12-го числа

Holy Martyr Tatiana and others like her The Roman Tatiana was the daughter of noble and wealthy parents. Her father, who was in the Roman service (and served as prefect three times), secretly professed the Christian faith and gave his daughter a Christian upbringing. Fully imbued with it, she devoted herself to serving God, and in the rank of deaconess she devoted herself to works of mercy and constant prayer. Prepared in this way, she appeared as a worthy chosen one of God to receive the crown of martyrdom. She suffered during the persecution of Christians under the young Emperor Alexander Severus. The suffering to which she was subjected was cruel and varied. They cut her with razors, beat her in the face, gouged out her eyes, whittled her body with iron claws, but the firmness of her faith and patience were unshakable; Among the torments, she only prayed that God would enlighten her tormentors, and the Lord heard the prayer of the righteous woman: the eight servants of the eparch who tormented the saint believed in Christ, amazed by the supernatural power with the help of which the martyr remained firm and unharmed amidst the tortures... - Forgive us, servant of the true God! - they called out to her, falling at her feet, and declared themselves believers in the God of Tatiana - and were immediately put to death, loudly confessing and glorifying Christ, the true God. After torture, for a whole day, Tatiana was taken to prison for the night, where she stayed awake all night, praying and praising the Lord. The next day, the eparch ordered her to be taken out to be devoured by a released lion, but the lion began to caress her and lick her feet... Then, fearing that this new miracle would not amaze the people and attract many to the confession of God Tatiana, the eparch condemned her to death by sword. † Repose of Rev. Martinian Belozersky St. Rev. Martinian Belozersky Martinian, in the world Michael 132, was born in the village of Berezniki, near which is now the Syamsky monastery, famous for the icon of the Mother of God. Even at a young age, he showed an inclination to learn to read and write; but his parents could not find anyone to teach him; At the age of 13, he left his parents and homeland, and right from the field where he harrowed the strip plowed by his father, he secretly went to the reverend. Kirill Belozersky, about whom I heard from many. Berezniki is 30 versts from the Kirillov Monastery, but this was nothing to Misha. “Take me to you, sir,” he said to the monk, falling at his feet. The monk left the good-natured youth with him: “Happened, near the monastery of the saint, a certain lively man, his name was Olesh (Alexy) Pavlov, a secular clerk, his job was to write books and teach his students literate tricks: and he was very skilled in such art. Having called this Cyril, he said to him: friend, create for me the love of God, teach this youth to read and write, whom you see.” Alexy Pavlovich fulfilled the order of the Rev. with love. Kirill. Having fallen in love with the pure soul of young Michael, the holy elder clothed him in monastic attire and ordered him to live in his cell. When Blessed Cyril prayed in his cell, and Martinian bowed; he was the first to appear at the church for the morning thanksgiving; the thoughts that confused him were revealed by St. to the old man. Having tested Martinian with obediences, Rev. Kirill allowed him to live in a special cell, but kept a watchful eye on his spiritual life. Once Martinian went from church to the cell of one brother. “Why are you violating the rules of the monastery?” – Kirill told him. “Having entered my cell, I doubt that I would want to leave it; and I needed to be in my brother’s cell,” answered Martinian. “Go first to your cell to say the proper prayer there, and the cell will teach you everything,” said St. old man 133. At the request of St. Hegumen Martinian was ordained as a hierodeacon and then as a hieromonk. Rev. Kirill loved the blessed one. Martiniana. This aroused envy in others, which stung Martinian with insult; Martinian endured. By the will of Rev. Kirill, Martinian copied books for him. And the abbot assigned such obedience to only two disciples: Christopher and Martinian. The canon decommissioned by Martinian is still intact in the monastery. His afterword is especially precious: it shows what feelings Martinian’s soul breathed. Here it is: “in 1423, September 1, this soul-helping book was written in the monastery of the Most Pure Mother of God, with the blessing of the lord, elder Kirill, hegumen, to the glory of the Holy Trinity, amen. ABOUT! God's Chosen Virgin! ABOUT! God-blessed youth! ABOUT! Mistress of the world, Most Pure Mother of God! in Your worldwide prayers to the Son and God, remember, O merciful Lady, also me, a sinner, who wrote this with an unworthy hand. Christ is the beginning and end of every good deed. To him be glory forever and ever, amen. Lord Jesus Christ! Save the one who wrote and the one who has to read. Mister Elder Onuphry, create love, remember in your holy prayers the sinful Martinian, a false monk, not a true one.” 134 After the death of St. Kirill, 1427, blessed. Martinian retired for silence to the deserted island of Lake Vozha. When the brethren began to gather here for him, he created the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and introduced the rite of the community. The brethren of the Ferapont Hermitage, orphaned by Ferapont’s call to Mozhaisk, begged the reverend. Martiniana to accept the abbess over them; The monk submitted to the call of love. The surviving monuments represent the care of Abbot Martinian about the Ferapontov monastery: from 1435 and for 12 years, he brought the Ferapontov monastery to such a flourishing state that it was long called the Martinian monastery. The son of Prince Mozhaisky, Prince Mikhail Andreevich, who lived in Belozerye, helped Martinian a lot with the means to maintain and decorate the monastery 135. Most of all, Martinian elevated the monastery by strictly maintaining monastic rules. As bees flock to honey flowers, so laymen and monks flocked to Martinian to listen to his instructions and see life organized according to his holy thoughts. When Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich the Dark decided to seek for himself the Moscow throne, which had been taken away by violence from Shemyaka, he received the blessing of St. Martinian and fell in love with St. old man Having ascended the Moscow throne, the grateful Prince Vasily summoned Martinian to himself and entrusted him with the abbess of the monastery of St. Sergius. The name of Martinian, abbot of Trinity, was the first among the abbots in the charter of the Moscow Cathedral on December 29, 1447, by which Shemyak was excommunicated for bloody unrest if he did not repent 136. The monk sincerely loved the peace of his homeland, but he valued the truth and spoke about the truth to everyone, without thinking about his own peace. Grand Duke Vasily instructed Martinian to persuade the nobleman, who had retired to the Tver prince, to return to Moscow, so that he would not only be forgiven, but also be awarded honors. The boyar obeyed the monk, but instead of honor he was imprisoned. Hearing about this, Martinian immediately appeared to the Grand Duke and said to his spiritual son: “Is this your righteous judgment, Grand Duke?! You sold my sinful soul, depriving the one to whom I vouched for freedom with my soul. You broke your word. May my weak blessing not be on you and your reign.” And after that he left the prince, mounted his horse and returned to the monastery. The Grand Duke realized his sin. In the ears of his boyars, he said, as if angry: “Judge, boyars, what did the swamp monk do to me? He came to my palace and took God’s blessing from me.” The boyars did not understand what this meant. The Grand Duke added: “I am guilty before God, my friends! I forgot my word and acted unfairly; let's go to St. Trinity, to Rev. Sergius and Blessed Martinian to receive forgiveness." Following this, he freed the boyar and showered him with favors, and then went to the monastery of St. Sergius. Here, a delighted Martinian came out with all the brethren to meet the Grand Duke. But the monastery, close to the capital, weighed heavily on the hermit; he recalled to himself the words of his mentor, the reverend. Kirill: “It is good for a monk to remain silent and non-covetous and to avoid everything that can disturb the senses.” On the other hand, he wanted to complete the establishment of internal order in his beloved Ferapont monastery. And in 1455 Martinian said goodbye to the brethren of the Lavra. At the Ferapontov Monastery they received Martinian with great joy, as an angel of God, and begged him (hegumen Philotheus was among those who begged) to take over the management of the monastery again. He established a rite of monastic life here, taking one from the rules of the Cyril monastery, and another from the order of Sergius. People rushed to come to the elder of high spiritual experience for advice, and he taught them with love. The dear student of the great Cyril and interlocutor of Ferapont told his listeners many edifying things from their lives. This is how the biography writer Saint Pachomius listened to him, who spoke of him with praise as a man of high spiritual life 137. Rev. Martinian reached old age. But even in his decrepit old age he did not abandon either his cell rule or the service of the church. When he could no longer walk due to decrepitude, he was carried to church - such was his fidelity to his vows! Having received Holy Communion Tain, he died at the age of 86, January 12, 1483. 30 years later, when they wanted to bury his friend, the archbishop of Joasaph, next to him, the body of the monk was found completely incorrupt, even with clothes, although the coffin was filled with water. His relics now rest hidden in a church named after him 138. Above his tomb there is an ancient icon depicting the true appearance of the Monk Martinian; here is also the walnut crutch of the venerable abbot; but the monastery, unfortunately, has been closed since 1798 139. † Memory of Rev. Galaktiona In the handwritten calendar we read: “The Monk Galaktion the Holy Fool was in the Ferapontov Monastery.” Blazh. Galaktion was a student of Rev. Martiniana; he lived in his cell, and when the monk, due to his decrepitude, could no longer go to church himself, Galaktion carried him to church. The Monk Martinian, knowing the mood of his soul and his secret exploits, blessed him, according to his desire, to play the fool. Galaktion achieved high perfection through secret exploits. One day the brethren entered the newly built table and began to praise it; “It’s good, but short-lived,” said Galaktion. The next day the meal was burned. One brother’s cell caught fire, and the flames spread throughout the monastery. The blessed one was staying here then. Joasaph, Archbishop of Rostov, formerly Prince Obolensky. When the flames of the fire engulfed Joasaph's cell, he grieved that one dear thing belonging to the monastery would perish in it. Galaktion, hearing that this was the property of the monastery, made the sign of the cross, rushed into the burning cell, took the thing out of there and said to the saint: “Here it is, don’t worry, why bother about something empty?” The bell tower was in danger of fire; outsiders who had come running wanted to remove the bells, but Galaktion drove everyone away with the words: “this will not burn.” And sure enough, the bell tower remained intact 140. This was before the death of the Monk Martinian, in 1483 141. Blessed Galaktion, after his mentor, lived for more than 20 years in the monastery, serving as an example of strict life and at times strengthening those who were weakened. One of the brothers was weighed down by despondency and wanted to leave the monastery. Galaktion came to him, sat down on the threshold of his cell and said: “What is this, brother, are you planning? You cannot escape from excitement, even if you move away from us: nowhere can you avoid the temptations of the enemy" 142. In 1505, the new Grand Duke Vasily sent his brother, Prince Dimitri, with an army against Kazan; rumors about this reached the Ferapont monastery; This news was reported to Galaktion. “And many more times Prince Vasily will bother about Kazan, but everything will be unsuccessful; a son, Ivan, will be born, and he will take possession of the Kazan kingdom.” These words were noticed in the monastery; Therefore, from year to year they waited for the birth of their son Ivan. But since they did not see the conquest of Kazan for a long time even after Galaktionova’s death, they assumed that Galaktion’s words were the words of a holy fool, without any special meaning. 24 years later, Prince Ivan was born (1630), and after another 23 years, Kazan was taken. It was then that they became convinced that Galaktion’s words were an accurate history of the future 143. Blessed Galaktion foresaw his death and told the brethren about it; his colleague Savva mourned the separation from him. “Don’t worry, we’ll see you in eight days,” Galaktion said. And exactly, 8 days after the blessed Galaktion, Savva also died. The death of the saint followed in 1506 144 Memory of St. Sava, Archbishop of Serbia St. Sava, Archbishop of Serbia The great zupan of Serbia, Stefan Nemanja, had two sons - Stefan and Volkan, but the parents wanted to have another son, and through their prayer their son Rostislav was born 145. The desired son was given an excellent education; in the 15th year, Rostislav received control of the special region of Herzegovina, which was later called the Duchy of St. Sava 146. When he was 17, his parents were preparing to marry him. But the son had no desires for worldly life - his soul languished in boredom amid the noise of the world. It happened that when he arrived to his parents, a Russian monk from Athos, from a Russian monastery, came to their house, always open to strangers. The cheerful parents gave feasts on the occasion of a meeting with their beloved son, and they called the monk into a secluded room and asked about the life of Athos. When the monk spoke about the quiet life of the prayer books - about their exploits and hopes for eternity, tears flowed from Rostislav, and he said to the monk: “Now I understand what my soul desired, so dissatisfied with the vanity of the world. Happy are those whom God has brought to lead a serene life in the desert. “But what to do,” he added, “with parents who love me so much?” They are ready to marry me, but I am afraid that married life, fun and worldly hustle and bustle will extinguish all the best in me.” The monk said that a firm determination to do good is needed. Rostislav asked to go hunting; Having sent servants to conduct a raid, he, with several devotees and a monk, hurried to Athos. The father, having heard the news about Rostislav, realized that he and the monk had retired to Athos. Calling upon a reliable governor, the sad father said: “Have you experienced the disease of love for children? Prove to me your loyalty - return my Rostislav to me.” Having entrusted him with a squad of young people, he wrote to the governor of Thessalonica that he would take revenge with war if his son was not returned to him from Athos. The governor and the squad hurried to the eparch with a letter and received a letter from him to the prot of the mountain. Arriving on Athos, through questioning they found out that Rostislav was in a Russian monastery, and they went straight to that monastery. The prince privately asked the governor not to prevent him from donning monasticism, promising to write a letter to his father later. “No,” the old man answered, “and don’t ask me to do that, I must be faithful to my father,” and he ordered not to take his eyes off the prince. Rostislav spoke with the abbot. The voivode and the squad were treated with complete cordiality, and after that everyone went to the all-night service. The long service, after a quick trip and a hearty meal, made the old man and young comrades doze off and even fall into a deep sleep in the comfortable seats. Rostislav and the elder hieromonk quietly left the church, and in the monastery tower the prince made monastic vows in the name of Savva 147. The vigil ended. The guards, who overslept the prince, raised a noise and a terrible alarm. Savva let it be known from the tower window that the matter was over and it was a shame to disturb the innocent. “Here,” he said to the elder governor, “my clothes and my hair, deliver to my parents these monuments of my past”; then he handed the letter to his parents. This was in 1186. The Vatopedi monks, having invited Savva to the church festival of the Annunciation, convinced him to stay in their monastery 148. Some time later, Savva asked the abbot’s blessing to visit the hermits of the mountain in order to receive blessings and advice from them. After visiting the Lavra of St. Athanasius, Savva climbed to the top of Mount Athos. Here I spent several days and nights in prayer. Visiting hermits, Savva learned about their lives and was enlivened by their high feat. “Although,” says the descriptor of his life, “one cannot call these fathers Angels, because they had flesh, they were truly men of God. They were free from everything: they were not engaged in either agriculture or trade; Their occupation was prayers, tears, constant aspiration of the mind to God; the open sky was their church; They matured Christ in their hearts; their cramped cells were decorated only with grass; their ears were filled with the noise of trees and the singing of birds. Others hid in rock crevices; others, like birds, nested on the rocks of the sea, enduring rain and winds, scorched by the heat in summer, enduring cold in winter; their food was the most meager; some took a little bread, others were content with fruits and wild plants.” Such a life of hermits delighted Savva. He wanted to live as a hermit, but the abbot did not allow him, explaining that a hermit’s life was not safe for a young monk; a hostel would be more beneficial for him. Savva obeyed the advice of experience. In Vatopedi he became a model of obedience, ready to serve everyone; He served the brethren during the day and spent the night in prayer; ate only bread; wore only a hair shirt, enduring the cold of winter; walked barefoot. The old father sent a lot of money and supplies to support his son. Savva, with the blessing of the abbot, went barefoot to distribute to the hermits some of the things he had sent. Near Nilopotamus, robbers attacked him and took everything. The blessed one expressed grief that the detainee would not be able to get where he needed to go. They asked: “Who is he and where is he from?” Savva called himself a disciple of Elder Macarius, who was famous on Mount Athos. They returned to Savva what they had taken. And he hurried to Macarius. Then he was with alms in the Lavra of St. Athanasius. The grateful abbot ordered him to be taken to the monastery by boat. Here unkind people attacked again, and Savva was saved from them by the elder’s cunning. With the money of his parents, Savva built cells and three churches in Vatopedi and covered the cathedral with tin. The father wrote to his son twice, asking him to visit his parents. The son wrote to his father: “Part with earthly wealth, so illusory, with the blessings of the world, vain and fragile; take the way of the cross; move in with me and, freed from vanity, prepare yourself for eternity with prayer and fasting. You have been awarded the earthly kingdom by the grace of God, and through the humility of monastic life you will achieve the heavenly crown. I will live with you, and with your love you will save my soul from sorrows. My good mother will follow your example in her own country. I pray that my words will not be painful for you, as they were for the famous young man.” Father and mother took a vow of monasticism in the same church, the Studenitsa monastery. Father Simeon moved to his son’s cell, and the son surrounded his elder father with the most tender care until his death (1200). At the insistence of the pious archpriest Dometius, Savva assumed the title of abbot of the Hilandar monastery, restored from ruins by the generosity of his parent. Savva took over Hilandar with fear: there were few brethren. But zealots of piety came to the zealous servant of God. Having protected the monastery from the needs of temporary deposits, the monk gave the monastery a charter to protect moral life. “Our venerable and God-bearing fathers,” writes Savva at the beginning of the charter, “left the world according to the words of the Lord: whoever wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after Me (Mark 8:34). Striving to fulfill the commandments, they sighed day and night for the salvation of their souls, willingly endured suffering and needs, out of love for Him they crucified and killed themselves every day by obedience and cutting off their will. And I, sinful Savva, the last of all monks, I pray to you, beloved in Christ, my spiritual brothers and fathers, let us imitate those merchants who exchanged the temporary for the eternal. Be jealous of the wise virgins who filled the lamps with oil.” Using the words of Scripture, having shown the need for patience (James 1:2-4), good deeds (James 2:19-24) and love for others (John 1:4-7; 6, 16-21, 5:1-3), the mentor continues: “love one another, submit to one another, bear one another’s burdens, all with one mind obey the superior.” The Rule of Saint Sava embraced both the order of God's service and the order of life and government of the monastery. Hilandar must be sociable. The monks were not allowed to have any property, not even one copper coin. Food should be used in a common meal and nothing edible should be kept in cells. For the first time, a person entering the monastery receives monastic clothes, and then he is given money; every day the brethren must confess their sins to the abbot, if he is also a confessor. The abbot must teach one and all the ways of salvation. Those who feel free from unclean thoughts, from anger, murmuring, and remembrance can partake of the Holy Mysteries three times a week. Otherwise, let them start once a week. However, this is decided by the confessor. Near the monastery, Savva built a hotel to receive strange, poor and sick people; the monastery must provide them with food and clothing 149. Having brought Hilandar into complete order, the monk wanted to fulfill his long-standing desire - to live in silence. Back in 1193, “the prayer book of all faithful peasants, Savva the sinner,” with a charter, bought a place for the Kareyskaya typica 150. Several cells were built there for the Hilandar brethren for those occasions when they came to Kareya for needs. Savva built for himself a cell with an iconostasis in the name of Savva the Sanctified 151. Here he was imprisoned with three brothers who were supposed to perform a church service. Here he intensified his feats of fasting and prayer, contrition for sins and humility; spiritual passions were calmed by the memory of death. However, whether someone showed up in spiritual need or talked about poverty and sudden misfortune, Savva was ready to provide all possible help for everyone. He also wrote a charter for the Karei hermit life 152. The Monk Savva earnestly prayed to the Lord that information about his father would be given to him. And one night Simeon appeared to him in the face of the saints, shining with glory; the one who appeared promised his son a similar blessed fate, but said that he still had a lot to do for Serbia. Serbia was then in a sad situation. Stephen's father left him as successor to the throne. The ambitious brother Vulcan, with the help of the Hungarians, took Dalmatia and Dioclea from Stephen and declared himself king. Stefan was left with Serbia alone with the title of Great Jupan. But his enemies wanted to take away his last possessions. Stefan wrote to his brother Sava, asking him to transfer the relics of their holy father to Serbia to save the Serbian land. Saint Sava could not remain indifferent to the sorrow of his brother and the disasters of his homeland. Vulcan, in order to achieve his vain goals, submitted to the pope; in his possessions there was a cathedral under the order of the legates of the pope and some rules of the Western Church were adopted. The Pope urged the Hungarian king to introduce the Roman faith into Serbia 153. Savva, ordained an archimandrite in Thessaloniki, transferred the relics of his holy father to the Studenitsa monastery. On the day of his memory, he asked the Lord for an abundant outpouring of peace from the relics of Simeon and in a strong word showed the people the will of God for eternal salvation. Yielding to his brother’s requests, he remained in the Studenitsa monastery. To revive sincere piety among the people, he set out to preach the word of God throughout the country. His preaching had all the more power over the hearts of people because one paralyzed man received complete healing through his prayer. The consequence of this was that the pope's plans to introduce Romanism in Serbia remained unsuccessful 154. According to the convictions of Saint Sava, quarrels ceased between the brothers and peace was established. The monk wrote a charter for the Studenitsa monastery 155. Bored by the noise and honors, the monk, despite his brother’s requests, returned to the Hilandar monastery. The Hilandar monks joyfully met their venerable father. From time to time the saint retired to his favorite Kareya cell for deep silence. The needs of Athos forced Savva to go to the king and patriarch. In Constantinople at that time the papezhniki already ruled, or, more precisely, went on a rampage. The king and patriarch were in Nicaea. Tsar Theodore Laskar was related to the ruling house of Serbia: his daughter was born to Radoslav, the nephew of Saint Sava. The emperor received the saint with all his love; everything that Savva asked for was done for Athos. He was about to return to his solitude when the idea came to him to take advantage of the opportunity to ask for mercy for Serbia. Calling on the Lord for help, he proposed to the king a petition that the patriarch consecrate one of the Serbs, his companions, as an archbishop, on the idea that a Serb shepherd could be more useful for Serbia than a foreigner. The pious Theodore happily agreed, but added: “I want to see the brother you have chosen, does my soul favor him? He must be a special person on whom such a lot will fall.” Savva introduced all the companions. “All your brothers,” said the king, “are good, but I cannot trust anyone with a high rank; my soul is disposed towards you alone.” The humble Savva did not want to hear about it. The Tsar and the Patriarch persuaded him for a long time, and Savva barely agreed to their desire out of obedience. On the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Savva was consecrated archbishop by the patriarch. After that, the new saint decided to ask for mercy for Serbia. “Complete your mercies, sir,” said Savva. “Let the Council of Bishops of Serbia grant the right in words and on paper to ordain the Archbishop of Serbia.” The saint explained both that this would be in accordance with the Apostolic rules, and especially that during military storms, so frequent in sad times, it is difficult to come from Serbia to consecrate an archbishop. Both the tsar and the patriarch were burdened by such a request: they wanted the Serbian Church to remain completely subordinate to the patriarch. Meetings on this matter took place for a long time. Finally, the desired patriarchal charter was issued 156. Upon his return from Nicaea, the saint, bidding farewell to Athos, set off for Serbia. Brother Stefan lay sick and sent his sons to meet the saint at the border of his possessions. Having visited the sick man, the archbishop blessed the water, gave it to drink and sprinkled it on the sick man, and the sick man felt light and soon became healthy. The archbishop's chair was established in Zhichi, where a magnificent cathedral had been started by his father. Although the church was not yet finished, the saint, having decorated its interior with icons, consecrated the throne and then ordained his chosen disciples as bishops of Serbia 157. According to his thoughts, all the zhupans of Serbia were convened, and in their presence Stefan was crowned king. The next day, during the Liturgy after the Gospel, he himself read the Creed, and after him everyone repeated it, from the king to the last subject. In the next two days, he offered various instructions to the people and concluded the teaching with these words: “neither a good life without right faith can bring us benefit, nor right faith without good deeds will lead us to God.” The saint then took measures against illegal cohabitation. Among the people, many married people lived without priestly consecration. The priests are ordered to marry all unmarried people in the church. The saint himself surveyed his flock, urging the people to lead a life worthy of Christians; He gathered the monks who lived on their own in the form of hermitages, but without the rule of the hermitage, into hostels and subjected them to the rules. Among the nobles there were still those who held heresies, and he convinced them to unite with the Church, promising the mercy of the king 158. When the Hungarian king, jealous of the rise of the Serbian king, declared war on Serbia, the patriot-shepherd went to Hungary and, after exhortations, by the power of a miracle, persuaded the king to peace and the right faith 159. After the death of his brother, Saint Savva went to the East to venerate the holy places consecrated by the feet of the Savior. He did not leave a single place in the Holy Land that he had not visited; visited all the monastic deserts. In the monastery of Sava the Sanctified, he received an expensive gift - the rod of the Sanctified, which is kept to this day according to his will on Athos 160. On his way back he was in Nicaea. Emperor John Vatatsi accepted and released him with honors to Athos. Arriving at the department, he performed a year-long commemoration of his brother-king and was consoled by the incorruption of his body. The saint tried to pacify the enmity that arose between his nephews. Radoslav, lured into bad deeds by a bad woman, was forced to flee Serbia. The saint crowned Vladislav into the kingdom in 1230. Under the watchful supervision of Saint Sava, piety flourished in Serbia. Every holiday he offered a lesson in the temple: he urged the nobles not to forget about death, the soldiers to beware of self-will, and the people not to resume pagan fun. In the monasteries he introduced all the best that he saw in the East. To build and decorate churches, he summoned the best icon painters and masters of marble work from the East 161. In his letter the saint wrote: “The Savior said to us: I will glorify those who glorify Me; Whoever confesses Me before men, I will also proclaim him before My Heavenly Father (see: Matthew 10:32). The Christ-loving Hilarion, the holy Bishop of Zeta, following the words of the Savior, took up many labors in his priesthood. Appointed by me as a saint of the Zeta region, he first of all tried to teach people the Divine law. Then he built a house of God in the town of Vranino, a church in honor of our venerable father Nicholas, settled the monks there to praise God and gave the holy place under my protection. I, the Archbishop of the Serbian land, give a commandment in the name of the Lord Almighty and in the name of my humility: let that sacred place under my successors, the archbishops, not turn into a metohia (monastery) of the archbishop or for another work purpose... Let the brethren themselves choose an elder for themselves and only receive the blessing of the archbishop” 162. The Serbian people called Saint Sava the enlightener of Serbia. And not in vain. Traveling through the Serbian country, the saint instilled in it piety, which survived the storms of centuries among the people. To this day, many pious, truly Christian customs, planted by the enlightener of Serbia, still remain among the Serbian people. The biographer of St. Stefan Lazarevich writes about the Serbs of his time: “from a young age, everyone, from young to old, was accustomed to visit the church of God twice a day.” It would be a sin for a Serb to promise something without adding: “if the Lord wills.” The traveler is not asked: “Where are you going?” Omitting his will, they say: “If God wills, what?” First of all, the will and glory of God. Before drinking wine, a Serb will always say: “To the glory of God.” Until the New Year, from the first day of the Nativity of Christ, when they meet, they say to each other: “Christ was born” and “truly born.” During the three days of the holiday, everyone can come to someone else’s house and eat and drink as much as they want. Joy in Christ has prepared everything. How many other beautiful customs still live among the people, despite the oppressive darkness of Mohammedanism 163. The saint was approaching the end of his earthly journey. Having chosen the proven monk Arseny as his successor, at a meeting of bishops he ordained him to the rank of hierarch and entrusted him with managing the affairs of the archdiocese in his place; he announced that he was going to the East. The king's nephew and all the others restrained him, but he said that he wished to visit Sinai and then, if the Lord willed, to live in silence. King Vladislav, who first began to cultivate Serbian mines in the mountains of Serbia and thereby enriched Serbia 164, brought rich gifts to the saint for the churches of the East. Savva went by sea. A storm arose; all companions expected death. The saint prayed; then, raising his hands, he made the sign of the cross over the sea, and the waves subsided. In Jerusalem he talked with Patriarch Athanasius and went to Alexandria. Having prayed in the churches of St. Mark and the martyr Menas, with the patriarchal guide he visited the fathers of Mareot and Libya and was in Thebaid. At Sinai he worshiped the place of the Vision of God; He stayed here throughout Lent. Returning to Jerusalem, from here he traveled to Antioch and to the monastery of Simeon the Divnogorets; through Armenia he arrived in Bulgaria to visit a relative, Prince Yasen. Having become ill, he said that he would die in Ternov, and ordered the relics he had collected to be sent to Archbishop Arseny in Serbia. Then, having received the Holy Mysteries, he said: “Glory to God for everything,” and gave up his spirit to the Lord. Patriarch Joachim with the bishops and abbots performed the funeral singing, and the holy body was laid (January 14) in the new princely church of 40 martyrs 165. Six months after the burial, through strong requests, King Vladislav persuaded Yasen to give up the relics of St. Sava to his homeland, and they were solemnly transferred to the Mileshevsky monastery, built by Vladislav 166. In 1595, the savage vizier Syanan, having taken Mileshevo, committed the holy relics to fire, but the execution of God befell the proud fanatic. Hitherto happy in the war, he was defeated by the weak Serbs and, defeated a second time by the Transylvanian ban, shamefully ended his life. At the place where the relics of the monk lay, the sick received healing after that 167. Saint Sava is depicted on ancient Serbian icons with a long brown beard 168. Rev. Theodora of Alexandria The holy virgin Theodora labored in Alexandria; According to the monuments it is called Alexandria. According to her instructions, it is more than likely that she was the abbess of a community of virgins. According to her words, it is clear that she lived at a time when the Alexandrian Church was ruled by Archbishop Theophilus 169. Between the letters of Saint Isidore of Pelusiot, who lived during the time of Theophilus and Cyril of Alexandria, there is a letter to the Alexandrian nuns of sandals (σανδαλαριαις). This name means that the nuns of Blessed Theodora wore sandals on their feet, while the Thebaid hermits walked barefoot. “The female sex,” the monk wrote, “has no right to leniency: it can courageously resist seduction and repel attacks of desires. This is taught by the glorious Susanna, the daughter of Jephaah, and the amazing Judith... And the head of women’s victories and trophies, the all-praised Thekla, who stood as an unchanging pillar of virginity, like a fire, kindled among the waves of passions, sailed to a safe harbor. If you want to be such, keep the lamps unquenched: the Bridegroom will come soon. Let not any sleep of voluptuousness lull you, which leaves the drowsy and careless outside the doors of the bridal chamber" 170. Blessed Theodora cheerfully awaited the Heavenly Bridegroom, vigilantly watched over the states of her soul, not allowing the power of sin over her. According to the monuments, the name of Saint Theodora the generous remains behind her. This means that she was distinguished in life by her special love for deeds of mercy. Through the exploits of many years, she achieved high spiritual experience, so that her instructions were written down and went into a book of spiritual advice. She invited us to choose the narrow path indicated by the Savior as the path necessary for spiritual improvement. “Try,” she said, “to enter through the narrow gate. If the trees were not exposed to the pressure of winds, rain and cold in cold times, they would not bear fruit in the summer. Earthly life with its hardships is our winter. If you do not endure sorrows and trials, do not expect peace beyond the grave.” “The benefits of a solitary life are invaluable, especially for young virgins and hermits. But you need to strictly monitor yourself so as not to drown in laziness or despondency. Under the pretext of desired spiritual peace, they indulge in physical peace and end up in spiritual troubles; a feeling of fatigue appears, the knees relax, and now one disease or another appears. “I’m sick,” they say, “I can’t read the prescribed prayers.” But the point is that they don’t stimulate themselves to be firm. One monk, when the hour of prayer approached, felt fever and pain in his head. Once he says to himself: “Yes, I feel bad; I’ll probably die: let me get up and pray to God more diligently than usual.” So he forced himself to stand in prayer and read the prescribed prayers. It turned out that he had not yet finished his prayers when he felt light, and when he read, all his illness disappeared. After that, he began to fight evil laziness in the same way, and every time he felt fresh and healthy after prayer.” “A Christian, talking with a Manichaean, who insisted that the body is a source of evil and the work of a demon, answered him intelligently: subject your body to Christian mortification, and make sure that the body was created by God.” “One respected man,” she also said, “was showered with cruel abuse. After listening to the abuse, he answered calmly: “I could answer you with the same abuse, but Christ’s law stops my mouth.” “Neither vigils nor physical labors will bring us to salvation if there is no humility in the soul.” There was a holy hermit who drove out spirits from those possessed by demons. Once he asked the demon what drives him away, isn’t it fasting? “No,” he answered, “and we are fasting.” Isn't it a vigil? "No; you know that we don’t sleep and are very active.” Isn't life a desert? "No; and we walk through deserts.” What virtue is it that drives you out? “Humility defeats us, we do not tolerate humility,” he answered. “You see,” Theodora continued, “humility is the virtue that gives us victory over evil spirits.” She did not allow anyone to leave her cell because of temptation. “Temptations,” she said, “will follow us everywhere. The hermit, tormented by temptation, was getting ready to go on the road to leave his cell. But suddenly he sees that someone in human form is putting on sandals and says to him - perhaps you are leaving here for my sake; but I assure you that I walk faster than you, and wherever you go, you will find me. You see, he also laughed at the inexperienced hermit.” This is a wonderful lesson given by the saint for those in charge! “Whoever does not know how,” she said, “to lead other souls to salvation, let him give up the thought of being in charge. The boss should not harbor any pride or desire for power. He should not be the toy of flattery and should not be dazzled by gifts. The boss must be meek, full of humility, patient; he must be strictly honest and straightforward; should be, by the way, condescending and, at one time, strict. His love should take care of others as he cares for himself” 171. Saint Theodora died around 415 172. RKP. life of Martinian Ave. in b. Sergius Lavra. Literature review § 121. Pakhomievo RCP. life of Kirill. See Shevyrev's trip to Kirillov Monastery. 2, 17, 18, M. 1850. For example, in gram. March. 1 day 1484 Grigory Perkhutkov gives his villages and fields to the “Most Pure Mother of God in the Martinian Hermitage.” Legal act. No. 122. Prince Mikhail Andreevich in the name of abbot. Martiniana gave letters: to one in 1435 he gave the Krokhinskaya village to the Ferapontov monastery, to the other he approved its lands for the monastery. Legal act. No. 5. Three other letters to the Ferapontov Monastery in the name of the abbot. Martinian (1437, 1438 and 1440) in the act. 9. 1. 24. 28. 31. East. act. 1, 75, Karamz. 5. pr. 350. Pachomius says that about St. Cyril “he heard from eyewitnesses of his life, but he received the most reliable information from his disciple Martinian, who was the abbot of the glorious Sergius Monastery.” East. Hier. 6, 851, 854. Novgorod. letop. (Sofia b. No. 560): “in l. 6991 (1483) Rev. reposed. Martinian the Wonderworker January 12th – student of the Rev. Cyril the Wonderworker, and lies in the Ferapontov Monastery.” Between the manuscripts of Rev. Philaret, according to the inventory of 1630, “the canon and life of Martinian of Belozersky.” Ivanova's inventory of the state. archive, p. 293. M. 1849 West. geographical total 1854, part 12, pp. 135. 136, 141. So says the writer of the life of St. Martiniana. Degree. book 1, 175, 176. Sl. collection l. 6, 245. “I did not compose the life based on rumor alone, but I received a lot from the disciples of the blessed one, who fasted and wandered with him, who set out what they knew on paper... I offer not fiction for praise, but the exact truth, so as not to offend him with unnecessary praise,” says the Hilandar hieromonk Dometian in his description of the life of St. Savva. On Mount Athos, a list of Dometian's descriptions, written by the monk Theodulus in 1336 (Grigorovich V. Essay on the journey? p. 291). The list of the Serbian Patriarchate says that the life of St. Savva was compiled and copied by Hieromonk Dometian, who was in the “silent chamber” in Kareia, in l. 6762 (1254) and sent it as a gift to King Stefan Urosh. See: Russian conversation. M., 1858; Kazansky P. Life of Saint Sava, the first Archbishop of Serbia // Additions to the publication of the works of the saints. fathers. Part 8.; Dometian. Life of St. Savva. Belgrade, 1860. Ducatus. s. Sabbat. Zap. geogr. total XIIІ, 311. {Notes of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. T. XIII (hereinafter - Notes of the Geographical Society. - Ed.).} This pier-tower is still visible in the ruins of the old monastery, two hours away from the current one. About the Russian monastery, see: Collected works and letters of Svyatogorets to his friends about Holy Mount Athos, Palestine and Russian holy places, pp. 46–53. St. Petersburg, 1865. Monuments of the most ancient monasteries of Athos: Antonin (Kapustin), archimandrite. Notes from a devotee of the Holy Mountain. K., pp. 38–40, 242–243. 1864 (hereinafter referred to as Antonin (Kapustin), archimandrite. Notes from a fan of the Holy Mountain. – Ed.). This circumstance, sad for Rusik and not entirely worthy of Vatopedi, was aptly clarified by a fan of the Holy Mountain: Antonin (Kapustin), Archimandrite. Notes of a devotee of the Holy Mountain, p. 353. K. 1864. The Charter of Savva, given to Hilandar, is inscribed as follows: “an indication of the life in the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, betrayed by the sinful and humble monk Savva” (Porfiry (Uspensky). Index of acts stored in the monastery of Mount Athos, p. 15. // Journal of the Ministry of Public Education. St. Petersburg, 1847. Part LV (hereinafter – Porfiry (Uspensky). Index of acts. – Ed.)). One cannot help but regret that now in Hilandar, against the will of the saint, there is no community life, and the Greeks predominate. The admirer of the Mountain (p. 306) signed the act of Rusik in 1427 “hegumen of illumination and the royal great monasteries of Hilantar, hieromonk Gregory” (Antonin (Kapustin), archimandrite. Notes of an admirer of the Holy Mountain). Even under Barsky there was still an abbot in Hilandar. Charter of 1193, see: Grigorovich V. Travel sketch, page 57. The inscription above the royal doors with the meaning 1195 (see: Prokhorov V.A. Russian Antiquities: In 2 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1871–1877) (1865, p. 144). In Karey, Savva’s cell and handwritten charter are still intact. Signature under the charter: “the last of all Savva is a sinner” (see: IORYAS. T. VII; Porfiry (Uspensky). Index of acts). (Izv. academic. VII, 206. Porphyria index, p. 15). The contents of the charter of the typical church are shown in some detail by Svyatogorets in his letters (see: Collected works and letters of Svyatogorets to his friends about Mount Athos, Palestine and Russian holy places. In 4 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1865). Ep. Innocentii, lib. 2, ep. 176, 178. Raynaldus. Annales ad an. 1202 n. 9. Raynaldus. Annales ad. an. 1204. Known acad. VII, 206 (IORYAS. T. VII). Dometian does not name the patriarch who consecrated Savva, but only says that the letter of rights was sent to the patriarch. Herman. Herman ascended the department only in 1226, and the imp. Theodore died in 1221. Therefore, the dedication of Savva could not be under the patriarch. Herman. The prologue dates the dedication of Sava to 1214, and Patr. Dositheus - by 1218. According to the Serbian chronicles of St. Savva was dedicated in 1219. Glasnik I, 164. XI, 145 (Glasnik Srpsk. scientific drushtva. Book 1; 11 (hereinafter - Glasnik. - Ed.)). On the rights of the archbishop, see: Acta Sanctorum. Ian. d. 14 p.m. 980; Dositheus II (Notara), Patr. History of the Jerusalem Patriarchs. Bucharest, 1715, 2, 817 (hereinafter - Dositheus II, Patr. History of the Jerusalem Patriarchs. - Ed.); Nikon. l. 2, 282. According to the list of departments of the imp. Leo (886–897) in the metropolis of Dirachia (Drachi) bishops: 1) Stefaniak, 2) Khunovsky, 3) Kroysky, 4) Elisky, 5) Diokleysky, 6) Skordsky... Glavnitsky or Acroceravian,.. Cherniksky... 15) Gradicsky r. 49, 50. ed. Tafel. According to the chronicles, the places where the saints were placed are not shown in the same places. Savva bishops, although everywhere it is said that 12 bishops were ordained (Glasnik, 1, 164. V, 37. XI, 46. (Book 1, 5, 11)). Dometian says: “We have discussed with the nobles where and in which countries bishops will be installed.” Then it says: “from their disciples, they are worthy and similar to those in knowledge, these bishops are illuminated.” Under Archbishop Eustathius, the following bishops were present at the councils (in Grigorovich V. Travel Essay, 41, 46): 1) Zetsky (having a pulpit at the Church of the Archangel Michael); 2) Rashsky (in the new Pazar at the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul); 3) Zvechansky (in the monastery of St. George); 4) Khvostinsky (in the Studenetsk Lavra); 5) Kholmsky (in Zakholmiya, in the Monastery of the Mother of God); 6) Prizren (in the monastery of Our Lady, on the border of Macedonia and Albania); 7) Toplichsky (at the Church of St. Nicholas); 8) Budimla (in Budimla on Morača, above Spuzh, at the Church of St. George); 9) Liplyansky (in the monastery of Our Lady of Gracanica, about which Oct. 30, pr. 17); 10) Skopski (neighboring Prizren); 11) Bebrsky (at the Church of St. Nicholas, about which Oct. 30, pr. 17); 12) Maravichsky (in the Rudnitsa district at the Church of St. Achilus). Under the archbishop. Nicodemus (from 1318) you also see (see: V. Grigorovich. Essay on the journey, 48) bishops: Branichevsky (in Branichev, at the confluence of the Mlava with the Danube, at the Church of St. Nicholas) and Machsky (on the Sava and at the confluence of the Drina with the Sava). Stefan Milyutin established a bishopric “at Rasia on the warm waters in Bansk”, at the Church of St. Nicholas; Daniel was bishop here, later archbishop. The following bishops are also mentioned in the Sopocan memorial: White Church (Belgorod), Zvorniksky, Sremsky, Vuchetrsky (replacing Bansky), Novobrodsky, Smederevsky, Rudnichsky, Pozhegsky, Bosansky, Khersogovsky, Temishversky, Vershachsky (Notes of the Geographical Society. T. XIII, 152, 153). What kind of heresies remained after Nemanja is not said in Dometian’s legend. A later chronicler summarizes Dometian’s news as follows: “If those who were baptized into the Latin heresy fell, he himself uttered a prayer to the world, anointing them and lamenting them back. But these are not punished for this, Tsar Stephen commanded his brother to expel them with dishonor from his fatherland and not allow them to grow thorns in the place of grapes” (Glasnik. X, 36). But the Latins lived in Serbia and under Dushan. So, it was not these people that Dometian had in mind when he spoke about Sava’s feat in relation to heresies. Most likely, these were the remnants of the Arians and Bogomils. This is also stated in the Russian Chronicles. See: Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian State. Volume IV, approx. 84, 388; Serbian Chronicle in Glasnik. V, 38. 39, X, 360. Letters from the East 1, 114. (A.N. Muravyov. Letters from the East in 1849–1850: In 2 hours. St. Petersburg, 1851. Part 1 (hereinafter - A.N. Muravyov. Letters from the East. - Ed.)). Nikon. l. 2, 282. 285. Glasnik X, 259. The charter of 1233, not completely preserved, was printed in the famous {IORYAS} In academician. VII, 207. 208. The care of St. was not fruitless. Savva about the Seeta Seeta In 1252, through the efforts of “the bishop of the entire Zetaska region, Kir Neophytos, who filled in everything that was missing from the holy writers in the holy church, Arch. Michael in the place of Ilovice” the nomocanon with complete rules and interpretations was translated again (in Grigorovich, pp. 182, 183), which passed to Russia in 1270. Ranke L. East. Serbia, pp. 47–53. M. 1857 Raicha ist. 2, 382. (Raich Jovan. History of various Slavic peoples, especially Bulgarians, Croats and Serbs: In 4 hours. Vienna, 1794–1795. Part 2 (hereinafter referred to as Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. - Ed.)). They attributed the death of St. Savva by 1241. But in vain. Bulgarian Patr. Joachim, who performed the funeral service for him, died in the first half of 1237, when Yasen condemned Tsoruluma, present-day Chorlu (Georgios Akropolites. Historia, p. 36). Consequently, the death of St. Savva followed in January 1237. So according to the chronicles: Nikon. l. 2, 287, 288; Glasnik. V, 46. X, 263. In the Psalter of Cyprian, the memory of St. Savva on January 14, at Tsarskoye No. 564 there is a service on January 14 in memory of St. Savva. So it is in the Greek synaxar. But on Athos they celebrate his memory on January 12 (Athos Patericon. Part 2:180). The Mileshev Monastery was located in Herzegovina, in a black rock village, an hour’s journey from Prilep (Notes of the Geographical Society. T. XV, 309–314). In the ancient Serbian prologue for May 6: “On this very day, the king Vladislav brought the archbishop and the lord of the Serbian lands, the lights of Savva, to his fatherland, in his fatherland. 6742 (1234)". There is a mistake in the year. But it is clear that in Serbia they also celebrated the day of the transfer of the relics of St. Savva. Zap. geogr. total XIII, 311. Athos Patericon 1, 228, 229. St. Petersburg. 1860. Zap. geogr. total XIII, 140, 175. “Mother Theodora asked Pope Theophilus,” says the Patericon, page 348. Lib. 1. Er. 87. (Creations of Saint Isidore Pelusiot. M., 1859. Part 1. – Ed.). Memorable Sayings of the Fathers, pp. 348–351. According to the Greek Menaion, January 12 is the memory of St. Theodora of Alexandria. Among the Copts, St. Theodora the generous Apr. 11 (6) Dec. Ludolfi comment, ad hist. (Ad soam historiam aethiopicam commentaries).