Август

Celebration of the all-merciful Savior, Christ our God, and the Most Holy Theotokos Mary, his mother This holiday was established in 1164, both in Greece and in Russia, on the occasion of the complete triumph of the Russians over the Bulgarians and the victories of Emperor Manuel over the Mohammedan Arabs (see in the life of the blessed prince Andrei Bogolyubsky - June 30); only there, due to the brevity of the expression, perhaps an inaccuracy or omission crept in. It would be necessary to say: “It has been decided to celebrate the All-Merciful Savior and His Most Pure Mother.” Hieromartyr Fructuosus, Bishop of Tarragona, and with him two deacons Augurius and Eulogius Saint Fructuoso is the first known bishop of the city of Tarragona, in Spain. The ancient record of the martyrdom of him and the deacons with him is as follows. During the reign of Emperor Valerian, Bishop Fructuosus and deacons Augurius and Eulogius were taken into the consulate of Aemilian and Bassus on January 16, the day of the sun (Sunday). The bishop was already resting in his bedroom when six beneficiaries (corresponding to our gendarmes, from honored soldiers) entered the house and said to him: “Come with us; Presus (praesus) ordered to present you and your deacons.” Fructuoso replied: “We will go, just let me put on my shoes.” When they were brought, they were immediately sent to prison. Here the brothers (i.e., believers) visited them, served them and asked for prayers for themselves. The next day, the bishop in prison baptized a certain Rogatsian, who had hitherto been a catechumen (preparing for baptism). Six days later, precisely on January 21, they were brought to trial. Presus Aemilianus said: “Bring in Bishop Fructuosus, Augurius and Eulogius.” The answer came from the court office: “They are here.” Presus said to the bishop: “Have you heard the command of the emperors?” Bishop: “I don’t know what they commanded; but I am a Christian." Presus: “They commanded to honor the gods.” Bishop: “I honor the One God, who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them.” Presus: “Do you admit that there are gods?” Bishop: “I don’t admit it.” Presus: “Soon you will be convinced of their existence.” The bishop turned his eyes to the Lord and began to quietly pray. Emilian said: “Whoever does not pray to the gods, does not respect the face of the emperor, to whom else can he pray in the hope of being heard?” Then he said to Augurius: “Do not listen to the chatter of Fructuosus.” Deacon Augurius: “I pray to Almighty God.” Aemilian then said to Eulogius: “Aren’t you praying to Fructuosus?” Eulogius: “I pray not to Fructuosus, but to Him Whom Fructuosus pleads.” Then the presus asked Fructuosus: “Are you a bishop?” Fructuoso: “I am a bishop.” Emilian: “You were a bishop, and you won’t be anymore.” And he condemned all three confessors to be burned alive. When Fructuosus and the deacons were brought into the amphitheater, all the people showed him compassion, because even among the pagans he was loved. But when some offered him wine to strengthen him, Fructuosus said: “The time has not yet come to allow fasting.” It was then the fourth hour of the day, and the ancient Christians fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays until the ninth hour. Having consoled those who accompanied him and given them a blessing, the blessed bishop and the deacons fearlessly accepted martyrdom (259). Venerable Pelagia of Tire My children! I am writing this to you so that you will not sin; and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2). The Lord supports all those who fall and raises up all those who are cast down... The Lord is close to all who call on Him... He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him, He hears their cry and saves them... (Ps. 144, 14, 18, 19). Doesn’t the fulfillment of these comforting words each time follow the fact that a soul crushed by repentance calls out to God with warm faith and undoubted faith in His almighty help?.. So it was in the life of Saint Pelagia of Tyre, remembered today. Immersed in an unclean life, Pelagia one day, at the sight of a hermit walking through the city, struck, perhaps, by the involuntary awe that his appearance inspired, so contrary to all those whom she was accustomed to seeing around her, suddenly realized all the unworthiness of her own life... And so, in a fit of shame and blessed melancholy, she stopped the hermit with a cry that burst from the depths of her confused soul: “My Father! save me as Jesus Christ saved the harlot!” The hermit, with the simplicity characteristic of a holy man, took this woman by the hand and went with her to the monastery located outside the city. Pelagia’s impulse of repentance was not fruitless. The grace of God responded abundantly to him and cleansed her soul, and gave her the strength to renounce the world to which she was tied by sinful love. Through the exploits of severe monasticism, she redeemed her former dissolute life, and not only found the path of salvation herself, but by her example influenced the conversion of many others to God. Saint Pelagia reposed in 502. The Holy Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Exacustodian (aka Constantine), Jamblichus, Martinian, Dionysius, Antoninus and John All of them were children of famous citizens of the city of Ephesus, warriors, young men who lived during the persecution of Christians from the emperor Decius. It was a terrible persecution. Christians were taken and sought out everywhere in order to force them to participate in idol sacrifices; Some of them, fearful of torment, submitted, but those who were firm in the faith fearlessly confessed it and did not retreat either from suffering or from painful death. Their bodies were thrown along the roads or hanged on city walls. Many Christians hid outside the city, in caves. Among them were the seven youths remembered by the Church today, who, hiding from persecution, left the city and settled in a cave on Mount Ohlon to prepare themselves for exploits for the faith through fasting and prayer. Decius, having learned about this, ordered to block the entrance to the cave with stones, and two of the courtiers who secretly professed the faith of Christ, Theodore and Rufim, placed tin tablets among the stones, writing on them the names of the seven youths buried alive in the cave. Meanwhile, according to His inscrutable determinations, God, having sent them the sleep of death, preserved them incorruptible and unchangeable for their miraculous awakening for His glory and as evidence of the truth of His word - two centuries after that... The miraculous awakening of the youths, who had fallen asleep during the persecution of Decius (about 250), took place during the reign of Theodosius the Younger (408–450), when heretics rebelled, rejecting the resurrection of the dead, despite what was announced in the Gospel that the Dead would hear the voice of the Son of God and, having heard, would come to life (John 5:25). At this time of new confusion in the Church, visual evidence of the truth of the resurrection of the dead, proclaimed by Christ, appeared. The owner of a village on Mount Ohlon, where there was a littered cave in which seven youths rested two hundred years ago, decided to make a fence for his sheep; His slaves, building a fence, took those stones with which the cave had once been cluttered, the existence of which they did not suspect. While digging stones from the mountain, they accidentally made a hole into the interior of the cave. At this time, the youths came to life, not knowing that they awoke not from a simple, but from a mortal sleep... When one of them went to buy food in the city at dawn, the ancient coin he gave to the merchant led to the discovery of an extraordinary incident. A conversation with the youth, who thought that the persecution from Decius was still continuing, finally drew everyone’s attention to him, and when rumors about him reached the bishop, then, having questioned the youth, he understood in all this the mystery of God and, having heard from him about the other youths remaining in the cave, he wished to see them and went there with the governor, accompanied by many people. At the entrance to the cave, the bishop, carefully examining its surroundings, found a sealed copper box among the stones and, opening it in the presence of everyone, saw there two tin tablets placed by Theodore and Rufim, which explained to everyone the mysterious words of the resurrected youth. Everyone was amazed and glorified God, wondrous in His miracles... Emperor Theodosius was immediately notified of this event: “They ordered that honest men be sent to see the miracle that the Lord performed during your reign,” the bishop and governor wrote to Theodosius the Younger, “because in our days the image of the future resurrection from the dead has appeared...” But the king himself arrived in Ephesus with many believers accompanying him and “bowed down to the holy youths, who, after a contented conversation with him, fell asleep in eternal sleep in the presence of the king until the general resurrection.” Theodosius ordered to make seven silver arks and put the bodies of the youths in them, but they appeared to him that same night in a dream vision and asked him to leave them to rest in the cave, as they had rested before. The astounding nature of this event and the subsequent Council of Ephesus in 431 were the reasons why news of it quickly spread throughout the Christian world. The authenticity of the event is confirmed by strong evidence from many respected writers and witnesses. The writer Saint John Kolov (commemorated on November 9), a contemporary of this event, speaks about it in the life of Paisius the Great on June 19. The Orthodox Bishop of Sarugen Jacob from Mesopotamia from the beginning of the 6th century, a Syrian writer, left a description of this event; its translation was known to Gregory of Tours in the same century. The Syrian Maronites, who separated from the Orthodox Church in the 7th century, honor the holy youths in their service. They are found in the Ethiopian calendar and ancient Roman martyrologies. Their story was known to Mohammed himself and many Arab writers. Gregory of Tours says that these men, even to this day, rest in that very place, dressed in silk and fine linen clothes. Western writers of the 8th and 11th centuries also speak of their relics in the cave. Although there are some disagreements regarding the year the holy youths were found and the name of the bishop under whom they rebelled, all those who wrote about this event agree that they attribute it to the reign of Theodosius the Younger. The cave of the youths is still visible near Ephesus in the ribs of Mount Priona. The fate of their relics has been unknown since the 12th century, at the beginning of which abbot Daniel saw them in a cave 201. Holy Hieromartyr Equal-to-the-Apostles Cosmas Truly a man of God, a teacher and preacher, Cosmas was from Aetolia, from the village of the Great Tree. His parents - honorable people of noble birth - gave him a good scientific and real Christian education, so that from a young age he was already capable and inclined to high asceticism. He began it at the Philotheevsky monastery on Athos, where he was tonsured a monk and soon, during his holy life, at the common desire and convincing requests of the fathers, he was ordained a hieromonk. When Cosmas was still living in the world, he constantly had a strong desire to serve his knowledge for the benefit of his Christian brothers. “What a great need my Christian brothers have for God’s word! - he often said, “and educated people should especially strive to teach the common people, living in rudeness and in great ignorance, not guided by selfish calculations associated with labor at the Court or in rich houses.” However, due to his modesty and humility, Cosmas did not dare to enter the field of teaching, not yet considering himself sufficiently prepared for this highest and responsible title. Meanwhile, the calling to teaching was more and more determined in him, and one day, when he, reflecting on his favorite thought, read the Holy Scriptures, as if seeking in it an answer to his perplexity, then, meeting the words of the Apostle: Seek no one his own, but everyone the benefit of another... (1 Cor. 10:24), Cosmas took them for admonition from above and decided to test his cherished desire. Having asked his spiritual fathers for permission to do this, he went to Constantinople and, having received here the written permission and blessing of the patriarch, Cosmas began to zealously preach the Gospel in cities and villages. And his preaching was beneficial with the assistance of God’s grace; his word, breathing with meekness and amazing simplicity, touched and touched even hardened hearts and aroused people to repentance and correction. Therefore, everyone began to say that a new apostle had appeared among the people. According to the instructions of Cosmas, schools were established in large and small villages in which children studied the Holy Scriptures, which greatly contributed to the development of piety among the people. Cosmas' educational activities on the island of Kefalonia were especially successful. In general, everywhere his preaching was accompanied by many signs and wonders. Cosmas has repeatedly expressed in his teachings that he is called to preach by Jesus Christ Himself and that out of love for Him he is ready to shed blood. These words turned out to be prophetic. Through the machinations of the Jews, who did not tolerate the Christian preacher, the Turks secretly and insidiously strangled Cosmas while he was in Albania. With joy, thanksgiving and fervent prayer, the faithful follower and preacher of His teachings sacrificed his life to God, and thus his most cherished earthly desire was fulfilled... Saint Cosmas suffered on August 4, 1779. Holy Martyr Eleutherius A native of Asia Minor and cubicular (bed attendant - court rank) of Emperor Maximin. Having taken leave to his estate near Nicomedia, he received Holy Baptism and built a church in the lower part of his house. One of Eleutherius' servants revealed this to the emperor when visiting the estate, and since the saint did not want to make sacrifices to the gods, he was immediately beheaded (around 310). His relics were transferred from Constantinople to the southern Italian city of Theate in 1303. Repose of Saint Theoktistus, Bishop of Chernigov Blessed Theoktist, before entering the see of Chernigov, asceticised at the monastery of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius. He accomplished so much here in spiritual life that, according to Polycarp, he was among those great elders by whose prayer the deceived Nikitas was healed 202. In 1103, after the death of Abbot John, he was elected and ordained Abbot of the Lavra. In 1108, he built a stone refectory in the Lavra at the expense of Prince Gleb. In the same year, he begged Grand Duke Svyatopolk to ask Metropolitan Nikifor, so that the name of St. Theodosius would be included in the synodics of saints throughout Russia, and St. Theodosius would be included among the saints 203. During his time in the Pechersk Lavra, there apparently was a special phenomenon in the air spaces, which amazed his contemporaries, to their spiritual benefit 204. People who consider themselves smart look at everything lightly and ignore everything; but are they smarter than those who are edified by such phenomena for the salvation of their souls? In January 1113, the Venerable Abbot Theoktist was consecrated Bishop of Chernigov; in Chernigov everyone was happy about this, because Theoktistus’s predecessor John had been sick for a long time, which is why they had not seen archpastoral service for a long time; The princess was especially happy, since he was her spiritual father 205. In May 1115, the saint was present at the transfer of the relics of the holy princes Boris and Gleb to a new stone church built by Prince Oleg of Chernigov 206. In the same year he buried this prince in the Chernigov Spassky Cathedral 207, and the next year the princess nun Predslava, sister of the Chernigov prince David 208. Prince David, meek, kind, pious, served as a consolation for the virtuous shepherd. Having lost (1120) his son Rostislav 209, the pious prince, both out of love for his son and out of reverence for the holy princes Boris and Gleb, of whom the latter was his same name at baptism, built a stone church near the cathedral in honor of the holy princes Boris and Gleb. The blessed saint joyfully consecrated it 210. A Chernigov preacher close to the time of Prince David said: “I will present you with an example not from a foreign land. David Svyatoslavich did not start enmity with anyone. Let someone else start a war: he stopped this war by submission; he reigned in the Grand Duchy because he was the eldest of the brothers. If anyone committed injustice towards him, he suffered everything on himself. Has anyone ever kissed a cross? I never changed my word my whole life. Let another not fulfill his words in front of him: he fulfilled his own - he did not offend anyone, he did not harm anyone. The brothers, seeing him like this, obeyed him like a father, and obeyed him like a sovereign. His reign was peaceful... Will someone say that he did not have a wife? No, he had children. Nikolai Svyatosha was his son and there were two others. Or will someone say that he did not have a home and therefore could fulfill the commandment of the Lord? It happened to me more than once that some ignorant people say: we cannot be saved with a wife and children. The prince had not one house, but many. The prince of the entire Chernigov land fulfilled the commandment of God, throughout his life he had no quarrel with anyone... Be ashamed, being at enmity with your brothers and half-bloods” 211. In the new church, Prince David was preparing a tomb for himself: this is how he remembered death! On August 1 he lay on his deathbed. The saint who loved him, noticing his closeness to death, ordered the canon to be sung to the Cross of the Lord, the guardian from the spirits of evil. At this very time a white dove flew in and sat on the chest of the dying man; the prince died and the dove flew away. The deceased prince was buried in the Spassky Cathedral and laid in the new Boris and Gleb Church 212. The prince and the saint, who loved each other, were not separated for long: on August 9, blessed Bishop Theoktist also fell asleep 213. According to handwritten calendars and in the canon of Kyiv saints, he is placed among the saints of the Kyiv Lavra, and in one list of calendars it is directly said: “Ordained in the Pechersk Monastery.” So blessed Theoktist, in the place of his monastic deeds, awaits the day of the general resurrection 214. The Holy Martyr Dometius the Persian and his two disciples and the Rev. Nurvel Archimandrite Dometius received baptism and monasticism in Nisivia in Mesopotamia; then, noticing the hostility of the monks towards him, in order to avoid any reason to approach him, he retired to Theodosiopolis, or Rizina, on the eastern bank of the Euphrates; here in the monastery of Sergius and Bacchus he was made a deacon; but when abbot Nurvel wanted to install him as a presbyter, he withdrew to the mountains beyond the Euphrates River - to the borders of Kirra - in Syria and asceticised in a cave. Here he became famous for his holy life and miracles, with which he converted many surrounding idolaters to Christ. There is information 215 that Julian, going to war with the Persians and passing through Kirrestica, saw a crowd of people in front of the cave, waiting for healing from Saint Dometius, and ordered him to be killed in the cave, in which the ascetic died with two of his disciples in 363. For two years after that, the relics of the venerable martyrs lay in a cave, covered with stones. At this time, one traveling merchant's camel broke his front legs near this place, but when he kicked into the cave, he was healed. On this occasion, they remembered the place of death of the saints and carried out their relics with honor from the cave. In Constantinople there was a monastery in the name of the Monk Dometius under Patriarch Minas. It is known about Saint Nurvel, archimandrite of the monastery of Sergius and Bacchus, that he was such a strict ascetic that for 60 years he did not eat any boiled food, slept little and then stood and leaned on his staff. Venerable Pimen, Faster of Pechersk The abstinence of the Monk Pimen reached such an extent that he ate food only once a day and then in very small quantities, and this external fasting was only a corresponding expression of the feat of internal abstinence from actions, thoughts and feelings displeasing to God. The Monk Pimen was abbot of Pechersk from 1132 to 1141. His relics rest in the Feodosiev caves in Kiev. Saint Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem He was taught the faith by the apostolic men and occupied the throne of Jerusalem after Dolikhian; in 197 he was a participant in the Palestine Council (in Caesarea) on the issue of celebrating Easter, raised by Victor, Pope of Rome. Three people, out of hatred for him, slandered him for violating his chastity and, in confirmation of their slander, called upon their head various executions from God if the denunciation was unjust. Therefore Narcissus disappeared into obscurity; but under his third successor (10 years later), the slander was revealed by the slanderers themselves, struck by the very executions to which they condemned themselves, and Narcissus appeared in Jerusalem. After the death of Bishop Gordius (211), Christians convinced him to take the throne again; and since he, due to his advanced old age (being 116 years old), could not correct his ministry, a certain Bishop Alexander, who arrived on a pilgrimage in Jerusalem, was elected as his collaborator. Narcissus died in 213. “Bright in face and eyes, honest and splendid in his very vision,” the Monk Or first labored in the remote Thebaid desert and was the head of many monasteries, where there were up to 1000 monks under his leadership. In old age, by revelation from above, he settled near the city in a monastery he had built, near which he planted an oak grove with his own hands in a place where no plant had grown before. Through asceticism he achieved high spirituality and was glorified by the gift of clairvoyance. Once, when the Monk Or lived in solitude and there was only one disciple with him, then when the holiday of Easter came, the disciple said to the Abba: “Here is Easter, we need to celebrate it.” “I forgot that now is Easter,” answered the ascetic and, leaving his cell, he raised his hands to Heaven and stood there motionless for three days, directing all his thoughts to God. Then, returning to the student, he said: “So I celebrated Easter according to my strength!” The monk’s Easter is that his mind, uninvolved in any rumors or the vanity of the world, should be directed entirely toward God...” The ascetic died peacefully at a ripe old age, around 390. Holy Martyrs Marina Voina and Asteria Synclitica Marin was a warrior and, despite the fact that he professed the Christian faith, he was respected even by pagans for his valor and virtuous life. He suffered martyrdom because he refused to take the oath invoking the pagan gods, which was required of him regarding his promotion to the highest position in the service. At this time, in Caesarea Palestine, where the execution of a Christian was to take place, it happened that Senator Asterius, who had arrived from Rome, and who also professed the Christian faith, happened to be there. For the fear of death, this firm confessor of Christ did not hide his reverence for the martyr: having taken off his rich clothes, he wrapped the bloody body and head of the executed warrior Marin in it and took them to his house in order to give his remains a Christian burial. The pagans also took Asterius, and he was also sentenced to death. Saints Marinus and Asterius suffered around the year 260. Saint Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus Emilian, along with other bishops (see May 23 and March 8), was exiled by Emperor Leo the Armenian in 815 for refusing to condemn the veneration of icons. In response to the emperor’s convictions, he said: “If this is a church issue, as you yourself say, then let it be investigated in the Church according to custom. Since ancient times, ecclesiastical issues have been studied in churches, and not in royal chambers.” He died in 820 in exile. Venerable Gregory, Wonderworker of Pechersk During his strict asceticism, he never allowed himself any food other than uncooked (grass) and, giving it to the sick who came to him, he healed them. Died in the 14th century. His relics rest in the Feodosiev caves, in Kiev. Holy Martyrs Julian, Marcian, John, James, Alexius, Demetrius, Photius, Peter, Leontius, Maria Patricia and others They suffered in Constantinople for the overthrow (January 19, 730) of a staircase with a warrior who was sent to remove the image of the Savior on the cross, which was located on the gates of the great imperial palace and enjoyed special respect. The army dispersed the people, beat many, and these ten persons were captured as the main culprits, and were kept in prison for eight months, where they were scourged and branded with a hot iron; finally beheaded (730). Venerable Macarius of Oredezh Disciple of St. Alexander of Svirsky (August 30), founder of the Assumption Hermitage on the Oredezh River, in Olonets district; reposed peacefully in 1532. His relics rest in the church of the abolished monastery. Venerable Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople Originally from Morea, he labored on Mount Athos, in the monastery of the Holy Forerunner, from where he was elevated to the priesthood of Thessaloniki, then to the throne of Constantinople, and finally was ruler of Serbia. From Serbia he retired to the Vatopedi monastery, where, having hidden his rank, the former patriarch corrected all the menial tasks as a newly admitted novice. By a special revelation, he was recognized at the monastery, and once, when he was returning from the forest, where he had gone for firewood, all the brothers came out to him and solemnly greeted him as patriarch. “The test of your patience has ended, O lamp of the universe! - the abbot told him, kissing his hand. “Your humility was enough to humble our own weakness…” However, the glorified saint did not cease to subject himself to all the rigors of monastic life, and did not cease to share with his brethren all kinds of labors, although from old age and calamities 216 and exile, he was already weak and weak in bodily strength. Among other activities, he visited the weak and consoled the sad. “I,” says the compiler of the life of Saint Niphon, Cyrus Gabriel, then prot of the Holy Mountain, “many times coming to the monastery and staying there to listen to his edifying conversations, I saw that he was either digging in the garden, or helping at the mill, or going down to the pier to unload and load ships, and worked tirelessly so that others would not grumble at him... With all this, there were people who did all the work and The exploits of the humble Niphon were denigrated, attributing them to hypocrisy, and his sweet conversations were called idle talk. He, knowing that all this was the action of the spirit of evil, only prayed to God for strength to endure temptations to the end, and therefore forgave his enemies, praying for their salvation and forgetting about the height of his dignity.” Having reached the age of 90, the Monk Niphon died peacefully on August 11, 1460 and was glorified by God during his life and after his death with many miracles. Celebration of the Ovinovo Icon of the Mother of God The Ovinovskaya Icon of the Mother of God resides in the Paisievo Monastery of Kostroma Province. During the reign of Dmitry Donskoy, a certain boyar Ioann Ovinov, who lived on the shores of Lake Galich, tried to restore the dilapidated church in the Nikolaevsky monastery, near which he lived. On Sunday, John went out to see the site of the church building and, when he approached the monastery gates, he suddenly saw two beautiful young men carrying an icon of the Mother of God towards him. They meekly said to him: “Rejoice, John, the parents of your wife are sending you this icon of the Most Pure Mother of God and commanded to build a church in her name and in the name of the Saint of Myra.” John prostrated himself before the holy icon and, having accepted it, brought it into the monastery fence, placed it in the place where he wanted to build a church, and told the abbot and the brethren about the wonderful vision. Ovinov built a church in the name of the Dormition of the Mother of God and placed in it the icon given to him, which began to be called Ovinov’s. When the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Vasilyevich the Dark in 1433 fought against his uncle Georgy Dmitrievich of Galich and took Galich: the miraculous icon with all its precious decorations was transferred to Moscow and placed in the cathedral church. But the icon miraculously appeared in the same place. This phenomenon glorified the icon even more and made it an object of special reverence for believers. Our Reverend Father Macarius, Wonderworker of Lezen It is known from oral folk tradition about the Monk Macarius that he was a Roman by birth, and upon arriving from his fatherland in Russia, he chose a small island among a marshy swamp as his place of solitude, located not far from the small river Lezena, or Grezena, 110 versts from Novgorod. On this island, the Monk Macarius built himself a small dugout and lived in it, being in strict fasting and prayer. For a long time, his refuge from the world was not known to any people, but later the Lord revealed it through hunters who, while hunting animals, having lost their way, searched for it for a long time, finally saw smoke from a smoking dugout, and in it a desert dweller, the Monk Macarius, who after prayer strengthened them with a small crumb of dry bread, and then, after instruction in virtues, showed them the way to their homes. From that time on, hunters began to visit the monk, and with them other surrounding residents, who brought him everything he needed for his existence. Avoiding human rumors, the monk withdrew from the deserted island three miles away, to a remote wooded place located near the Lezna River, and there he built himself a second wretched hut, intensifying his prayerful deeds in it. Soon, companions of piety began to flock to the monk, with whom the venerable Macarius built a small wooden church in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and founded a desert monastery, where he was abbot for many years. The saint of God spent the rest of his life in feats of fasting and prayer and died peacefully in his monastery, no later than the 15th century. The relics of St. Macarius of Lezensky rest hidden in the Makarievskaya hermitage, abolished since 1764, which is located 110 versts from the city of Novgorod to the north, 20 versts from the Lyuban station, on the left bank of the Lezna River. The local memory of St. Macarius is celebrated on August 15th. On this day there is a large gathering of pilgrims in the desert. Memory of St. Joachim of Osogovsky was one of the four great Bulgarian hermits, who with their exploits aroused hundreds and thousands of Bulgarians to Christian asceticism. The first was Saint John of Rila; The exploits of St. Joachim took place in the last half of the 11th century. Feeling an irresistible desire to labor in solitude, Joachim prayed to the Lord to show him a solitary place. After praying in the small church in the village of Novy Gradets, he sat down on the church porch. The kind and rich boyar of that place entered into a conversation with him, and when Joachim said that he would like to strive in private, but did not know a convenient place, the boyar showed him the most convenient place. “Under the wing of Mount Osogovskaya,” said the boyar, “near the Skupishche River in the Babin Dol area there is a deep cave, protected by rocks, - here is a place for you, - save yourself there in the Lord.” The monk thanked God for the opening of a place close to his desires, and asked the boyar to remember his poverty from time to time with his mercy. Having settled in a cave, he labored here for a long time in fasting and kneeling prayers, unknown to anyone. Already before his death, according to God’s providence, two trappers found him. “You are somehow sad,” the elder told them when they met. “On this mountain,” they answered, “we always had a happy catch, but this time we wandered for several days and did not catch anything.” "Children! - the elder answered, - the day is approaching evening; rest with me this night, and tomorrow morning go in that direction and from the top of the mountain go to your home.” The next morning the hunters met the happiest catch at the top of the mountain. One of them came to the elder to thank him for his advice. “God’s blessing is with you,” said the elder. From that time on, contentment appeared in the hunters' house. A short time later, the hunters came to visit the old man, but they had already found him deceased. Grateful, until their death they brought candles to the grave of the saint. His death followed, as he revealed in his afterlife appearance, “before the great darkness before eight years” 218. A lot of time has passed since then; under Emperor Manuel (1143–1179), God deigned to glorify His servant. The priest of the village of Osmidola of the Ovchepolskaya country, Theodore, having become a widower, decided to leave the world and, hearing about the place of the exploits of blessed Joachim, went to the Osogovskaya mountain with the determination to labor as a hermit in the same place where Joachim spent his equal-angelic life. The monk appears to him in a dream and asks: “Where are you going?” Theodore spoke of his desire. The monk protected him with the sign of the cross and, taking out the vessel, wiped his head, face and hands with water. “Go, child, in peace,” added the monk. Waking up, Theodore washed his face with tears from joy. Having accepted monasticism with the name of Theophan, he built a church on the site of the saint’s exploits, found his tomb and, after the saint’s repeated appearance, opened his relics for general edification. Miracles were performed at the relics. In the Serbian synaxar of the 13th century under August 16: “Our Reverend Father Joachim of Osogov.” According to the Serbian Chronicle, the pious king Milutin built a church to “Holy Father Joachim.” Memory of St. Philip Yankovsky According to the handwritten calendar, “Reverend Philip was on the Sukhona River, a new wonderworker.” The Monk Philip labored as a hermit for several years on Yankova Mountain, two miles from Ustyug. The devout residents of Ustyug, respecting his life and wanting to see the monastery of prayer books close by, asked for permission to build a monastery on the site of his stay. In 1654, a church was built in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God, with a chapel in the name of the newly glorified Saint Philip. Under the leadership of a hermit experienced in spiritual life, zealots of piety gathered; but the monk did not take upon himself the rank and died as a monk around 1662. The relics of the Monk Philip rest hidden in the church of his monastery 219. Holy Martyr Myron the Presbyter Myron, a presbyter in Achaia, suffered during the reign of Decius, in 251. He was taken to torture while he was performing the Divine service in the church on the very day of the Nativity of Christ. After various tortures, he was thrown into a fired oven, from which he emerged unharmed, while up to 150 people standing nearby were scorched by the flames. But this miracle did not enlighten, but infuriated the tormentor, who, after many new tortures, condemned Myron to beheading. The execution took place in the city of Cyzicus, where the martyr was taken. Venerable Elijah of Calabria During the Iconoclasm, Greek monks, persecuted in the East, often sought refuge on a foreign side. Especially many of them moved to Italy, where they brought icon painting, prohibited in the East, and the strict rules of Eastern monasticism. So many ascetics then settled in the mountains of Calabria, so many monasteries and desert hermitages were formed that this country was compared to ancient Egypt, in which monasticism flourished. Greek monks were distinguished by their strict life and often by their high education. The Monk Elijah was the abbot of one of these monasteries (named Melikukka), founded by exiles from Greece. Famed for his holiness of life, he died peacefully in Thessalonica in 903. Repose of St. John of Rila Our venerable father John 220, great among the ascetics, was from the city of Sredets, from a village called Skrin 221. His parents were pious people and not very rich, from the Bulgarian tribe. When they died, and he loved the Lord from his youth, he distributed the property that remained to him to the poor and sick; and he himself, having accepted monasticism, left his homeland, wearing only leather clothes on his body. Having ascended a high and bare mountain, he began to labor here, eating only wild plants. His hut was woven here from brushwood. After a short time, robbers attacked him at night and, after beating him, drove him away. He found a deep cave and settled in it. A young nephew, Luka, came here to him, who, having hidden from his father, barely found his uncle in the wild rocks. It was so difficult to find the hermit here that he himself, seeing the youth from afar, considered his appearance a dream. John received his young nephew with love and was especially happy when he heard that he was thirsting for spiritual salvation. They began to struggle together. The brother, having learned that his son was hiding with his uncle, began to seethe with anger and malice against John. Finding him in a cave, he scolded him in every possible way and even raised a stone at him. The monk was silent. The father grabbed his son and dragged him along. John fell to the ground and with tears prayed to the Lord that He Himself would arrange what was necessary for the eternal salvation of the young man. Having prayed, he sat down in his cave, worrying about the dangers of worldly life. What happened to the boy? On the way, a snake bit him and he died. The father, who lost his son so unexpectedly, felt guilty. He returned to his brother and told him about the misfortune. The hermit ordered him to bury the deceased; Subsequently, the monk visited the grave of the righteous youth, and here was his favorite resting place 222. His exploits were strong both against the dreams of spirits and against the infirmities of the flesh. John spent twelve years in his wild cave 223. From the cave he moved “to the Rylskaya desert and, settling in a hollow tree, he labored firmly, fasted, prayed and cried constantly; he ate only grass; I didn’t see a human face here, but I was with the animals; God, seeing his great patience, commanded that slanutok (beans) grow for him 224, and the blessed one ate that for a long time. The shepherds saw him, and through them they learned about him everywhere.” It was like this: the sheep suddenly ran out of some fear and flew along the rapids until they reached the place where the hermit lived. The shepherds, running after them, saw the hermit with amazement. “You came here hungry, tear your clothes and eat,” said the hermit 225. They ate and were satisfied; only one hid a lot of beans for himself in reserve, without the hermit’s blessing, and when he gave them to his comrades on the road, there was not a grain in the stolen pods. They returned to the good old man with repentance. The elder forgave them and said with a smile: “You see, children, these fruits were appointed by God to feed the desert.” It is clear how much the shepherds talked about the wondrous hermit after that. But their news gave rise to different rumors, including, as happens among worldly people, unfavorable ones. Those who knew him in the world called him a frenzied, almost empty person. Why did he begin to live if not them? But others and “many came to him and, bringing their sick, received health through the prayers of the saint.” A man, possessed by an unclean spirit for several years, saw them going into John’s wilderness and followed them. He had not yet reached a mile from the Rila desert when he fell to the ground and began shouting: “I can’t go further, the fire is burning me.” The companions, having tied up the unfortunate man, dragged him to the monk and asked him to heal him. “My children,” he said, “this is beyond my strength, I am a weak person, like you; God alone can heal him.” They persistently asked him, and the hermit prayed for him, the sick man suddenly became healthy, and everyone glorified God. Avoiding human fame, the ascetic disappeared from his beloved oak tree and, finding a very high and barely accessible rock, settled here. Here he spent more than seven years in the open air, enduring all the changes in the air, performing prayers now on his feet, now on his knees 226 . Rumors about the great hermit reached the Bulgarian Tsar Peter. The pious king greatly desired to see him; but the humble hermit declined the meeting and only in a letter told the good king what he needed 227. “Many, jealous of the virtuous life of the saint, wished to live near him and built a monastery, having the monk as their leader and shepherd. He tended his flock wisely." The church was built in a cave where the monk previously lived. Having reached a ripe old age, the monk gave up his spirit to God on August 18, 946, at the 70th year of his life 228 . After a considerable time, the monk appeared to his disciples and ordered his relics to be transferred to the city of Sredets (Sofia). Having opened the coffin, they found an incorruptible and fragrant body and glorified God, carried the holy body with honor, and placed it in the church of the Holy Evangelist Luke 229. When a beautiful church was built in his name, they placed it here, and many gave benefits to sufferers of all kinds. After a long time, the Hungarian king came to war and took many places, including Sredets. Taking the relics of the monk, with great honor he transferred them to his country, where they were placed in the church, since he had heard about his miracles. The Ostrigomsky biskup, when he heard that he was great before God, said: “I don’t know this saint, he is not mentioned in the ancient scriptures.” And suddenly his tongue went numb. The unfortunate man hurried to the saint’s shrine, asked for forgiveness, and the saint of God, having heard his prayer, resolved it immediately. The monk performed many other miracles in the land of Hungary. The king, having heard about this, decorated the shrine with gold and returned it to Sredets in 1093. Under the Bulgarian Tsar John Yasen and Patriarch Vasily, the relics of St. John were transferred to Ternov and placed in a church dedicated to his name. This was in the year 6746 (1238) 230. Now the relics of St. John rest in his Rila monastery, which constitutes a nursery of piety and enlightenment for the entire Bulgarian people 231 . Celebration of the Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria This holy icon was brought from Athens to the country of Trebizond at the end of the 4th century by the Venerables Barnabas and Sophronius, where it was placed in the cave church of the monastery they founded on Mount Black (Mela, now Sumela). The monastery still exists, and fans from Asia Minor, Taurida and the Caucasian countries flock to the icon on pilgrimage. The memory of the venerable founders of the monastery is celebrated on this same day. Died in 412. Venerable Theophan, newly-minted wonderworker Originally from Ioannina, he labored as a monk and died peacefully in Macedonia in the 15th century. His relics, marked by many miracles, rest in the city of Naoussa 232. Holy Martyr Andrew Stratilates From a young age, Andrei revered the name of Christ, and although he was not baptized, he turned away from everything unpleasing and led a life of abstinence, praying to God and keeping the commandments of the Gospel. In 301, from a tribune (commander of a thousand) he was made a stratilate, that is, the head of a legion (consisting of six tribunates) and distinguished himself in the war that was then taking place with the Persians, during which he converted many of his detachment to Christ. Envious comrades reported on him that he was a Christian. Antiochus, the ruler of Syria, interrogated him and reported everything to Emperor Maximian. Maximian ordered the release of the glorious warrior and his fellow believers, so as not to cause unrest in the army, and then find another guilt and beat them. The liberated went to Tarsus and received Holy Baptism. Then, under the guise of chasing those who had left their banners, the ruler of Cilicia was ordered to go and seize them. The squad from Tarsus headed towards the borders of Armenia, but in the gorges of Mount Taurus they were overtaken and beaten without any resistance (in 302 or 303). The Suffering of Saint Philip, Bishop of Heraclius of Thracia, and His Friends Blessed Philip was first a deacon, then a presbyter, and after some time, as if he had been tested in high life, he was elevated to the episcopal see of Heraclius of Thracia 233 . “Strengthening his disciples, Presbyter Severus and Deacon Hermes, with frequent instructions, he made them similar to him not only in thoughts and feelings, but also in suffering. When the fire of severe persecution arose, he was not embarrassed; others advised him to leave the city, but he rejected the advice.” The stationary Aristomachus appeared to seal the Christian Church. Blessed Philip said: “Do you really think that God is locked within walls! He lives in hearts." Aristomachus sealed everything in the church. Blessed Philip with Severus and Hermes remained at the door and taught the flock. Prefect Bassus appeared in court and, when everyone was brought before him, he asked: “Which of you is a teacher of Christians?” Philip answered: “I am the one you are looking for.” “You know,” said Bass, “the law of the emperors, forbidding Christians to gather and ordering these people either to make sacrifices or to die. Bring me your gold or silver vessels, or whatever you have, and also the books that you read or study.” Philip answered: “We cannot give you books.” The prefect called the executioners. Mukapor, the most cruel man, appeared. The prefect ordered the presbyter of the North to be brought; he was not found, and the prefect ordered Philip to be tortured. When they severely beat him, Hermes, standing nearby, said: “Even if you get all our books, our followers, caring for spiritual salvation, will write others and teach even more diligently the reverence that should be shown to Christ.” He was punished for this with sticks. When he later reprimanded assessor Publius for attempting to appropriate church property, he was beaten until his whole face was covered with blood. The prefect handed over the vessels and books to the soldiers. Philip and others were brought to the square. The prefect ordered the roof of the church to be broken; the books were set on fire. Saint Philip calmly taught the people. “Make a sacrifice,” said the prefect, “incense should be offered to our sovereigns.” Philip replied: “We are taught to show obedience to emperors, but not Divine reverence.” The prefect was amazed at Philip’s firmness and, turning to Hermes, said: “Make sacrifices.” “I can’t,” answered Hermes, “I follow my teacher in everything.” “And if Philip brings it, will you follow him?” Hermes answered: “Neither I will follow, nor he will be defeated.” The prefect said: “You will be consigned to the fire.” “This is a light fire,” answered Hermes, “but there is an unquenchable fire, ready for the wicked.” Bass ordered the confessors to be locked in prison. They went joyfully and sang psalms. After spending several days in prison, they received permission to remain in custody at the nearby house of Pankratius; here they were received with love; Here they performed the sacraments and taught the people. Meanwhile, Bass was replaced by the prefect Justin, a corrupt man. Bass yielded to clever reasoning, and his wife once served the true God. Justin did not know the fear of God. Philip was presented for trial. Justin said: “Our sovereigns commanded that Christians be forced to make sacrifices; if they don’t want to, they will be executed.” Philip answered: “I am a Christian, I cannot fulfill what you demand; You can torment, but you cannot overcome me.” Justin ordered him to be led in chains to prison, and he was tormented on the way. They brought Severus to Justin. “Fulfill the command of the emperors,” said Justin. The North replied: “I must do what I have been taught.” He was taken to prison. Hermes introduced. “The torment will force you to fulfill the will of the emperors,” said the prefect. “No,” answered Hermes, “I grew up in the holy faith, I do not intend to limp; You can torture me as much as you like." The three martyrs spent seven months in a stinking prison; then they were transferred to Odrin. When the prefect came here, Philip was punished here so cruelly that his whole body was torn to pieces and his entrails were visible. Justin ordered to be taken to prison. Hermes was summoned; but he did not yield to threats or caresses. On the third day they brought Philip again. “Why are you so recklessly opposing the will of the emperor?” – asked the prefect. Philip answered: “I am not acting recklessly, but fulfilling the will of God, the Creator and Judge of all. The Holy Scripture says: render what is God's to God and Caesar's to Caesar (see: Matt. 22:21). This is what I do. I have always obeyed the just commands of the emperors.” Hermes responded to the prefect by explaining the stupidity and wickedness of idolatry. Justin, beside himself with anger, shouted: “How? Are you, unfortunate one, thinking of converting me to the Christian faith?” And then he pronounced the decision: We command Philip and Hermes, who do not fulfill the will of the emperor, to be burned alive. The saints listened to this with joy. When they were brought to the place of execution, Hermes, calling one of the Christian brothers White (Velogum), conjured him by the Lord Jesus Christ - to convey to his son Philip the order of his father to pay all debts. He said this about the money entrusted to him for safekeeping by many. Then he added: “He is young; let him earn food through work; That’s what my father did and lived well with everyone.” The martyrs were laid on the fire. Another bad thought occurred to Justin. He ordered the bodies of the saints to be thrown into the Ebre River. When this is done, the Christians of Odrina get into the boats to see if anyone manages to catch a good catch. Their wish came true. They pull out the incorruptible remains with nets. Then they laid them in a place called Getistiron in their native language, two miles from the city. When Presbyter Severus, who was kept in prison, learned about the martyrdom of Philip and Hermes, he rejoiced at their triumph and prayed to God to be awarded the same honor. His prayer was heard: three days later he was given the same crown. The Menologist adds that up to 30 martyrs were martyred together with the North 234. The imperial command to burn the books of Christians shows that the martyrs suffered under Diocletian in 304. Who were they? Are they Greeks or Romans? Neither one nor the other. a) An ancient geographer wrote: along the Ebru (the Slavs have the Maritsa River) live the Karplians (Καρπηλ o ι, K αρπιαν o ι), even higher the corvids (Βρεναι), then the last Bessies (Βεσσ o ι, Βιεσσ o ι). All these tribes are predatory, especially the Bessians, neighbors, as they say, with the Odrichs (O δρυσαις) and the Sapuns... All of Thrace is made up of 22 tribes. According to another piece of information, the Karpians and their neighboring Sapuns live in the gorges of Thrace 235. The Odrichi are clearly Slavs, as are the Sapuns (Σαπαισι); exactly the same are the corvids who left their name Varna and partly crossed the Danube 236 . The Carpians were forcibly resettled near the Carpathians in 305, but others remained in the south 237. And other Thracian tribes mentioned by the ancients also turn out to be Slavs. According to Strabo, “the Getae speak the same Thracian language, which is in general use in Thrace.” since it is undoubtedly known that the Getae - the inhabitants of Lesser Scythia - spoke a Slavic language, it is clear that the Thracian language is a Slavic language. b) According to the description of the martyrdom of Saint Philip and his friends, the native language of the inhabitants of Odrin is neither Latin nor Greek. In the same description, Christian Bely is a clear Slavic name. Mukapor is an incomprehensible name for a flogger - a tormentor. Geti-styron - in the first half, get is a Slav, and styron is a distorted sterov - a bitch 238. c) According to the note about the martyrdom of the Roman Christian Saint Alexander, on his way from Rome to Druzipora in 298 in Thrace, after Philippopolis - Plovdiv, the Horde Place and then Vereya, where most of the inhabitants are Christians, but keep their faith in secret, the Vereans celebrated the martyr 40 miles from Vereya 239. According to all these testimonies, the holy martyrs Philip, Severus and Hermes, like the Thracians, were from the Slavs and preached the holy faith to the Slavs. And under the blessed Constantine there was already a bishop in Odrina 240. Memories of the Venerable Cornelius and Abramia of Paleostrovsky The wild fanaticism of the schismatics twice destroyed the Paleostrovsky monastery 241; why it was difficult to determine even the time when the founder of the northern desert monastery labored 242. Upon closer acquaintance with the monuments of the distant past, it turns out that although there is no means of determining in what year the Monk Cornelius arrived on Pali Island, it is possible to determine the time of his exploits. In the Scribe Book of 1482 we see the “Most Pure Hermitage on Paleya Island” 243. In the survey record of the Yuryev Monastery in 1391 we read: “The water line of the Murom and Paleostrovsky monasteries will be crossed” 244. The first charter of the Paleostrovskaya desert itself dates back to the end of the 14th century 245. Taking into account also the fact that before the Monk Lazar, as his will says, there were no monasteries or churches on Lake Onega, we come to the conviction that the exploits of the founder of the Paleostrovskaya hermitage dated back to the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century 246. Since the Paleostrovskaya hermitage only at the end of the 15th century was freed from subordination to the Novgorod Vyazhitsky monastery, having until then been under its jurisdiction 247, this gives the right to assume that the Monk Cornelius, a Pskovite by birth, began monastic life in the Vyazhitsky monastery and hence was drawn to Paliy Island by his love of solitude. His love for this island was not in vain. It is difficult to find a solitude more complete and more beautiful than Pali Island. The island is small; it can only be accessed in one place. From the top of the steep cliff, a panorama of the entire Onega Lake opens up, in all its wild beauty. Occasionally you can only see a fishing boat, and even more rarely a barge with timber from Povenets. Only at the beginning of spring the caravan of Solovetsky pilgrims comes to the relics of the Monk Cornelius; then, all year round, there are no pilgrims or visitors in the desert, as is the case today. What was there at the end of the 14th century? And on this island the Monk Cornelius lived, like a bird of God, for the feats of fasting and prayer. His pious life, despite the remote and wild solitude of the island, attracted zealots of hermit life to him. The monk built the Church of the Nativity of the Most Pure One and another, warm, with a meal, in honor of the Prophet Elijah 248. The lover of desert life set up a hostel in the spirit of apostolic love, and with the church of the prophet Elijah pointed the desert dwellers to the great hermit and faster, nourished by hope in the Lord. The Onega side is still poor in bread - such is its soil. But Pali Island could feed its hermits with fish: the nearby bays of the shores of the solid land are known for a special kind of fish, which gave the island its name: Pali - fish, a genus of trout. The monk himself, even when he was engaged in the construction of the monastery, often retired for solitary prayer to a cave, half a mile from the monastery. In the last time of his life, he remained in it constantly, devoting time to prayer and the feats of fasting. The heavy chains that were on his body serve as a monument to his severe asceticism. He rested in a cave around 1420, and his relics were transferred to the church of the monastery by his disciple Avramius. Avramiy also led an ascetic life; about him in the handwritten calendar it is said: “Reverend Abraham, abbot of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos of Paleostrovsky on the Onega River, Novgorod miracle worker.” Now the relics of the monks Cornelius and Abramia rest under cover in the church of their monastery 249. Fatherland and family of the righteous 250 were in the province of the optimates, where there were cities: Nicomedia, Elenopolis, Prenet, Parthenopolis. Her parents were Konstantin and Anastasia, sincere Christians; From a tender age, their daughter was raised in piety. Having married her husband Zachary, she persuaded him to live with her as with a sister. So she never knew the pleasures of the marriage bed and remained a virgin. The people of the Periclean age were educated, very educated in the arts and in philosophy, and the vile hetaera took away her husband from her wife and infected her dear youth with diseases. Only the faith of Christ not only protects marital fidelity, but also turns spouses into pure virgins. Theocleta diligently read soul-helping works and especially sacred instructions about the life appropriate for wives. She firmly memorized the Apostle’s wish presented to the wives. I wish, he wrote, that wives in decent attire, with modesty and chastity, adorn themselves not with braided hair, not with gold, not with pearls, not with costly clothing, but with good deeds, as is fitting for women devoting themselves to godliness (1 Tim. 2:9, 10). She assigned the money that others spent on clothes for better use. She devoted her funds, labors, and strength mainly to the benefit of her neighbors: every day, one way or another, she helped the poor. Her homeland gave her many occasions to do this. The province of the optimates (nobles) was called so in mockery. It was the poorest country; Its inhabitants, says Emperor Constantine, are orderlies of officers and senior court officials; They are also drivers during army campaigns; when poor they are rude 251. In such and such a country Saint Theocleta performed feats of mercy. “Be ashamed,” said Quintilian, “to bow before the poor, but rather turn away from him with contempt.” Plautus wrote: “Why do you give alms to the poor? Your help only prolongs his suffering. Is he poor? Well, let him perish from hunger.” This is how pagan philosophy reasoned! Out of pride, she either did not give the poor man a tender glance, or, due to a lack of selfless love, she despaired of the ability to successfully treat the poor man’s wounds. How immeasurably high is Christian love! Optimates with their diverse needs find in her an inexhaustible source of consolation! What is needed for the feat of compassionate love to be completely Christian, completely pleasing to the Lord and therefore strong by grace? It must be done in a spirit of humility, without searching for human glory and without self-indulgence (see: Matt. 6:2); it must be done with a cheerful soul, with joy (see: 2 Cor. 10:7; Rom. 12:8; Mark 12:42); it is necessary that neither human ingratitude, sometimes rude, nor one’s own desire for peace weaken him (see: Gal. 6:9; 2 Thess. 3:13). This is how Theoclete labored. She was not tired of the labors of serving others, and was not offended by people’s lack of gratitude; she helped everyone with love and joy; She did not allow herself to amuse herself with her own affairs, praising the Lord for everything and firmly remembering her sinfulness. And so she was an inexhaustible spring of life-giving consolations for the unfortunate optimates. Through deeds of selfless love, she rose so much in spiritual life that, when the time of her death approached, she invited her acquaintances and announced the day of her death and the particular circumstances of her future. After her death, her relics were glorified by many miracles, to the consolation of the suffering. Her feats of pre-grave mercy were performed under Emperor Theophilus, and therefore her death must be attributed to the year 840 252. Memory of St. Abraham of Pechersk On the ancient icon of the Pechersk wonderworkers of the Anthony Cave, the Monk Abraham is named abbot; He is known with exactly the same rank in handwritten calendars. If so, then in 1396 he buried near the tomb of Theodosius Prince Skirigail - John, who was killed by servants in Vyshgorod 253. At Kalnofoisky, the industrious Venerable Abraham rests in a cave meal 254. This gives us the right to believe that the Monk Abraham spent the last part of his life asceticizing in a cave and here, after prayer, he worked on preparing everything necessary for the cave brethren, which is how he earned the name of a hard worker. Saint Theona, Bishop of Alexandria Having ruled the Alexandrian Church for about 18 years in the rank of bishop, Theona at the same time supported the Alexandrian School with his patronage and peacefully rested from his good labors around the year 300, leaving as his successor his worthy disciple Peter (his memory is on November 25). The epistle of Bishop Theona, depicting Christians at the end of the 3rd century, to the chief of the bed-guards of the court of Emperor Diocletian has survived to this day: “Thanks be to Almighty God and our Lord Jesus Christ,” writes Saint Theona, “He has revealed His faith to the entire universe - the only means of our salvation - and does not cease to spread it even amid the persecution of the tormentors. On the contrary, in the storms of persecution it shone like gold purified by fire: the truth always became more brilliant, so that during the peace granted by the good emperor, the deeds of Christians would shine before the infidels and thus God the Heavenly Father would be glorified. This is something that, if we want to be Christians not only in name, but in deeds, we need to take care; if we seek our glory, we seek vain and changeable things, which hand us over to death. But the glory of the Father and the Son, Crucified for our salvation, saves us for Eternal Life - the desired goal of Christians.” “My dear Lucian! I don’t think and don’t want you to boast that through you many in the emperor’s court learned the truth. We must thank our God; He made you a good instrument for a good cause and elevated you to the emperor, so that you would spread the fragrance of the Christian name for His glory and for the salvation of many. The more the emperor, who is not yet a Christian, entrusts his life to the care of Christians as the most faithful people: the more zealous, diligent and prudent you should be about his safety, so that the name of Christ may be glorified, and His faith through you, who protect the emperor, will spread every day.” “It should not at all happen that you sell access to the sovereign for money or do anything dishonorable before the sovereign, defeated by a request or a bribe. In everything, act meekly, decently, truthfully, so that in everything the name of God and our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified.” “Fulfill your positions to which you are assigned carefully, with the fear of God and with all love for the emperor. Consider the sovereign’s command, which does not offend God, as having come from God and carry it out with love, respect and pleasure...” Instructing in accordance with the position of each, the bishop writes about the librarian: “If he is one of the believers in Christ, he should not neglect secular works and the works of the pagans, which please the sovereign. Poets must be praised for their great talents, for their resourcefulness in invention, for the strength and grace of expression. It is necessary to praise orators, it is necessary to praise philosophers... Sometimes let him try to approve the Holy Scriptures, which Ptolemy Philadelphus translated into our language with such diligence and expense; let him sometimes praise the Gospel and the Apostle as divinely inspired scriptures; Perhaps the matter will touch upon Christ, let him little by little explain His Divinity.” Instructing in general rules, Feona writes among other things: “Let not a day pass without you reading something from the Holy Scriptures in your free time - nothing nourishes the soul and mind as much as sacred readings; From them you will receive especially the benefit that you will go through your duties patiently, piously, in the love of Christ and will despise everything temporary for the eternal promises that surpass all understanding and will bring you eternal bliss...” 255 Transfer of the relics of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow Upon his repose, the venerable body of St. Peter the Metropolitan was laid in the Moscow Cathedral Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos, near the holy altar, in the place prepared by the saint himself. From the day of his repose, the tomb of the deceased became a refuge for believers; Orthodox Christians flocked to the shrine of St. Peter to pray, kissed it with reverence and received grace-filled help. In 1380, Saint Peter Metropolitan appeared on the night before the Battle of the Don and was seen in the air with a golden rod, with which he struck down the enemies of the fatherland. Saint Peter appeared in the same form in 1395 and refused to allow Tamerlane to attack Moscow. According to these phenomena, in order to protect the fatherland from enemies, Saint Peter in Russian chronicles is called the intercessor of the Russian land. The kings and patriarchs in their letters called Saint Peter a great wonderworker. The glory of this first of the Moscow metropolitans, a miracle worker, had already spread to all ends of Russia, when his honest and multi-healing relics, on the occasion of the construction of a new and vast Assumption Church in Moscow, instead of the dilapidated church that had stood for 146 years, were found incorrupt in the 15th century. In 1472, by the will of Grand Duke John III Vasilyevich and with the blessing of Moscow Metropolitan Philip, the tomb of St. Peter the Metropolitan was reverently opened, and his holy relics, in the words of the chronicle, “like the light of Siyahu,” and the coffin in which they rested fell apart from the fire during the capture of Moscow by Tokhtamysh; On this occasion, Tokhtamysh opened the coffin of St. Peter, discovering something hidden in it. After the construction of a relic for the relics of the saint in the newly built church, the feast of the transfer of the venerable relics of our father Peter, the metropolitan and wonderworker of all Russia, was established forever. On the occasion of the fall of the newly built church, in which the relics of the saint were located, they were transferred a second time in 1475 to the Church of St. John the Climacus, and after the completion of the Assumption Cathedral, in 1479, they were transferred here for the third time and placed under a cover. After this transfer of the relics of St. Peter, the feast of their transfer was established on the 24th day of August. After the establishment of this holiday, Pachomius the Serbian, a monk of the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius, on behalf of his superiors at the end of the 15th century, wrote two canons for the transfer of the relics of St. Peter. In 1547, after a fire that destroyed almost all the Kremlin buildings in Moscow and destroyed the roofs and porches of the Assumption Cathedral, the relics of St. Peter were transferred to the Chudov Monastery and, upon the resumption of the cathedral, they were placed there in a new golden shrine, built by John Vasilyevich IV in 1555 on the occasion of the birth of Tsarevich John. In our calendar, printed in Moscow (1648), under the 4th of August it is noted: “St. Peter the Metropolitan appeared to the pious Empress Anastasia, not commanding anyone to ever open his coffin, and commanded her to seal her shrine with her seal, and on that day he established this holiday to celebrate.” During the possession of Moscow by the Poles, the golden shrine of Metropolitan St. Peter was cut into pieces, which were divided among the sacrileges. The relics were placed under cover in a new wooden shrine, bound in silver. From the patriarchal charter it is clear that on the feast of St. Peter of 1679–1684, part of his relics from the patriarch was brought to the Assumption Cathedral and placed on the lectern or on the tomb of the saint. Until 1812 they lay hidden, sealed and locked. Napoleon destroyed the tomb, probably with the same sacrilegious intent as Tokhtamysh. With the permission of the Holy Synod, His Grace Augustine of Moscow solemnly opened the holy relics of Metropolitan Peter during the consecration of the first chapel church of the Assumption Cathedral, where they rest. The Church in its hymns calls the day of the transfer of the relics of St. Peter an all-honorable holiday that brings joy to the emperor and the people. “As you are a wonderful physician and an abundant source of miracles, today your spiritual children have come together with spiritual love to transfer your honorable relics, Bishop Peter, we pray to you: pray to Christ God to grant, by your honorable transference, victorious power to our emperor against his enemies.” After the appearance and transfer of the relics of St. Peter, the metropolitan chronicles call him a new wonderworker and show an increasing reverence for him among the Orthodox. Before his tomb, kings pray with their subjects when they are crowned kings; in days of disaster, Orthodox Christians and kings resort to the miracle worker with prayer for help and intercession as a great lamp and guardian of the Church and the Fatherland. All the objects that St. Peter the Metropolitan had, such as the cross with which he once blessed John Kalita, the sakkos, icons, panagia and the archpastoral staff, or staff, after the repose of the saint, became sacred and lofty monuments for Orthodox Christians. Memory of the Venerable Adrian Ondrusovsky In the life of the Venerable Alexander of Svirsky, according to the description of his disciple, we read the following: 9 versts from the place of the exploits of the Venerable Alexander lived in his homeland the nobleman Andrei Zavalishin, a hunter of wild animals. One day, in the midst of the hunt, Andrei saw a deer and rushed to catch up with it; the hunter rushed with such speed that he left his hunting companions far behind him, and yet the deer disappeared from his eyes. Zavalishin instead saw in front of him a hut and traces of a hermit, in such a wild place where, it seemed, no human foot had ever set foot. He knocked at the hut, and a worker appeared before him, exhausted from fasting and labors, in shabby clothes. The ascetic’s story about his wondrous life made a deep impression on Andrei. This was in 1493. Zavalishin after that often came to the Monk Alexander (it was he) to listen to his instructions and delivered bread to his associates. From conversations with the hermit, having learned the sweetness of desert life, Zavalishin decided to follow the example of his life. One of the villages of the Kamepun volost is still called Andreevshchina: but Zavalishin left his rich estate and retired to the Valaam desert; here he accepted monasticism with the name Adrian and spent several years here in the exploits of the hostel. Then, with the blessing of the Monk Alexander, he chose a secluded place for his stay on the peninsula, on the shores of Lake Ladoga. Disciples and followers gathered to him. A church was built in the desert in honor of St. Nicholas - Zavalishin was known in Moscow, and Grand Duke Vasily (1534) granted alms from his treasury to the monks of the Hadrian Hermit with a charter, ordering them to give the same in advance, “stepping over every two years, without red tape” and at the same time forbade the governors to take duties from the monastery catchers and tones. According to local legend, Adrian met on his way with people who threatened not only the existence of the monastery, but also the lives of the hermits. The meeting was quite ordinary at that time: but how did it end? In the dense forest of the island of Sala (wild), opposite the Hadrian Desert, the unkind man Ondrus was hiding with a gang of his own kind, living at the expense of the swimmers of Lake Ladoga. The close proximity of the hermit, who began to gather others to himself, worried the ataman of the robbers; he announced that the hermits should voluntarily leave the island, otherwise it would be bad for them. It was sad for Adrian to part with the deserted place, especially because his great mentor blessed him to live here. He begged the robber to give this place to peaceful workers; not having the money to offer a ransom for the place, Adrian promised the chieftain to intercede for him before God - and advised him to part with his bad craft. The robber laughed at the words of the hermit. Adrian begged the robber for a long time and with bitter tears; Finally the chieftain relented and said: live. On the rocky cape of Lake Ladoga, which is still called Storozhevsky, at the same time there lived another robber with a gang, guarding swimmers. Envying the happiness of Adrian's neighbor, he tried to capture and exterminate him. It happened that both chieftains, traveling with gangs for fishing, met and a battle broke out between them. The inhabitants of Sal were defeated, and their shackled leader was thrown into the boat of his enemy. The unfortunate man knew that after terrible torture, death awaited him; he remembered the advice of the hermit, bitter repentance penetrated his soul, and - now he sees Adrian before him. “By the mercy of the Lord, for whom they asked you for mercy on the desert brotherhood, you are free,” said the one who appeared and disappeared; The ataman saw himself without shackles, on the shore, and no one near him. Struck to the depths of his soul, he came to the monastery and found Adrian and his ascetics singing psalmody. It turned out that Adrian did not leave the monastery. The chieftain fell at the feet of the abbot and asked to teach him the ways of salvation. Left in the monastery, he ended his life here in quiet repentance. And his rival in the craft, through the prayers of Elder Adrian, finally came to his senses. Feeling the ruin of his life, he founded a monastery of prayer on the site of a den of robbers and labored in it under the name of the monk Cyprian. With his new life, charitable for many, Blessed Cyprian not only brought his former bad deeds into oblivion among his contemporaries, but enjoyed their respect; and the good and merciful Lord glorified the deceased ascetic with miracles for his feats of sincere self-denial 256. The life of the Monk Adrian was so beneficial for the remote region. In 1546, Tsar John Vasilyevich ordered the Novgorod authorities “from the Nativity of Christ, from year to year, to give in lieu of alms: to the abbot (Ondrusovsky) 5 boxes of rye, 5 boxes of oats, two pounds of salt, and a Novgorod hryvnia of money; for 12 brothers, for each brother 2 boxes of rye, 2 boxes of oats, and a pound of salt, and 2 altyns of money; Yes to the Most Pure One and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker 2 pounds of honey for the eve and 2 pounds of wax each for candles, and 5 boxes of wheat for bread.” The founder of the Hadrian Hermitage was so famous for his holiness of life that he and Gregory of Pelshem received the daughter of Tsar John Anna from Holy Baptism. This was in August 1549 257. When the holy elder was returning from Moscow to his monastery and was already not far from it, near the village of Obzhi evil people attacked him and killed him; The villains hoped to find money from him and found nothing. The brothers waited a long time for their abbot and, after a long wait, no longer knew what to think about him? Two years later, one night, in a dream vision, the monk appears to several of the elders of the Ondrus Hermitage, tells them about his painful death, indicates the place where the villains hid the body, and commands them to transfer it to the monastery. The next day, May 17, the monks found the incorrupt body of the passion-bearer in the swamp and buried it near the wall of the church of St. Nicholas. So the whole life of the Monk Adrian was primarily a struggle against evil people, and the Lord crowned him with the crown of a martyr. Therefore, it is not surprising that they soon began to honor his memory on August 26, and on May 17, the transfer of his relics 258. The act of 1659 says: “By the grace of the reverend father, our superior abbot Adrian, a contribution was given to the house of the Most Pure Mother of God and the wonderworker Adrian” 259. Emperor Alexander, while inspecting the provinces (1819), wished to venerate the Venerable Martyr Adrian, took a peasant as a guide and, without an entourage, went to the saint’s tomb; Here he prayed for a long time with tears and then sent vessels and books for the church. In 1828, the relics of the saint were transferred to a new stone church - Presentation of the Mother of God into the Church 260. Blessed Cyprian of Storozhevsky Formerly the leader of a band of robbers, admonished and converted to God by the Monk Adrian Ondrusovsky and taking monastic vows at his monastery under the name Cyprian, later on the site of a robber den (on the cape of Lake Ladoga, where he guarded and robbed swimmers and therefore called Storozhevsky), he founded a monastery in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Through his ascetic life here, distinguished by charity and mercy, Cyprian made amends for his previous life, made him forget all his previous evil deeds, and before God gained such generous pardon that he was glorified by many miracles after his death. His relics rest in the former monastery, now parish church. Holy Righteous Hezekiah, King of Judah, who lived between 721 and 691 BC. Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, the wicked king of Judah, became king of Judah for twenty-five years and reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord in everything just as David did... he abolished the high places, broke the statues, cut down the oak grove and destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because until those days the children of Israel burned incense to him and called him Nehushtan (2 Kings 18:3,4). A zealous worshiper of the True God, Hezekiah, upon his accession to the throne, first of all made sure that the temple of Solomon was again open for worship, which had been stopped under his wicked predecessors. On the Passover holiday, celebrated with a solemnity unprecedented since King Solomon, Hezekiah gathered not only his subjects, but also the subjects of the kingdom of Israel. During this festival, Hezekiah ordered the destruction of idols throughout his entire kingdom, reminding the people of the punishments that befell their ancestors for abandoning the true God; after that, idolatry ceased not only in the kingdom of Judah, but also in many places in the kingdom of Israel, when those who had been at the festival returned to their side and told others about their pious impressions during the general religious celebration. For such zeal for God of King Hezekiah, to whom there was no such thing among the kings of Judah, both after him and before him (2 Kings 18:5), the Lord was with him everywhere (2 Kings 18:7), delivered him from his enemies and fulfilled his requests. So in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, when the Assyrian king Sennacherib, the son of Shalmaneser, who defeated the Israelites, got ready to fight against Hezekiah and, having taken the fortress of Lachish, sent an army to Jerusalem, demanding that Hezekiah immediately surrender to him, the Lord showed His wonderful protection to the pious king. “In whom does your king trust? - said the messenger from Sennacherib to the head of the palace of Hezekiah Eliakim, who was authorized to negotiate with him. “Isn’t he hoping for help from the Egyptians?” Now, tell Hezekiah,” continued the messenger Rabshakeh, “you are thinking of leaning on Egypt, on this broken reed, which, if anyone leans on it, will go into his hand and pierce it. Such is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, for all those who trust in him... And if you say to me: in the Lord our God we trust, then is it the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah abolished and said to Judah and Jerusalem, “Before this altar only shall you worship in Jerusalem?” “And Rabshakeh stood up and shouted with a loud voice in Jewish and (addressing the people) said: Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot save you from my hand; and let not Hezekiah encourage you in the Lord, saying, The Lord will save us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Don't listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Be reconciled to me and come out to me, and let everyone eat from his own vine and fig tree, and let everyone drink water from his own well, until I come and take you to a land like your land, a land of grain and wine, a land of fruits and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, and you will live and not die... Do not listen. Hezekiah, who deceives you, saying: The Lord will save us... Have the gods of the nations saved each one his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?... So will the Lord really save Jerusalem from my hand? And the people were silent and did not answer him a word, because there was an order from the king: do not answer him. And Eliakim came... to Hezekiah... and told him the words of Rabshakeh. When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth, and went to the House of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim the captain of the palace, and Shebna the scribe, and the chief priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they (telling Isaiah the words of Rabshakeh) said to him: Thus says Hezekiah: this is the day of tribulation, and punishment, and shame... Offer up a prayer for those who are still alive... And Isaiah said to them: Thus say to your master: Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid of the words that you heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria reviled Me. Behold, I will send a spirit into him, and he will hear the message and return to his land, and I will smite him with the sword in his land 261 . Meanwhile, Hezekiah went to the house of the Lord... and prayed before the face of the Lord and said: Lord God of Israel! You alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth, You created heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear me; Open, O Lord, Thy eyes and look and hear the words of Sennacherib, who sent to revile You, the Living God! It is true, O Lord, the kings of Assyria destroyed the peoples and their lands, and threw their gods into the fire; but these are not gods, but the product of human hands, wood and stone; therefore they destroyed them... Now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, and all the kingdoms of the earth will know that You, O Lord, are one God. And Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: That which you prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard. This is the word that the Lord spoke about him: the virgin daughter of Zion will despise you and laugh at you; the daughter of Jerusalem will shake her head after you... Whom did you blame and revile? And to whom did you raise your voice and raise your eyes so high? On the Holy One of Israel. Through your messengers you reproached the Lord... Because of your insolence against Me and because your arrogance has reached My ears, I will put My ring in your nostrils and My bit in your mouth, and I will bring you back along the same road by which you came... This is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: he will not enter this city (Jerusalem), nor throw an arrow there, nor approach it with a shield, nor build a rampart against it; He will return by the same road by which he came, and will not enter this city, says the Lord. I will guard this city to save it for My own sake and for the sake of David My servant... And it came to pass that night that the angel of the Lord went and smote one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of Assyria. And they got up in the morning, and behold, all the bodies were dead 262. The arrogant king Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, where soon after he was killed by his children while he came to worship the gods in the idol church... The recovery of King Hezekiah from a fatal illness can serve as evidence of the power of a righteous man’s prayer before the Lord. Soon after Sennacherib's departure, Hezekiah fell mortally ill; And the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him: Thus says the Lord: Make a testament for your house, for you will die and not recover. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to God, saying: O Lord! remember that I walked before Your face faithfully and with a heart devoted to You, and did what was right in Your sight... And Hezekiah wept greatly. And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, Go and tell Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord God of your father David: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, and behold, I have added fifteen years to your days. At the same time, Isaiah said: let them bring a layer of figs and cover the abscess 264 with which the king suffered, and when this was done, Hezekiah recovered. The prayer in which the pious Hezekiah asked the Lord to help him was fervent, but his prayer of gratitude ascended to God even more fervently: I said within myself: at the end of my days I must go to the gates of the underworld; I am deprived of the rest of my years. I said: I will not see the Lord in the land of the living; I will no longer see a person among those living in the world; my dwelling is removed from its place and carried away from me, like a shepherd’s hut; I must cut off my life like a weaver; He will cut me off from the foundation; day and night I waited for You to send me death. I waited until the morning; like a lion, He crushed all my bones; day and night I waited for You to send me death. I made sounds like a crane, like a swallow, I yearned like a dove; My eyes sadly looked to the sky: Lord! I'm cramped, save me! What will I say? He told me and he did it. I will spend all the years of my life quietly, remembering the sorrow of my soul... God! this is how they live, and in all this the life of my spirit; You will heal me; you give me life. Behold, great sorrow was for my good, and You delivered my soul from the pit of destruction, Throwing all my sins behind Your back. For it is not the grave that glorifies Thee, nor death that praises Thee, nor those who go down to the grave who trust in Thy truth. Alive, only living will glorify You, as I do now; the father will proclaim Your truth to the children... The Lord will save me; and all the days of our life we ​​will sing songs in the House of the Lord with the sounds of my strings! 265 The rest about Hezekiah and all his exploits, and that he made a pond and a water supply and brought water to the city, is written in the chronicle of the kings of Judah. And Hezekiah (54 years old) slept with his fathers 266 and was buried by the Jews with great honor in the best place between the royal tombs. Holy Martyr Shushanika (Susanna), former Princess of Georgia The daughter of the Georgian king, Shushanika suffered cruelly for her faith in Jesus Christ from her wicked husband - the apostate Vasken, the sovereign prince of Ran or Karabakh, a vassal prince of the Georgian king - and after several years of various languor, she died in 458, on October 17th. Her relics were transferred to Tiflis on August 28, 586 and placed in the chapel of the Metekhi Church, which is now in the Metekhi Castle, on the south side of the altar 267. Memory of the Pechersk saints resting in the Feodosiya Cave On the 28th day of August, the Kiev Lavra commemorates all those who rest incorruptibly in the Feodosieva Cave. Nowadays 46 incorruptible relics of God’s saints rest openly here. Kalnofoisky (1638) shows 33 saints in the Theodosius Cave; and Herbinius (1674) has 37. The Little Russian news “about the lives of the saints who rested in the cave of St. Theodosius” speaks of 40 saints. Thus, from time to time the relics of the saints of God were revealed 268. The Little Russian description of the saints, as can be seen from its content, was written after Herbinius’s description, around 1678 269. But even after that, a cave with a plaque was discovered, where the relics of the holy martyr Lucian rested. According to the handwritten calendar of Moscow, such saints are indicated in the Kyiv caves, which neither the Little Russian news nor the current description of the caves mentions. This means that their relics were once known, but then hidden by changes of time, as is revealed when reviewing the relics indicated by Kalnofoysky and Gerbinius 270. According to the monuments we indicated, we see in Theodosius Cave: a) Saints: Hilarion of Kiev, Amphilochius of Vladimir, Theophilus of Novgorod Metropolitan Hilarion, as the first Russian cave explorer, had a preferential right to rest in a cave and, moreover, in the Feodosieva Cave, since there was also Hilarion’s Cave, which was part of a general, multi-cave cave. Moreover, he is not only called a saint according to the inscriptions of his works 271 and in the Degree Book 272, but is known among the Kyiv ascetics from handwritten calendars, where it is said (according to one list): “It was established in the Pechersk Monastery.” In the handwritten catalog of the saints we read about him: “Ordained to be in the Pechersk Monastery and for the sake of his extreme virtue, he was holy and a wonderful miracle worker” 273. Meletius Sirig sings: “Mikhail, Hilarion, Peter - Divine Hierarsi!” And Herbinius’s Kiev Patericon says: “We rejoice about our planet Venus, about the philosopher Hilarion, who, even before the appearance of the Russian sun Anthony, dug a cave in Berestovo, in which he lived piously and rested” 274. Blessed Simon wrote to Polycarp: “You yourself read about Metropolitan Hilarion in the life of Saint Anthony, that he was tonsured by him and thus was awarded the priesthood.”275 From the news of the Monk Nestor, we know that blessed Hilarion performed priestly service at the church of the princely village of Berestov, where the palace of the Grand Duke was located and where, following the example of his father, the blessed Yaroslav loved to live, enriching the apostolic church with his gifts; Hilarion was known then as “a good and bookish man, and also a faster.” Having dug a small, two-story cave in the Dnieper Mountain, he labored here in solitude in fasting and prayer; serving in the court Berestovsky church, he retired from the noise of everyday life into his cave for prayer and contemplation of God 276. He received monastic vows from Anthony, probably shortly before becoming a priest. He himself says in his confession: “I am also Presbyter Hilarion.” 277 When Metropolitan Theopemptus died (1049), Grand Duke Yaroslav decided to elevate the pious and enlightened Hilarion to the see of metropolitan of all Rus'. The modern chronicler does not say for what reason Yaroslav did not send Hilarion to Constantinople for initiation, as previous metropolitans were ordained. It is likely that a cooling towards Constantinople, aroused by the cruel actions of the Greeks with Russian captives 278, was involved in this. They could not help but take part in the unrest that the pope was then causing in the Eastern Church, arousing distrust of Patriarch Michael Cerularius 279 . Be that as it may, Blessed Hilarion was installed as Metropolitan in Kyiv by the Council of Russian Archpastors. “By the grace of the man-loving God, Presbyter Hilarion, by His will, was ordained by the pious bishops and enthroned in the great city of Kyiv, as if to be a metropolitan, a shepherd and a teacher in it. Bysha si in l. 6559 (1051), ruling noble kagan Yaroslav, son of Vladimir.” This is what Hilarion himself says at the end of his confession 280. Early news shows that Hilarion, ordained according to the ancient rule, sought and received confirmation for himself in the rank of metropolitan from the patriarch 281. And the quoted words from the confession of Metropolitan Hilarion make it clear that the dedicated metropolitan wrote and sent his confession somewhere, and, therefore, confirm the news of the new metropolitan’s relationship with the patriarch. Brilliant church events date back to the reign of Hilarion of the Russian Church. In his time, the chronicle says, “the Christian faith began to be fruitful,” that is, to bear fruit in the consciousness and life of the people. In his time, spiritual enlightenment began to flourish - church schools multiplied; During his time, sincere piety flourished. The organization of church services dates back to his time. He consecrated the Church of the Great Martyr George, which had remained unfinished for several years, and established the celebration of the Great Martyr George throughout Russia on November 28, 282. Blessed Hilarion well understood and felt the needs of his great flock, and his living love for the Fatherland found means to satisfy them. It is not known for certain when his blessed death followed, but probably not before 1066 283. According to his writings, he remains forever an unforgettable teacher of faith and piety. His teaching on law and grace, praise to Kagan Vladimir, confession of faith and instruction on life 284 - brilliant monuments of his living piety, bright mind and deep knowledge of the faith, living eloquence and strong feelings. The doctrine of the old and new law shows that at that time there was a need to speak against Judaism. It makes it clear that the preachers of Judaism, unsuccessful under Vladimir, did not abandon their hopes for success under Yaroslav: of course, their successes among the Khazars deceived them too much. From personal relations with Jewish teachers in Russia they knew about their cruel opinions about Christianity - this is what Hilarion’s teaching shows. The blessed teacher shows the superiority of Christ's grace over the law, first of all, by the typical story of Hagar and Sarah; then he reveals the global significance of Christianity and the local, temporary significance of the Law of Moses. “The Law existed before, but it rose for a short time and passed away. The Christian faith, although it appeared later, became more than the law and spread to many languages. The grace of Christ filled the whole earth and covered it like sea water. Everything, leaving behind the old, which has become corrupted due to the thinness of the Jews, holds on to the new... Formerly in Jerusalem alone there was a place for the worship of God; now the Holy Trinity is glorified throughout the entire earth and receives worship from all creation: small and great glorify God.” Then the main idea of ​​Christianity is presented - the union of the Divine with humanity, and the blindness of the Jews, who did not understand the Divine greatness in Jesus Christ and the teachings of the prophets about the Messiah, is exposed. Finally, the idea of ​​​​the universal significance of Christianity is presented in application to the Russian people, and it is shown what high benefits Christianity brought with it to Russia. “We are no longer without hope, but hope for eternal life; We are no longer building churches, but we are building churches of Christ; We do not slay each other as a sacrifice to demons, but Christ is slain for us and crushed as a sacrifice to God and the Father; we no longer eat the blood of victims and perish, but we eat the most pure Blood of Christ and are saved... We were blind, not knowing the true light and wandering in the darkness of idolatry; we were deaf, not hearing the saving teaching; but God had mercy on us and shed the light of knowledge on us... Previously, we were like beasts and cattle, we did not know how to distinguish between our right hand and our left, we were attached to earthly things and did not care at all about Heavenly things; but the Lord also sent to us commandments that lead to Eternal Life.” “Praise to Kagan Vladimir” is an animated depiction of the merits and virtues of the holy Grand Duke Vladimir, the enlightener of Russia, ending with a prayer for Russia. In the “confession of faith” Blessed Hilarion sets out his concepts of the dogmas of faith. More extensively than others, he expounds the dogmas about the Holy Trinity and the incarnation of the Son of God; in short, he talks about the future judgment and resurrection, about the veneration of icons and saints. “I believe,” he says, in One God, glorified in the Trinity, the unbegotten Father, without beginning and infinity, the begotten Son, but also without beginning and infinity, the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and appearing in the Son, but also without beginning, equal to the Father and the Son... So I believe and am not ashamed, he says in conclusion, I confess before the nations, and for the confession I am ready to lay down my soul.” The edifying “word of St. Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kyiv,” placed in the prologue 285, is offered here in full 286. “I pray to you, brothers and sisters, take care of the eternal bright life that the Lord, in His mercy, gives us freely; and we will move away from the pleasures of this temporary life, like from poisonous snakes; don't touch them. The Lord has prepared life for us in Heaven and is calling us. And we, pleasing our body with sweet foods, drink, sleep, lusts, criminal habits, living in a relaxed manner, renounce the Kingdom of Heaven and the One who calls us to it. He prepared a marriage for His Son, that is, the Heavenly Kingdom, and sent to call His servants (see: Matt. 22:2, 3), that is, He sent prophets, apostles, and martyrs. But we refuse and say: I have bought a wife, I cannot go, and also: I have bought oxen, I am going to tempt them, and again: I have bought a village, I am going to spy on it (see: Luke 14:18-20) and with other deeds of this life we ​​renounce eternal life - don’t we hear that the Lord says: do not worry about the morning, what to eat or drink, or what to wear. Look at the birds of the air, how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into the barn; look at the flowers of the field, how they grow and do not labor (see: Matt. 6, 25, 26, 28)? Hearing this, brethren, let us arise as if from a dream and walk along the narrow path that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us give our body to work, to fasting, to prayer, to abstinence, to prostration. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken with needs and those who force themselves take it (see: Matt. 11, 12). Why don’t we feel sorry for ourselves when, through our laziness, we deprive ourselves of eternal life? Let us force ourselves, brothers, for this short time. Even if we burn in fire; but even this would only be until death. Why do we please this clay body? If you knew heavenly life, you would say - let us burn in fire, if only we could reign there with the Lord in great glory, forever. But I don't call you to burn. No, but let us labor and dry up our bodies. The Lord said: unless a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it remains alone (John 12:24). He clearly told those that if bodily lust does not die, it cannot bear spiritual fruit. He who does not love his soul in this age will find it in that life (see: John 12:25). Hearing this, let us strive. Will you say: we are weak? But just start, make the beginning of the feat according to your strength, as much as you can, and God, seeing your feat, will give you help as a doer of good. Let us not put off the feat. How long is our life? 50 or 60 years, and already many 100. How much work do we have to do? Meanwhile, we will reign there in heaven. If here we begin to eat and drink sweetly and fulfill the lusts of the flesh uncontrollably, we will be tormented there forever. So let's take care. We are called by Christ Himself, not a man, but the King of kings and Lord of all. Let us bow our minds to Him, let us live God-wise, in fasting and prayer, in work and singing, crying over our sins, always having the day of judgment before the eyes of the Lord. Let us not weaken as we have begun. The Lord said: whatever I find you in, that is what I judge. Let us take this word to heart, lest we weaken to the point of death. We do not know when the hour of death will come, snatch away an unprepared soul, and condemn it to eternal fire. If death finds us in repentance, then, having rid ourselves of everything bitter, we will receive the promised benefits.” This is what the holy ascetic teaches. About Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Vladimir of Volyn, whom handwritten calendars place among the holy Pechersk ascetics, the chronicles only tell us that he was consecrated in 1105 and died in 1122 287. In one list of calendars it is said that “Saint Amphilochius reposed in a cave.” Theophilus, who rests in the Theodosian Cave, is called the Moscow Bishop by Kalnofoisky. This is the Archbishop of Novgorod, for whom the rank of archbishop was the cause of nothing but sorrow. He believed the beginning of monastic life was in the Oten monastery and under St. Jonah he was a protodeacon and sacristan of the department. Upon his death, by lot (November 15, 1470), he was elected archbishop. Monk Pimen, who was the housekeeper and had managed to enrich himself at the expense of the archbishop's treasury, strongly coveted the same honor. He joined the party dissatisfied with the Grand Duke and announced to his friends: “Send me to Kyiv, I agree to accept ordination from Gregory.” But the unscrupulous flatterer of human weaknesses soon lost everything: he was caught stealing the archbishop's treasury; he was robbed and driven out of the city. They sent to Moscow for permission for Theophilus to appear for dedication to the metropolitan 288. Soon afterwards strong unrest began in Novgorod against the Grand Duke. In vain did the Monk Theophilus persuade the restless seekers of vanity to come to their senses. Bearing in mind everything that was happening then in the Kingdom of Poland with the Orthodox by the mercy of the ultra-papist party, one had to be in Novgorod either too carried away by earthly calculations and cold to heaven, or completely blind to the state of affairs, in order to desire the subordination of Novgorod to the Polish king. And yet Novgorod, at the request of selfish people, entered into an agreement with the Polish king. Theophilus wanted to retire to a monastery, but he was kept in the archbishop's house and forced to take part in this agreement; it meant a lot to Theophilus’s conscience that the agreement insisted that the Orthodox faith remain inviolable in the Novgorod possessions and there would be no churches here at all; about the very consecration of the archbishop it is said that he will be consecrated anywhere in Novgorod. Thus, Theophilus did not want to sever ties with the Moscow Metropolitan, the faithful guardian of Orthodoxy 289. Metropolitan Philip more than once sent written admonitions to Novgorod to sever ties with the king 290 . Novgorod decided to go to war with the Grand Duke, while at the same time a terrible fire destroyed many houses, 8 churches and even many people. The Battle of Shelon (July 14, 1471), in which the archbishop's regiment, according to his instructions, did not take part, ended in favor of the Grand Duke. Theophilus forced the Novgorodians to ask for mercy from the Orthodox sovereign, and an agreement was concluded with him 291. In December, Theophilus was ordained archbishop in Moscow and asked the Grand Duke for the freedom of 30 famous Novgorodians captured 292. The archpastor then peacefully occupied himself with church affairs and visited Pskov for ordinary court matters 293 . In 1475, John was informed about the injustice of the Novgorod dignitaries; the accusation, unfortunately for Novgorod, was fair; twice the archpastor appeared to the Grand Duke with a petition for mercy towards the guilty. John III showed some leniency 294. But in 1477, the Novgorod nobility, according to their calculations, themselves provided the Moscow Grand Duke with reasons to demand more from Novgorod than he had previously demanded. Some of the nobility, after coming to Moscow to demand justice against their enemies, arranged matters in Novgorod in such a way that two veche officials came to Moscow - recognizing John as the sovereign of Novgorod. With such unrest, they demanded that Novgorod renounce all its ancient rights. And indeed, the old order of affairs in Novgorod was no longer in agreement with the changed position of Russia. Blessed Theophilus saw this, but many in Novgorod did not. The archpastor worked hard to ensure that both the Grand Duke softened his harsh demands, and Novgorod was not too insistent on its outdated rights; More than once he appeared to the Grand Duke with requests for Novgorod. John made some concessions, but not important ones. Novgorod dared to again enter into relations with the king, and Theophilus, by the rank of Archbishop of Novgorod, was involved in this matter. John (1478) entered Novgorod with troops; The Novgorod department was deprived of many villages and property collected over centuries; then they forced Theophilus to renounce the administration of the diocese by letter, and for about three years he lived in the Chudov Monastery, first in close confinement, then sick 295 . On the cave plaque that covered the relics of the blessed saint, the following was written: “When Theophilus lay sick in the Chudov Monastery, the Novgorod Bishop Niphon, who was resting in the nearby caves, appeared to him and reminded him of his promise to worship the Pechersk monks. He went to Kyiv and was already approaching the Dnieper, when his illness intensified, and he received a revelation that although he would not reach the caves alive, his body would rest in them, and this came true” 296. Kontakion to him: “For truly, according to the name of my life, the God-loving Saint Theophilus, I will honor the veneration, Christ the Savior appeared to you, promising you eternal life and His Kingdom, in which you rejoice today, do not forget us your servants.” b) Of those who have died in the rank of priesthood, those who now openly rest in the Theodosian Caves are: Abbot Pimen the Faster, Ignatius the Archimandrite, Hieromonk Euthymius, Pankratios the Hieromonk and Recluse, Lucian the Hieromartyr and Confessor Pamvo. The handwritten calendar also mentions the Venerable Timothy the Abbot, the Venerable Akindinus the Archimandrite and the Venerable Dosifei the Archimandrite etc. Abbot Timofey in 1127 was the predecessor of Pimen and successor of Prokhor. In 1130, he overlaid the shrine of St. Theodosius with silver and gold, for which the Suzdal thousand Yuri Simonovich sent 500 hryvnias of silver and 50 hryvnias of gold. Pimen the Faster was abbot from 1132 to 1141. With him the holy prince Svyatosha, the monks Spyridon and Nicodemus labored; He accepted Spiridon into the monastery. About his monastic feat, the ancient news says: “I had this grace, even once a thousand days (a week) I ate little, and constantly performed monastic obedience, and never became weak from fasting, and carried small things in the mounds and carried firewood on myself, and every other day I stood in prayer.” Kalnofoysky points to it like this: “The bones of the holy monk Pimen” 297. The Monk Dosifei Archimandrite was the first to bring to Russia from the Holy Mount Athos the rite of singing the twelve psalms and wrote an answer to the questions asked of him about the life of the Athonite monks, which did not fully survive in manuscripts. since the use of the order of the 12 psalms is already mentioned in the letter of Simon to Polycarp, then the Monk Dositheus should be recognized as the predecessor of the Monk Akindinos. It is not known when he adopted the name Theodosius, whether in the small or great schema; only in his edifying narrative about the life of the Athos people, according to the lists, he is called either Dositheus or Theodosius. “Novices,” says the monk here, “live (on Athos) according to the will and blessing of the elder. And the brethren who live separately in their cells adhere to the following rule throughout their lives: every day they read half of the psalter and perform 600 prayers: Lord Jesus Christ! If anyone wants to add, it is in his will. In addition, they count from 300 to 500 bows. But every hour, sitting, walking, lying down and doing handicrafts, they incessantly say with heartfelt sighing: Lord Jesus Christ! Those who cannot read and write perform 7,000 Jesus prayers, in addition to bows and church rules. And for those who are weaker, there is an easier rule. The elderly are more required to perform the Jesus Prayer and pay mental attention, and bow according to their strength. The Svyatogorsk people are very fond of silence for God and avoid rebellion and worldly conversations. For God’s sake, tell the other brothers who ask: while the holy fathers in Rus' are in the habit of reading the entire psalter during Great Lent and other fasts, the Holy Mountain people do not live like that: they keep one rule throughout their lives. There, each brother must have an iconostasis or cross in his cell and follow the rule in front of it. Those who cannot read must serve through handicraft, obedience to the service, with the cutting off of their will” 298. According to the chronicle, Blessed Archimandrite Akindinus was at the consecration of Rostov Bishop Kirill 299 in 1231. Blessed Simon the Bishop calls him a “holy man.” His zeal for spiritual life is evidenced by the fact that he ordered the pious and observant Polycarp to describe the life of the Pechersk ascetics in memory and edification of the monks. Polycarp, as he himself says, fulfilled this will of the blessed abbot “in the 15th year of his abbot.” since Polycarp notes with sorrow that already 160 years have passed since after the chronicler Nestor no one wrote about the Pechersk ascetics, and the Monk Nestor wrote about the blessed fathers in the chronicle under 1074: then the 15th year of Akindinov’s abbot falls on 1234, his first year - on 1219, and Akindinus was the successor of blessed Dositheus - Feodosia 300. Saint Lucian the presbyter, “having lived a pious life in the priesthood and monasticism,” suffered martyrdom during the invasion of Batu in 1239 301. Like Saint Lucian, the Monk Pambo suffered torment for his faith. According to ancient news, Pamvo, “in obedience to the monastery, caught from the filth, suffered a lot from them, not wanting to deny Christ, he said to them, your gods are curses, but I believe in Christ the true God, Who created heaven and earth; He and I will deliver from your hands. The angels deigned (freed) him from his bonds and placed him healthy in his cell.” Troparion to the venerable: “Having firmly restrained yourself through unslothful obedience and rejection of your will, you gave yourself up to torment and wounds for Christ: from Him, most honorably Father Pamvo, having been married, prayed for our souls.” According to this news, the Monk Pambo, not mentioned by Polycarp, suffered for his faith from the pagan Tatars. In all likelihood, this was in 1240 - when the monks, having locked themselves in caves from enemies, were forced to send Pamva for food; no matter how great the danger, Pamvo took upon himself the task of obedience, but was captured by the Tatars, who subjected him to torture. Miraculously freed from death, he rested in seclusion in 1241. The Monk Ignatius, Archimandrite of the Lavra from 1435, “for his holy life,” the ancient news says about him, “received from God the gift of miracles, with his prayer he healed many sick people, who were given prosphora, consecrated in his service, received healing.” Kontakion to him: “Proceeding, O all-blessed, with virtue from strength to strength and exalting all those who are with you, you served everyone, Ignatius, and pleased - thus you were chosen by everyone in the house of the Mother of God to be an elder and leader, in which you pleased the Lord more than the Lord, having tended His flock well; pray for us, your children" 302. About the Venerable Euthymius the schema-monk Hieromonk Kalnofoysky writes that with his belt cross those who come to him are blessed, and some sick people receive healing; and in the handwritten calendar he is called the hieroschema-monk and the silent man 303. According to an ancient note, “having taken monastic vows, I have never been with anyone, no matter how small or big, except for prayer in the church and in the cell; I am greedy for food (no food), which was crushed by fire, and did not eat except for the harsh potion.” The Monk Pankratius, a priest and wonderworker, says the same note, healed the sick with prayer and fasting and anointing with oil and, laboring lazily for his salvation, pleased the Lord. Kontakion to him: “You appeared great in the fasting people, and you showed yourself specially among the priests and in miracle-working gifts you appeared glorious, sacred Father Pankratius; Thus we honor and please you.” Of the deacons now openly reposing: Aquila, Macarius and Martyrius. According to an ancient note, “Reverend Aquila not only never ate tasty food, seasoned or boiled, but also ate little of the harsh food; his food was prosphora, eaten once a week.” The kontakion also says that during such a fast, “he was steadfast in prayer vigils.” The Monk Macarius, being a sick child, was promised to God if he recovered, and upon recovery he was given to the Pechersk fathers; trained in the monastery in everything good, he was awarded monasticism and deaconry; In this rank he served God even more diligently with fasting and prayer and was honored with the gift of miracles. “Martyrius the deacon,” according to ancient news, “was awarded the deaconate and the gift of miracles for his great purity and fasting deeds. For whom he prayed, standing on the pulpit, he asked for what he needed, either health or a good thought; He was afraid of demons from afar, and drove them away with prayer; after long exploits and labors, he moved to God, Whom he served.” Kalnofoisky wrote: “The body of the holy monk Martyrius the deacon, who still rests in his surplice.” c) The Monks Agathon, Gregory, Hypatius and Moses rest in the name of the miracle workers. According to an ancient note, St. Agathon “for his fasting life was honored with such a gift that on whichever sick person he laid his hand, he received healing; he also had the gift of prophecy and knew about the time of his death.” Lavra prays to him: “Blessed Agathon, beauty of fasters, unfaithful prophet, healer of the sick! Tell us, insensible, if there is any path of iniquity in us, and guide us with your prayers on the eternal path.” St. Gregory's food throughout his life was uncooked grass; he gave this herb to those who came to him, and the sick were healed. “Reverend Hypatius the healer served the holy fathers during their illness; a man of prayer and fasting, he received such a gift from God that with the touch of his hand he healed the sick; and now whoever in illness comes to his relics receives healing.” The Monk Moses the Wonderworker, wanting to present his body pure to God, tried to kill it in various ways: he wore an iron belt and an iron cross on his naked body, which he made for himself; For such exploits and labors he was awarded the gift of miracles. Kalnofoysky writes: “The two saints, brothers in the Holy Spirit, Martyrius and Moses were laid in one tomb, whole in their holy bodies.” Now they rest separately. d) In the retreat, the following people acquired salvation: the monks Athanasius, Anatoly, Cassian, Lawrence, Paphnutius, Pior, Sophronius from Kalnofoisky and, according to the handwritten calendar, Isidore. Kontakion to St. Athanasius: “Knowing the vanity of this world in vain, you turned away not only from your eyes, but also from everything in your life, reverent, having turned away, you shut yourself up in a dark cave, in which you labored for many times in prayers and tears and found endless joy in Heaven, praying unceasingly for our souls.” According to ancient news, “the heavenly (spiritual) light of the luminary without a candle grants healing to those who come with faith.” According to the same news, “Reverend Cassian, a recluse and hardworking faster, through holy obedience forced the demons to confess that in the Pechersk Monastery there are many monks who could drive away demons, and that the demons are very afraid of the Pechersk saints.” Kalnofoisky says: “The relics of the holy monk and faster Cassian lie.” In Herbinius the Monk Cassian is also called a faster. Troparion to St. Lawrence: “Having shut yourself up for the Lord’s sake in a dark cave, Rev. Father Lawrence, who has been pleasing to Him for many years and goodness in it, grant us to shut up all evil feelings and turn away from the darkness of passions and receive the grace of the Kingdom of Heaven.” “The Venerable Paphnutius the recluse,” according to ancient news, “having become a lawyer (monk), wept incessantly, remembering to himself that the hour would come when the soul and body would be separated; where will the Angels be? Who will get the soul? and what decree (decision) will Christ make? Where can the soul get it, whether to heaven or to hell? In which I cry until I die; and while dying he saw choirs of Angels who came for his soul and led him into heaven.” Troparion to the Venerable Piora: “Having shut yourself up, God-blessed Piora, in a dark place and not at all willing to see this light and all the things (anxieties) that exist in it, but today you have been granted light that is not even in the evening, pray that we too be illuminated by the same light.” Kalnofoysky noted: “The relics of the venerable elder and our father Pior; only the legs are visible, and the rest of the body was covered with earth.” The Monk Sophronius the recluse, according to ancient information, read the psalter every day, always wore a hair shirt, and also wore an iron belt on his body. Fasters: Benjamin, Zechariah, Zinon, Joseph; schema-monks: Silouan and Sisoi, in Kalnofoisky the elders: Eulogius and Daniel. According to ancient news, the Monk Benjamin “was a great merchant. That one hour in the church, listening carefully (attentively) to the piety (piety) of the church, he sensed this word from the psalm: destroy all who speak lies (Ps. 5:7), took this in memory, Movyachi: if the Lord God destroys those who speak lies, then also the merchants, for the merchants cannot get around without lies; and then, sensing the word that it would not be convenient for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, he distributed all his property to the poor and to the church and became a monk, pleasing the Lord God in fasting and prayer right up to death.” Kalnofoisky writes: “Holy Father Benjamin lies in a tarred log” 304. The Monk Zechariah, a faster, decreed that “until he died, he would not eat anything baked or boiled, except for the harsh grains of spring bread, and then once a day, a little, after sunset, he ate, and so he was afraid of the demons, but whenever anyone remembered his name, they were afraid: he and the angels often saw him.” “Reverend Zinon, a faster and a hard worker, many virtuous monastic feats of life, fasting, prayers, humility, obedience were pleasing to God.” Kalnofoinius wrote: “The blessed monk Zinon rested after his labors; lies in the body as a whole.” Troparion to the Monk Silouan: “For the sake of abstinence and immeasurable fasting, you have received the grace of miracles and have acquired great boldness towards God, fasting beauty, Silouan, pray to Him, that He may give us peace and great mercy.” An ancient message says that since “the evil ones came to steal; He tied them with prayer, but they could not crumble (move) from the place after three days, and then, having punished them and brought them to repentance, he let them go.” According to the canon, the Monk Silouan “is a zealot of cleanliness and a guardian of the garden, tatey - the fruits of those who want to color” he tied. The Monk Sisoes the schema-monk, living in a cave fastingly, pacified his sensual passions with fasting and prayer; he recognized the day of his repose and now gives healing to those who come with faith. According to the handwritten calendar, he was a canonarchist, and of course before he accepted the schema. The Monk Joseph, sickly and ill for many years, promised to serve in the Pechersk Monastery until his death if the Lord raised him. God heard him, and he recovered: having entered the monastery, he worked diligently until death, pleasing the Lord God with fasting and prayer and serving the brethren. The right hand of the deceased St. Joseph remains in the position of prayer: the first three fingers are joined together, the last two, the ring and small, are bent to the palm. e) Canonarchists: Gerontius and Leontius, “in their youth they took monastic vows and lived pleasingly to the Lord God in fasting and prayer, becoming like the perfect holy father.” f) The Monk Ammonius led a wandering life, Mardarius acquired complete selflessness, Theodore was saved by silence, Paisius and Mercury lived in brotherly love. Venerable Ammonius, according to the kontakion, traveled a lot in his life. According to ancient news, “for the blessing of the abbot he went to the Holy Mountain and to Jerusalem, bowing to the holy places and being jealous of the life of the holy great fathers, and then returning, he lived so holyly (holy), for whom many took a model of the monastic life from old age.” Venerable Mardarius, according to the handwritten calendar “non-covetous”, according to the ancient inscription “beless.” Since he became a monk, “I not only tried to maintain fasting, prayer and obedience, but also accustomed myself to complete selflessness, so that I did not want to keep anything in my cell except the clothes that I wore.” Saints Paisios and Mercury “lived in brotherly love and asked the Lord not to separate them anywhere. The Lord gave them through their prayer: on earth they lived in one cell and after death they were placed together, and in heaven they enjoy together the joy of Christ the Lord.” Love does not die, the apostle said (see: 1 Cor. 13:8). g) Hardworking: Arseny, Loggin the goalkeeper, Nestor the unbookish, Pavel and Rufus obedient. About the Monk Arseny, ancient news says that “he was never seen idle, but he always either prayed or performed monastic obedience; I never took food before sunset.” According to Kalnofoisky, “lies above another in the cave” 305. Reverend Loggin performed the obedience of the goalkeeper; “He had, according to ancient news, such a gift from the Lord that he knew the thoughts of people, with whom someone entered the monastery and with which they left; whomever he saw with evil thoughts, he reminded him to leave his evil thoughts, threatening him with the wrath of the Lord God” 306. The Monk Nestor, according to ancient news, “is not a bookish one, not the one that the chronicler wrote about Russia, but another; This one was unlearned and of a simple nature. Leaving the world and worldly worries, he served the Lord so fervently that, listening to pious teachings, he never dozed off, while praying he thought of nothing else but God and what he spoke with his tongue; Trying day by day to be the best, during his prayers he saw angels and Christ Himself, and recognized the day of his death.” The obedient Saint Paul, having assumed the monastic form in the Pechersk Monastery, meekly fulfilled the obedience that the abbot assigned him, and was never idle, during his free time from obedience he diligently ground with millstones, exhausting his body. To the Monk Rufus the obedient kontakion: “Your death is honorable, Rev. Rufus, before the Lord; You have led your honest and reverend life in holy obedience; Thus we honor you, like a novice, an image and a mentor.” According to ancient news, while fulfilling obediences, he constantly cared about being the best. He died in seclusion. h) Prince Theodore and Titus the warrior also rest incorruptible 307. According to ancient news, “the Monk Titus the warrior, when his head was pierced during the war, came to the monastery; here he cried about his sins to death; before his death it was given to him to know that the Lord had forgiven his sins” 308. Prince Feodor Vasilyevich (not Danilovich) Ostrozhsky, according to the chronicles, diligently built and decorated Orthodox churches in Volyn, while papism tried to destroy them 309. A sincere Christian and a zealous son of Orthodoxy, Prince Theodore was a courageous defender of the Orthodox against the violence of papism. When Jagiello, an apostate from Orthodoxy for Jadwiga, began to suppress the holy faith and rights of the Russians, Prince Theodore, according to the modern Polish historian, “the bravest of all the princes of Lithuania and Russia and the most experienced in military affairs,” taking the side of the overthrown defender of the Orthodox Svidrigaila, defeated the Poles several times in 1432, took Smotrich and almost destroyed Polish army. The following year he took Lutsk and Kamenets. His victories forced Jagiell to protect the freedom of Orthodoxy by law, to equalize the Russian nobility with the Polish and to leave plans hostile to Orthodoxy unfulfilled. When Jagiello changed his attitude towards Orthodoxy, Prince Theodore reconciled with Poland and in 1435, freed from the hands of the cruel Svidrigaila, was showered with favors from Poland. In all likelihood, after a hot battle with the Tatars in 1438, when, according to a contemporary, “the flower of the Russian nobility fell,” Prince Theodore retired to the Pechersk monastery and changed his princely mantle to monastic sackcloth 310. The ancient Pechersk news says about him: “Having left the charm of this world and princely glory, taking upon himself holy monasticism, he labored hard for his salvation until his death”; According to the ancient kontakion, the former prince was distinguished by “humble obedience and silent life”: what a contrast with his former, independent and noisy life! The original depicts him: “Reverend Theodore, Prince of Ostrog, is the superintendent; brada - at the end with hair, hair from the ears; there is a black hood on the shoulders; venerable robe; holds his hands crossed over his heart" 311. Thus, we see that most of the saints resting in the Theodosius Cave, according to the clear indications of the monuments, belonged to the death of the 13th-15th centuries. After this, it becomes probable in itself that those whose time is not indicated either in cave notes or in chronicles belonged to the same time. This is also evident from the fact that none of those who rested in the Anthony Cave completed their feats later than 1220, and none of those who rested in the Theodosius Cave were described by either Simon or Polycarp. The Seer writes: And I looked, and behold, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having the name of the Father written on their foreheads. These are the ones who did not defile themselves with their wives; for they are virgins; they follow the Lamb wherever He goes. No one could learn that song except these one hundred and forty-four thousand redeemed from the earth (Rev. 14:1,3,4). “Where the Lamb goes,” says the blessed Augustine, - goes in such a way that no one else can go with Him but virgin souls? Where is He going? What are these dwellings of rest? These are places where pleasures are infinitely higher than the vain, tasteless, deceptive pleasures of the world. These are not even the places of rest that will be given in the Kingdom of God to non-virgins. These are completely different homes. The joy of the virgins will be Jesus Himself, joy through Jesus and in Jesus. This is a special kind of joy, not shared with the joy of other saints. Other saints who do not follow the Lamb will see the virgins accompanying the Lamb, but will not envy it: they will rejoice at their happiness. They will not sing songs, but will listen, and in the precious advantage that they will enjoy, they will find their joy.” The Suffering of Saint Anastasius Saint Anastasius was born in the Strumnitsa diocese, in the village of Rodovichi 312. Good parents taught him the holy faith and, in order that he could earn his own bread by honest craft, they sent him to study weaponry, and he learned this skill. In the 20th year he happened to visit his teacher in Solun; the master had several Turkish clothes that he wanted to sell off without paying customs duties. The gunsmith persuaded the former student to put on one dress and go out of town in this dress. “In this dress you are a pure Turk,” said the master. The student made excuses, feeling the danger of the assignment; but out of good nature, out of desire to do a favor for the teacher, he agreed to carry out his instructions. The Kharaj collectors stop him and ask for teskere - a written form about the payment of Kharaj. Anastasy replied that he was a Turk. The collectors demanded that they read the salevat, a Mohammedan prayer. This unexpected demand confused the young man. He was silent. The collectors push him to their boss. He, having interrogated Anastasy, invites him to hang out. The young man was too far away to agree to such a proposal. After listening to his answers, the official took him to the chief collector. This one first tried to seduce with promises of rewards for agreeing to accept Mohammedanism, then he turned to threats. The young man was adamant. He admitted his civil mistake, but never agreed to betray his holy faith. The collector informed the mufti (the highest cleric of Mohammedanism) about the new case and asked for his advice. He answered: “You have a sword in one hand, the law in the other; use whatever you want." This meant that, according to the law, the collector could issue a teskere for payment of the duty, but then, according to the mufti’s court, he was not a follower of Mohammed, armed with a sword. What is this? The Mufti not only does not want to recognize the rights of truth and love for humanity, but he demands merciless violence and death itself, if only the Christian would be a confessor of the Alkoran. What is alcoran? A collection of fables most offensive to common sense 313. So rely on human meaning, left without the revelation of the Divine! Having received the mufti's answer, the head of the Kharaj escorted Anastasy to the local mullah, and with him five Turks, who must testify that the Christian blasphemed the Mohammedan faith, that is, slander. The mullah tried with his eloquence to persuade the young man to become Mohammedan, but failed. After severe beatings, he ordered Anastasia to be shackled and thrown into prison. During the second interrogation, the same failure of eloquence, the same torture and prison. Anastasius calmly endured canings, heavy shackles and the stench of prison. And for the third time they bring the confessor to the mullah, and again the confessor listens to flattering promises and terrible threats. Anastasius remained firm. To the accusations of witnesses of blasphemy against Mohammed, he replied that he did not blaspheme Mohammed, but in his conscience he recognizes the blasphemy shown as a correct assessment Mohammed and therefore does not accept his law. Deceived in his hopes, the mullah sends Anastasia to musselim. He used every means to persuade the young man to become Mohammedan. What didn't he do? What did he not say to force the young man to become Mohammedan? Finally, he offered him a pair of pistols in a silver frame, velvet clothes and a place for a suitcase with him. The young man, enlightened by the grace of Christ, remained as before. Earthly happiness, he thought, with torment of conscience is bad happiness; and it’s even more terrible to go there with a bad conscience. What is the faith of the Mohammedans? It’s bad, this has long been known. No matter how much you wash, you cannot wash your soul with water. Christ the Son of God is the Savior of the world. This means it is a blessed lot to suffer for the pure and holy faith. And he rejected the deceptive offers. The irritated musselim began to commit violence. He severely beat Anastasia; then they lock the sufferer in prison, put stocks on his hands and feet, and weigh down his neck with a chain, and sharp cane needles are driven into his nails; The inhumans tortured the young man all day. More than once Musselim called him to himself and forced him to accept Mohammedanism. The sufferer was unshakable. “I am a Christian,” he said, “I will not give up my faith.” The mayor ordered Anastasia to be hanged outside the city; at the same time, he secretly instructed his people to persuade Anastasius on the way. Death, which was in sight, did not change the thoughts of the sufferer. Going to execution, tormented and exhausted, he fell on the road and gave up his spirit to the Lord on August 29, 1794. Holy Fathers Alexander, John and Paul, Patriarchs of Constantinople Saint Alexander lived during the reign of Constantine the Great and participated in the First Ecumenical Council in place of the elderly and sick Patriarch Mitrofan 314, after whose death he was elevated to the rank of patriarch and ruled the Church from 325 (or 326) to 340. He was a zealous defender of the faith and his flock from the machinations of heretics and pagans. Once, as Sozomen testifies 315, when pagan philosophers wanted to enter into a competition about faith with an Orthodox bishop, Alexander, turning to the one who was chosen for the competition, firmly said: “In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to remain silent!” And the philosopher suddenly became mute. This miracle converted the philosopher himself and many to the faith of Christ... Another miracle - the sudden death of Arius as a result of the prayer of Saint Alexander - is testified by his contemporary Saint Athanasius in a letter to Serapion 316: when Arius, condemned at the First Ecumenical Council and condemned to excommunication from the Church, a heretic who rejected the Divinity of Jesus Christ, subsequently showing feigned repentance, persuaded, with the help of his like-minded people, Emperor Constantine the Great to pardon him, Constantine commanded Archbishop Alexander to admit Arius to church communion. Meanwhile, Saint Alexander, a zealot for the truth, foresaw the untruth and hypocrisy of the heretic and did not want to allow him into the Church. He also did not want to be disobedient to the royal command. In painful bewilderment, Alexander turned with all his soul to God with a fiery prayer that the Lord Himself, who is in charge of destinies, would not allow her worst enemy to invade the Church... And God fulfilled the prayer of the righteous man. When the next morning, Arius, surrounded by his like-minded people, walked to the cathedral church, on the way he suddenly felt a strong upset, which ended in death in the most unseemly circumstances... Everyone was amazed at the sudden death of the heretic at a moment when he was already triumphant about his blasphemous success, and many recognized in this circumstance a miraculous intercession from above in protecting the inviolability of the Orthodox Church... Saint Alexander died in 340, at the age of 98, leaving as his successor Saint Paul, whose memory is on November 6th. Saint John the Faster is especially remembered by the Church on September 2nd. Saint Paul ruled the Church as patriarch from 780. Seeing the strengthening of the iconoclastic heresy, he renounced his power and retired to the monastery (of St. Florus), where until his death he did not cease to influence with his convictions the restoration of icon veneration. He died in 784, having shortly before his death adopted the schema. Memory of Serbian saints On the 30th day of August, the Serbian Church glorifies its teachers, glorified by the Lord, Archbishops Sava the Second and Nicodemus, Patriarchs Ioannikios, Ephraim, Spyridon, Macarius and Gabriel, of whom the latter was awarded martyrdom 317. The successor of Saint Arseny Savva the Second was the youngest son of the first-crowned King Stephen and the nephew of the great Savva. Predslav, as he was called in the world among the Serbs, became jealous of following in the footsteps of his holy uncle, and in his youth accepted monasticism. He went to Jerusalem and lived there for a considerable time; then he labored on Mount Athos. He had to suffer a lot of troubles from hunters to live at someone else's expense. Upon his return to his homeland, blessed Arseny, feeling his old age and serious illness, dedicated him as his successor. In the rank of high priest, he imitated the life of his predecessors. His favorite virtue was meekness 318. With the name of Saint Sava he rests in the Pech monastery, near Saint Arseny 319. The Serbian Church sings to him: “From the root of the good, a good branch has grown, we have watered God’s mind with waters, thus the fragrant fruit has appeared in life from youth, gladdening the hearts and souls of those who sing to you” 320. In front of the iconostasis of the Peć Church, on the left side, there is a shrine with the relics of St. Nicodemus, Archbishop of Serbia, the great wonderworker 321. Blessed Nicodemus, a natural Serb, labored as a fast on Mount Athos and was the abbot of Hilandar. After the death of Sava the Third, Serbia declared its desire to see Nicodemus as its high priest; He did not want to part with the quiet desert, but the Athonite fathers convinced him not to abandon the calling of the Church. Therefore, “they dedicated it on the day of the Ascension of the Lord and elevated Saint Sava to the throne for many years with a greeting saying: to the Most Reverend Archbishop Nicodemus of all Serbia and the Pomeranian lands for many years,” so says a contemporary 322. This was in 1317 323. At the tomb of the blessed King Milutin, a bloody riot was raised by the followers of Simonides; the energetic archpastor stopped the bloodshed and robbery. Then, in January 1321, he crowned Milyutinov’s eldest son as king, regardless of the queen’s party 324. The zealous patriot was a zealous guardian of the affairs of the holy faith. In the preface to the charter he translated in 1319, he writes that while in Constantinople, while still in the rank of abbot, he asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem about the church charter for his concern “to unite the brother together and the entire Syrian land according to the word of the God-Bearer; then, being an archbishop, “he sent,” he says, “to the royal city to the monastery of the holy Forerunner and Baptist John, and I quickly brought this type of Jerusalem and translated it into our language from the writings of the Grch language... Since it is against the might, let us urge everyone to be vigilant and sober in praise to God. Therefore, brethren, we are silent, behold, with the nature and custom of Plate: good is the giver and the giver of heroic deeds, the all-powerful God, know our weakness, and give us spiritual strength, otherwise we will show more work” 325. A wonderful lesson about the matter of our salvation! In 1324, by order of the saint, Monk Damian wrote in the Pech monastery the Apostle, who has survived to this day, and before that the Parakliticus and Octoechos, now unknown 326. The high priest persecuted Bogomilov-Babunov with accusations and brought him to trial as harmful to society and the Church 327. The blessed archpastor, who sincerely loved monastic life and contributed to its prosperity in Serbia 328, wrote a letter to the effect that the Serbian archbishops and Hilandar abbots would not forget the Typikarny of St. Sava, and he eloquently described the life of St. Sava; this was the dying testament of the Hilandar ascetic and archbishop of all Serbia 329. Blessed Ioannikios ruled the Church from 1339, first in the rank of archbishop, and then in 1346 the Serbian Council, consisting of the Bulgarian Patriarch and all Serbian archpastors, at the request of King Dusan, proclaimed him patriarch; the patriarch then crowned Dushan with the royal crown 330. Blessed Ioannikios had to have a lot of high qualities in order to have influence on Dushan. Dushan was an intelligent, energetic ruler, but sometimes violent in fits of passion 331; he was not as bad as the Greeks who were angry with him portrayed him: he passionately loved not only his own glory, but also the glory of the name of Christ: this is shown by his fulfilled prayer to the victorious George 332! But having influence over such a person is a difficult feat. Blessed Ioannikios influenced Dushan to protect the peace of Orthodoxy and called Dushan to do good to the Church 333. So in 1348, “with the blessing of the Lord Patriarch, Cyprus. Ioannikis and the whole assembly” was given a charter to the Prizren Monastery of the Archangels, with the granting of many lands. And in the same year, Dushan issued a charter for the Jerusalem Church of the Archangel Michael, built by King Milutin; the latter was assigned to that church the church of St. Nicholas of Vraninsky with all the villages, lands and settlers. This was all possible help to Orthodoxy, after Dushan had the imprudence to cancel the decrees of his father and grandfather about Orthodoxy in Ragusa; the consequence of the abolition was the persecution of Orthodoxy in the republic; Orthodox monks were forced to retire to Jerusalem, and it is for them that help has now been provided 334. Before his monasticism, Blessed Ioannikios, born in the capital Prizren, served under the king with the rank of secretary. As he knew the legal customs of his country well, he participated in the drafting of the Law Book and in 1349 approved it at a church council 335. The Church honors in St. Ioannikis “the orphans and widows of the nourisher, the grieving comforter, the running helper and the warmth of the intercessor, calling him quickly to obey, the autocratic Stephen offering mercy and mercy, reconciling those who are opposed” 336. He died in the feat of peacemaking. Dusan quarreled with the Hungarian king and invited the patriarch to Zhidcza. The Patriarch hurriedly arrived, worked hard to put out the quarrel, and felt very unwell from his efforts. The sick man was carried to the patriarchal monastery, and he died on the road, September 3, 1349 337. Since Dušan’s Law Book was compiled under the influence of the great saint, and especially his church articles belong, without a doubt, to the mind and pen of the Serbian High Hierarch, then in honor of the saint and for the general benefit we write out the church articles of the Law Book 338: "St. 1. First of all, you need to keep in mind how to provide for the Christian faith, about churches, about monasteries, about priests. 2. Leaders and other people should not marry without receiving a blessing from their bishop, or from their spiritual father, or from their appointed bishop. 3. No wedding should take place without a wedding ceremony. If it happens without the blessing and permission of the Church, they will be separated and put in prison. 4. Everyone must obey the priests and his spiritual father. If anyone turns out to be guilty before the Church or a priest or violates anything, especially a person of other faiths arbitrarily: let him submit to the Holy Church and correct what is due. If he does not obey and does not want to correct himself, he will be excommunicated from the Church and punished. 5. Priests should not pronounce curses on Christians for their sins. Let them quietly and meekly invite them for double and triple admonition. If they do not obey, they will be excommunicated from the Church. 6. Those who seduce an Orthodox Christian into Latinism are convinced by the patriarch and metropolitan and bishops with instructions and Holy Scripture, so that they return to the Orthodox faith and pure Christianity. If anyone does not submit and does not want to return to Orthodoxy, he will be punished, as prescribed in the law of the holy fathers. A pious king will drive out all heresy from his borders. Whoever does not want to convert, all his property will be taken away from him and given to those who will submit to the Orthodox faith. Heterogeneous heretical priests who turn people away from Orthodoxy are to be caught and sent to the mines and imprisonment. Heretical churches should be consecrated and handed over to Orthodox priests; let them instruct those who are lost to turn to the holy faith. 7. The Great Church will place archpriests in cities, towns and villages, so that Christians will multiply, converting from the Latin heresy, where anyone has gone astray. Issue a spiritual commandment so that every Sunday they teach those in church and that every Christian observes the Orthodox, true law handed down by the apostles and holy fathers. 8. If a Latin priest seduces a Christian into the Latin faith, he must be punished according to the law of the Holy Fathers. 9 . If a half-believer takes a Christian woman for himself, he, a predator, must convert to Christianity (Orthodoxy); if he does not convert, his wife, children and house are taken away, and he is sent to prison. 10. If a heretic lives secretly with a Christian woman, drive him away, and whoever harbors such a person will subject him to punishment. 11. The saints supply confessors in all regions, in cities and villages, and let those confessors be confessors who have received a blessing from their bishops for clergy, to knit and loosen; Everyone must listen to them, according to church law; and those confessors who are not appointed confessors must be expelled - let the Church punish them according to the law. 12. Let a layman not examine spiritual matters; if it turns out that the person who was not appointed judged a church matter, then he pays 300 perpers. Only the Church judges sins and every church matter. 13. Bishops, metropolitans, abbots should not be installed for money. Otherwise, the one who installed it is cursed and anathema. Those must be supplied by the Council. Everyone must be judged before his own church. If the disputants belong to two churches: let them seek solutions from both churches. – Church villages and church people should serve their Church, and not someone else’s. Let them not go to other people’s churches, neither for haymaking, nor for plowing, nor for the vineyard, nor for any other work, whether small or great. If anyone forces church subjects to do his work, the royal power takes away his estate from that boyar and he is punished as a royal and church criminal. 14. Bashtin priests use their Bashtin land at their own discretion; they are free people. And those priests who do not have fatherland should be given three fields according to the law, and this priestly land (capa) is free (from taxes) 339; No one should buy or sell a church tower, except in exchange for one close to the church. 15. The priest should not leave his master (landlord). If the ruler does not fulfill what is lawful, the priest goes to the bishop, and the bishop lets the master know to support the priest according to the law. If the master does not obey, then the priest can act according to his own will. If the priest is a bashtinnik, the master does not have the right to remove him. 16. If rulers and other people have churches in their Batkovshchina, the Tsar and Patriarch do not subordinate those churches to the Great Church. The Bashtinnik has the right to build a church and keep his own kaluger (hieromonk), but must present it to the bishop for the blessing of spiritual authority. If the ruler subordinated his church to the Great Church, then he no longer has power in that church. 21. If a ruler dishonors a bishop or a monk or a priest, he pays 100 perpers and is kept in prison for 40 days, as a scolder of God. 38. Metropolitans and bishops should not be installed for money. Otherwise, both will be deprived of the throne, both the one who installed it and the one who installed it. 39. Abbots are not removed from the church without guilt. Good and skillful people who want to be builders of the house of God are appointed as abbots of monasteries. Abbots must live in the cenobia according to the law and have conferences with the elders. With a thousand kuk (khat), 50 monks should eat in the monastery. Royal power was transferred to the abbots of the church, they are in charge of the monastery estate, horses, sheep and everything else; they freely dispose of everything, as the truth demands and as it is written in the charters of the teachers. Let them establish the monastic rule for monks in churches, depending on the monastery 340. 40. Bishops should not send lay people after priests; let a prudent monk be sent after them on spiritual matters; and let the church confessor take away what is due from the bashtina. 41. Monks and nuns who, having been tonsured, live in their homes should be expelled; they must live in monasteries. Those monks who took monastic vows from the Bashtiniki should not live near that church, but should go to a monastery 341. 42. A monk who withdraws from monasticism must be locked in prison until he returns to obedience. It is necessary to strictly monitor the monks so that they do not live outside the monastery; Is this already a hermit who, out of love for God, settled in the desert? 43. There are heretics who take dead bodies from coffins and burn them. If such people find themselves somewhere, such a place or village pays for this lawlessness and brings the perpetrators to trial. If a priest participated in this, he is deprived of his rank and sent to the mines until death. 44. If anyone sells a Christian to a Gentile, cut off his hand and cut out his tongue. 45. The churches should not be offended by anyone. If the king visits, he is received with honor. 46. The churches are owned only by the king, the holy lord patriarch and the royal logothete, and no one else. The royal government freed all the churches in its region from all work, small and large. 47. In all churches the poor must be supported, as befits the first ktitors. The metropolitans and bishops are watching; they gather the poor to the churches so that they may be fed 342. 49. Church people are judged in every matter before their metropolitans, bishops, abbots 343. 55. If anyone hits or kills a bishop or a monk or a priest, cut off his hand and then hang him 344. 68. If the defendant escapes from prison and comes to the royal or patriarchal court, then he is free. 93. Anyone who eats and drinks with heretics must repent, as the Eastern Catholic Church prescribes, but there is no prohibition for prisoners and slaves who eat with Gentiles.”345 These are the laws approved by Blessed Joannikius for the Serbian Church! Ephraim, the son of a priest contemporary with King Milyutin, even in his young years felt an attraction to monastic life 346. His parents wanted to see him married, but he disappeared from their house and, finding the hermit Vasily, began to live with him in fasting and prayer, and soon took a vow of monasticism with him. His parents, having learned about his whereabouts, wanted to take him away from the hermit; but he fled to Athos and hid there in one of the monasteries. During military troubles, Ephraim and his disciples moved to the Ibrovsky monastery; Here he was also abbot, but not for long. Having venerated the shrines of the Patriarchate, he settled in a secluded place near the Decani Monastery and lived here as a strict hermit. After the death of King Dushan, unrest began without command and then robberies appeared. The hermit Ephraim was beaten half to death by bad people who forced him to share money with them. Patriarch Savva, successor of Saint Ioannikios, took the elder into the patriarchate and appointed a cave cell for him; the great faster came to life and recovered here. The pious Prince Lazar sent an embassy to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a request to end the disputes that were taking place regarding the Serbian Patriarchate. Peace with the Greek Church has been restored. It was necessary to calmly elect a new patriarch to replace the deceased Savva. But, unfortunately, in Serbia there were quite a few seekers of the patriarchal see. After a general prayer, the cathedral elected the “Reverend Hermit Ephraim” as patriarch, as adorned with high virtues. Blessed Ephraim, who did not at all expect such an election and came to the council by chance, wept bitterly and begged to be relieved of his difficult lot. The council answered: the one indicated by God must be dedicated. It was October 3rd, 1376. Following this, Ephraim was ordained patriarch and then crowned Prince Lazar with the crown of the Serbian rulers 347. It was not in vain that blessed Ephraim cried so much that they were conferring a high rank on him. The time was difficult: there was so much unrest in the Church due to the breakdown of civil government. Just as not all regional rulers willingly submitted to Prince Lazar; Thus, not all bishops and other clergy obeyed Patriarch Ephraim, despite his high spiritual life 348. Accustomed to a quiet, solitary life, burdened by the disorganization of affairs, Saint Ephraim abandoned the busy position of ruler of the Serbian Church. In 1382, he dedicated Blessed Spyridon to his place, and he himself began to live in solitude in the Arkhangelsk monastery of Tsar Dushan. The chronicler Amartola is now known, with a postscript: “Behold, I wrote - the trembling throne of the Holy Land of Serbia to the Most Reverend Patriarch Kir Spyridon, in the house of the holy Archangel Michael and Gabriel, under the master teacher, former patriarch, Kir Ephraim, - in the summer of 1387” 349. The note makes it clear that people of spiritual life highly respected Blessed Ephraim even in his solitude, recognized him as an experienced mentor and teacher, and willingly followed his advice. Blessed Spyridon, who cared for the monastic monasteries 350, died in 1388 almost at the same time as the blessed Prince Lazar, who fell on the Kosovo field. According to church songs, Spiridon is a “spiritual tsevnitsa” 351; this suggests that he wrote sacred songs for the Serbian Church. His relics rest in the church of the Peč monastery 352. Since after the death of Spyridon and Prince Lazar the time was extremely troubled, they begged Blessed Ephraim to govern the Church again until the election of a new patriarch. So he again ruled the Serbian flock for quite some time to the consolation of the best people 353. The wondrous ascetic, meek as an angel, rested 88 years under the successor of Patriarch Daniel Savva 354. His relics rest in the great patriarchal church 355. In the refectory of the Peć Church, the relics of the Patriarch St. Macarius lie hidden. The blessed saint cared about the spread of enlightenment in Serbia. During his time, church books were printed in different places: in the Mileshevo Monastery, the Followed Psalter in 1557; Prayer book (breviary) in 1545; in Belgrade the Gospel (1552); in the Merkshin Monastery the Gospel (1562); in Venice, a prayer book (1557); missal (1554); Lenten Triodion (1521); in Skadar Colored Triode (1562) 356. It is obvious that the Slavic love for enlightenment is not the same as the love of Luther, who trampled ancient, apostolic Christianity into the mud and brought his disciples to anti-Christianity 357. The blessed saint, by the grace of God, had the opportunity to do a lot for the Serbian Church and, out of his zeal, did a lot. His brother was the vizier under the Sultan. With his help, he received the Sultan's Gattisheriff for the restoration of monasteries and churches, upset by Mohammedan fanaticism 358. First of all, as naturally, he turned his efforts to the restoration of the ancient patriarchal monastery. He lived his first years in the Mileshevo Monastery 359. Now he was restoring his cathedral monastery. During the renovation of the Holy See of the Serbian Church, says a modern inscription, a huge refectory of the Patriarchate, supported by three marble columns and three brick ones, was built “with the labor and diligence of the Most Reverend and Beatitude Cyrus Macarius the Patriarch - in the summer of 7070 (1552)” 360. Blessed Patriarch Gabriel 361 from the noble Serbian house of Raji 362 was the High Hierarch of Serbia during very difficult times. The Christians of Serbia then suffered greatly from the willfulness of Mohammedan fanaticism. In the octoech, written in 1639 in the Mileshevo monastery, the writer said: “Then the need and great persecution will come and the crown of Gabriel, the hieromonk of the month of Octovrium, will receive torment on the 9th day, and many torments will rise from the three-cloaked Nukh Pasha. And then I expelled the Bostanzhie from the monastery and had no one to cry to. And he went against the reigning city and the king (Murat) went against Bogdad; I don’t have anyone to cry to” 363. Due to the extreme needs of the department and the country, the blessed Patriarch Gabriel went to Wallachia for alms and from there came to charitable Moscow. Here in 1655 he, together with the Patriarch of Antioch, attended a council that was very important for the Slavic churches. The Council determined to correct church books according to Greek and ancient Slavic books. At the same time, Archpriest Avvakum, the main culprit in the destruction of books under Patriarch Joseph, and his friends, Bishop Pavel of Kolomna and Archpriest Daniel of Murom, who rebelled against the decisions of the council, were sent to monasteries to repent 364 . The blessed patriarch, who brought several manuscripts and three liturgies printed in the south as a gift to Moscow, received generous alms for Serbia from the good king 365. When, after a long wandering, he returned to Serbia, the patriarchal see was occupied by another (Maxim). He explained his right to the chair and the unfair appropriation of it to others. Under Turkish rule, especially then, there was only room for passions. The intrigues of the Jesuits, who were angry with Russia for Khmelnitsky, brought the Patriarch of Constantinople Parthenius to martyrdom in 1657: he was accused of high treason for intercourse with Russia 366. In the same way, those who were hostile to Blessed Gabriel, acting under the influence of the Jesuits of Austria, where the poor were looking for unattainable happiness 367, reported to the Turkish authorities that Gabriel, a state traitor, lived in Russia. The vizier demanded Blessed Gabriel to appear and interrogated him in detail about all the circumstances of his journey. When the investigation was completed, the vizier, who fully recognized the inconsistency of the slander, announced to the saint: since you are accused of high treason, according to the laws, as you yourself know, you must be executed by death; but if you agree to accept our faith, I will not only spare your life, but will give you an important position and you will live in honor and luxury. The blessed one saw that a state traitor should not have been given either honors or life, and if given, then only for betrayal of the holy faith; How can you agree to betray your faith in the Lord Jesus? He answered the vizier: “I am completely innocent of a state crime,” you yourself realize. I will never agree to save my life by departing from the Christian faith, as long as I remain with a healthy sense. Save your honors and riches for yourself, I don’t need them.” The saint was subjected to torture, by which they forced him to accept Mohammedanism. The courageous sufferer endured everything patiently and thanked the Lord for deigning him to suffer for his holy faith. Having lost all hope of distracting the saint from Christianity, they brought him to the place of execution and hanged him 368. This was in October 1659. In the Pech monastery there is a staff with the inscription: “Pathu Ku (Patriarch Kiriu) Gavrilo” 369. Repose of Saint John, Metropolitan of Kyiv After Metropolitan George, successor to Blessed Metropolitan Hilarion, Blessed John, probably a Bulgarian by birth, arrived in Kyiv with the rank of Metropolitan of all Russia in 1080 and soon earned general deep respect 370. The Monk Nestor, a contemporary and eyewitness of his deeds, admiring his high qualities, says: “There has never been anything like him in Rus' and there never will be; this is a man versed in books, skilled in teaching, merciful to the poor and widows, affectionate to everyone, rich and poor, humble and meek, a lover of silence, possessed of the gift of speech and comforting the sad with holy conversations” 371. Antiquity called Saint John the prophet of Christ. Judging by the lofty image of Blessed John by the Monk Nestor, we have no doubt that when calling him a prophet of Christ, they connected with this the thought of a seer 372. Of his affairs, the chronicle mentions only a few. According to it, in 1086 he founded the Church of the Apostle Andrew in the St. Andrew’s Monastery - and he is called “Reverend Metropolitan”; in 1087 he solemnly buried the murdered Prince Yaropolk; in 1087 he consecrated the Church of the Archangel Michael in the Vydubitsky Monastery 373; On August 14, 1089, he consecrated the wonderful, great Pechersk Church and subsequently died 374. The chronicles after Nestor call him sometimes good, sometimes holy, sometimes blessed 375. According to the handwritten calendar, he is “St. John Metropolitan”; and in one list it is added: “It was founded in the Pechersk Monastery.” Blessed John left several works for the Russian Church 376. Letter of Metropolitan John to Clement, Pope of the Elder Rome 377 - precious in its content, especially in the spirit of meekness with which it breathes. “Your love for the Lord is pleasant, man of God, worthy of the Apostolic Throne,” wrote the Russian saint. “You, from a distant country, look at our thinness and humility, touch us with the wings of your love, greet us sincerely and with love, offer spiritual desires, accept the dogmas of our Orthodox and pure faith and are amazed at them, as the bishop of your Holiness announced to us and clearly showed us. Since things are in such a situation and you find yourself to be a bishop of God, unlike those who recently became bishops, troublemakers and insulters of the truth: then I, the least, greet and mentally kiss your sacred head. Be happy! May the Divine, Almighty hand cover you! May the good and merciful God grant you and your days to see the improvement of affairs between you and us! I don’t know where and how the temptations and obstacles on the path of God came? Why and how have they not corrected themselves yet? I am perplexed and do not understand what cruel demon, the evil enemy of truth and piety, did all this, destroyed your brotherly love and the union that unites Christians. I won’t say that everything is ruined. We know that you were originally Christians by the grace of God, and in many ways we approve of you. But you do not agree with us on everything and differ on some points. Look here: Everyone recognizes the Seven Holy and Ecumenical Councils. On them the pious and Orthodox faith of Christians was explored, studied, received firmness with all completeness and convincingness, they are the seven pillars of theological wisdom; On them she built her holy house - the Universal Church. These Holy Ecumenical Councils were unanimously followed by all the primates and successors of the See of the Supreme Apostle Peter, some personally present and approving with consent the deeds and words, others, through their trusted messengers, giving a co-operating voice to your Apostolic See. These were: at the First Ecumenical Council Sylvester, at the Second Damasus, at the Third Celestine; The Fourth Ecumenical Council was reinforced by the most blessed and glorious Pope Leo, who wrote a wise and holy letter to Flavian, which was considered the pillar of Orthodoxy by all the famous of that time. At the Fifth Council there was Vigilius, at the sixth Agathon, a venerable and spiritually enlightened man. At the Seventh Ecumenical Council, His Holiness Pope Adrian expressed his consent through his envoys, holy and God-bearing men, Peter the Protopresbyter and the abbot of the Roman monastery of Saint Sava. When all this is so, where did discord and division come from? Who sowed such tares in the Roman field? There really is a lot of impudence going on with you. Out of many things, I will offer your love a little: Firstly, it is illegal to observe the Sabbath fast. Then the first week, separating it from Lent, you force the people to eat milk, cheese and other daily food. You reject priests who have entered into legal marriage. Those who are confirmed by elders, you anoint them another time, as if this should be done not by priests, but by bishops. I’m not talking about unleavened bread: this is a clear part of Jewish service and faith. The worst thing is that you dare to change the holy Symbol, approved by universal definitions, and say that the Holy Spirit comes not only from the Father, but also from the Son ... " Having then presented a refutation of each of the exposed self-will of the West, in denunciation of the arbitrariness of the Holy Spirit he says: “It is amazing and terrible how you dare to change the faith of the 318 Holy Fathers and Holy Ecumenical Councils. From end to end of the universe, in all Christian churches, it is sung unanimously: “We also believe in the Holy Spirit, the life-giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son.” Why do you not speak like all Christians, but make an addition? You are introducing a new teaching. But the Apostle says: whoever preaches the gospel to you more than he eats, let him be cursed (Gal. 1:8). ABOUT! may you not hear this curse upon you! It is truly terrible to change and spoil the Holy Scripture even by one jot or one tittle! Don't you understand how great this temptation is? You introduce two causes, two principles for the Holy Spirit; you humiliate His dignity and fall into the heresy of Macedonius.” In conclusion, he writes: “I ask and pray, and I fall at your sacred feet, to correct yourself in all this, especially regarding unleavened bread and the indicated deficiency, since this concerns holy communion, and this is detrimental to pure faith. Forgive the person who wrote this to you..." “John the Metropolitan of Russia, called the prophet of Christ, the church rule,” written for the monk Jacob, remained for a long time as part of the rules of the Russian Church as an explanation of the rules of the Universal Church in applying them to the needs of the Russian Church 378. In canon 4 the saint wrote: “Those who serve on unleavened bread, eat meat during cheese week, eat blood and strangled meat, should not partake of the Holy Mysteries and perform Divine services. But it is not at all forbidden to eat food with them, depending on the circumstances, for the love of Christ. If anyone wants to avoid this under the guise of purity or through weakness, let him avoid it; but be careful that temptation does not come out of it or strong enmity and resentment are not revived. It is necessary to choose the lesser from the greater evil.” Excellent rule! Apostolic rule! In other rules, Saint John condemns sorcery, pagan customs, seductive songs, shows how sinful it is to trade in baptized slaves in the land of the Polovtsians; priests are ordered to be an example of sobriety; forbids princes to give their daughters to Gentiles; imposes penances on those who violate purity and chastity; gives instructions about the Sacraments and various sacred objects. “You asked me,” he writes to James, “about those who buy servants and, after praying with them and receiving the Holy Mysteries, sell them to the pagans, what kind of penance should they be subjected to? The law says: a Christian should not be sold to either a Jew or a heretic: whoever sells to a Jew is a lawless person: he is guilty not only before the law, but also before God. Imagine Ananias and Sapphira - and think. They promised the Apostle Peter to bring the price of the field to God, but then they kept only a small part and were condemned to death. Those who bought the servants put the sign of God on them (baptism) and sanctified them with prayer, as you write, then sell them to the pagans? They commit not secret, but open theft from God, stealing the part that they brought to God. I think they sin as much as those who persecute our faith and lead many from faith to unbelief. They must be diverted from such an evil deed with all convictions and admonitions. If they do not listen, then consider them pagans and tax collectors.” “If the holy wooden table and the honorable crosses and icons become dilapidated, then do not throw them away, but repair them. If they are too dilapidated and the faces on the icons are not visible, then put them in a fenced place, where neither man nor animal can touch them with uncleanness, so that we do not become desecrators of the shrine. If a wooden church is moved to another place, the place where the altar stood and the bloodless sacrifice was performed must be fenced off and kept inviolable, like a shrine.” “Those who make sacrifices to demons, swamps, wells, or take several wives without blessing, or let go of their wife and begin to live with another, or never partake of the Holy Mysteries once a year, while they are not restrained from doing so by their spiritual father - you know yourself, all such are alien to our pure faith, condemned by the Catholic Church. Try with all your strength of conviction to direct them to the right path, admonish them not once or twice, but many times until they learn the truth and learn goodness. If they do not submit and do not abandon their bad habit, then they will be considered alien to the conciliar Church, not belonging to the knowledge of its commandments.” “Those who perform sorcery and enchantment, whether male or female, must be admonished with a word of instruction and converted from evil; if they do not apply, be severely punished; but not to take life or disfigure; the latter is not allowed by church teaching” 379. Remember at the same time that in the West in the 11th and 12th centuries, according to the instructions of the biscups, magi and sorcerers were burned at the stake! How can we not say from the heart: glory to the Holy Trinity, enlightening the shepherds of the Holy Orthodox Church! Holy Martyr and Confessor Numidikos Numidik was a confessor of the faith and suffered for it during the aforementioned persecution from Decius in Carthage. Having fearlessly confessed his faith during interrogation, he also convinced other Christians. Condemned to death, he was present at the execution of his comrades and his wife, who was burned; then, tormented, tortured, he was left dead among the bodies of the dead. At night, his daughter came to look for the bodies of her parents in order to bury them; when, after a long search for them among the beaten and burned, she found her father, then, noticing signs of life in him, she carried him to her and lovingly looked after him. After some time, Numidik recovered and subsequently became a presbyter. Sergius, archim. Complete months of the East. In 2 vols. M., 1875–1876. T. II (hereinafter referred to as Sergius, Archimandrite, Complete Monthly Book of the East. -Ed.). Polycarp (Pechersky). A Word about Nikita the Recluse // Kiev-Pechersk Patericon. Collection l. 1, 120. 2, 288. 7, 21; Nikon. l. 2, 40. Collection l. 2, 3. 289. 3, 4. Collection l. 2, 6. See May 2 about St. book Boris and Gleb. Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian State. T. II, approx. 288. Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian State. T. II, approx. 225. Sermon on the day of Saints Boris and Gleb, spoken before the Mongols / Ed. Pogodin M.P. // Moskvitian. 1843; The book is sedate. Part 1. Collection l. 1, 128. 5, 9; Nikon. l. 5, 54. RKP. Saints: “St. Feoktist, Bishop of Chernigov, was in l. 6597 – 1089 Apr. At 29 days.” This is the year of Nikita's healing. “It was founded in the Pechersk Monastery,” it is said in the Oten calendar. Meletius Sirig in the canon, after Ephraim and Isaiah, prays to the hierarch Theoktistus (Akathist. Kiev, 1674). Sergius, archim. Complete months of the East. T. II. See the detailed biography of St. Nifont in the "Athos Patericon". The Bulgarian legend about him was published by Lamansky in: Notes of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. T. 6. It is also known from the Glasnik (Book 11). It is verbose; we take what we need from it. In Russian chronicles, there is a solar eclipse on March 19, 1113 (Pogodin M.P. Research, remarks and lectures on Russian history. In 7 vols. M., 1846–1857. Vol. IV (hereinafter - Pogodin M.P. Research, comments and lectures on Russian history. -Ed.). If the monk points to this eclipse, then his death followed in 1105. Ambrose (Ornatsky), archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. Part VI; Ratshin A. Complete collection of information about monasteries; Historical dictionary about the saints of the Russian Church. St. Petersburg, 1836 (hereinafter referred to as the Dictionary of Saints. -Ed.). Oh St. John: a) news written when his relics lay in Sredets: aa) service to him in the Menaions for August (see: RKP. XII century Parisian library, No. 23) - here it is said about John: “appeared in our days, reverend”, ab) life of St. John in the RCP. libraries of the Society of Serbian Literature (lists of service and life were delivered by Professor Lavrovsky); b) news compiled after the transfer of the relics to Ternov: ba) the legend of the synaxar of 1340 (see: IORYAS. T. VIII), bb) a description of the life compiled by Patr. Euthymius around 1380. We transmit the text of the synaxarion with additions by Euthymius and other sources. The Synaxarion also says: “to the kingdom of Christ-loving Peter, Tsar of Bulgaria.” This is an inaccuracy. The last desert exploits of the saint date back to the first half of Peter’s reign. Since he died at the age of 70 in 945, his birth was in 876 under Prince. Boris. The Sredech legend also speaks about this, where it is said that the youth was buried, according to the instructions of the monk, in the place of Osenevo, and St. John “if that soul went to that place for the sake of the righteous, create for itself that resting place.” According to the Sredech legend, “create a saint in that cave. John, not gone, three years and 6 months.” Since the news of Euthymius, written later, is justified in all other cases, then in this it deserves preferable trust, especially since according to the Sredech legend, John subsequently lived for 7 years on a rock, while according to other news he lived in a hollow before the rock. In Vostokov’s Dictionary, slanutok, translated from Greek, corresponds to terevinth; Miklosic considered slanutok to be a fruitful tree. But according to the service of St. John, slanutok is a plant that appears on unplowed land. Euthymius replaces it with the word “beans”. Service, hymn 6: “As Elijah fed the widow and her child, so you also fed those who grazed with little aloe.” For Vostokov, alna is a doe, a wild goat. The service includes wild goat food. So in the Sredech legend. It says here: “the height of that stone is 40 fathoms... Knowing this to this day, put his foot on the stones and his blood.” According to the Sredech legend, the place where Tsar Peter stood, who wanted to see the hermit, “hence called the king’s top.” The same day of death in the Sredech legend. According to the Sredets legend, the monk appeared to Tsar Peter himself, and under this king the relics were transferred from the desert rock to Sredets. “Where the miraculous body of the saint lies to this day,” says the synaxar. These words show that the legend of the synaxarion was written ca. 1240 Euthymius follows after this with the history of the monastery. Monuments of the monastery, see: Glasnik. Book 7. Memory of St. John is sometimes shown on October 19 (Antonin (Kapustin), archimandrite. Notes of a devotee of the Holy Mountain), but this is the day of the transfer of the relics to Ternov. The place where the relics were transferred, in the synaxar of Bulgaria and Athos (see: Antonin (Kapustin), archimandrite. Notes of an admirer of the Holy Mountain) is called Trapezitsa, while according to the news of Euthymius they were transferred to Ternov. Knyazhich writes: “in Ternov between two rocks and the river. Yantra is a hill called Trapezets or Trapezitsa, on this site there was a palace of the Bulgarian kings” (Notes of the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society. Volume IV). Since the church in the name of St. They decided to build John at the same time as they decided to transfer his relics to Ternov, and by the time of the transfer his construction could not be completed, it is natural that for the first time St. the relics were placed in the Church of the Trapezitsa. See: V. Grigorovich. Travel essay. The area of ​​the monastery is also described here; in 1627, the abbot of the Rila monastery came to Moscow for alms. In the letter to the king it was written: in the region of Sardikia on Mount Knishava there is a monastery of the king’s creation called Rylo with the church of St. Father John the Desert Dweller, where his relics rest, safe and sound until now.” It also says here that the monastery of St. John's letters were given by the kings John and Theodore (Muravyov A.N. Relations between Russia and the East. Part 2). For his life, see: Patericon of Athos, or Biography of the saints who shone on Mount Athos: In 2 parts. St. Petersburg, 1860. Part 2. Menologue says that Severus “was from Side of Pamphylia and came to Philippolis of Thracia when the prefect Appelian was tormenting 36 martyrs there.” The modern note does not say where Sever was martyred: it could have been that when St. Philip and Hermes were sent to Odrin, Severus was sent to Philippolis. But there is no doubt that the menologist is mistaken in calling Severus an alien from Sida. According to a modern note, he is a student and priest of the Thracian saint. Martyrologies show that in Odrina he suffered with St. Philip, besides Hermes, Eusebius. In Jerome's Martyrology: September 29 in Thrace the suffering of Sts. Eftikhia, Plauta; November 12 “in Thrace the martyrdom of St. Edict, Euticus, Felix, Hermogenes and Agiestes of the Martyrs"; November 14 “in Heraclius, the city of Thracia, the suffering of St. Clement, Clementine, Theodotus, Philemon and many others"; November 16 “in the city of Irakli the suffering of Sts. Gregory, Victor, Herman"; November 18 “in Heraclius the suffering of St. wives with 46 of their own"; December 20 “in Thrace, in the city of Getdub, the suffering of Julius.” Getduba was placed on the borders of Bulgaria and Romania. Baronius attributed the suffering of St. Philip and Severus by the time of Julian. He was followed by Vershinsky (Vershinsky D.S. Mesyatslov). But in the description of martyrdom not only is there no basis for such a thought, on the contrary, as has been said, it clearly speaks of the time of Diocletian. Persecution for books is described in: Lactantius. De mortibus persecutorum; Eusebius Pamphilus. Church history. St. Petersburg, 1848 (hereinafter referred to as Eusebius Pamphilus. Church history. -Ed.). Ruinart has a note about the martyrdom of St. Saturnina begins like this: “under Diocletian and Maximian, the devil raised such a war against Christians that he demanded that the holy covenants of the Lord and the Holy Scriptures be burned, destroyed churches, prohibited worship and sacred meetings” (Acta martyrum sincera et selecta / Ed. A. Ruinart. Paris, 1689 (hereinafter - Acta martyrum sincera. -Ed.)). Safarik. Slavic antiquities. T. 1, book. 2. Even in medieval times, the Slavs called Adrianople nothing more than Odrin. Bulgarian translator of the Manasseh Chronicle: “Krum book. compose a war near Odrin" (Chertkov A.D. On the translation of the Manasseh Chronicle into the Slavic language, with an outline of the history of the Bulgarians. M., 1842). Safarik. Slavic antiquities. T. 1, book. 1. For a review of other Thracian tribes, see the work of Chertkov (Vremennik of the Society of History and Antiquities. Book 10). For demons, see July 24. And the Byzantines themselves wrote that the Greeks in Thrace and Macedonia began to become colonists only from the time of Philip of Macedon (Tafel. Constantinus Porphyrogenitns de Provinciis regni byzantini. Tubingac, 1846 (hereinafter - Tafel. Constantinus Porphyrogenitns. - Ed.)). Even the bishop of the 3rd century wrote: “Aelius Publius Julius, bishop of the colony of Debelta in Thrace, I call God as a witness,” etc. (Eusebius Pamphilus. Church History). In the Latin acts this word was written differently: sometimes Getistrion, sometimes Ogetistion, sometimes Ogestiron, just as Get-dub was written Gildoba, sometimes Gelduba, sometimes Gildo Bacli. The strangers did not understand the Slavic word, and each distorted it in his own way. One clever guy added this explanation to the first word: interpretatione vero Latinae linguae locus possessionis vocatur. I guessed it right. About the “bitch” see: Vostokov A.Kh. On the formation of personal Slavic names // IORYAS. T. IX. Chetii-Minei May 13; Acta Sanctorum 3 maii. St. Alexander was the martyr Alexander whose church in Druzinara was burned by the Avar Khagan in 597 and for which he was severely punished - the khan’s seven sons and many troops died from a pestilence near Druzinara. The Khan was given the treaty to cross the Danube against the Slavs (Theophylactus Simocatta. Historiae Mauricii Tiberii Imperatoris. In 8 lib. Lib. VII). Druzina on the river Erigon, about which Bryennius writes: “I don’t know what it was called in ancient times - the names often change; and now it, flowing out of the Thracian mountains, is called Almir (Salty), near it there is a fortress whose name is Kalavria" (Niki Wiltsch. Handbuch der kirchlichen Geographie und Statistik. Berlin, 1846 (hereinafter – Wiltsch. Handbuch der kirchlichen. -Ed.). N. Kostomarov. Northern Russian folk rights during the times of the appanage veche way of life: In 2 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1863. Vol. 2. Archive of historical and practical information relating to Russia / Ed. Kalachev N.V.: In 11 books. St. Petersburg, 1859–1861. Book 3, dept. 2 (hereinafter referred to as the Archive of historical and practical information relating to Russia. -Ed.). Bulletin of the Geographical Society. St. Petersburg, 1851. Lokhvitsky A.V. Excerpts from a trip to the Olonets province in the summer of 1863 // Domestic Notes. 1864. Book. 2. Local legend, which considers the existence of the monastery to be up to 700 years old, obviously increases its antiquity despite the acts. Lokhvitsky has a charter from the Vyazhitsky abbot in 1478: “and whoever deals with them (the monks of the Paleostrovskaya desert) is in trouble: otherwise call him our lowling, but his judgment is before me.” Nevolin has an inventory of 1582: “a common monastery, the churches of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and the Prophet Elijah,” the latter with a meal, “built by the former abbot Cornelius,” in addition to abbot Jonah, two hieromonks and 49 brothers. (Nevolin K.A. About the pyatinas and churchyards of Novgorod in the 16th century, with a map attached. St. Petersburg, 1853 (hereinafter - Nevolin K.A About the pyatinas and churchyards. -Ed.)). Ambrose (Ornatsky), archimandrite. History of the Russian hierarchy. Part IV; Ratshin A. Complete collection of information about monasteries. About her is the Synaxarion of the Greek Menaion of August 21 and a brief menology of Banazha. In Vershinsky’s “Monthly Dictionary of the Orthodox-Catholic Church” there is no mention of this saint. Constantino Porphyrogenito. De thematibus. Bon., 1840. Brief Menologue for August 21: “memory of St. Theocleta the Wonderworker. She lived under the hater Theophilus; Raised in piety from childhood, she occupied herself with meditation on the word of God, giving alms and labor serving the needs of the poor. She also predicted the day of her death. It is difficult to describe in a short word how many and what kind of miracles she performed.” Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov), Metropolitan. Description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Extracted from: Filaret, Archbishop. Chernigovsky. Historical teaching about the Fathers of the Church. Ondrusova-Nikolaevskaya Pustyn: Ist.-stat. essay / Comp. through the diligence of the abbot of Valaam. Monastery of Abbot Damascus. St. Petersburg, 1856 (hereinafter - Ondrusova-Nikolaevskaya hermitage: Historical-statistical essay - Ed.). In the Gatehouse of the Zagubsky parish, near the church wall there is a chapel and in it on the official slab the inscription says: “St. Sowing monastery chief - builder St. Cyprian, repose in L. 7000". Stone church in honor of St. Nicholas and the Epiphany, and on the lower floor there is a throne in honor of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (Ratshin A. Complete collection of information about monasteries). On the site of the monastery is now the village of Storozhnya, otherwise Storozhevsky Nos, with an attached church. In the RKP. The Olonets Breviary on May 17 noted: “on this day the transfer of the relics of St. Our Father Andrian, abbot of the Nicholas Monastery, on Lake Ladoga, on Ondrusov Island, in Olonets district, a new miracle worker, and his memory is celebrated on August 26.” RKP. Saints: “St. Adrian, abbot of the Nativity (Vvedensky) Monastery of the Most Holy. Mother of God, who was on Lake Ladoga, on Ondrus Island, in Olonets district, a miracle worker; repose in the summer 7000 m. May at 17.” The murder of the saint and his appearance to the elders is depicted on the icons of the monastery. According to the inventory of 1582, in the Ondrus Monastery the Church of St. Nicholas was made of stone, but another wooden church in honor of the Presentation of the Mother of God was “burned by German people” - the Swedes (1581), a wooden fence, the abbot’s cell and seven brethren’s cells were burned (Nevolin K.A. About Pyatina and Churchyards). Legal acts, or a collection of forms of ancient paperwork. St. Petersburg, 1838. No. 128 (hereinafter referred to as Legal Acts. -Ed.). Ondrusova-Nikolaevskaya Pustyn: Ist.-stat. essay. The news of “Son of the Fatherland” (St. Petersburg, 1836) says that the emperor sent 25,000 rubles. for a new church, but the money for the new church was collected by the builder from various benefactors. 2 Kings 18, 28–33, 35–36; 19, 1–3, 4–7. 2 Kings 19, 13, 15–19; 20–23, 28, 32–35. See about her in: Sabinin M.P. Complete biography of the saints of the Georgian Church. St. Petersburg, 1871. When comparing the view of the Feodosieva cave from Kalnofoisky (Athanasius (Kalnofoisky). Teraturgima, or miracles that occurred both in the Pechersky Monastery itself and in both of its caves. Kyiv, 1638 (hereinafter - Afanasy (Kalnofoisky). Teraturgima. -Ed.)) with the view of Herbinius (Joh(anne) Herbinio. Kiowia subterranea. Ienae, 1675 (hereinafter - Herbinio. Kiowia subterranea. -Ed.)) it is revealed that the line of the cave in the southwest after 1638 was somewhat changed and, no doubt, as a result of the earthquake, which caused damage especially in the Varangian cave, which ran south from the southwestern corner of the present Theodosius Cave. When repairing the damage to the cave, the relics of some saints were placed in other places; It should be added that in Herbinius’s drawing of the cave several nameless relics are indicated. Of course, the names of the saints were found later - from synodics and other records. This description with kontakion and troparia was recently published in: Modest (Strelbitsky), bishop. Brief stories about the life and exploits of the holy fathers of the Far Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Kyiv, 1862. The publisher believes that the “description” was compiled at the same time as kontakia and troparia, which he recognizes as the author of Meletius Siriga. It is impossible to agree with his idea about the time of the “description,” both because of the number of saints described and because Herbinius does not have even a hint of this description. The Little Russian description is important because it was taken from ancient inscriptions that were on the boards covering the caves with the relics. Six of these boards are still intact, and the Slavic inscriptions on them say the same thing about the six cave dwellers that we see in the Little Russian description. “The Canon of the Venerables of the Distant Cave” (Kyiv, 1855) was written later than the troparions and kontakions and is less important for history. Kalnofoisky shows in the Theodosius Cave the relics of: the recluse Isidore, the elder Eulogius and the elder Daniel; but now they are not visible. Russian pilgrim St. places (1634) Vasily Gagara abbot: “he walked through a lot of Polestinsky land and Georgian - and Ethiopian - and Mutyansk and Serbian - and nowhere did he find so many holy relics of miracle workers that in Kyiv in the caves of many saints in the flesh they rest incorruptible, with respect from God, miracle workers for 200; and only the relics lie, and these are told by more than one thousand saints” (Tales of the Russian people, collected by I.P. Sakharov. St. Petersburg, 1849). Additions to the publication of the works of the holy fathers in Russian translation: In 48 hours. M., 1843–1892. Part 2 (hereinafter referred to as Additions to the publication of the works of the Holy Fathers. -Ed.). Catalog Novgor. Sofiysk library No. 203; Fatherly calendar of 1718 Herbinio. Kiowia subterranea. The Little Russian News says: “St. Hilarion the schema-monk was of such abstinence, even a thousand times a week (a week) and even then he did little, being jealous of St. Theodosius, for he was also his partner, and did many prayers and supplications day and night with kneeling and tears, he pleased the Lord God.” Unfortunately, the cave board with the inscription covering the relics of the schema-monk Hilarion has not been preserved in order to judge whether the Little Russian news about the schema-monk Hilarion added anything of its own. Be that as it may, it is impossible to see in the Hilarion of Theodosius Cave that novice Hilarion of Theodosius, who is spoken of in Nestor’s Life of Theodosius: a) Hilarion of Theodosius’ Life is a novice, not a schema-monk; b) Met. Hilarion had, as we said, special rights to rest in the Theodosian Cave; but there is no reason why one novice of Theodosius was left in the Theodosius Cave, while the ascetics contemporary with Anthony and Theodosius rest in the Anthony Cave; c) according to the RCP. Saints shown in Kyiv between the saints, Metropolitan. Hilarion, but no other Hilarion is shown; d) the reviews of the patericon and Sirig are clear. For Simon's message, see: Kalaidovich K.F. Monuments of Russian literature of the 12th century. M., 1821. Simon uses the word “priesthood,” but when compared with Nestor and from the connection of thoughts, it is clear that he means priesthood. Additions to the edition of the works of St. fathers. Part 2. Gieseler. Lehrbuch der Kirchengeschichtë Bd. 1–6. Darmstadt-Bonn, 1824–1856. Bd. 2. George (Konissky), archbishop. Notes that in Russia until the end of the 17th century there was no union with the Roman Church // Read. OIDR. 1847. No. 8. Collection l. 1, 69. 247. 248. According to the month, the consecration of the St. George Church was supposed to be in 1045. But this is a mistake: “and sanctified by Metropolitan Larion,” says the prologue of the 14th century. The legend of the ancient prologue was published in “Kievlyanin” (1850). The 2nd Novgorod Chronicle under 1055 mentions Metropolitan. Ephraim (collection l. 3, 122); but it was compiled in the 16th century. and therefore does not have the right to complete self-confidence. According to the life of St. Nestor. Theodosius in 1068 we see Met. George. So, probably the death of St. Hilarion followed in 1066. One list of saints says: “reposed in 6579 (1071).” But this is not true. See: Additions to the edition of the works of St. fathers. Part 2. The word was published from a 14th century manuscript. (Additions to the edition of the works of the Holy Fathers. Part 2). It is also based on a 13th century manuscript. published in: IORYAS. T. V. We will follow the latest edition in our translation. Collection l. 1, 119. 128. 2, 9. 287. 292. 7, 20. 24; Nikon. l. 2, 38. 54. Historical acts. T. 1, No. 279; Collection l. 3, 141. 4, 235. 236. 6, 191; The book is sedate. Part 2. Acts collected by the Archaeographic Expedition. T. 1; The book is sedate. Part 2. Historical acts. T. 1, No. 380, 281; Book Degree. Part 2. Acts collected by the Archaeographic Expedition. T. 1; Collection l. 3, 142; Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian State. T. VI, approx. 66; The book is sedate. Part 2. Collection l. 3, 183. 4, 150. 6, 194; The book is sedate. Part 2. Collection l. 4, 246. 254. His charter in Pskov about the saint’s court in: Historical Acts. T. 1, No. 287. Collection l. 4, 252. 6, 201–205; The book is sedate. Part 2. The book is sedate. Part 2. His letter of resignation from the department, see: Acts collected by the Archaeographic Expedition. T. 1. Novgorod chroniclers (Collected l. 3, 138. 4, 152. 6, 19) say: “put him in the monasteries of the Miracle and sat for half a third summer, then he died.” Since Theophilus was taken to Moscow in January 1480, his death according to that account should have been attributed to the middle of 1482. But it is incredible that even after his death, Sergius was not appointed as his successor for a whole year. So, we must assume that two and a half years were the time of the closest confinement, then the sufferer lay sick for six months; the patient was given the freedom to stay wherever he wanted, and in the spring of 1483 he went to Kyiv. Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov), Metropolitan. Description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Little Russian news: “St. Theophilus, Bishop of Novgorod, to whom St. Nifont, Movyachi: he promised to venerate the saints of Pechersk, but you did not fulfill it... When they arrived at the Dnieper, Christ appeared to him, recognizing his death and promising to accept his soul, until they laid your body in the Pechera and so died, which in the deck of the Dnieper sailed right under the Pechera and was laid there.” Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov), Metropolitan. Description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. But it is erroneously said here that Timothy was installed in 1124. Prokhor died on November 15, 1127 (Collected fol. 2, 10. 12. 293). Pimen, the fast-monger of the Theodosius Cave, should not be confused with either Pimen the much-sick (August 7), or with Pimen the associate of Kuksha (August 27): both of them are in the Anthony Cave. The answer is printed in: Additions to the edition of the works of St. fathers. Part 6. According to Pogodin’s manuscript, the “rule” with the following inscription: “rule of the Holy Mountain; brought by Archimandrite Pechersky Theodosius, how we came from the Holy Mountain.” Tolstoy (II, 63) does the same with the name Dositheus. This explains why Met. Evgeniy in the 2nd ed. descriptions of the Lavra excluded Dosifei from the list of abbots: Dosifei and Theodosius, who died in 1219, are the same person (Evgeniy (Bolkhovitinov), Metropolitan. Description of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra). In the appendix to the life of Agapitus, Polycarp writes to Akindinus: “since your reverence commands, I write how I achieve with your mind and how much my memory helps, although unsuccessfully. Let what is written remain in the future after us for our benefit, as a blessing. Nestor wrote in the chronicle about Blessed. Fathers Damian, Jeremiah, Matthias and Isaac, and as in the life of St. Anthony wrote all their lives, albeit briefly. I will talk about the monks openly, without hiding, as I already said about them. Here I am talking about them in the 15th year of my abbess, but for 160 years there has been no mention of them.” The inscription on an ancient board with the image of the saint: “Lukian the martyr suffered from Batu around 1243.” The indication is obviously uncertain. Evgeniy (Bolkhovitinov), Metropolitan. Description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Here are the successors of St. Ignatius to Meletius of Bokurinsky are shown very confusingly and incorrectly. Meaning RKP. The Synodik of Sofia and having verified it with letters, we present the successors of St. Ignatius: 27 - Nicholas in 1446 testified to the spiritual book. Vladimir Andreevich (Description of Music. 111), and in 1463 he listened to the story of the Easter greeting of the saints (September 21); 28 – John 2; 29 – Joasaph; 30 – Theodosius Voinilovich from 1480 to 1491 (Acts of Western Russia. T. 1, No. 66, 111); 31 – Macarius, Slutsk archimandrite, from 1492 (Ibid., No. 99); 32 – Filaret in 1500–1505 (Acts of Western Russia. Vol. 2, No. 1, 46); 33 – Vassian Shishka was mentioned in a charter on November 28, 1506 (Ibid.); 34 – Jonah was at the council of 1509; 35 – Sylvester; 36 – Gregory; 37 – Peter; 38 – Ignatius in 1522 asked for a charter for a hostel (Acts of Western Russia. Vol. 2, No. 112); 39 - Anthony from April 23, 1524, but according to the charter on July 17, 1525, he gave way to Ignatius, and he himself entered the Ovruch monastery. In July 1528, at the request of the Kyiv governor Nemirovich, again the rector of the monastery (Acts of Western Russia. T. 2, No. 126, 135, 154); 40 – Joachim in 1532 transferred from Vydubitsky Monastery; 41 – Protasius from 1535; 42 – Sophronius, known from charters of 1540 and 1541. (Acts of Western Russia. Vol. 2, No. 204, 210); 43 – Vassian was appointed archimandrite by letter of 1542. Minsky (Acts of Western Russia. Vol. 2, No. 216. Vol. 3, No. 1); 44 – Archimandrite Joseph. 1550 (Acts of Western Russia. Vol. 3, No. 112); 45 – Hilarion Pesochinsky 1559–1566; 46 – Gennady; 47 – Meletius. According to the translation of the description of the Lavra (Evgeniy (Bolkhovitinov), Metropolitan Description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra), Kalnofoysky has the cross of Euthymius “ramen”; but in the original “rzemienny krzyz”. Kalnofoisky writes: “St. Hieroschemamonk Euthymius: the sign of this is a frame cross on the saint; those who come are blessed by it and some sick people are healed” (Athanasius (Kalnofoisky). Teraturgima). Unfortunately, the translation of Met. Evgeniya is often not accurate. For example, Kalnofoysky definitely says whether the saint’s whole body lies or only his bones. Under No. 52: “the two saints, brothers in the Holy Spirit, Martyrius and Moses, were laid in one tomb; whole in their bodies." Metropolitan has no last words. Evgenia. Under No. 36: “the bones of the holy monk Pimen”, Evgeniy has the relics. Under No. 55, 56, 65 – much has not been translated. The inscription on the cave board: “St. our father Veniam. Living in the world, he was bound by countless purchases of life. Whenever you heard the words of the Gospel, as if the rich were inconvenient, they would enter the Kingdom of Heaven, abiy exchange wealth for voluntary poverty for Christ’s sake and, having distributed all the property to those who demanded it, he himself joined the poor in spirit, St. Father of Pechersk, work kindly with them, go with your soul to the hero Christ to receive the crown of victory. His holy relics rest here incorruptibly.” The inscription on the cave board: “St. The hardworking Arseny was never idle, but was always either praying or doing monastic obedience; You don’t eat bread except after the sun has set. Now, in the unflickering light, he enjoys the vision of the face of God.” Almost the same in Malorusskie Izvestia. The inscription on the cave board: “St. Loggin, the goalkeeper of Pechersk, holyly and righteously undergoing monastic obedience, was granted the gift of miracles by the All-Knowing God, as he knew the innermost thoughts of those coming to the monastery and those leaving; He affirmed the good in a good proposal, but mercilessly denounced the evil, leading to repentance. After a difficult life, having gone to the Lord, he is a never-sleeping prayer book for all who come to God.” Slavic ancient inscription on a surviving cave plaque: “St. Titus the warrior, who was in battle, was struck at the head with a weapon that was almost fatal, and for this reason he left warfare; He was a little distressed when he came to the Pechersk monastery and, having been received by the living reverend fathers, he put on the monastic rank and valiantly labored with fasting and prayer against the invisible adversaries, armed with unceasing tears, so much so that he received grace, as he was informed before death of the remission of his sins. Afterwards, he moved in spirit to heaven to the triumphant faces, while his good-moving body rests here.” The Ukrainian news is shorter. Perlstein A. Description of the city of Ostrog // Tch. OIDR. 1847. Book. 4. On the majestic ruins of the castle’s Epiphany Church there is an inscription: “6921 (1414).” Pechersk Church, built in the 17th century. According to the visitation book, the church was founded by Prince. Feodor Vasilyevich, as if for the Dominicans, Met. Isidora. But in 1442 Prince. Theodore was no longer alive. Nesetsky at one time read in the city books of Lvov a record that Prince. Theodore built a clergy church in Galich and gave it to the village of Perechinskoe for its maintenance (Niesiecki K. Herbarz Polski. Lipsk, 18391845. T. VI). Dtugosz. Annales seu cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae. Lib. XI; Daniel Cramer. Das Grosse Pommerische Kirchen-Chronikon. Lib. XX; Zubritsky D.I. Critical-historical tale of the bygone years of Chervonnaya or Galician Rus' / Transl. Bodyansky. M., 1845. In 1440 we no longer see the book. Theodora among the leaders of Southern Rus'; in 1446 and 1447 we see Prince in Ostrog. Vasily Feodorovich. Buslaev F.I. Historical essays on Russian folk literature and art. In 2 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1866. Vol. 2 (hereinafter – Buslaev F.I. Historical essays of Russian literature. -Ed.). About his martyrdom, see: Soloviev P. Christian martyrs who suffered in the East since the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks. St. Petersburg, 1862 (hereinafter referred to as Soloviev P. Christian martyrs who suffered in the East. -Ed.). According to the alkoran, God, as a consolation to Adam and Eve, sent from heaven an ark with images of all the prophets, including Mohammed, and this ark traveled with the Israelites in the desert and is kept in the Temple of Solomon (Sura. 2). Abraham sacrificed not Isaac, but Ishmael, with whom he later traveled to Mecca and built the Kaaba church (Suras 3 and 37). Solomon was deprived of his kingdom for 40 days for a crime, but then traveled to Mecca on a carpet; and Solomon sent a letter to the Queen of Sheba with the bird Gugud, convincing her to accept the Mohammedan law (Sura. 27, 34, 38). Rev. The Virgin Mary was the sister of Aaron and Mariamne (Sur. 19). Jesus Christ made likenesses of birds and animals from clay (Sur. 3 and 6). Fables in faces! Otherwise: if you don’t like it, don’t listen, but don’t interfere with lying, even if Mohammed is sometimes an ignorant ignoramus. Ermiy Sozomen of Salamis. Church history: In 9 books. St. Petersburg, 1851. Book. 1, ch. 18. See: Sergius, Archimandrite. Complete months of the East. T. II. In the general service of Serblyak on August 30, “Gregory the God-bearing, archbishops: Ioannikis, Jacob, Savva the third, patriarchs Kirill, Nikon, John, Maxim” are also mentioned (l. 161, 162). Serblyak’s preface says: “It would behoove us to include the prayer rules and these saints of God. Gregory, the Serbian archbishop, who was from the roots of the Nemanjic family, his relics are in the Kumanice monastery on the river. Lima, St. Stephen, his relics rest in Piper, and St. the newly-minted Peter, the Black Mountain of the metropolitan: otherwise nothing can now be found with might.” We must say the same about James and John. The Glasnik (Book 6) says very little about them. We cannot but add that Patr. Maxim, as famous as he is, is almost in vain considered Fr. Anthimus (Notes of the Geographical Society. T. XIII) to the great saints; the construction of the gallery and the wedding of Brankovich are not great deeds, but his relationship with St. Gabriel is very unfavorable. In the ancient Serbian charter (Glasnik. Book 11) neither Jacob and Sava the third, nor Evstvafiy the second are called saints. Oh St. Stefana said under May 28th. In one Serbian chronicle of the 15th century. it is said that since the time of St. Neemani “great lamps of the world appeared in the Serbian Churches, some equal in honor to the apostles, others peacemakers and miracle workers and blessed bishops and many reverend and righteous men” (Russian conversation. 1860). Now the “many” saints of the Serbian land are still unknown, and of the righteous, only Shchilyanovich is known so far. An inscription has been preserved on the cross designated for the church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul: “And the Bishop of Raska, Gregory, made the cross again, for she too is a widow of two generations.” Since, according to the inscription, King Milutin also participated in the construction of the same cross (see: Miklosich. Monumenta Serbica), then Gregory, Bishop of Russia, was a contemporary of this king. Chronicle in Glasnik (Book 1, 5, 6, 10); General service: “Rejoice, Savvo the second, like Moses in meekness”; Serblyak (l. 162). According to the news about the chief hierarchs (Glasnik. Book 6), “this saint (Arseny) is still alive, appoint Serblen archbishop in his place, Savva the second.” Since blessed Arseny (f October 28, 1266) was ill for three years before his death, then of course no later than 1263 Savva was consecrated archbishop by Arseny. The same news says that Sava served as archbishop for 7 years. But then he died in 1270, and this could not have happened. In 1269 Ioannikis was archbishop. And the news itself in another case says that Savva the second, like Daniel, was not an archbishop for long. Therefore, it must be assumed that blessed. Savva died at the beginning of 1268. The ancient charter (Glasnik. Book 11) says: February 12 “prestavise archbishop. light Savva second.” Notes of the Geographical Society. T. XIII. Here is his image. Service of St. Savve // ​​Serblyak. 1861. Notes of the Geographical Society. T. XIII. In the Serbian Charter of May 12: “prestavise archbishop. lights Nicodemus" (Glasnik. Book 11). Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 2. Daniel writes (see: Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 2) that the book. Milyutin died “in the summer as he said to the four past archbishop Nicodemus,” that is, almost 4 years after Nicodemus was installed as archbishop. Since Milyutin died on October 20, 1320, the elevation of Nicodemus to archbishop took place at the beginning of 1317, or otherwise before the Ascension of the Lord. In the Hilandar charter, Milyutin signed “Sava, by the grace of God, Archbishop of all Serbian and Pomeranian lands.” The postscript lists his predecessors: St. Savva, Arseny, Savva the second, Ioannikios, Eustathius, Jacob, Eustathius the second (Grigorovich V. Essay on the journey). In the life of Milyutin (Serblyak, l. 57) it is said that under Prince. Milyutin were archbishops: Savva the third, Nicodemus and Daniel. This is not certain. With him were: St. Eustathius (1279), Jacob (1285), Eustathius 2 (1304), Sava 3 (1305–1316) and Nicodemus. But Daniel was already an archbishop under Dečanski and Dušan. Glasnik. Book 5. In Serblyak there is a general service: “Rejoice, Nicodemus, like the prophet Elijah, a valiant zealot.” In Serblyak, a service to him: “with your Orthodox teachings you drove foreign heresies far away from the Church of Christ... Having Divine melody, like Elijah the Great, you breathe wrath at the enemies of the cross of Christ and drive them away, like ravenous wolves, from your flock, the blessed shepherd.” During his time in the cathedral, together with the bishops, there were the abbots: Studečenski, Mileszewski, Sopočanski, Banski, Hradec, Moravian Hradec, Rašski, Konczulski, Orahovets, Nagornitski, Skoplski (Grigorovich V. Essay on the trip). Raic shows still modern St. Nicodemus abbots: Modritsky, Khvostensky, Gostivarsky (Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 2). Bishops under him: Letta, Rasch, Chum, Khvostensky, Toplitsky, Budimlsky, Dybrsky, Moravitsky, Skoplsky, Prizren, Liplyansky, Branichevsky, Machvensky, Gradatsky and Konchulsky - 15 in total (Safarik. Pamatky drevniho pisemnictvi). Grigorovich shows that the letter was written in 6840 (1332). But there's a mistake here. Glasnik (Book 6) shows that Nicodemus ruled the Church for 8 years and, therefore, died in May 1325. The Gospel of 1329, written under the archbishop, is known. Daniel (Grigorovich V. Essay on the journey). Glasnik Book. 6, 11. Dushan: “he was crowned king in l. 6854 (1346) April 14 days - with the blessing and hand of the Right Reverend Patriarch Ioannikios and all the bishops of the Serbian Cathedral, with the blessing and hand of the Right Reverend Patriarch Cyrus of Bulgaria. Simeon and all the bishops of the Bulgarian Cathedral" (Maykov A.A. History of the Serbian language). Since the wedding of Dushan took place following the proclamation of Ioannikis as a patriarch (Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 2), it is clear that the elevation of Ioannikis to the patriarchal rank was the work of the Bulgarian Patriarch and the Council of Archpastors. The Kharkov Bulletin (1854) mistakes Simeon for the Archbishop of Ohrid. This is a mistake. Simeon was the Patriarch of Ternovsky (IORYAS. T. VII). A note about the Serbian patriarchate, written by a half-Greek, says: “Srbje chose the patriarch for himself, not according to the law, nor with the blessing of the Tsarograd Patriarch, but indiscriminately sought the blessing on the Archbishop of Trnov and on the Archbishop of Ohrid and the collection of Srb” (Glasnik. Book 11). According to that news, the Archbishop of Ohrid was also at the Council. Who was he? Without a doubt, the same “humble Anthimus of Achridon” who signed the act of the Council of Constantinople in 1347 and whom Meletius calls “many learned.” But the half-Greek a) unfairly calls the Bulgarian high priest an archbishop - the Church of Constantinople itself recognized him as a patriarch; b) since the Serbian high priest was recognized by the Council of Constantinople as independent and was always consecrated by the Council of Serbian archpastors, and the Patriarch of Constantinople was still under St. Sava refused to rule the Serbian Church, then the half-Greek is also unfair in that “according to the law” the consecration of the Serbian Patriarch should be “with the blessing of the Constantinople Patriarch.” Yes, and under St. Joannikia, the Greek Church did not complain to the Serbian Patriarchate. Discontent was raised with Patr. Savva, in fact, because Dushan expelled the Greek bishops from his kingdom, who did not want to obey his will. Chronicle in Glasnik (Book 5). Sergius (Vesnin), hieroschim. Letters from Svyatogorets. Book 2. Maikov A.A. History of the Serbian language. Certificate to the Prizren Monastery in: Glasnik (Book 15). About the time of writing the charter of the Jerusalem Church, see: Safarik. Monumenta Illyrica (Monuments of Old Southern Slavic Literature). Prague, 1839; Maykov A. A . History of the Serbian language. Tronosha chronicle about Dushan: “he made amends for the insults inflicted on them (the Ragusians) and the commands from his grandfather and father, and let him keep his confession freely and freely, as anyone wants. So the Raguzhans again drank, but not all, then the Roman Confession” (Glasnik. Book 5). “The law is that we deliver to L. 6857 (1349) May 27 - by our honorable council with the Most Reverend Our Father Patriarch Ioannikios and all the bishops and clergy.” Lawyer published in: Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 4; Safarik. Pamatky drevniho pisemnictvi. According to Safarik's research, the Code of Law was supplemented in 1354. The Code of Law of 1349 ends with 136 articles, the remaining 64 articles belong to the addition of 1354. It is very possible that some clergyman composed it. Service of St. Joannikia in Serblyak (fol. 168). Glasnik. Book 6. The lawyer was approved in 1349, but in the same 1349, Tsar Dushan was already under patriarch. Savva claims the lands behind the Church of the Introduction (Grigorovich V. Essay on the journey). According to the ancient charter: “Sept. 3 Prestavise Priva Patriarch Ioanniki” (Glasnik. Book 11). So, blessed. Ioannikiy was in the rank of patriarch for three and a half years and in the rank of archbishop for about seven years, and in later Serbian notes (Glasnik. Book 6, 11) it is unfairly said that he served as a priest for 16 years. Relics of St. Ioannikis rests in the Pech Church, in a beautiful marble tomb (Notes of the Geographical Society. Vol. XIII). We translate the text according to the edition: Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 4. The expression in the list of 1390: “who does not have money” in the list of 1701 is explained by the word “orphan”. Who did not have Batyakovism, i.e. ancestral and hereditary property was called an orphan. Another law: “an orphan potter is free, like a priest,” that is, if a potter does not have ancestral land where he could mine clay, then he is free from duty for the craft, like a priest. So, according to the edition of Safarik (Safarik. Pamatky drevniho pisemnictvi) - in Raich, the meaning of the law is quite changed. Charter of 1348 to the Prizren Monastery: “to be only for the abbess and general life. The abbot sits at the cathedral at the same table with the abbots of St. Stefan (Banski), Pantocrator (Dečanski) and Zabrodski. The hegumen is appointed only from the monastery, who is chosen by the patriarch and the king with the consent of the monastery brethren; if there is no one capable, take it from Hilandar. The abbot is not replaced, unless due to a great fault... When the patriarch comes (to a holiday) to the monastery, a horse is given to him, and when he appoints an abbot, a horse is also given. The abbot has no right to give away (monastic property) or do anything similar, without the consent of the steward and the ecclesiarch. The keeper of bread and wine gives out, as the holy king (Milyutin) in Banska established, bread equally for everyone, on Wednesday, Friday and Monday once a day, wine in the morning and in the evening; in fasting every day once except Saturday and Sunday; the meal is always” (Glasnik. Book 15). According to Safarik’s publication: “monks who take monastic vows from the monastery courtyards must go to another monastery. Otherwise, living in a monastery, they cannot resist giving something to relatives and friends. There is also a great temptation for the brethren: they call guests and strangers to the monastery.” According to Safarik’s edition, it is added: “Whoever does not keep them (the poor) from the metropolitan or from the abbot, let him excommunicate them.” In the Book of Law, church people are called: a) people of clergy; b) tenants of church lands and hired caretakers; c) settlers working on church lands. For example, Art. 48: “If the church people who hold church villages and church lands drive out the posadniks (church settlers), then those who drove out the church people are tied up, the land is taken away from them until they hire settlers.” According to Safarik's publication: “If anyone dishonors a saint or a monk or a priest, he pays 100 perper. If anyone turns out to be the murderer of a saint or a monk or a priest, he is killed or hanged.” There are also several articles against violators of chastity and marital fidelity (Articles 92, 100, 101). About his life, see Synaxarion in Serblyak (l. 151–153). Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 3. Note: “The power and honor of the Serbian Church have increased much more, and the hunters have become stronger not with virtues, but with money and robbery, to buy this dignity” (Glasnik. Book 6). The title of the Serbian Patriarch: “to the most luminous and blessed father and our lord, Archbishop of Pek first Justinian, the patriarch of all Srbl and Bolgars, Pomorie, Dalmatia, Travunie and the Vretaninsky island and the northern countries and Belago Podunovin, gentlemen lord.” This is how they proclaimed to the patriarch the desire for many years during the Liturgy (Glasnik. Book 9). Grigorovich V. Travel essay. In 1382, “with the blessing of Patriarch Cyrus Spyridon,” a monastery with a church was founded in the village. Drenchakh and freed from subordination to Mount Athos (Grigorovich V. Essay on the journey). Miklosic has patent certificates. Spirndon: Ibar Vvedenskaya Church 1385 and another monastery Zhdrelo (Zherlo) or Gorpaku (Miklosich. Monumenta Serbica). In the latest patr. Sniridon frees the Gornak monastery from subordination to the local metropolitan. This is natural, Rev. Gregory of Sinaite, the founder of the monastery, was highly respected during his lifetime, and after his death he was revered among the saints. The Patriarch writes his letter of commendation on the basis of the letter of Prince. Lazarus (f 1389). The document presents the matter in this way, as if St. Gregory asks for favors for the founded monastery. since the monk was the mentor of the patriarchs. Callista, most likely in 1362; then hardly prp. Gregory appeared personally to the prince. Lazar and then, as Lazar was only the prince of the Danube. Therefore, the words of the letter about St. Gregory is a matter of imagination. The year indicated in the letter is erroneous, as Miklosic admits. General service in Serblyak (l. 162. 163). Notes of the Geographical Society. T. XIII. According to the Tronosha Chronicle (V, 80), the secondary administration of St. Ephraim was the Church after Sava. But the chronicle reports legends here that are clearly erroneous: it says that for the second time the blessed one called. Ephraim to the department of the book. Lazarus and what happened after the death of Daniel and Savva are incompatible circumstances. Patr. Daniel in 1395 approved the charters of the prince. Militsa-Evgenia (Grigorovich V. Travel sketch; Porfiry (Uspensky). Index of acts kept in the monastery of the Holy Mount Athos // Journal of the Ministry of Public Education. St. Petersburg, 1847. Part LV (hereinafter referred to as Porfiry (Uspensky). Index of acts. -Ed.)). Diploma of Despot Stephen in 1403: “and speak with the Lord Maikot mi Prince Militz and with the Lord My Eminence Patriarch Kir Danil and with the metropolitan and honorable abbesses and my rulers” (Miklosich. Monumenta Serbica). Dushan’s letter of 1351 to the Kotoryans with privileges approved either by “Archbishop Daniel of Kir” or “Patriarch of Cyrus Daniel” was also printed here. But either the entire charter is forged, or we must understand Archbishop Daniel in it (f 1338) - and therefore it belongs to 1336–1338; from the same Miklosic, charter of 1357. given in consultation with Patriarch Savva. And according to other notes (Glasnik. Book 11, 6) Savva 2nd Patr. ruled the Church for a long time, so St. Ephraim is called his successor and the 3rd patriarch. Patr. Daniel approved the charters of the prince. Militsa-Eugene in 1395 (Grigorovich V. Essay on the journey; Porfiry (Uspensky). Index of acts). Serblyak (l. 153). In the ancient Serbian charter: “June 15 prestavise, like in the light, Patriarch Z Ephraim” (Glasnik. Book 11). Sakharov I.P. Review of Slavic-Russian bibliography. St. Petersburg, 1849; Shafarik P.Y. About ancient Slavic, namely Kirillian printing houses in the Yugoslav lands and adjacent regions / rus. lane O. Bodyansky // Thu. OIDR. 1846. No. 3. How they looked at the printing of books in Venice, Dečansky’s hierodeacon Moses expresses in his introduction to the collection of 1538: “The Ishmaelites quickly attacked Christians for the sake of our sins. For this reason, our enslavement was in the western countries of Italy, in the great Roman heresy, unable to escape from our fatherland, for the sake of the great Ishmaelite battles (Stroev P.M. Description of early printed Slavic books, serving as an addition to the descriptions of the libraries of Count F.A. Tolstoy and merchant I.N. Tsarsky. M., 1841 (hereinafter referred to as Stroev P.M. Description of early printed Slavic books. -Ed.). Slavic assessment of the Pope and Luther: on the wall of the Bulgarian Zograf Monastery there is a boat on the sea with teachers of the Church and with Christ the Lord at the stern; heretics threaten her from the shore, dad tries to capsize the boat with a hook, and next to him Luther shoots at her with a gun (Antonin (Kapustin), archimandrite. Notes of a devotee of the Holy Mountain). We do not know on what the news of Momirovich is based (Momirovich D. Brief history and geography of Serbia. St. Petersburg, 1839 (hereinafter referred to as Momirovich D. Brief history and geography of Serbia. -Ed.)) about the transfer of patr. department in 1389 in new Pek, in 1438 in Belgrade. The first is not visible from the lives of the patriarchs. Ephraim. Stephen the Despot chose Belgrade as his capital, but it is not clear from the monuments that Patr. the department was then moved to Belgrade; on the contrary, Patr. Nicodemus came to Belgrade for the burial of the despot (Spasich. Something about the Serbian Church under Turkish rule // Glasnik. Book 1). Notes of the Geographical Society. T. XIII. According to the inscription on the Gospel (Grigorovich V. Essay on the journey) Blessed. the saint was still alive in 1563. In the news about the chief hierarchs of Serbia (Glasnik. Book 6), only four are shown as Macarius’ predecessors after Sava: Cyril, Nikon, Nicodemus and Arseny. This was hardly the case. Patr. Cyril was known in 1407 (Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 3). Nicodemus buried the blessed one in 1427. Despot Stephen. In the Sopochansky Synodik (Notes of the Geographical Society. Vol. XIII) after Arseny and Nicodemus, Paul and Theodosius and then Macarius, after Savvaty Philip and Paisius' predecessor Simeon. In the well-known lists of Serbian high priests (Glasnik. Book 6, 11), these four persons are omitted. According to one chronicle (Maykov A.A. History of the Serbian language), the archbishop died in 1574. Anthony. This is the successor of Macarius (Glasnik. Book 6). About the martyrdom of St. Gabriel, see: Soloviev P. Christian martyrs who suffered in the East. Notes of the Geographical Society. T. XIII. The scribe also says that the persecution took place under Patr. Paisius, known in 1641 and 1646 from his inscriptions on books (Glasnik. Book 8). For the charter of Archbishop Paisius in 1633, see: Porfiry (Uspensky). Index of acts. There is also a letter of permission from the Patr. Maxim 1669. In the Glasnik (Book 1) the letter of Patr. Maxima in Sarajevo 7131 (1623). If the year of the last certificate is shown correctly, then in addition to the Patr. Maxim, who died in 1681 (Glasnik. Book 6), was still a patriarch. Maximus is the predecessor of Paisius. Macarius (Bulgakov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. History of the Russian Church. In 12 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1883. Vol. 4 (hereinafter referred to as Macarius (Bulgakov), Metropolitan. History of the Russian Church. -Ed.). At the same time, the Serbian Metropolitan Michael was also at the Moscow Council (Stroev P.M. Description of early printed Slavic books). Metropolitan Michael, having spent a year and a half in Moscow, was in Jerusalem in 1657, where he left a collection for the Serbian monastery of Arch. Mikhail (Journal of the Ministry of Public Education. St. Petersburg, 1836. Part 11). According to the records of the Moscow court, in May 1654, Gabriel, Patriarch of Serbia and Bulgaria, arrived in Moscow; he brought with him written books: Typik and Collection of the Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Kavasila on the Latin heresy, the lives and stories of the Serbian kings and patriarchs, another scroll of the lives of all Serbian saints and where the kingdom and patriarchate came from, notebooks of Cyril the philosopher and teacher of Slavic and the book of Basil the Great with three printed liturgies (Index Synodal Sacristy). According to palace records, Serbian Patr. In 1655, Gabriel dined with the sovereign on February 12, the name day of the prince, and February 20, the name day of the princess. Soloviev P. Christian martyrs who suffered in the East. Reviews of contemporaries about Parthenia, see Arseny Sukhanov in the ed.: Sakharov I. P. Tales of the Russian People. T. 2. Raich. History of various Slavic peoples. Part 4. “He died by strangulation from the Hagarians, he was slandered unjustly by the brethren” (Glasnik. Book 6). Little has been said. Collection l. 2. 276. Pogodin believes that John was not a Greek, but a Bulgarian who knew Greek. “How could a Greek become famous for his eloquence among Russians without knowing the Russian language? We have its rule only in Russian” (Pogodin M.P. Research, remarks and lectures on Russian history. T. VII). “John the Russian Metropolitan, called the Prophet of Christ, church rule,” is how his rule is written in all lists. The Latin-Greek dictionary explains the word antistitas with the words Iepeî, profp eniaxonoi. But a) John in the inscription is already called metropolitan and therefore there was no need to add another name of the same meaning; b) the ordinary popular meaning of a prophet is the meaning of a seer, and therefore the inscription, speaking about the popular name of metropolitan, could only mean the meaning of a seer, and not the meaning of the primate of the Church, invented by art. Collection l. 1, 89. Simon in his letter to Polycarp - about the sanctification of the church. Collection l. 2, 276. 277. The book is sedate. Part 1. Filaret, Archbishop. Chernigovsky. Review of Russian spiritual literature. This message, known from some Slavic manuscripts without the name of the pope to whom it was written, was attributed by the writer Palinodia and others to Metropolitan. John 4. But in the inscription of the Greek letter there is the name of Pope Clement. Who is this Pope Clement? Actually, there was no Pope Clement in Rome either under John the Second or under John the 4th Metropolitan. But by the will of the imp. Henry, Hildebrand's enemy, was elected pope by the Archbishop of Ravenna, who, with the name of Clement, remained pope from 1080 to 1099. This contemporaneity of Pope Clement to the learned Metropolitan. John the Second serves as a solid basis for the belief that the letter of the Russian Metropolitan to Pope Clement was written by Metropolitan. John the Second (Nevolin K.A. About Metropolitan John II as the author of the letter to Archbishop Clement of Rome on unleavened bread // IORYAS. T. II). The content of the message says the same thing. The West, according to the message, is seeking an alliance with the Russian Church. Henry, humiliated and persecuted by the proud Hildebrand, was forced to seek help for his cause in alliance with the Russian Church. The message to the pope in Greek and Slavic languages ​​was published in: Scientific Notes of the Academy. Book I. Published in: Kalaidovich K. F. Russian monuments. M., 1815. Based on other lists, published in: Makariy (Bulgakov), Metropolitan. History of the Russian Church. T. 2.