Blessed Sylvester. Holy Blessed Sylvester, Pope of Rome. Signs and beliefs

This prayer is read in the morning.

Holy Angel, standing before my accursed soul and my passionate life, do not leave me, a sinner, nor depart from me for my intemperance. Do not give room to the evil demon to possess me through the violence of this mortal body; strengthen my poor and thin hand and guide me on the path of salvation. To her, holy Angel of God, guardian and patron of my accursed soul and body, forgive me all that I have offended you so greatly all the days of my life, and if I sinned this past night, cover me on this day, and save me from every opposite temptation, Let me not anger God in any sin, and pray for me to the Lord, that He may strengthen me in His passion, and show me worthy as a servant of His goodness. Amen.

Prayer 2

Holy Angel of Christ, falling to you I pray, my holy guardian, dedicated to me for the preservation of my sinful soul and body from holy baptism, but with my laziness and my evil custom I angered your most pure lordship and drove you away from me with all the cold deeds: lies, slander , envy, condemnation, contempt, disobedience, brotherly hatred and resentment, love of money, adultery, rage, stinginess, gluttony without satiety and drunkenness, verbosity, evil thoughts and crafty ones, proud custom and lustful infuriation, self-lust for every carnal lust, oh my evil arbitrariness, even beasts without words do not do it! How can you look at me, or approach me like a stinking dog? Whose eyes, Angel of Christ, look upon me, entangled in evil in vile deeds? How can I ask for forgiveness for my bitter, evil and crafty deeds, I fall into misery all day and night and at every hour? But I pray to you, falling down, my holy guardian, have mercy on me, a sinful and unworthy servant of yours (name), be my helper and intercessor against the evil of my opponent, with your holy prayers, and make me a partaker of the Kingdom of God with all the saints, always, and now, and ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer 3

To the Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all who have sinned in this day: and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy who opposes me, so that in no sin I will anger my God, but pray for me, a sinful and unworthy servant , so that you are worthy to show me the goodness and mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints. Amen.

Prayer 4

Angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me from God from heaven for my protection! I diligently pray to you: enlighten me today, save me from all evil, guide me to good deeds, and direct me on the path of salvation. Amen.

Saint Sylvester's Day, or Seliverst day- a religious holiday. In countries with a Catholic system, it is celebrated on the very eve of December 31, in Orthodox countries - on January 2 (15), in particular in European countries. It is known that every year the holiday becomes more interesting, brighter, more colorful and more fun. On this day, people rejoice, have fun, joke, eat a lot, drink a lot and wait for the New Year with great interest. As you know, St. Sylvester's Day is not a non-working day.

History and celebration

Pope Sylvester I was born in the 3rd century in Rome into a Christian family. Very little is known from historical sources about the life of the holy preacher. According to a legend that has survived to this day, it is known that in 314 AD. Saint Sylvester caught the most ancient sea monster - the serpent Leviathan. It was believed that the biblical monster would be able to break free in the year 1000 and destroy the entire world. Thanks to the efforts and courage of Sylvester, to the general joy of the people, this did not happen. Sylvester destroyed the snake and saved the whole world from disaster, thereby preventing people from being offended. According to this legend, the images of Sylvester I, who killed the dragon in 314, and Sylvester II, a magician who fought the machinations of the devil and was Pope in 999-1003, merged together.

Saint Sylvester, who saved the world from destruction, died on December 31, 335. People honor the day of Sylvester's death as St. Sylvester's Day. Since then, on December 31, the anniversary of the death of Sylvester I, people preen themselves, dress up in masquerade costumes, Catholics read prayers and call themselves Sylvester Claus. Nowadays, it is reliable that in some countries an interesting tradition has remained. People call the last day of the passing year “Sylvester” in memory of the Pope. Therefore, the current question “Where will you go for Sylvester?”, which can be heard on New Year’s Eve in many countries around the world, means “Where are you planning to celebrate the New Year?”

Traditions of "St. Sylvester's Day" in different countries

Holland
On New Year's Eve, the Dutch, like many other European residents, celebrate St. Sylvester's Day. On the eve of the holiday, everyone strives to get up early, since the one who woke up later than everyone else was given the nickname “Sylvester.” An interesting fact is that, according to the traditions of the holiday, those who like to sleep are obliged to pay a fine. In the old days, girls finished doing all their housework before sunset, as it was believed that such hard work would help them get married in the new year.

Portugal
Saint Sylvester's Day is most grandly celebrated on one of the islands of Portugal - Madeira. The celebration of the holiday begins in Funchal - the administrative center of the island - from 8 pm. The grandiose celebration continues until the morning.

The capital of the island is illuminated with two hundred thousand lanterns. This bright, fabulous, magical, beautiful spectacle leaves no one indifferent. Tourists and locals, celebrating, wait until midnight to witness a truly gorgeous fireworks display that lights up the night sky over the island of Madeira with colorful lights.

Czech
In Cesia, carp with apples, lentils and horseradish is a must for Sylvester. It is believed that this treat will help bring good luck and happiness in the new year. There should be no bird on the festive table, as it is believed that happiness can “fly away” like a bird.

Russia
In Russia, Seliverst Day, or Kur and Kurka Day, is celebrated on January 2 (15). It is believed that this holiday is a chicken holiday: chicken coops are cleaned, roosts are mended, walls are fumigated with smoke from smoldering elecampane or cow dung with coals. Usually, a “chicken god” hung in the chicken coop so that the kikimors would not crush the chickens. Early in the morning, the old women poured water and washed the door lintels so that fevers would not enter the hut.

Holy Pope Sylvester(314-335) was born in Rome from Christian parents Rufinus and Justa. Soon his father died, and the saint remained in the care of his mother.

Sylvester's teacher, Presbyter Quirin, gave him a good education and raised him as a true Christian. Having reached adulthood, Sylvester began to fulfill the Lord’s commandment to serve his neighbors, especially taking care of receiving strangers, providing them with shelter and rest in his home.

During the persecution of Christians, Sylvester was not afraid to accept the holy confessor Bishop Timothy, who lived with him for more than a year and with his preaching converted many to Christ. After the martyrdom of Timothy, Sylvester secretly took the body of the saint and honorably buried him. This became known to the mayor Tarquinius; the saint was captured and brought to trial.

Tarquin forced him to renounce Christ, threatening him with torment and death. Saint Sylvester, however, was not afraid, remained firm in his confession of faith and was imprisoned. When Tarquin died suddenly after the trial, the saint received freedom and began to fearlessly preach the gospel to the pagans, converting many to Christianity.

At the age of thirty, Saint Sylvester was accepted into the clergy of the Roman Church and ordained to the rank of deacon, and then presbyter, by Pope Marcellinus (296-304). After the death of Pope Melchiades (311-314), Saint Sylvester was elected Bishop of Rome. He zealously cared for the purity of life of his flock, making sure that the elders strictly fulfilled their ministry, not being burdened by worldly affairs.

Saint Sylvester was famous as a profound expert on the Holy Scriptures and an unwavering defender of the Christian faith. During the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, when the period of persecution ended for the Church, the Jews staged a debate about the true faith, at which the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine, his mother, the holy Queen Helen, and a large retinue were present. On the part of the Christians, Pope Sylvester spoke, and on the part of the Jews there were many learned rabbis, led by Zamri, a warlock and sorcerer. Based on the Holy Books of the Old Testament, Saint Sylvester convincingly proved that all the prophets predicted the Nativity of Jesus Christ from the Unartificed Virgin, His free suffering, death for the redemption of the fallen human race and the glorious Resurrection. In this verbal competition the saint was declared the winner. Then Zamri tried to resort to sorcery, but the saint prevented the evil, calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Zamri and the rest of the Jews believed in Christ and asked to perform holy Baptism on them. Saint Pope Sylvester ruled the Roman Church for more than twenty years, enjoying the deep respect of Christians. He died peacefully at a ripe old age in 335.

Do they know, or have at least heard, that Poland celebrates more than one New Year’s Day? and two, or rather even three holidays at once. Let's list them: December 31 is St. Sylvester's Day, New Year's Day itself is on the night from December 31 to January 1, and January 1 is the Triumph of the Blessed Virgin Mary. With the Mother of God, everything is quite clear - a day of remembrance is a day of remembrance, in the case of the Virgin Mary it doesn’t even make sense to say for what merits we remember Her. Happy New Year, everything is generally transparent - a secular holiday. But what to do with Saint Sylvester? Who is he and why does he have such a day on the calendar?

It turns out there are two versions. More precisely, this: periodically, one might even say annually, on various Polish radio stations and television channels you can see and hear surveys of random passersby regarding their knowledge about the holidays. As for Sylvester's Day, it is noteworthy that the opinions of those surveyed differ. Often it sounds something like this: “Sylvester... Hmm.. This is the saint of the church... In my opinion, he was the Pope... Baptized some emperor... Helped people survive the apocalypse... Killed a dragon.. . He was killed by a dragon..."

These can be the answers of one person or several. Oddly enough, this shows that people in general have an idea about Sylvester. True, that’s not what it’s about and not quite what it should be.

Indeed - dad

The year 1000 appears in the consciousness of Poles for a reason. In fact, Pope Sylvester II is not only an outstanding personality in European history, but also a person who was noted for memorable actions for Poland. It was he who canonized Saint Wojciech (Św. Wojciech) - one of the three main patrons of Poland, who, among other things, is credited with the authorship of “The Mother of God” (Bogurodzica) - the oldest surviving Polish religious song, which served as a hymn in the Middle Ages. Moreover, Sylvester II immediately after the canonization of St. Vojtecha founded the Archdiocese in Gniezno in 999, which is certainly the most important historical event for the country. And this happened just in the year one thousand. Moreover, this version looks much more realistic than the legend that Sylvester II calmed the crowds of people expecting the End of the World in the year 1000. Why is that? But because, as some historians claim, there was simply no panic associated with the end of times at the junction of 999 and 1000. The whole point is that the common people had little understanding of the general calendar; it was the clergy who had accurate knowledge. Therefore, most likely at that time people were going about their daily affairs and no one expected the emergence from the bowels of the earth of the mythical apocalyptic dragon, which was placed in the thousandth year by much later writers of history and chronologists.

Inconsistency

The fact is that the date of the birth of Christ in the minds of people was finally established much later than we can imagine. Now with the development of printing, and then the Internet, we know that it was calculated by the monk Dionysius 5 centuries after it, but even after that, debate about this event did not subside. In fact, they still do not subside, because the development of technology and the number of inconsistencies in history lead scientists to the conclusion that the established chronology has problems. They also existed in the Middle Ages. Moreover, in favor of the fact that specifically in the year 1000 no one was expecting an apocalyptic dragon en masse is also supported by the fact that chronology in the Roman Empire alone was carried out differently in different parts of it. Somewhere they counted from the era of Diacletian, somewhere from the construction of Rome, somewhere else from the creation of the World, and so on. Among all this, where can one identify the year one thousandth centrally at that time? Another thing is that Sylvester himself could have calculated this, but he knew that the thousandth passes into 1001, and this, it must be admitted, is no longer the same effect.

Perhaps Sylvester II was remembered by Europeans because, even before his papacy, as Herbert of Aurillac, he brought to Europe and instilled in our minds the Arabic numerals so familiar to us. Yes, yes - up to this point, numbers were written in Roman numbers. Herbert also brought a lot of new things to medieval science, or rather, well-forgotten old things. The first calculator, the abacus, a type of abacus, began to be used again in Europe thanks to him.

He also brought back into use astronomical instruments such as the armillary sphere and the astrolabe.

That is, in the eyes of his contemporaries, he was a very, very progressive person. And so much so that he was suspected of witchcraft and connections with otherworldly forces. According to one legend, it was these otherworldly forces that predicted his death at the hands of Satan himself, who was supposed to tear him to pieces. Moreover, one of the legends about the death of Sylvester II says that he was torn apart by the devil while reading Mass on May 12, 1003. It should be noted that the devil in those days was identified with the dragon. This followed from biblical texts, where the devil is called both a serpent and a dragon.
Here, perhaps, we are approaching the question of the millennial dragon, which was supposed to appear in the thousandth year. By the way! Why did the dragon have to appear in the thousandth year? A link to the birth of Christ here would be completely incorrect. Even if we take as an axiom the date of birth of the Savior in the conditional “zero” year, then, by all logic, Satan the Dragon, imprisoned for 1000 years underground, as stated in Revelation (Chapter 20), should have appeared in 1033. If there are no coincidences, then what kind of dragon was Sylvester II afraid of?

Second - First Sylvester

The confusion about the events and the dragons accompanying them most likely arose because of the Pope's very name - Sylvester. The fact is that the dragon also appears in the history of another Pope - Sylvester I. The history of Sylvester I is not as replete with legends as his later colleague Sylvester II. But there is still a place for mysteries in it.

The first Sylvester lived in the 4th century and is remembered mostly for the fact that he greatly influenced the course of the history of Christianity in general. Despite this fact, his personal participation in the construction of this story was, as it were, indirect. This happens quite often - production figures can skyrocket, but no one will recognize the name of the turner who perfected the technology. And although this is not a completely correct comparison, this is the essence.
The matter of popularizing and spreading Christianity around the world in the 4th century was complicated by widespread persecution of adherents of this religious movement. Faith, if it took root, did so very slowly. In essence, it was a “catacomb” period - Christians were forced to gather secretly to perform their sacraments. This information is conveyed to us by many secular authors of that time. The reign of Emperor Constantine is considered a turning point. It was he who stopped the persecution of Christ’s associates, was baptized and gave the church many privileges.


Where did such a sharp change in direction come from, who influenced it? For a long time it was believed that Saint Sylvester was the influence.

According to one of the legends surrounding Sylvester I, Emperor Constantine fell ill with leprosy as punishment from God for persecuting Christians. Calling on Sylvester to help him, he said that only the Lord could heal the ruler of the Roman Empire. The emperor was baptized and received healing.

This version eventually gave way to another - that Sylvester baptized Constantine on his deathbed. But it too blurred under the onslaught of facts. The emperor survived Sylvester for several months and baptized him, the dying, Eusebius of Nicomedia. But the fact remains a fact. Constantine favored Christians. Perhaps Sylvester, realizing this, used this trait of the emperor for his own purposes. The fact that he was a good politician is indicated by the fact that Constantine granted Sylvester powers and other gifts.

An unconfirmed but significant gift

It is now known that the famous Gift of Constantine to Pope Sylvester I is a skillful forgery, and much later than the lifetime of both historical figures. Nevertheless, starting from the 11th century, referring precisely to this document, the Popes insisted on their power not only over the Church, but to one degree or another over all of Europe. For a long time it was believed that the document was received by Sylvester I from Constantine for curing him of leprosy. According to him, Rome, and with it the western part of the Empire, was left to Sylvester and his successors “until the end of time,” and the emperor himself moved to a new place, to the East, to the city that we now know as Constantinople. Veno Konstantinovo had a strong influence on both the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity. In Rus', no one doubted the authenticity of the document either. In addition, the “White Cowl” appears in Veliky Novgorod - a symbol of the Third Rome. The same one that Sylvester I allegedly received from the hands of Constantine as a sign of vesting him with power over all the bishops of the Church. Despite the refutation of the authenticity of the act of the Donation of Constantine back in the 15th century, it remained in some records of the Western and Eastern churches until the 19th century. The mechanisms he had set in motion could no longer be stopped so easily. In general, the Middle Ages are replete with forgeries and forged documents, which sometimes seriously complicates the work of historians.

Not just a hood

But it was not only the story of forgery in the Donation of Emperor Constantine that made the name of Sylvester I famous.

There is also a legend that Pope Sylvester delivered the Romans from a dragon that appeared in the city. The dragon devoured three hundred people a day. Sylvester, in turn, created a prayer in which he allegedly uttered words similar to those heard in Revelation. He conjured the dragon-devil to “remain in the dungeon until His (Christ’s) coming.”

This event is reflected in the frescoes in which St. Sylvester resurrects the Romans killed by the dragon. After the victory over the serpent, twenty thousand inhabitants of Rome were baptized. Perhaps this is where we see the intersection of two characters - two Sylvesters, who eventually merged in the minds of people.
The legend of the dragon could well be associated with the year one thousand, however, among later historians, since from the perspective of time it was more convenient for them to compile lives and other stories about saints. By the way, just from the life of Saint Sylvester I it becomes clear why the saint is the patron (patron) of livestock. It is at least possible that it was precisely because of the case of the resurrection of a bull killed during a dispute with the Jews at the trial of Emperor Constantine. The Jews promised to believe that Jesus was not just a man, but also God, if Sylvester, turning to Him, could bring back to life the ferocious bull that had previously been killed by Zamri, the rabbi on whom the gathered Jews had high hopes in their dispute with Sylvester.


They believed that if the verbal dispute reached a dead end, then Zamri would be able to prove that their god was more faithful than the god that Sylvester insisted on. Indeed, seeing that a deadlock was looming for the Jews in the verbal dispute, Zamri promised the emperor and those gathered, just by pronouncing the name of God in someone’s ear, to kill him, referring to the text of Deuteronomy, where God says that He will kill and He will heal.

Then they brought a fierce bull, which several strong men could barely hold. Zamri whispered something in his ear and the bull, shaking, died. Zamriy turned to Sylvester so that he too could prove that his God was omnipotent. Sylvester, without hesitation, offered not a secret, but an open prayer to Christ and God and the Holy Spirit, and everyone saw how the bull came to life. Sylvester told the bull to be gentle and not fierce in future, and let him go, and the bull quietly left. Lives mention that those who saw this exclaimed: “Great is the God whom Sylvester preaches!” - and rushed to him so that he would baptize them.

Lord's Day

In the Chapel of San Silvestro you can see hagiographic frescoes telling about the Gift of Constantine for St. Pope Sylvester the First, which in some ways can be considered hagiographic.
Jacob Voraginsky wrote about Siltwestre I as a man of unprecedented hospitality, caring for orphans, widows and the poor. In addition, according to the chronicler, the saint stood out for the beauty of his face, speech, purity of his life, patience, and generosity in mercy.

According to the data that has reached us, the pope, and then the saint of the Catholic and Orthodox churches, Sylvester I, lived to a very old age in pursuits for the benefit of the Church and Christianity. Died December 31, 335. That is, 2015 is the round date of memory of this saint - 1680 years.

As can be seen from all that has been said, in Poland, on the day before the New Year, St. Sylvester I, the Pope and patron of domestic animals, is remembered. They turn to him with prayer for the well-being of livestock and other living creatures living in our home, as well as for the coming year to be successful. And by the way, it was Sylvester I who is credited with the advice he gave to Constantine about a day off. He advised the emperor to replace the Day of the Sun with a day of remembrance of the miracle of the resurrection of Christ. Since then, we have a weekly day on the calendar that is called “Resurrection.” What a reason to once again remember Saint Sylvester, without putting this matter off until the end of the year.

ST. SYLVESTER, POPE

Holy Pope Sylvester (314 - 335) was born in Rome from Christian parents Rufinus and Pusta. Soon his father died, and the saint remained in the care of his mother. Sylvester's teacher, Presbyter Quirin, gave him a good education and raised him as a true Christian. Having reached adulthood, Sylvester began to fulfill the Lord’s commandment to serve his neighbors, especially taking care of receiving strangers, providing them with shelter and rest in his home. During the persecution of Christians, Sylvester was not afraid to accept the holy confessor Bishop Timothy, who lived with him for more than a year and with his preaching converted many to Christ. After the martyrdom of Timothy, Sylvester secretly took the body of the saint and honorably buried him. This became known to the mayor Tarquinius; the saint was captured and brought to trial. Tarquin forced him to renounce Christ, threatening him with torment and death. Saint Sylvester, however, was not afraid, remained firm in his confession of faith and was imprisoned. When Tarquin died suddenly after the trial, the saint received freedom and began to fearlessly preach the gospel to the pagans, converting many to Christianity. At the age of thirty, Saint Sylvester was accepted into the clergy of the Roman Church and ordained to the rank of deacon, and then presbyter, by Pope Marcellinus (296 - 304). After the death of Pope Melchiades (311 - 314), Saint Sylvester was elected Bishop of Rome. He zealously cared for the purity of life of his flock, making sure that the elders strictly fulfilled their ministry, not being burdened by worldly affairs.

Saint Sylvester was famous as a profound expert on the Holy Scriptures and an unwavering defender of the Christian faith. During the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, when the period of persecution ended for the Church, the Jews staged a debate about the true faith, at which the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine, his mother, the holy Queen Helen, and a large retinue were present. On the part of the Christians, Pope Sylvester spoke, and on the part of the Jews - many learned rabbis, led by Zamri, a warlock and sorcerer. Based on the Holy Books of the Old Testament, Saint Sylvester convincingly proved that all the prophets predicted the Nativity of Jesus Christ from the Unartificed Virgin, His free suffering, death for the redemption of the fallen human race and the glorious Resurrection. In this verbal competition the saint was declared the winner. Then Zamri tried to resort to sorcery, but the saint prevented the evil, calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Zamri and the rest of the Jews believed in Christ and asked to perform holy Baptism on them. Saint Pope Sylvester ruled the Roman Church for more than twenty years, enjoying the deep respect of Christians. He died peacefully at a ripe old age in 335.

Memorial Day: January 2

REVEREND SERAPHIM, SAROV WONDERWORKER

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1754. The saint's parents are Isidore and Agathia Moshnin. were residents of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant and took out contracts for the construction of buildings, and at the end of his life he began the construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but died before the completion of the work. The youngest son Prokhor remained in the care of his mother, who raised a deep faith in her son.

After the death of her husband, Agafia Moshnina, who continued the construction of the cathedral, once took Prokhor with her there, who, having stumbled, fell from the bell tower. The Lord saved the life of the future lamp of the Church: the frightened mother, going downstairs, found her son unharmed.

Young Prokhor, having an excellent memory, soon learned to read and write. Since childhood, he loved to attend church services and read the Holy Scriptures and Lives of Saints to his peers, but most of all he loved to pray or read the Holy Gospel in solitude.

One day Prokhor became seriously ill and his life was in danger. In a dream, the boy saw the Mother of God, who promised to visit and heal him. Soon a religious procession with the icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos passed through the courtyard of the Moshnin estate; his mother carried Prokhor out in her arms, and he venerated the holy icon, after which he began to quickly recover.

Even in his youth, Prokhor made the decision to completely devote his life to God and enter a monastery. The pious mother did not interfere with this and blessed him on the monastic path with a crucifix, which the monk wore on his chest all his life. Prokhor and the pilgrims set off on foot from Kursk to Kyiv to worship the Pechersk saints.

The schemamonk elder Dosifei, whom Prokhor visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov hermitage and save himself there. Returning briefly to his parents' house, Prokhor said goodbye to his mother and relatives forever. On November 20, 1778, he came to Sarov, where the wise old man, Father Pachomius, was then rector. He kindly received the young man and appointed Elder Joseph as his confessor. Under his leadership, Prokhor underwent many obediences in the monastery: he was the elder’s cell attendant, worked in the bakery, prosphora and carpentry shop, carried out the duties of a sexton, and performed everything with zeal and zeal, serving as if the Lord Himself. By constant work he protected himself from boredom - this, as he later said, “the most dangerous temptation for new monks, which is cured by prayer, abstinence from idle talk, feasible handicraft, reading the Word of God and patience, because it is born from cowardice, carelessness and idle talk.” .

Already in these years, Prokhor, following the example of other monks who retired into the forest to pray, asked the elder’s blessing to also go into the forest in his free time, where he prayed the Jesus Prayer in complete solitude. Two years later, novice Prokhor fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he experienced severe suffering. The mentor, Father Joseph, and other elders who loved Prokhor looked after him. The illness lasted about three years, and not once did anyone hear a word of grumbling from him. The elders, fearing for the life of the patient, wanted to call a doctor to him, but Prokhor asked not to do this, telling Father Pachomius: “I have given myself, Holy Father, to the True Doctor of souls and bodies - our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother.”, and wanted to be given Holy Communion. Then Prokhor had a vision: the Mother of God appeared in an indescribable light, accompanied by the holy apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing her hand at the sick man, the Most Holy Virgin said to John: “This one is from our generation.” Then she touched the patient’s side with the staff, and immediately the liquid that filled the body began to flow out through the hole formed, and he quickly recovered. Soon, on the site of the appearance of the Mother of God, a hospital church was built, one of the chapels of which was consecrated in the name of the Monks Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky. The Monk Seraphim built the altar for the chapel with his own hands from cypress wood and always partook of the Holy Mysteries in this church.

After spending eight years as a novice in the Sarov monastery, Prokhor took monastic vows with the name Seraphim, which so well expressed his fiery love for the Lord and desire to serve Him zealously. A year later, Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. Burning in spirit, he served in the temple every day, constantly praying even after the service. The Lord vouchsafed the monk visions of grace during church services: he repeatedly saw holy Angels serving with the brethren. The monk was granted a special vision of grace during the Divine Liturgy on Maundy Thursday, which was performed by the rector, Father Pachomius, and Elder Joseph. When, after the troparions, the monk said, “Lord, save the pious,” and, standing at the royal doors, pointed his orar at those praying with the exclamation “and forever and ever,” suddenly a bright ray overshadowed him. Raising his eyes, the Monk Seraphim saw the Lord Jesus Christ walking through the air from the western doors of the temple, surrounded by the Heavenly Ethereal Forces. Having reached the pulpit. The Lord blessed all those praying and entered the local image to the right of the royal doors. The Monk Seraphim, looking in spiritual delight at the wondrous phenomenon, could not utter a word or leave his place. He was led arm in arm into the altar, where he stood for another three hours, his face changing from the great grace that illuminated him. After the vision, the monk intensified his exploits: during the day he worked in the monastery, and spent his nights in prayer in a deserted forest cell. In 1793, at the age of 39, St. Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hieromonk and continued serving in the church. After the death of the abbot, Father Pachomius, the Monk Seraphim, having his dying blessing for a new feat - living in the desert, also took the blessing from the new abbot - Father Isaiah - and went to a desert cell a few kilometers from the monastery, in a dense forest. Here he began to indulge in solitary prayers, coming to the monastery only on Saturday, before the all-night vigil, and returning to his cell after the liturgy, during which he received communion of the Holy Mysteries. The monk spent his life in harsh deeds. He carried out his cell prayer rule according to the rules of the ancient desert monasteries; I never parted with the Holy Gospel, reading the entire New Testament during the week, and also read patristic and liturgical books. The monk learned many church hymns by heart and sang them during his work hours in the forest. Near the cell he planted a vegetable garden and built a beekeeper. Earning food for himself, the monk kept a very strict fast, eating once a day, and on Wednesday and Friday he completely abstained from food. In the first week of Holy Pentecost, he did not take food until Saturday, when he received Holy Communion.

The holy elder, in solitude, was sometimes so immersed in inner heartfelt prayer that he remained motionless for a long time, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The hermits who visited him from time to time - schemamonk Mark the Silent and hierodeacon Alexander, having caught the saint in such prayer, quietly withdrew with reverence, so as not to disturb his contemplation.

In the summer heat, the monk collected moss from the swamp to fertilize the garden; mosquitoes mercilessly stung him, but he complacently endured this suffering, saying: “Pasions are destroyed by suffering and sorrow, either voluntary or sent by Providence.” For about three years the monk ate only one herb, snitis, which grew around his cell. In addition to the brethren, lay people began to come to him more and more often for advice and blessings. This violated his privacy. Having asked for the abbot’s blessing, the monk blocked the women’s access to him, and then everyone else, having received a sign that the Lord approved of his idea of ​​complete silence. Through the saint’s prayer, the road to his deserted cell was blocked by huge branches of centuries-old pine trees. Now only birds, which flocked in large numbers to the saint, and wild animals visited him. The monk fed the bear bread from his hands when bread was brought to him from the monastery.

Seeing the exploits of the Monk Seraphim, the enemy of the human race armed himself against him and, wanting to force the saint to leave silence, decided to frighten him, but the saint protected himself with prayer and the power of the Life-giving Cross. The devil brought “mental warfare” upon the saint—a persistent, prolonged temptation. To repel the onslaught of the enemy, the Monk Seraphim intensified his labors by taking upon himself the feat of stylite mongering. Every night he climbed a huge stone in the forest and prayed with raised hands, crying: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” During the day, he prayed in his cell, also on a stone that he brought from the forest, leaving it only for a short rest and strengthening his body with meager food. The saint prayed like this for 1000 days and nights. The devil, disgraced by the monk, planned to kill him and sent robbers. Approaching the saint, who was working in the garden, the robbers began to demand money from him. The monk at that time had an ax in his hands, he was physically strong and could have defended himself, but he did not want to do this, remembering the words of the Lord: “Those who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). The saint, lowering the ax to the ground, said: “Do what you need.” The robbers began to beat the monk, broke his head with a butt, broke several ribs, then, having tied him up, they wanted to throw him into the river, but first they searched his cell in search of money. Having destroyed everything in the cell and finding nothing in it except an icon and a few potatoes, they were ashamed of their crime and left. The monk, having regained consciousness, crawled to his cell and, suffering severely, lay there all night. The next morning, with great difficulty, he reached the monastery. The brethren were horrified when they saw the wounded ascetic. The monk lay there for eight days, suffering from his wounds; Doctors were called to him, surprised that Seraphim remained alive after such beatings. But the saint did not receive healing from doctors: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a subtle dream with the apostles Peter and John. Touching the head of the monk, the Most Holy Virgin granted him healing. After this incident, the Monk Seraphim had to spend about five months in the monastery, and then he again went to a desert cell. Remaining bent forever, the monk walked, leaning on a staff or an axe, but he forgave his offenders and asked them not to punish them. After the death of the rector, Father Isaiah, who had been his friend since the saint’s youth, he took upon himself the feat of silence, completely renouncing all worldly thoughts for the purest stand before God in unceasing prayer. If the saint met a person in the forest, he fell on his face and did not get up until the passerby moved away. The elder spent about three years in such silence, stopping even from visiting the monastery on Sundays. The fruit of silence was for St. Seraphim the acquisition of peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic subsequently spoke to one of the monks of the monastery: “My joy, I pray to you, acquire a peaceful spirit, and then thousands of souls will be saved around you.” The new abbot, Father Nifont, and the elder brethren of the monastery suggested that Father Seraphim either continue to come to the monastery on Sundays to participate in divine services and receive communion at the monastery of the Holy Mysteries, or return to the monastery. The monk chose the latter, since it became difficult for him to walk from the desert to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after 15 years in the desert. Without breaking his silence, he added seclusion to this feat and, without going anywhere or receiving anyone, he was constantly in prayer and contemplation of God. While in retreat, the Monk Seraphim acquired high spiritual purity and was granted special grace-filled gifts from God - clairvoyance and miracle-working. Then the Lord appointed His chosen one to serve people in the highest monastic feat - eldership. On November 25, 1825, the Mother of God, together with the two saints celebrated on this day, appeared in a dream vision to the elder and commanded him to come out of seclusion and receive weak human souls that required instruction, consolation, guidance and healing. Having been blessed by the abbot for a change in his lifestyle, the monk opened the doors of his cell to everyone. The elder saw the hearts of people, and he, as a spiritual doctor, healed mental and physical illnesses with prayer to God and a word of grace. Those who came to St. Seraphim felt his great love and listened with tenderness to the affectionate words with which he addressed people: “my joy, my treasure.” The elder began to visit his desert cell and the spring called Bogoslovsky, near which they built a small cell for him. When leaving his cell, the elder always carried a knapsack with stones over his shoulders. When asked why he was doing this, the saint humbly answered: “I torment him who torments me.” In the last period of his earthly life, the Monk Seraphim took special care of his beloved, brainchild - the Diveyevo women's monastery. While still in the rank of hierodeacon, he accompanied the late rector Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to see the abbess nun Alexandra, a great ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed the reverend to always take care of the “Diveyevo orphans.” He was a true father for the sisters, who turned to him in all their spiritual and everyday difficulties. Disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to care for the Diveyevo community - Mikhail Vasilyevich Manturov, who was healed by the monk from a serious illness and, on the advice of the elder, took upon himself the feat of voluntary poverty; Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveyevo sisters, who voluntarily agreed to die out of obedience to the elder for her brother, who was still needed in this life; Nikolai Alexandrovich Motovilov, also healed by the monk. N. A. Motovilov recorded the wonderful teaching of St. Seraphim about the purpose of Christian life. In the last years of the life of the Monk Seraphim, one healed by him saw him standing in the air while praying. The saint strictly forbade talking about this before his death.

Everyone knew and revered St. Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. A year and ten months before his death, on the Feast of the Annunciation, the Monk Seraphim was once again honored with the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, accompanied by the Baptist of the Lord John, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve virgins, holy martyrs and saints. The Most Holy Virgin talked for a long time with the monk, entrusting the Diveyevo sisters to him. Having finished the conversation, She told him: “Soon, My beloved, you will be with us.” At this appearance, during the wondrous visit of the Mother of God, one Diveyevo old woman was present, through the prayer of the monk for her.

In the last year of his life, the Monk Seraphim began to noticeably weaken and spoke to many about his imminent death. At this time, he was often seen at the coffin, which stood in the entryway of his cell and which he had prepared for himself. The monk himself indicated the place where he should be buried - near the altar of the Assumption Cathedral. On January 1, 1833, the Monk Seraphim came for the last time to the hospital Zosimo-Savvatievskaya Church for the liturgy and took communion of the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and said goodbye, saying: “Save yourself, do not lose heart, stay awake, today our crowns are being prepared.” On January 2, the monk’s cell attendant, Father Pavel, left his cell at six o’clock in the morning, heading to the church, and smelled a burning smell coming from the monk’s cell; Candles were always burning in the saint’s cell, and he said: “As long as I am alive, there will be no fire, but when I die, my death will be revealed by fire.” When the doors were opened, it turned out that books and other things were smoldering, and the monk himself was kneeling before the icon of the Mother of God in a position of prayer, but already lifeless. During prayer, his pure soul was taken by the Angels and flew up to the Throne of God Almighty, whose faithful servant and servant the Monk Seraphim was all his life.

HOLY RIGHTEOUS JULIANA OF LAZAREVSKAYA, MUROM

The biography of Saint Juliana of Lazarus was written by her son. This is the only surviving detailed description of the saint’s life, making up a hundredfold for the lack of information about others.

Juliana was born in the 30s of the 16th century. in the city of Plosna with the pious nobles Justin and Stefanida Nedyurev. For six years she was left an orphan. The maternal grandmother took the girl to her place in the city of Murom. After 6 years, the grandmother also died, bequeathing her daughter, who already had 9 children, to take in a 12-year-old orphan.

Juliana took every opportunity to help others. She avoided children's games and amusements, preferring fasting, prayer and handicrafts, which caused constant ridicule from her sisters and servants. She was used to praying for a long time with many bows. In addition to the usual fasts, she imposed even stricter abstinence on herself. Relatives were unhappy and feared for her health and beauty. Juliana patiently and meekly endured reproaches, but continued her feat. At night, Juliana sewed to clothe orphans, widows and the needy, went to care for the sick, and fed them.

The fame of her virtues and piety spread throughout the surrounding area. The owner of the village of Lazarevskoye, not far from Murom, Yuri Osorin, wooed her. Sixteen-year-old Juliana was married to him and began to live with her husband’s family. The husband's parents and relatives fell in love with the meek and friendly daughter-in-law and soon entrusted her with managing the household of the entire large family. She surrounded the old age of her husband's parents with constant care and affection. She ran the house exemplarily, got up at dawn and was the last one to go to bed.

Household worries did not interrupt Juliana’s spiritual achievements. Every night she got up to pray with many bows. Not having the right to dispose of property, she spent every free minute and many hours of the night doing handicrafts in order to use the funds received to do works of mercy. Juliania donated skillfully embroidered shrouds to churches, and sold the rest of the work in order to distribute the money to the poor. She performed good deeds secretly from her relatives, and sent alms at night with her faithful maid. She especially cared for widows and orphans. Juliana fed and clothed entire families with the labor of her hands.

Having many servants and servants, she did not allow herself to be put on or taken off, or given water for washing; She was invariably friendly with the servants, never reported to her husband about their actions, preferring to take the blame upon herself.

The demons threatened Juliana in a dream that they would destroy her if she did not stop doing good to people. But Juliana did not pay attention to these threats. She could not ignore human suffering: to help, to please, to console was the need of her heart. When the time of famine came and many people were dying from exhaustion, she, contrary to custom, began to take much more food from her mother-in-law and secretly distributed it to the hungry. An epidemic joined the famine, people locked themselves in their houses, afraid of getting infected, and Juliana, secretly from her relatives, washed the sick in the bathhouse, treated them as best she could, and prayed for their recovery. She washed those who were dying and hired people for burial, and prayed for the repose of each person. Being illiterate, Juliana explained the Gospel texts and spiritual books. And she taught her husband to frequent and warm prayer. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law died at a very old age and, before their death, took monastic vows. Juliana lived with her husband in harmony and love for many years, gave birth to ten sons and three daughters. Four sons and three daughters died in infancy, and two sons died in the royal service. Overcoming the grief of her heart, Juliana spoke about the death of her children: “God gave, God took away. Do not create anything sinful, and their souls and the angels glorify God and pray to God for their parents.”

After the tragic death of her two sons, Juliania began to ask to be released into a monastery. But her husband responded to this that she must raise and raise the rest of the children. All her life Juliana forgot herself for the sake of others, so this time she agreed, but begged her husband so that they would not have a marital relationship, and live like brother and sister. This was a milestone in the life of righteous Juliana. She further increased her exploits and began to lead a monastic life. Day and evening she was busy with housework and raising children, and at night she prayed, made many bows, reducing her time to two or three hours; she slept on the floor, putting logs under her head instead of a pillow, attended church services every day, and kept a strict fast. Her life became unceasing prayer and service.

Due to illness and fatigue, Juliana at one time stopped going to church often, increasing her home prayer. She was a parishioner of the Church of St. Lazarus - brother of Saints Martha and Mary. The priest of this church heard a voice in the church from the icon of the Mother of God: “Go and tell gracious Juliana why she doesn’t go to church? And her prayer at home pleases God, but not in the same way as church prayer. You should read her, she is already 60 years old and the Holy Spirit rests on her.” After the death of her husband, Juliana distributed her property to the poor, depriving herself of even warm clothes. She became even more strict with herself; constantly, even in my sleep, I said the Jesus Prayer. The more severe the exploits of Juliana became, the stronger were the attacks on her by the spirits of malice, who did not want to admit their defeat. One day, her son says, Juliana, coming into a small room, was attacked by demons who threatened to kill her if she did not abandon her exploits. She was not afraid, but only prayed to God and asked to send St. Nicholas to help. At the same time, Saint Nicholas appeared to her with a club in his hand and drove away the unclean spirits. The demons disappeared, but one of them, threatening the ascetic, predicted that in old age she herself would begin to “die of hunger rather than feed strangers.”

The demon's threat was only partially fulfilled - Juliana actually had to suffer from hunger. But her loving and compassionate heart could not leave those dying of hunger without help. This was during the terrible years (1601 - 1603), during the reign of Boris Godunov. People, mad with hunger, even ate human flesh.

Juliania did not collect a single grain from her fields, there were no supplies, almost all the cattle died from lack of food. Juliana did not despair: she sold the remaining livestock and everything valuable in the house. She lived in poverty, she had nothing to wear to church, but “not a single one was poor. don’t let go in vain.” When all funds were exhausted, Juliana set her slaves free (and this was in the 16th century!), but some of the servants did not want to leave their mistress, preferring to die with her. Then Juliana, with her characteristic energy, began to save her loved ones from starvation. She taught her servants to collect quinoa and tree bark, from which she baked bread and fed it to children, servants and beggars. “The surrounding landowners reproachfully said to the beggars: why do you come to her? What to take from her? She herself is dying of hunger. “But we’ll tell you what,” said the beggars, “we went around a lot of villages where we were served real bread, and we didn’t eat it as much as this widow’s bread.” Then the neighboring landowners began to send to Ulyana for her strange bread. Having tasted it, they found that the beggars were right, and said to themselves in surprise: “But her slaves are masters at baking bread!” With what love should one give a loaf of bread to a beggar? so that this piece becomes the subject of a poetic legend as soon as it is eaten!”

Juliana had to fight not only with the danger of death, saving her servants and loved ones, but also with the even more terrible danger of spiritual death. The power of hunger is terrible. To get food, people committed any crime. Juliana loved her servants and considered herself responsible for their souls, which, in her words, “were entrusted to her by God.” Like a warrior on the battlefield, she constantly fought against evil, and her prayer and influence on those around her were so strong that not one of the people close to her stained herself with a crime; during a time of general unbridledness, this was a real miracle.

They didn’t hear a word of grumbling or sadness from her; on the contrary, during all three hungry years she was in a particularly elated and joyful mood: “They were neither sad, nor embarrassed, nor complaining, but she was more cheerful than the first years,” writes her son.

Before her death, Juliana admitted that she had long desired an angelic image, but “was not worthy for the sake of her sins.” She asked everyone for forgiveness, gave her final instructions, kissed everyone, wrapped a rosary around her hand, crossed herself three times, and her last words were: “Thank God for everything! Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” Those present at her death saw how a radiance appeared around her head in the form of a golden crown, “just as it is written on icons.” This happened on January 10, 1604.

Appearing in a dream to a pious servant, Juliania ordered her body to be taken to the Murom land and laid in the church of the holy righteous Lazarus. In 1614, when they were digging the ground next to Juliana’s grave for her deceased son George, the saint’s relics were discovered. They exuded myrrh, which gave off a fragrance, and many received healing from illness - especially sick children.

Miracles at the grave of the righteous woman testified that the Lord glorified his humble servant. In the same year 1614, holy righteous Juliana was canonized.

In addition to the life of the saint, a service was written in the 17th century, the composition of which is attributed to her son Druzhina Osorin. On the icon of the second half of the 17th century, “The Cathedral of the Murom Saints,” Saint Juliana is depicted together with Saints Peter and Fevronia, princes Constantine, Michael and Theodore of Murom. In the Murom Museum there is an icon on which Saint Juliana is depicted with her husband George and daughter, nun Theodosia, who became a locally revered saint.

Since the 18th century, the surname of Saint Juliana - Osorina was written as Osorgina. In the Osorgin family, the eldest son was always called George in memory of his ancestor. The family of Saint Juliana did not fade away - her descendants left their mark on the history of Russia. One of them, Georgy Mikhailovich Osorgin, was shot at Solovki - this is described by Solzhenitsyn in “The Gulag Archipelago”. Nikolai Mikhailovich Osorgin lives in Paris, a professor at the Orthodox Theological Institute, the author of a number of books, and he is also the regent of the Sergius metochion, founded by his grandfather in Paris. In the courtyard there is an icon of the holy righteous Juliana Lazarevskaya.

The temple in the village of Lazarevskoye, where the relics of St. Juliana were located (four miles from Murom), was closed in 1930. The reliquary with the relics, transferred to the Murom Museum of Local Lore, stood next to the relics of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom. In the year of the millennium of the Baptism of Rus', efforts began to return the relics to the Orthodox Church of Murom. And today the relics of the holy righteous Juliana Lazarevskaya openly rest in the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the former Annunciation Monastery in the city of Murom.

Memorial Day: January 2

HOLY MARTYR THEOGENES, BISHOP OF PARIA

Hieromartyr Theogen was the bishop of the Asia Minor city of Paria at the beginning of the 4th century. During the reign of Emperor Licinius (307 - 324), co-ruler of Constantine the Great, the tribune Zalicyntius forced him to leave the priesthood, renounce Christ and enter military service. After a decisive refusal, Saint Theogen was mercilessly beaten with sticks and thrown into prison, where he refused to take food. Then he was sentenced to drowning at sea. Before his execution, the saint asked to be given time to pray, during which an extraordinary light shone upon him. The shipbuilders and some of the soldiers who were tasked with drowning the saint, struck by the light, turned to Christ, but other soldiers hastened to throw the saint into the sea. Saint Theogen suffered martyrdom around 320. Subsequently, his body was taken by Christians from the water and buried near the city wall. Numerous healings began to take place at this place.

Memorial Day: January 2

REVEREND SYLVESTER OF PECHERSK, IN THE NEARBY CAVES

The Monk Sylvester of Pechersk lived in the 12th century and was abbot of the Mikhailovsky Vydubitsky Monastery in Kyiv. He continued the work of the chronicler St. Nestor and wrote nine lives of the holy saints of Pechersk. In the service to the Pechersk Fathers, who rest in the Near Caves, the Monk Sylvester is called blessed and possessing “the wonderful gift of driving away demonic pretexts” (canon 9 of the canon). The Monk Sylvester was buried in the Near Caves; his memory is also celebrated on September 28 and on the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent.