The abandoned son of the famous actress Evdokia Germanova knocks on his mother's door. Avdotya vesnovka

7th Week after Pentecost.

St. Thomas, like in Malea (X); St. Akakios of Sinai, who is described in Ladder (VI).

St. Euphrosyne, in the world of Evdokia, led. book Moscow (1407); Finding the relics of St. Gerasim Boldinsky (2001); mchch. Peregrina, Lucian, Pompey, Hesychius, Papias, Sathorninus and Germanus (II); sschmch. Epictetus, presbyter, and martyr. Astion, monk (290); sschmch. Evangel, Bishop of Tomsk (Kyustendzhi) (III–IV); mts. Kyriacia of Nicomedia (IV); St. Haddy, ep. Winchester (705) (Celtic and British); St. Maelruain of Tallaght (787; Celtic and British).

Sschmch. Pavel Chernyshev, presbyter (1918).

Icon Mother of God: Blachernae (brought to Russia in 1654).

Saints of the day, pray to God for us!

Rev. Thomas Maleen

(Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Ferapontov Monastery, section along the central transverse nave, view to the east. Venerable Thomas Malein and Euthymius the Great)

Before accepting monasticism, he was a military leader. Powerful and brave, he took part in many battles, brought victories to his compatriots, for which he enjoyed fame and respect. But, striving with all his heart for God, Thomas left the world with its honors and took monastic vows.
With great humility, he visited the elder monks, asking them for guidance in spiritual life. A few years later, Thomas received a blessing for a solitary desert life and, strengthened by a special revelation received through the holy prophet of God Elijah, retired to Mount Malea (the eastern part of Athos). Staying in all alone, Saint Thomas fought against invisible enemies with the same courage as before in the war with the visible enemies of the fatherland.

The life and exploits of Saint Thomas could not be hidden from those around him; people began to flock to him, seeking spiritual guidance, as well as those suffering from illnesses, for he received from God the grace of healing ailments.
Many believers received help through the prayers of the saint and after his departure to God.

Troparion to Thomas Malein and Akakios of Sinai
voice 1
The God-shining luminary of the world / and the monks of the animated dawn, / Thomas of miracles, And who by obedience, / shone brightly; / these, as those who have boldness towards God, / pray to help in battles, / that they ask from Christ God to grant forgiveness of sins / to those who honor their holy memory.

Kontakion to Saint Thomas Malein
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You courageously showed a great victory, from which you were inflamed with divine love, you overcame the corruptible king and all that was red, having made your dwelling on the smallest mountain: from nothing you ascended into heaven to the king of kings, Fomo, pray unceasingly for all of us.

Venerable Akakios of Sinai

Akakios was a novice in the Lavra of Savva the Sanctified. The humble monk was distinguished by patience, simplicity, chastity, unquestioning obedience to his careless and impudent elder, who daily reproached him, loaded him with exorbitant work and beat him mercilessly. Despite such treatment, the Monk Akaki meekly endured adversity, thanked God for everything and gained God’s grace for himself.

Having lived in such obedience for nine years and having been ill before his death, he peacefully departed to the Lord. Five days later, his elder told one great elder about the death of his student, who said that he doubted it. Then the teacher Akaki led the ascetic to the grave. The Great Elder asked loudly: “ Brother Akaki, are you dead? "The voice of a novice came from the grave: " Father, how can a worker of obedience die? " The stunned teacher of the Monk Akaki fell with tears in front of the tomb, asking forgiveness from his student. After this, he changed his disposition, shut himself up in a cell near the burial of Saint Akakios, and ended his life in prayer and meekness, always saying to the other fathers: “ I made a killing ».

The story of Saint Akakios was conveyed by John Savvait to John Climacus, who included it in his " Ladder".

Troparion of Saints Thomas and Akakios
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God our father,/ always deal with us according to Your meekness,/ do not leave Your mercy from us,/ but through their prayers// guide our life in peace.

Kontakion to Saint Akakios
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Forsake the world, you followed Christ from infancy, / the venerable wise Akaki, / imitating his free humility, / you overthrew the proud tormentor, / / ​​pray unceasingly for all of us.

Venerable Eudokia (in nuns Euphrosyne) of Moscow

Holy Grand Duchess Evdokia was born in 1353. She was the daughter of the Suzdal prince Dimitri Konstantinovich († 1383) and his wife Princess Anna. Raised in the spirit of Christian piety from infancy, Evdokia was distinguished by a quiet, meek disposition. But living in Suzdal and Pereyaslavl Zalessky, in the turbulent atmosphere of constant internecine strife that the appanage princes waged with her father, with early years Princess Evdokia was accustomed to placing all her trust in God. In 1367, she became the wife of the blessed Grand Duke of Moscow Dimitri Donskoy († 1389). Their happy union was the key to union and peace between the Moscow and Suzdal principalities. Princess Evdokia’s love for her husband and children was sanctified by her love for God. The princess and her husband combined works of Christian charity with feats of fasting and prayer. In their lives, they relied on the help of the saints, for whose works the Russian land was so glorious in those days.

Time of life of the holy missus Grand Duchess Evdokia († 1407) coincides with the era of the great abbot of the Russian land, St. Sergius of Radonezh, the seer of the Holy Trinity. The pious couple can rightfully be considered disciples of St. Sergius. Saint Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, was close to the princely family; the confessor of Evdokia and Demetrius was the disciple of St. Sergius, abbot of the Simonov Monastery, St. Theodore (later Archbishop of Rostov). Venerable Sergius was godfather their two children (in total the princely couple had 5 sons and 3 daughters).
The princess's soul burned with great love for God, the Holy Church and the Motherland. The feat of Grand Duke Dimitri in liberating Rus' from the Mongol-Tatar yoke was shared by Princess Evdokia. The campaign of the noble Prince of Moscow Dimitri against Mamai, which ended victoriously on September 8, 1380 on the Kulikovo Field, was supported on her part by fervent prayers and deeds of love. In memory of the victory, the princess built a temple in honor of Christmas inside the Moscow Kremlin Holy Mother of God- the world-historical victory of the Russians on the Kulikovo Field took place on this holiday. The temple was painted by the outstanding icon painters Theophanes the Greek and Simeon the Black. The building of temples and the founding of monasteries through the labors of the holy princess Evdokia contributed to the flourishing of Russian temple building in the 14th century, which began with the construction of a temple in honor of the Most Holy Trinity by St. Sergius.

Gradually, the life of the holy princess Evdokia became a feat of self-denial and surrender of oneself entirely to the will of God. In 1383 Grand Duke the Muscovite was supposed to come to the Tatar Khan Tokhtamysh. But because of Tokhtamysh’s extreme anger towards Prince Dimitri, they decided to send his eldest son Vasily, who was about 13 years old at that time, to the Horde. Saint Eudokia released her son and thereby doomed herself to two years of suffering: Prince Vasily was detained in the Horde as a hostage. In 1389, the blessed Prince Demetrius, before reaching forty, fell dangerously ill and passed away to the Lord (May 19/June 1).

The widowed princess saw her duty to God primarily in completing the upbringing of her children. At the same time, she began the arrangement of Voznesensky convent in the Moscow Kremlin, giving the princely palaces under it. Apparently, she initially thought of this monastery as the place of her future monasticism. At the same time, she built several churches and monasteries in Pereyaslavl Zalessky. However, Princess Evdokia did not only think about the construction of churches: her main secret goal after the death of her husband was the establishment of internal monasticism, the creation of a temple in her own heart. Princess Evdokia began to lead a secret ascetic life. Judging by the magnificent clothes in which the holy princess appeared before people, it was impossible to guess that she exhausted herself with fasting, vigil, and heavy chains. She also had to endure human slander.

The holy princess, after the blessed death of her husband, refrained from direct participation in state affairs, but nevertheless it was with her advice that the transfer from Vladimir to Moscow was connected miraculous icon The Most Holy Theotokos, caused by the invasion of Moscow by Khan Tamerlane. The Most Holy Theotokos responded to the popular prayer. On the day of the presentation of the icon in Moscow (August 26, 1395), Tamerlane had a menacing vision in a dream of the Light-Bearing Woman; the frightened conqueror retreated from Moscow. In 1407, after a vision of Archangel Michael, who foreshadowed her imminent death, Princess Evdokia, “ detached from all earthly things by an angelic appearance "(see Akathist), decided to leave the Grand Duke's mansion and accept monasticism, which she had been pursuing all her life. On her instructions, an image of the Archangel was painted and placed in the Kremlin church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. During the transition to the Ascension Monastery, Princess Evdokia healed a blind man, who regained his sight by wiping his eyes with the edge of her robe, and 30 people were also healed from various ailments during this procession. At the monastery, the princess took monastic vows with the name Euphrosyne. In addition to the humble performance of monastic deeds, secret to people, but known to God, the holy princess founded a new named Church of the Ascension in the monastery; Saint Euphrosyne lived in monasticism for several months: on July 7, 1407, she peacefully reposed in the Lord. Her body was buried in the Ascension Monastery that she founded.

The holiness of St. Euphrosyne is certified by the miraculous signs of God's mercy that took place at her tomb for several centuries. Many times they saw that at the tomb of Saint Euphrosyne the candle itself was lit. And in the 19th century several events took place here. miraculous healings. Thus, in 1869, after venerating the tomb with the relics of the saint, the possessed youth was healed. In 1870, the Monk Euphrosyne appeared in a dream to a paralyzed girl and restored her to health. A terminally ill man was brought back to life by placing on him a shroud from the tomb of St. Euphrosyne. Her spiritual feat testifies to the fact that neither wealth nor high social status, nor family ties can be an insurmountable obstacle to the acquisition of God's grace and holiness.

In 1922, the shrine and the canopy over the relics were removed in order to extract precious metals from it. The relics of St. Euphrosyne remained in a stone tomb under the floor of the cathedral.

In 1929, by decision of the government, the destruction of the buildings of the Ascension Monastery began. Museum staff tried to save the necropolis. The basement of the Judgment Chamber of the Archangel Cathedral was chosen for its placement. The white stone tomb of St. Euphrosyne was damaged and they could not remove it entirely from the ground. The relics of the saint were saved from destruction; they were located along with other remains from burials in two white stone tombs of the 15th century. When opening the burials, among the remains of St. Euphrosyne, in addition to small pieces of fabric from the shroud, they found scraps of her leather monastic belt with embossed images of the twelve feasts and captions for them. These shrines, together with the vessels for oil that were in the coffins, are kept in the collections of the Kremlin museums.

On May 28, 2008, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', the relics of the Holy Blessed Princess Euphrosyne of Moscow were transferred to the chapel of the martyr Huar of the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The Patriarch in his speech called this event “the second discovery of the relics of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow.” The transfer of the relics was preceded by the work of a commission in which spiritual and secular scientists worked together under the leadership of Archbishop Alexy of Orekhovo-Zuevsky. During the work of the commission, the relics of the saint were discovered.

(Moscow Archangel Cathedral)

In the church of Archpriest Vasily Zaitsev in Telebukino there is a rather rare icon, where the Venerable Evdokia is depicted together with the holy blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky:

Troparion of the Blessed Princess Evdokia in the nuns Euphrosyne
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Because of your earthly widowhood, you lost sight of the Heavenly Bridegroom/ and lived as an ascetic in the princely palace,/ after which you left both the palace and your children/ for God’s sake, Venerable Euphrosyne,/ and entered the monastery you created,/ and in a different manner you showed many deeds ,/ and by the grace of God you crowned your holy life with a blessed death./ And now those who stand before Christ God, // pray for our souls to be saved.

Troparion of St. Evdokia, in nuns Euphrosyne, Grand Duchess of Moscow
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From your youth, chosen by God to be a saint, / leaving the bright palace of the prince, / you turned away to the monastery you created, / and, having swum through the abyss of the sea of ​​life, / now with the Angels you sing hymns to Christ God. / Pray to Him unceasingly, venerable one, / for the monastery to remain preserved. , created by you, / and gives us peace and great mercy.

Kontakion of the Blessed Princess Evdokia in the nuns Euphrosyne
voice 2
All the red of this world, as if it were vain, having despised/ and exhausted your body with fasting and vigil,/ you pleased God with unceasing prayers,/ St. Euphrosyne,/ and, having been vouchsafed to receive the gift of healing from Him,/ you have granted sight to the blind and to many sick people./ We also joyfully cry out, saying: “Glory to God, who glorifies His saints.”

Prayer to the Holy Blessed Princess Euphrosyne

O venerable princess Euphrosyne, a noble ascetic in women, a most praiseworthy servant of Christ! Accept the prayer from us, the unworthy, who fall to you with faith and love and with a warm petition to God, ask for the preservation of the city of Moscow and the people from troubles and misfortunes, help, like a child-loving mother, the child you have gathered to bear the yoke of Christ in complacency and patience and kindness strive to correct your life, hedgehog to salvation; in the world, ask the Lord for firmness in faith, progress in piety in the world, and to everyone who comes running to you with faith and asks for your help and intercession, always give healing to illnesses, consolation in sorrows and prosperity in all life, especially beg the Lord for peace and repentance earthly life will pass us, we will be delivered from bitter ordeals and eternal torments and receive the Kingdom of Heaven through your intercession, where you stand with all the saints before the Lord, may we always glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and to the endless ages of ages. Amen.

Venerable Gerasim Boldinsky, finding of relics

The Monk Gerasim Boldinsky, in the world Gregory, was born in 1490 in Pereyaslavl Zalessky. IN early childhood he often visited the temple of God. Having learned about the holy life of St. Daniel of Pereyaslavl, 13-year-old Gregory with tears asked the elder to accept him into the Goritsky monastery. The monk accepted the boy as a novice and soon tonsured him with the name Gerasim. The new monk zealously performed feats of fasting and prayer, diligently helped the elder in the construction of temples and cells, and served the poor brethren with his craft - he was a shoemaker. Soon, he became known in Moscow as a strict ascetic. Together with his teacher, he was summoned to the capital, where he met with the king.

Earthly glory weighed heavily on the ascetic and, after a 26-year stay under the leadership of the Monk Daniel, Saint Gerasim, having received the elder’s blessing to become a hermit, settled near the city of Dorogobuzh in the Smolensk land, in a wild forest inhabited by snakes and animals. The saint was attacked many times by robbers, but he meekly and patiently endured all the insults and prayed for the offenders. To feed himself, he hung a box on a tree near the road: those passing by put pieces of bread there, but sometimes these pieces were also taken away by other poor people, for which the monk only thanked God. Subsequently, the guardian of his pieces appeared to him - a raven; if an unkind person approached the box, the raven raised a cry and, flying, beat his wings on the face of the unwanted visitor, and even pecked out the eyes of predatory animals and put them to flight.

By special guidance, he moved to Boldin Mountain, where a huge oak tree stood at the source. Local residents beat him with sticks and wanted to drown him, but, fearing responsibility before their superiors, they slandered him to the governor of Dorogobuzh and bribed this governor to drive away the elder. The governor wanted to put Gerasim in prison as a tramp. The Monk Gerasim patiently endured the bullying, remained silent and prayed. And at this time the royal envoy from Moscow arrived to the governor. Seeing Saint Gerasim, he bowed and asked for his blessing, since he had previously seen the saint together with the Monk Daniel from the king. The governor was frightened, immediately asked the elder for forgiveness, promised to protect him from attacks and even donated to him for the construction of the monastery. From now on, St. Gerasim began to receive those wishing to perform monastic feats, and the brethren gathered to him.

Then, having asked permission in Moscow to establish a monastery, he, as he himself said in the will of the brethren, “in this desert, called Boldino, in the same place as the living robbers, in Dorogobuzh district, in the year after the Nativity of Christ 1528, by God’s will and help, he created a monastery this is a communal monastery.” And in 1530 he erected a temple in the name of the Holy Trinity and built cells for the gathered brethren.
In addition to the Boldin Monastery of St. Gerasim founded a monastery in the city of Vyazma in 1553 in the name of John the Baptist and appointed one of his disciples, Simeon, as abbot.

Then, in the Bryansk forest on the Zhizdra River, he founded a third monastery in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. The student of St. Rev. was appointed hegumen of the monastery. Gerasima Petr Korostelev. Nine years before his death, the monk built another monastery, the fourth, near Dorogobuzh, in the name of the Nativity of the Mother of God. At the end of the saint’s life, there were up to 140 brethren in the Bolda monastery.

Before the death of St. Gerasim called to him the abbots and monks of the monasteries he founded, told them about his life and gave the last instructions. This oral history of the saint was included in his life, compiled at the request of the cathedral elders by Saint Anthony. Rev. reposed. Gerasim May 1, 1554 in the 65th year of his life. His relics rested hidden in the cathedral church of the Trinity Boldin Monastery, 15 versts from Dorogobuzh.

(Trinity Boldinsky Monastery)

In May 1921 (according to evidence recorded in 1971 from the words of a participant in the events, Tit Petrovich Novikov), the commission for the liquidation of the relics opened the burial. From a depth of about one meter they recovered a white stone sarcophagus and a dugout log, which, according to the commission, contained the remains of the Monk Gerasim and his disciple Yakov Andreevich Saltykov, who, according to the text of the saint’s life, was buried near the saint.

The sarcophagus was taken to Smolensk, and the remains were transferred to two new coffins and buried in a cemetery outside the walls of the monastery. However, there were well-founded doubts that during the opening of the shrine, which was located just one meter from the floor level of the early twentieth century, the true resting place of St. Gerasim was disturbed. Perhaps this is why the place of the new burial place of the remains recovered by the commission in 1921 was not revered by believers.

When dismantling the ruins of the Trinity Cathedral, blown up by the fascist occupiers in 1943, it became clear that the southern chapel of the cathedral was laid at the end of the 16th century on a gentle slope of a hill descending from the place where the older cathedral stood to the Boldinka River. In order for the floor in the southern aisle to be on the same level as the floor of the entire cathedral, the builders had to add more soil. This proved that even in the 16th century the burial of St. Gerasim was located at a depth of much greater than one meter. In addition, during excavations that began in May 2001, it was found that during the renovation work, the cathedral was raised 85 cm from its original level. Initially, excavations were carried out by the inhabitants of the monastery. In the southern aisle it was necessary to remove a one and a half meter layer of earth before the level was revealed late XVI century (the time of the beginning of construction of the Trinity Cathedral). This was determined thanks to the found white-stone tombstone of 1571, which lay at the burial place of Yakov Andreevich Saltykov.

The organization of excavations in more ancient layers was carried out by the head of the archeology department of the Moscow Kremlin museums, Tatyana Dmitrievna Panova, and the textile and leather restoration artist Natalya Petrovna Sinitsyna. When removing the bulk soil in the place where the shrine of St. Gerasim had previously stood, the contours of a grave pit were discovered.

The opening of the grave pit began on July 17, 2001. An analysis of the excavated soil showed that the burial remained untouched.
At a depth of more than 3 meters from the floor level of the early twentieth century, the sacred remains of St. Gerasim Boldinsky were discovered.
Their authenticity is beyond doubt: the burial was carried out in the monastic tradition, 16th-century ceramics were found in the grave filling, and the remains of a coffin in the form of decay were also discovered. The coffin was a wooden block, hollowed out from a single tree trunk. The configuration of the coffin, with a narrowing at the foot, is also characteristic of that time. In addition, leather shoes were found in the burial. The Monk Gerasim, as you know, was a Kozhvet worker and, probably, these shoes were made by his hands.
The relics were removed and placed in the refectory of the Vvedensky Church in a specially made coffin. The miraculous discovery of the relics of the saint of God was reported to the ruling bishop of the diocese, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.

"We believe that in this miraculous event we are all given a sign of God’s favor, so that faith and piety may be revived among our people, and through these virtues life itself may change, being filled with the light of God’s Truth, peace, tranquility and prosperity “, says the Bishop’s response letter.
Metropolitan Kirill blessed the day of July 20, when official conclusions were given regarding the belonging of the found remains to the Monk Gerasim, to be considered the date of the discovery of his venerable relics.

Troparion to St. Gerasim, Boldino Wonderworker
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We are inflamed with divine love from our youth, Reverend, you left the world and everything in the world and moved into the desert alone. And in it you gathered a multitude of disciples for the praise of God, in prayers and in fasting and in the labors of your monasteries, you labored well in your temporary life. And now do not leave visiting your children, Father Gerasima, pray to Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion to St. Gerasim, Boldino Wonderworker
voice 2
As if he had overcome the corruptible and long-drawn wisdom, all of Christ had become and His honorable cross was taken up, followed Him irrevocably, in prayers and fasting, deeds and suffering, the image of being his disciple: but as having the boldness to Holy Trinity, pray, blessed one, for yes Holy Dormition We cry out in celebration: Rejoice, Reverend Gerasima, our father.

Prayer to St. Gerasim, Boldino Wonderworker

O our good shepherd and God-wise leader, Reverend Father Gerasima, hear us praying to you and calling for your speedy intercession for help. See us sinners in the masses of existing things, see us weak, caught everywhere, deprived of every good, and darkened in mind from cowardice; Let us strive, O servant of God, not to leave us in the sinful captivity of being, so that we may not joyfully be our enemy and not die in our evil deeds. Pray for us, unworthy, of the Savior of the Lord, to whom you stand with the disembodied faces: be merciful to us as our Creator in the present world and in the future, so that He will not reward us according to our deeds and the impurity of our hearts, but according to His goodness He will reward us: for We trust in your intercession and boast of your intercession, we call upon your intercession for help and, falling down unworthy of your healing relics, we ask for healing: deliver us, O saint of Christ, from the evil ones who come upon us, and tame the waves of passions and troubles rising against us, for the sake of your saints prayers will not overwhelm us and we will not wallow in the abyss of sin and in the mud of our passions. Pray to the Reverend Father Gerasima of Christ our God, that he may grant us a peaceful life, forgiveness of sins, and salvation and great mercy for our souls.

Martyrs Peregrinus, Lucian, Pompey, Hesychius, Papias, Sathorninus and Germanus

These holy martyrs were from Italy and suffered during the reign of Emperor Trajan 1 . When the persecution of Christians began, they boarded a ship and arrived in a city called Dyrrachium 2 . Being in this city and seeing how holy Bishop Astius 3 hanging, crucified on the cross and smeared with honey, and as hornets and flies stung him, they glorified him for confessing Christ. Therefore, they learned that they were Christians, and the soldiers immediately captured them. During interrogation, they confessed their faith in Christ and, at the command of the anfipat, 4 Agricolaus put them on a ship and sank them in a deep place in the sea. This is how the holy martyrs died 5 . Their bodies were subsequently thrown ashore by the waves and buried here in the sand. 90 years after this, the holy martyrs appeared to the bishop of Alexandria and said to him: " Take our bodies ".

Then the bishop buried the bodies of the saints with honors and built a small church on the site of their burial.

___________________________
Note
1 Trajan reigned in the Roman Empire from 98 to 117. In 99, he renewed the law prohibiting secret societies. And since the pagans had already formed an opinion about Christians as people belonging to a secret society, and since the liturgical meetings of Christians took place at night and secretly, he initiated persecution against them as violators of the mentioned law.

2 The city of Dyrrachium, otherwise Epiphamnus, now Durazzo, was located in present-day Albania on the shores of the Adriatic Sea.

4 In the Roman Empire, heads of regions were called anphipates.

5 The exact time of death of these holy martyrs is unknown.

Hieromartyr Epictetus, presbyter and venerable martyr Astion, monk

The venerable martyrs Epictetus the presbyter and Astion the monk lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian in one of the eastern regions of the Roman Empire. The virtuous presbyter Epictetus devoted his life to God from his youth. He acquired the gift of miracles and through his prayers numerous healings were performed for those suffering from unclean spirits and various diseases.

One day, a noble pagan youth, Astion, the son of the local mayor, came to visit Saint Epictetus while he was walking. In a long conversation, Saint Epictetus enlightened Astion, sowed the Word of God in the soul of the young man, telling him about the True God, about great value immortal human soul, about the insignificance of short-term earthly pleasures.
Having believed in Christ and accepted holy baptism, the blessed young man began earnestly to ask his mentor to go with him to some distant country in order to completely devote his life to God. Having boarded the ship, Saints Epictetus and Astion left for the land of the Scythians. At the mouth of the Danube River, they settled near the city of Almiris among the pagan Slavs and spent their lives in feats of fasting and prayer.

The godly life of the hermits could not remain for long unknown to the world. People who were suffering began to come to the saints various diseases and possessed by evil spirits, and received healing through their prayers. The pagans also began to ask for help from the holy ascetics and, receiving relief from their suffering, turned to Christ.
At that time, the head of the region, Latronian, arrived in the city of Almiris, and the pagan priests reported on the saints Epictetus and Astion that they magically attracted people to their faith. The saints were captured and began to be interrogated.
After three days of confinement in prison without food or water, the holy martyrs Epictetus and Astion again appeared before the judge Latronian, ready to courageously accept new suffering for Christ.
They were sentenced to be beheaded with the sword (†290).

The parents of the holy martyr Astion, Alexander and Marcellina, received holy Baptism from the bishop of the city of Thomas the Evangel, who soon suffered for Christ also through beheading by the sword.

Hieromartyr Evangel of Tomsk (Kyustendzhiy), bishop

Bishop " in the Scythian country " - probably Tomia, - who baptized the parents of the martyr Astion after the death of the latter, who were converted by the priest Vonos. The Gospel successfully converted pagans to Christianity at the mouth of the Danube.

In the Greek synaxarions on July 7 there is a commemoration of the martyr Evangel. According to the information of the verse synaxars, he was beheaded with a sword. The synaxari do not contain information about the time and place of death - however, presumably the memory refers to Bishop Evangel and dates back to the Diocletian persecution.

According to the Synaxarion of the Church of Constantinople (late 10th century), the memory of the martyrs Eustathius, Polycarp and Evangel was celebrated in Constantinople in the quarter of Siwa or Sivonia. In addition to the synaxarion, the memory of the Gospel, together with the memory of the martyrs Eustathius and Polycarp, is indicated in the Typikon Great Church.

Blachernae icon The Mother of God was found in Jerusalem by Empress Eudokia during the time of St. Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and St. Euthymius the Great (January 20). The holy icon was sent to Constantinople, where Empress Pulcheria placed it in the Church of Blachernae, where the honorable robe of the Mother of God was kept (celebration July 2).

This holy icon is also called Hodegetria, that is, the Guide. It was with this icon that Patriarch Sergius (610–631) walked around the walls of Constantinople with prayer services during the siege of the capital by the Avars in 626. In memory of this and other victories won thanks to the intercession Holy Virgin, it was established annually on Saturday of the fifth week of Lent to celebrate the Feast of Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary (“ Saturday Akathist"). Initially, the celebration took place only in the Blachernae Temple in Constantinople. In the 9th century the holiday was included in the monastery charter Saint Sava Consecrated and in the Studio Charter, and then included in the Lenten Triodion and became common to the entire Orthodox Church.

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Blachernae icon was transferred to Athos, and in 1654 it was sent by Athonite monks as a gift to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Moscow, where it was placed in the Assumption Cathedral.

The miraculous icon is made of wax mastic and is widely revered among Orthodox believers.

By church calendar . On this day the church celebrates the memory of the Venerable Martyr Evdokia.
Martyr Evdokia, native of the city of Iliopol, for a long time led a sinful life. But a miracle happened: Evdokia believed. Repenting, the woman left the world and went to the monastery. “And it all seemed to her that she was unworthy of forgiveness, and she imposed the most severe penance on herself...” For her feats of repentance, “the Lord gifted the saint with the ability to work miracles.” They say that the saint could even resurrect the dead with her prayer.
In 170, by order of Emperor Vincent, the persecutor of Christianity, the Monk Eudokia was executed.
According to the folk calendar. The people also called this day: Evdokia-shposhikha, wet the threshold, whistling, freckle, wet the hem.
They called it Ivy because changes occur in nature: from warm weather, the snow begins to melt, settle and seem to be flattened. In some places, Saint Eudokia was also called the whistler, since at this time the spring winds began to blow and whistle. In the old days, people called Evdokia the spring woman, since this holy woman was in charge of spring with God. She kept the keys to the spring waters: if the “spring girl” wants to, she will let the water in early, if she doesn’t want to or is angry, she will delay it, or even let the frosts in. That’s why peasants used to be afraid of Saint Eudoxia and never worked on March 1st.
Evdokia the vesnovka was considered by the people big holiday, celebrated it cheerfully and solemnly. The women began rolling out the dough early in the morning. They baked ritual cookies - larks.
Later, the day of St. Eudokia was no different from other minor church holidays. Only women were sure to come to church and order prayers in front of the icon of Evdokia, since this saint is considered the patroness of sheep.
In some villages, women and children began to “call spring” on this day, for which they climbed onto the roof or onto a hillock and sang stoneflies. In many places, on this day, peasants brought branches from the forest, heated their huts, “so that the spring would be warm,” threw snow off the roof, and in the evening they noted: if there are long icicles on the roofs, then the flax will be good, especially tow.
The peasants believed that on Evdokia all the underground springs would boil, and from that day on the women would begin to whitewash their canvases.
The time has come to think about the upcoming field and garden work. According to popular belief, seedlings sown in pots on this day cannot be damaged by frost. Usually cabbage was sown on Evdokia.
Snowflake - melt water - was especially revered in the villages of Evdokia. They brought water to the chickens - and the chickens began to lay eggs within a week or two. The sick were washed with snowflake, the houses were washed, the flowers in the house were watered.
Signs. Since according to the old style, Evdokia fell on March 1, i.e. opened spring, many signs and customs were associated with it.
The sun, they said, looks at Evdokia on this day: either it will snow, or the rain will ring.
As is Evdokia, so is summer. It's nicer for the ivy - and it'll be nicer all summer.
In Evdokia, snow means harvest, warm wind means wet summer, wind from the north means cold summer.
On Evdokia there is snow - in stubble the harvest from everyone's fields.
New month on Evdokia - summer will be wet.
Streams have flowed to Evdokia - expect the first grass in the first ten days of May.
Evdokia is red - all spring holidays will be harvested, the harvest will be for cucumbers, cabbage, milk mushrooms.
If the chicken drinks snowflake on Evdokia, then the sheep on Yego-Riya (May 6) will also eat.
As soon as the wind blows on the ivy, spring will come.
Evdokia's dog is still being snowed into the sitting area.

Evdokia Svistunya is a folk holiday in Rus', so called because on this day the Christian Church remembers Saint Eudokia.
In Rus', it was believed that Evdokia was an intercessor against droughts, so on this day they prayed to her so that the Sun would not dry out the earth, so that there would be plenty of rain.
On this day, a ritual was performed to attract rain to peasant plots. Of course, he had nothing in common with Christianity and passed in this way - an innocent young man stuck an aspen twig in the middle and whispered the words “Evdokia whistle - bring rain.” He said this to all four corners of the world. It was believed that rain would fall only on those areas into which an aspen twig was stuck.
On this day it was noted that if the north wind blows, then the summer will be cold. If it rains, then get wet.
We noted which moon was in the night sky that day. If it is young, then there will be a harvest of berries and fruits; if it is old, then there will be a harvest of grains and vegetables. If there is a new moon, then the peasants were in for a difficult year.
Evdokia Svistunya is a holiday of the national calendar, which is not included in the register of memorable and holiday dates of the Russian Federation.

THE HOLY REVEREND MARTYR EUDOCIA was a Samaritan, originally from the city of Iliopolis in Lebanon. She led a sinful life for a long time, and her heart became hardened, her soul became deadened. One night Evdokia woke up and heard prayer singing behind the wall, in the other half of the house where a Christian lived, and the Grace of God touched her heart. In the morning she learned that it was Elder Herman, returning from a pilgrimage to his monastery. Having called him, Evdokia listened to the elder’s instructions for a long time, and her soul came to life and was filled with joy and love for Christ. Soon she accepted holy Baptism and, having distributed her property to the poor, retired to a monastery. One day, when she was already the abbess of the monastery, a young pagan Philostratus appeared in the monastery. Having entered the monastery under the name of a monk, he began to persuade Evdokia to begin her former sinful life again. “May the God of vengeance forbid you,” Evdokia answered with anger, and the false monk fell dead. That same night, the Lord Himself appeared to Evdokia in a dream vision and said: “Rise, Evdokia, bend your knees, pray, and your tempter will rise again.” And through her prayer, Philostratus came to life, begged the saint to forgive him and accepted holy Baptism, after which he retired to Iliopolis.

Soon, the ruler of Iliopolis, Aurelian, received a denunciation from residents that Evdokia was allegedly hiding her wealth in the monastery. Aurelian sent soldiers to take them away, but they tried in vain to approach the monastery: the invisible power of God guarded it. Aurelian sent a new detachment, this time under the command of his son. But on the very first day, the ruler’s son severely injured his leg and soon died. On the advice of Philostratus, Aurelian wrote a letter to Eudokia, begging her to bring the young man back to life. And the Lord, through the prayers of Saint Evdokia, revived him; After this, Aurelian and his neighbors believed in Christ and were baptized. When the persecution of Christians intensified, the Monk Eudokia was captured and brought to torture before the ruler Diogenes. During the torture, the military leader Diodorus, who was torturing her, received news of sudden death wives. In desperation, he began to ask Evdokia to pray for the deceased. Through prayer, she asked God to return the deceased to life. This led to the baptism of Diodorus and Diogenes and their families. After the death of Diogenes, Vincent, a cruel persecutor of Christians, became the ruler. Having learned about the fearless confessor of the Christian faith, he ordered her execution. She was beheaded in 160 - 170. Look at it this way - everything is also a useful calendar, where they are distributed by month. Convenient to see what religious holiday is waiting for you in March.

Since, according to the old style, Evdokia fell on March 1, i.e., it opened spring, many signs and customs were associated with it. As is Evdokia, so is summer. It’s nicer on Plyushchikha, it’s been nicer all summer. Plyushchikha - because the snow flattens with infusion. Avdotya the freckle springs spring. Avdotya is red, and spring is red. Wherever the wind blows on Plyushchikha, that’s where spring will come. If it’s clear on Evdokia, it’s a wonderful year; if it's cloudy, it's a bad year. Newcomer (born month) near Evdokia with rain - to be wet in summer. Clear weather on this day foreshadows a good harvest of wheat, rye and herbs. Evdokia's day is red - harvest of cucumbers and milk mushrooms. If the chicken on Evdokia gets drunk, then the sheep on Yegorya (May 6) will eat. If the rook arrived before March 14, the summer will be wet and the snow will melt early. The first thaw begins with Evdokia. If it’s cold in Evdokia, feed the cattle for an extra two weeks. Around this time, spring winds begin to blow. From which side the wind blows on this day, from which side there will be winds in spring and summer. On Eudokea, snow means harvest, warm wind means wet summer, wind from the north means cold summer. With Evdokey still standing, the dog is covered in snow. With Evdokey there are winds and whirlwinds. On this day, cabbage seedlings are planted. Evdokey came to give the peasant some idea: to sharpen a plow and repair a harrow. According to custom, on the day of Evdokia, the terms of winter hires ended and spring ones began: “From Evdokia to Yegorya”, “from Evdokia to Peter’s Day (July 12)”, etc. Evdokia-Vesnovka was considered a great holiday among the people, it was celebrated cheerfully and solemnly.