent? “I will tell you what the gods will reveal to me.” Then the king, according to the teachings of the demons living in idols, the destroyers of human souls, announced to them this decision: if they do not want to all perish, then let them give that snake as food every day according to the lot of their children, sons or daughters. At the same time, the king added: “When it’s my turn, even though I have only one daughter, I’ll give her away too.” The inhabitants of that city accepted this royal, or, better said, demonic advice, and gave everything, both important and unimportant citizens, every day for one of their sons and daughters to be eaten by the snake, although they greatly regretted and cried for them. Those who were given up to be eaten by a snake were placed on the shore of the lake, dressed in the best clothes; the snake, coming out of the lake, kidnapped them and ate them. When the line went around all the people of that city, they came to the king himself and said to him: - Here, king, according to your advice and decree, we gave our children to the snake. The queue has already passed everyone. What will you tell us to do now? “I’ll give away my daughter too, even though she’s my only one.” Then I will tell you what the gods will reveal to us. Calling his daughter to him, the king ordered her to decorate herself as best as possible; He felt very sorry for her and cried for her with his whole house, but could not in any way violate that decree, as if Divine, communicated by demons. Preparing to send his daughter to be devoured by a snake, the king looked at her from the heights of his palace and, with tears in his eyes, followed her with his gaze. The girl, meanwhile, was placed in her usual place, on the shore of the lake. Waiting for the hour of death, in which the serpent, emerging from the lake, would devour her, she wept bitterly. According to the providence of God, who wants to save everyone, who deigned to save that city from spiritual and physical destruction, at that time the Holy Great Martyr George, a warrior of the Heavenly King, rode up to that place on horseback, holding a spear in his hand. Seeing a girl standing by the lake and crying bitterly, he asked her: - Why are you standing here and why are you crying? - Good young man! Run away from here on your horse quickly, so as not to die with me. “Don’t be afraid, girl, but tell me, what are you waiting for in the presence of all the people looking at you?” - Nice young man! I see that you are courageous and brave. But why do you want to die with me? Run away from this place quickly! - No, I will not leave this place until you tell me why you are standing here, what you are crying about and who you are waiting for here. After that, the girl told him everything in order, both about the snake and about herself. Saint George told her: “Do not be afraid, girl, because in the name of my Lord, the true God, I will save you from the serpent.” - Valiant warrior! Why do you want to die with me? Run and save yourself from bitter death. It’s enough if I die here alone, especially since you won’t save me from the snake, and you yourself will die. While the girl was saying these words to the saint, suddenly a terrible serpent appeared from the lake and headed towards his usual food. Seeing him, the girl shouted in a loud voice: - Run, man, the snake is already coming! Saint George, making the sign of the cross and calling on the Lord, with the words: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” rushed on his horse towards the serpent, shaking his spear and, striking the serpent with force in the larynx, struck him and pressed him to the ground; The saint's horse trampled the serpent underfoot. Then Saint George ordered the girl to tie the snake with her belt and lead him into the city, humble as a dog; The people, looking in surprise at the serpent drawn by the maiden, turned to flight out of fear. Saint George said to the people: – Do not be afraid, just trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him, for it was He who sent me to you in order to save you from the serpent. Then Saint George killed that serpent with a sword in the middle of the city. The inhabitants of that city, having taken the corpse of the serpent out of the city, burned it. After this, the king and the people who lived in that city believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and received holy baptism: there were 25,000 people who were baptized, not counting women and children. On that place a church was subsequently built, very extensive and beautiful, in the name of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, Daughter of the Heavenly King, God the Father, Mother of His Son and Bride of the Holy Spirit, - as well as in honor of the holy victorious George, who preserves the Church of Christ and every faithful soul with his help from the invisible devourer in the abyss of hell, as well as from sin - as from a deadly serpent, - likewise how he delivered the said maiden from the visible serpent 2736. A new miracle also happened here. When this church was consecrated in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Holy Great Martyr George, then, as a sign of the Divine grace poured out here, a source of living water flowed from the altar of this church, healing every disease of all who flow with faith to the glory of the King of glory Himself (Who has the source of eternal life), God in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, praised in His saints forever. Amen. As the liberator of the captives and the protector of the poor, the physician of the infirm, the champion of kings, the victorious Great Martyr George, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls. You fought a good fight, more passion-bearing than Christ, by faith, and you denounced the tormentors of wickedness, and you offered a sacrifice acceptable to God: in the same way, you received the crown of victory, and through your prayers, holy one, you granted forgiveness of sins to all. You have been cultivated by God, a most honest worker of piety, having collected the virtues of the handle for yourself, sowing in tears, reaping with joy, having suffered with blood, you accepted Christ, and through your prayers, holy, you grant forgiveness to all sins. On the same day, the memory of the holy martyr Queen Alexandra and the holy martyrs Anatoly and Protoleon. Emperor Diocletian, an ardent persecutor of Christianity, reigned from 284 to 305. Apollo is one of the most revered Greco-Roman pagan gods. Apollo was considered the god of the sun and mental enlightenment, as well as a guardian of public welfare and a predictor of the future. In all difficult situations in life, pagan emperors had the custom of seeking advice from priests - servants of idols, who allegedly revealed to them the will of the gods. This custom was especially developed in ancient Greece. Here, among other things, the Delphic oracle (oracle) was famous, where there were special women - fortune tellers (Pythia). Pagan priests sat on tripods when they questioned their gods. Nicomedia is a large city in Asia Minor in ancient times, located in the northeastern corner of the bay formed by the Sea of ​​Marmara. This city received its name from the name of its founder, the Bithynian king Nicomedes 1st, who lived in the 3rd century. BC Nowadays, on the site of the once glorious Nicomedia, there is a small town called Ismid. Cappadocia is a region of Asia Minor. Tribune - commander of the army. Comite was a senior military commander among the ancient Romans who accompanied the emperor on his travels. Since the comites formed the emperor’s retinue and at the same time were his advisers, this position was considered very honorable. The praetor is the city judge. Stage is a measure of length; was equal to approximately 88 of our fathoms. Death of St. The Great Martyr George followed in 304. In the 4th century, a church was built in honor of St. George in Rome, in which part of his relics, his spear and banner are kept. The island of Mytilene was located in the northern part of the Mediterranean Sea. The Hagarians are the same as the Saracens. The name Hagarians originally denoted a nomadic tribe of Arabian Bedouins, who, according to legend, descended from Hagar, Abraham's slave. But later this name was extended by Christian writers to all Arabs in general, as well as to Muslims. Crete is one of the large islands of the Mediterranean Sea; it is located in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Greece. 1000 years BC immigrants from Greece settled here. In the 70s AD, Crete fell into the power of the Romans. Beginning in 650 AD, Crete suffered greatly from the raids of the Saracens, who took possession of the island from 823. Currently, Crete is under the temporary control of the Greek royal house (under the supervision of European powers). Basil I (Macedonian) reigned from 867 to 886. Cyprus is located in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. Constantine 7th Porphyrogenitus, son of Leo 6th the Wise, reigned from 912 to 969. That is equal, bearing the same name. Beirut (or Berith) was the most important city of the Phoenicians in ancient times. Based on this narrative, the Holy Great Martyr George is often depicted on icons as a horseman sitting on a white horse and slaying a terrible serpent with a spear. Image of St. George on horseback, as a sign of victory, is adopted into our national coat of arms, as well as the insignia placed on the chest of an Orthodox warrior for his military exploits. – The Holy Great Martyr George is considered among us to be the primary guardian of shepherds and flocks on the basis that after his repose he repeatedly assisted his neighbors, appearing on horseback. Therefore, on Georgiev or, in popular parlance, on Yegoryev's day, pious residents of villages and hamlets in Russia usually drive their cattle out to pasture for the first time after winter, and perform the holy act. prayer service to the great martyr with sprinkling of St. water for shepherds and flocks. You might be interested in: