Demetrius of Rostov read the Menaion. Dimitri Rostovsky: life and miracles of healing

A significant role in the process of church and cultural construction in Russia at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries was played by immigrants from Ukraine and from Kyiv academic circles. Perhaps the most outstanding scientific monk among them should be recognized as Saint Demetrius of Rostov (Tuptalo; 1651-1709) - a wise theologian and an excellent preacher, a true unmercenary intellectual, the actual founder of Russian historical science and, no less important, the humblest monk and kindest shepherd .

He was born in the town of Makarov - relatively close to Kyiv, in the family of a Cossack centurion; his worldly name was Daniel. In Kiev, the future saint took a course in theological sciences and studied foreign languages ​​at the “collegiate” Epiphany Monastery, where “he appeared quite skilled in poetry and oratory and knew well everything that we teach.” In 1668, he became a monk with the name Demetrius in the Kiev Trinity Cyril Monastery, not caring “about acquiring estates and temporary wealth.” In 1675, he was ordained a hieromonk and appointed preacher at the then famous Gustyn monastery; At the same time he became the main preacher of the cathedral church in Chernigov. With great success, he then preached for some time in Lithuania - in Vilna (at the Holy Spirit Monastery) and in Slutsk.

Upon returning to Little Russia, Dimitri lived in Baturin, where from 1682 he served as abbot at the Nikolaev monastery. But less than two years had passed when he, “loving a silent and serene life and wanting to please God in private,” left his abbot duties, settling in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Here, the council of elders of the monastery, headed by Archimandrite Varlaam Yasinsky (the future Metropolitan of Kyiv), instructed Demetrius to “collect the lives of the saints and, having completely corrected them, write them down.”

In June 1684, a talented and hardworking monk began this feat throughout his subsequent life: compiling a history of saints, or a corpus of historical hagiographic stories, arranged by month (in accordance with the annual circle of church “memories” of the glorified saints of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church), - the so-called “Chetih-Menya”. The first of four volumes went out of print in January 1689. At this time, Demetrius again served as abbot - in the already mentioned Baturin Nikolaevsky Monastery.

Soon the “clearly noble Hetman” set off from Baturin to Moscow, taking abbot Dimitry into his embassy. In the Trinity-Sergius Monastery near Moscow, Demetrius met Tsar Peter I, who, apparently, already then drew attention to the capable and educated Ukrainian monk.

When he returned to Little Russia, he was appointed abbot of the Peter and Paul Monastery in Glukhov; At the same time, in 1695, the second volume of “Chetikh-Menya” was published. Since 1697, Dimitri has already been the archimandrite of the Yelets Chernigov monastery, and since 1699 - the archimandrite of the Spassky Monastery in Novgorod-Seversky. Despite all these frequent movements of him from place to place by church authorities, the monk writer did not abandon the usual course of his literary works, and in 1700 the third volume of “Lives” was published.

As a result, “his special skill in preaching the word of God, as well as his virtuous life, soon became known to the perspicacious monarch (that is, Peter I. - Dr. G.M.) became known,” and by Imperial Decree, Dimitri was transferred to Moscow in 1701, appointing Metropolitan of Tobolsk and Siberia. But for a sickly and already middle-aged southern monk, such an appointment to distant, cold Siberia was an unbearable burden, and most importantly, there, far from libraries and printing houses, completing his literary and historical work became almost impossible. Because of all this, the saint fell into “some sadness,” and only after finally explaining himself to Peter I did Demetrius receive permission to remain in Central Russia. In 1702, he was appointed ruling bishop to the Rostov-Yaroslavl department; He remained Metropolitan of Rostov until his death.

This saint was one of the most educated people of his time, a student and friend of Ukrainian spiritual educators - Lazar Baranovich and Varlaam Yasinsky, who invariably supported his literary activities. In the “life” of Demetrius, compiled around the middle of the 18th century (in connection with his church canonization in 1757), it is especially emphasized that “this God-fearing man had a keen mind, great enlightenment, skilled in Slavic, Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Polish languages, had a great penchant for science."

While living in Rostov, Saint Demetrius opened there the first theological seminary in Moscow Rus', gathering more than 200 children of clergy to study there; "For better order and success” he “divided them into three schools... often visiting these schools, he himself listened to the students and tried them in success”, “he himself worked in his free hours from church affairs, teaching them”, “he himself confessed them and communed the Holy Mysteries; teaching, he assigned them to places, destroying ignorance.” Moreover, Dimitri maintained these seminary schools with his own, generally very modest, funds.

Here, with the support of the then Patriarch Adrian (he served as a priest from 1690 to 1700), Demetrius completed his main 20-year work - “Cheti-Minea”, which is still used by all Orthodox Russia as the most complete and accurate source of church hagiography (detailed descriptions of the lives of saints).

In addition to theological works and various commentaries on the patristic writings, the saint also composed dialogues of an ethical nature, conducted polemics with the Old Believers (“Search for the schismatic Bryn faith”), wrote poetry and even the first Russian plays on evangelical themes. He also compiled two chronicles: “On the Slavic People” and “On the Appointment of Bishops.”

Very important for that time there was another one of his “Chronicles” - “From the beginning of the world to the Nativity of Christ.” It was especially necessary, since few people could then purchase an expensive Bible for cell or home reading, and sometimes even representatives of the clergy did not really know the order of biblical events. Unfortunately, this work remained unfinished: the saint, as his biographer writes, this book “was not possible to complete due to frequent ailments: but only according to the calendar of the fourth thousand and six hundred years (that is, until 4600 from the creation of the world, or until 908). BC. - Dr. G.M.) the deeds are written."

Among the most famous works of Demetrius, one should also name: “The Spiritual Alphabet” (teachings and admonitions for fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, arranged in alphabetical order), published in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra after the death of the saint; then - “Irrigated Fleece” (about the veneration of the Mother of God and Her icons); “Apology” (“Conversation between a comforter and a mourner”) and “Short Catechism” (“very useful with questions and answers about faith”).

Judging by the surviving portraits, Vladyka Dimitri was short, blond, gray-haired, with a small wedge beard, hunched over.

He, as a very kind and sincere person, was always concerned about human evil and social injustice. In one of his sermons he said:

“When the rich are eaten, the labors of the poor are eaten. And when he drinks, he drinks human blood, he drinks in human tears. Who is honored? - rich! Who is dishonest? - poor! Who is noble? - rich! Who is thin? - poor! Who is wise? - rich! Who's stupid? - poor! A rich man, even if he were very stupid, still makes the same thing, as if he is rich, make him smart among the common people.” .

Despite his holy rank, Demetrius sometimes had to endure a lot of oppression in Rostov from representatives of secular authorities. To his friend, Saint Stephen Yavorsky of Ryazan (1658-1722), this true spiritual citizen of Holy Rus' wrote about its “internal opponents”: “Too many iniquities, too many insults, so much oppression cry out to heaven and arouse the wrath and vengeance of God.” The steward Voeikov, sent to Rostov from the state “monastery order”, was especially disrespectful to Saint Demetrius. Once the saint was serving the Liturgy in the cathedral, and at that time, by order of the steward, someone was punished with a whip “on the right.” The saint ordered that the torture be stopped immediately, but the royal official rudely refused the messenger. Then the saint, indignant in spirit, interrupted the service and went to his suburban village of Demyany.

Shortly before his death, Demetrius sent a family icon to the Kiev Trinity Cyril Monastery to be placed over his father’s coffin, and then wrote the following spiritual will:

"From youth toAs I approached the tomb, I did not acquire any possessions except the books of the saints. He didn’t collect much from his cell income in the bishopric, not even a lot. But the other is for my needs, and the other is for the needs of the needy. I believe that it will be more pleasing to God, even if there is not one coin. - Dr. G.M.) will not remain for me, even if much of the collection was distributed. If no one wants to give me such a poor burial as usual, then let them throw me into a wretched house (that is, as they used to say in the old days, “at God’s house” - into a common unknown grave. - Dr. G.M.). If, according to custom, they bury him, let him bury him in the corner of the church of the monastery of St. Jacob, where the place is for the signs. If you deign to remember my sinful soul without money in your prayers for God’s sake, let him himself be remembered in the Kingdom of Heaven. Demand a bribe for the remembrance, I pray, that the poor will not remember me, having left nothing for the remembrance. May God be merciful to everyone, and to me a sinner forever, amen.” .

A fairly detailed description of the blessed death of the saint has been preserved. On the last evening of his life, Vladyka ordered the singers to be called and, sitting by the heated stove, listened to the singing of the cants he himself composed: “My most beloved Jesus, I place my hope in God, You are my God Jesus, You are my joy.” Then he released everyone, detaining only his favorite singer, his closest assistant in his works and copyist of his works, Savva Yakovlev. He began to tell him about his youth, his years of study, about life in Ukraine, about monastic life and prayer, adding: “And you, children, pray the same way.” At the end of the conversation, the saint said: “It’s time for you, child, to leave for your home.” Having blessed the young man, the bishop bowed to him almost to the ground, thanking him for his help in copying his works. He became embarrassed and cried, and the saint meekly repeated once again: “I thank you, child.” The singer left, becoming the last person to see the saint alive. The Metropolitan retired to a special cell where he usually prayed. There, the next morning, October 28 (Old Style), 1709, the saint was found lifeless: he died during prayer, kneeling.

The burial service for Demetrius of Rostov was performed by his friend, Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky, who promised him this.

The saint was buried in his beloved Rostov Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, significantly rebuilt in the 18th-19th centuries, but to this day remaining one of the most fertile corners of ancient Rostov-Yaroslavl; here and now the holy relics of this outstanding hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church rest. They were found incorrupt in 1752, and soon the all-Russian canonization of the saint took place.

In the epitaph on the silver shrine with the relics, compiled at the same time by M. Lomonosov, the following words were placed, in particular: “Having written the lives of the saints, he himself was honored to be inscribed in their ranks in the summer of 1754, April 9th.” And below are Lomonosov’s poems in a somewhat ponderous and sublime edifying style, characteristic of that era, but, perhaps, have not lost their vital relevance in our time:

Oh you! that the Divine is within the close confines,
I am like His likeness in my bodily parts!
Focus on what this saint taught,
What now speaks to you from the face of the heavenly powers:
Bow to the mercy of the Most High, to the truth,
And you will be reconciled to your mother, the Church.

Metropolitan Dimitri left behind the richest collection of books for that time (about 300 volumes), which later passed to the Moscow Synodal Library.

As one of our church writers noted about the remarkable Rostov ruler, in the age of Peter’s “reforms” that came then, sometimes deeply anti-national and anti-church, this great man showed how one can be the most enlightened and progressive figure, without betraying the past of his people and remaining unconditionally faithful to the Orthodox Russian mood."

WITH Father Dimitri, in the world Daniel, was born in December 1651, in the town of Makarov, located forty miles from the city of Kyiv. His father, Savva Grigorievich Tuptalo, rose from ordinary Cossacks to the rank of centurion and dedicated the rest of his days to serving the Church, taking on the duties of ktitor of the Cyril Monastery. Both he and his wife Maria Mikhailovna were pious people and led a good Christian life. But the father was constantly distracted from home by military activities, and the boy was brought up mainly under the guidance of his mother. The saint himself spoke about her with tender love and praise on the occasion of her death: “On the very heel of the saving passion, my mother reposed at the ninth hour of the day, exactly at the hour when our Savior suffered on the cross for our salvation, His spirit to God the Father handed over. She was more than seventy years old from her birth... may the Lord remember you in His kingdom of heaven! She died with good disposition, memory and speech. Oh, that the Lord may honor her with such a blessed death with her prayers! And truly, her death was Christian: for with all Christian rites and with ordinary sacraments, she was fearless, not shameful, peaceful. May the Lord also grant me a good answer at His terrible judgment, as I have no doubt about God’s mercy and about her salvation, knowing her constant virtuous and pious life. And even then, as a good sign of her salvation, I have that on the same days and the same hour when Christ the Lord opened paradise to the thief, during his free passion, then he commanded her soul to be separated from her body.” Under the influence of such a virtuous mother, the youth Daniel grew in the fear of God and piety, ascending from strength to strength and becoming stronger in virtues.

Daniil received his primary education at home. His parents taught him to read, and when Daniil was 11 years old, they sent him to the Kiev Brotherhood School. Thanks to his excellent abilities and ardent zeal in his studies, Daniil soon began to excel in the sciences and surpassed all his peers. In rhetoric classes, he attracted special attention to the art of poetry and ornateness. Under the guidance of the famous preacher and polemical theologian Galatovsky, Daniel perfectly studied those techniques and figures of speech that later involuntarily amazed the listeners of his teachings, and acquired that energy and invincible power of persuasion that later manifested itself in the fight against schismatics. But, while excelling in the sciences, Daniel was at the same time distinguished by his remarkable good morals and early showed an inclination towards a contemplative and ascetic life. He did not take any part in children's games and avoided all pleasures and amusements. He spent his free time from school reading the Holy Scriptures, the works and lives of holy men, and in prayer. He visited the temple of God with special zeal, where he reverently offered his fervent prayers to the Lord. The more often and more diligently he read the Divine Scripture and the lives of the holy fathers, the more intensified in his soul was the desire to imitate the holy saints.

At the age of fifteen, Daniel had to leave school. At that time of disaster for Kyiv, this city constantly passed under the Polish and then under the Russian power. This also affected the condition of the school, which in 1665, when the Poles captured Kiev, suffered complete destruction and remained desolate for a long time. Therefore, Daniil could not complete the course and had to stop his scientific studies, having spent only three years at school.

From his adolescence, having an inclination towards monastic life, Daniel, soon after leaving school, left this world with all its blessings. Having asked for the blessing of his parents, he, in the eighteenth year of his life, settled in the Kirillov Monastery. The abbot of the monastery, Meletius Dzik, had known Daniel for a long time, since he had previously been the rector of the Kyiv School. On July 9, 1668, he tonsured Daniel into monasticism and named him Demetrius. The newly tonsured monk completely entrusted himself to the will and Providence of God. He strictly and unswervingly began to observe all the monastic rules and zealously, in humility and obedience, underwent monastic feats. He tried with all his might to imitate the saints Anthony and Theodosius and other Pechora ascetics in virtues. He was not at all concerned about acquiring estates and wealth, but with all his soul he strived only to please God, to faithfully and unhypocritically serve Him Alone and through this acquire incorruptible wealth for himself.

Less than a year after Demetrius's tonsure, at the request of the abbot, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. This dedication was made on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1669, by Joseph Tukalsky, who was designated the Kyiv Metropolis, who then lived in the city of Kanev. In the rank of hierodeacon, Dimitri remained in the Cyril monastery for quite a long time. He obeyed the abbot in everything, humbly and diligently served the brethren, unquestioningly fulfilled all obedience, was the first to come to church and the last to leave; stood in the temple with fear, reverently listening to the words of the Holy Scriptures; in his cell he often prayed, wrote and composed what the abbot instructed him to do, and diligently continued his scientific studies.

This is how Demetrius labored until 1675. At this time, Chernigov Archbishop Lazar Baranovich was in the Gustynsky Monastery. Here Saint Demetrius was presented to him for initiation into hieromonk, which took place on May 23, the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Saint Demetrius at that time was only 24 years old, but he was already skilled in preaching the word of God. Having gotten to know him better and recognizing his high spiritual qualities, the archbishop invited Saint Demetrius to be a preacher at the Chernigov Cathedral Church. For more than two years, Saint Demetrius preached in the cathedral and other churches of the Chernigov diocese. Teaching the people the law of Christ, he brought great spiritual benefit to all his listeners and gave them great pleasure: his lively and captivating speech was dissolved with the salt of wisdom, so that everyone tried to listen to him.

The fame of Saint Demetrius as a great preacher quickly spread throughout Little Russia and Lithuania, and monastery after monastery began to invite him to their place to benefit from his eloquent edification. The closest reason for such invitations was the following event. In June 1677, driven by pious zeal, Dimitri went from Chernigov to the Novodvorsky Monastery to venerate the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, painted by St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, and was supposed to remain in Lithuania. At the time when Saint Demetrius arrived, the monastery was preparing for the solemn transfer of this icon from the old church to the new one. For this purpose, the Belarusian Bishop Theodosius and the rector of the Vilna Holy Spiritual Monastery Clement arrived. At the end of the holiday, Clement took Demetrius with him to his monastery. Demetrius stayed in Vilna for more than two months and preached two sermons here. Soon, however, at the request of Bishop Theodosius, Saint Demetrius went to Slutsk and, settling in the Brotherly Transfiguration Monastery, worked tirelessly for fourteen months preaching the word of God. The monastery's ktitor, John Skochkevich, fell in love with Demetrius and was a benefactor to him, with whose funds the Transfiguration Monastery was built. Saint Demetrius also deeply respected and loved his benefactor, lived in Slutsk until his death and honored his memory by preaching his sermon at his funeral.

Meanwhile, Saint Demetrius was repeatedly invited to return to Little Russia. He was called upon by both Hetman Samoilovich and his former abbot Meletius, who now ran the Kyiv St. Michael’s Monastery. In February 1679, Saint Demetrius arrived in Baturyn and was received by the hetman very kindly and graciously. Having settled in the Nikolaevsky Krupitsky Monastery, located not far from Baturin, Demetrius continued to zealously strive in fasting, prayer, and constant reading of soul-helping books; With special zeal he preached the word of God. The fame of his virtuous life spread throughout all monasteries. Many of them invited Saint Demetrius to their place to rule. So the brethren of the Kirillov Monastery turned to him with a convincing request to take command over them. But Saint Demetrius, probably out of humility, and also being held back by the hetman, rejected this request and sent a letter of gratitude to the Kirillov Monastery. Soon after this, in 1681, the abbot of the Maxakovsky Transfiguration Monastery died. The brethren also turned to Saint Demetrius, asking him to be their abbot. In its secluded location, the Maksakov monastery could not have been more consistent with the strict monastic life of Demetrius. Therefore, with the consent of the hetman, he accepted the proposals of the Maksakov monks and went with the hetman’s letter to Chernigov to Archbishop Lazar Baranovich for a decree.

The Archbishop received Demetrius very graciously. As if foreseeing the future, Lazar, as soon as he opened the hetman’s letter, said to Demetrius: “Without reading the letter, I say: may the Lord God bless you not only with the abbess, but by the name of Demetrius I wish you a miter: May Demetrius receive a miter.”

On the same day, after his dedication to the abbot, Lazar greeted Demetrius in the following way: “Today is the memory of the prophet Moses the Seer of God; The Lord God has vouchsafed this day to you as abbot in the monastery where the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord is, like Moses on Tabor. And whoever Moses told his way, may he also tell you on this Tabor his way to eternal Tabor.”

“These words,” Saint Demetrius himself testifies, “I, a sinner, took for a good omen and prophecy and noticed for myself. God grant that the prophecy of his archpastorship come true.”

Saying goodbye to Demetrius the next day, Lazar gave him a good staff.

“And he let me go so well,” says Saint Demetrius, “like the father of his own son. Give him, Lord, all that is good according to his heart.”

Having taken over the management of the monastery, Saint Demetrius did not change at all his previous strictly monastic life. Continuing to strive in vigils, prayer and good deeds, he set an example of Christian humility to everyone. Always remembering the words of the Lord: “ and whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26), he lived this way himself, and taught others to live this way, serving as a model of faith and piety for everyone. There is no doubt that such abbots are glory and adornment for the monasteries they govern. That is why Saint Demetrius did not stay in any monastery for a long time, and, as we will see, was moved from one monastery to another.

It didn’t take long for the Maksakov monks to see enough of Demetrius’ words and holy life. On March 1, 1682, he was appointed abbot to the Nikolaev Baturinsky Monastery. But he himself soon abandoned this monastery. He longed for a quiet and silent life in order to freely indulge in the thought of God, prayer and other godly activities. Therefore, in the next year of his abbess in Baturin, on the day of his angel, October 26, 1683, he relinquished control of the monastery, remaining there as a simple monk. Soon, however, by the Providence of God, Saint Demetrius was called to the great task of compiling the Menaion-Chets, with which he brought the greatest benefit to the entire Russian people.

In 1684, Varlaam Yasinsky was appointed archimandrite of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. From his predecessors, Peter Mogila and Innocent Gisel, along with the title of archimandrite, he inherited the idea of ​​the great work of compiling the lives of the saints. This work was all the more necessary because, as a result of Tatar raids, Lithuanian and Polish devastation, the Church lost many precious spiritual books and biographies of saints. Looking for a person capable of this important and great work, Varlaam focused his attention on Saint Demetrius, who had already become famous for his zeal for soul-saving labors. His choice was approved by the unanimous consent of the other fathers and brethren of the Lavra. Then Varlaam turned to Demetrius with a request to move to the Kyiv Lavra and take upon himself the work of correcting and compiling the lives of the saints.

Frightened by the weight of the work placed on him, the humble ascetic tried to turn it away from himself. But, fearing the sin of disobedience and well aware of the needs of the Church, he chose to submit to the urgent demands of Varlaam. Placing hope on the help of God and on the prayers of the Most Pure Mother of God and all the saints, Demetrius in June 1684 began his new feat and with great diligence began to undergo the obedience entrusted to him. His soul, filled with images of the saints, whose lives he was engaged in, was granted spiritual visions in dreams, which strengthened him on the path to the highest spiritual perfection and encouraged him in great labors.

“On the tenth of August 1685,” Saint Demetrius himself narrates, “on Monday, I heard the good news for Matins, but, due to my usual laziness, having fallen asleep, I was not in time for the beginning and slept even before the reading of the Psalter. At that time I saw the following vision: it seemed as if I had been entrusted with the task of looking into a certain cave in which holy relics rested. While examining the coffins of the saints with a candle, I saw the holy great martyr Barbara, supposedly resting there. Having approached her coffin, I saw her lying sideways, and her coffin showed some rottenness. Wanting to cleanse it, he took her relics out of the reliquary and placed them in another place. Having cleaned the reliquary, he proceeded to her relics and took them with his hands to put them in the reliquary; but suddenly I saw Saint Barbara alive.

– Holy Virgin Barbara, my benefactress! “Pray to God for my sins,” I exclaimed.

The saint answered, as if having some doubt:

“I don’t know if I’ll beg you, because you pray in Roman.”

I think that this was told to me because I am very lazy in prayer, and in this case I was like the Romans, who have a very short prayer book, since I have a short and rare prayer. Having heard these words from the saint, I began to grieve and despair. But the saint, after a little time, looked at me with a cheerful and grinning face, and said: “Don’t be afraid,” and uttered some other comforting words, which I don’t even remember. Then, having placed it in the shrine, I kissed her hands and feet; the body seemed to be alive and very white, but the cancer was poor and dilapidated. Regretting that I dared to touch the holy relics with unclean and foul hands and lips, and that I did not see a good reliquary, I thought about how to decorate this coffin, and began to look for a new and richer reliquary into which to transfer the holy relics: but in the same woke up instantly. Regretting my awakening, my heart felt joy.”

Concluding this story, Saint Demetrius humbly notes: “God knows what this dream signifies, and what event will follow! Oh, if only through the prayers of Saint Barbara, my patroness, God would give me the correction of my evil and cursed life!”

Another dream, which happened three or four months after the first, was the following: “In 1685, during the Philippine fast,” writes Saint Demetrius, “in one night, ending with a letter the suffering of the holy martyr Orestes, whose memory is honored on November 10, in an hour or less Before matins, I lay down to rest without undressing, and in a sleepy vision I saw the holy martyr Orestes, with a cheerful face speaking to me with these words:

“I suffered more torment for Christ than you wrote.”

He said this, opened his breasts to me and showed me a great wound in his left side, passing through into the inside, saying:

- This is burned through me with iron.

Then, opening his right hand up to the elbow, he showed the wound right opposite the elbow and said:

- It cut me off.

At the same time, cut veins were visible. He also opened his left hand, pointed out the same wound in the same place, and said:

- And then I was cut off.

Then, bending down, he opened his leg and showed a wound on the bend of his knee, and also opened the other leg up to the knee, showed the same wound in the same place and said:

- And this was cut for me with a scythe.

And standing up straight, looking me in the face, he said:

- You see? I suffered more for Christ than you wrote.

I, not daring to say anything against this, remained silent and thought to myself: who is this Orestes, is he not one of the five (December 13)? To this thought of mine the holy martyr responded:

“I am not the same Orestes, like those of the fifth, but the one whose life you wrote today.”

I saw another certain important person standing behind him, and it seemed to me that there was also a certain martyr, but he did not say anything. At that very time, the good news for Matins woke me up, and I regretted that this very pleasant vision would soon end.

“And that this vision,” adds Saint Demetrius, having written it down more than three years later, “I, unworthy and sinful, truly saw, as I wrote, and not otherwise, I confess this under my priestly oath: for all of it, both then, I completely remembered, and I remember now.”

More than two years have passed since Saint Demetrius resigned as abbot and performed his great work in a solitary cell. He happened to be together with Archimandrite Varlaam in Baturin. The hetman and the new metropolitan Gideon greeted him with joy and began to convince him to again take over the management of the Nikolaev monastery. For a long time Dimitri refused this, but finally had to give in to zealous requests and on February 9, 1686 he moved to Baturin. But, leaving the Kyiv Lavra, Saint Demetrius did not abandon his work. With the same zeal as in the monastery, he continued to compile the lives of the saints, and here he completed the first quarter of the Menaion-Cheti, which comprises three months - September, October and November.

Saint Demetrius presented his work to Archimandrite Varlaam. Having read and examined the manuscript together with the cathedral elders and other prudent men, Varlaam decided to begin printing the lives of the saints. Saint Demetrius arrived from Baturin to the Lavra, and under his personal supervision in 1689 the first book of Menaion-Chets was printed.

Soon after this, Saint Demetrius had the opportunity to be in Moscow. Prince Golitsyn sent Hetman Mazepa to Moscow with a report on the end of the campaign in Crimea. Together with the hetman, Saint Demetrius and Innocent, abbot of the Kirillov Monastery, were sent to explain with the patriarch on some church issues. It was July 21, 1689. Upon arrival in Moscow, they were presented to Tsar Ivan Alekseevich and Princess Sophia. On the same day, Saint Demetrius presented himself to Patriarch Joachim. A month after his arrival, Saint Demetrius and the hetman were in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Tsar Peter Alekseevich lived here then, hiding from the assassination attempts of Princess Sofia. He graciously received Demetrius. In the Lavra, Demetrius had the opportunity to see the patriarch. “We visited him often,” says the saint himself, “he blessed me, a sinner, to continue writing the lives of the saints and gave me a framed image of the Most Holy Theotokos for my blessing.”

Returning to his monastery, Saint Demetrius began to work with great zeal on compiling the lives of the saints. In order to more conveniently engage in his charitable work, he left his abbot’s chambers and built himself a special cell in a secluded place near the Church of St. Nicholas Krupitsky, which he calls a “monastery” in his notes.

While Saint Demetrius was working on the second book of the Menaion-Chetei, the new Moscow Patriarch Adrian sent him a letter of commendation. This diploma was brought by Varlaam, who was elevated and consecrated in Moscow (August 31, 1690) to the rank of Metropolitan of Kyiv.

“God himself,” wrote the patriarch, “will reward you, brother, with every blessed blessing, writing you in the book of the eternal life, for your godly labors in writing, correcting and publishing the book of soul-helping lives of the saints for the first three months, Septemvriy, Octovriy and Noemri: May the same one continue to bless, strengthen and hasten to work for you even for the whole year, and other such books of the lives of the saints have been completely corrected and depicted in type.”

At the same time, the patriarch asked both the new metropolitan and the future archimandrite of the Lavra to assist Saint Demetrius, “a skillful, prudent and diligent worker,” in everything.

Encouraged by the attention of the patriarch, Saint Demetrius, with a feeling of humble gratitude, answered the Moscow hierarch in this way: “May God be praised and glorified in the saints and glorified by the saints, for He has now given His holy Church such a good and skillful shepherd, your archpastorship, who at the beginning of his pastorate , above all, you care and provide for the increase of God and the saints of His glory, desiring their lives to be published into the world as a type, for the benefit of the entire Christian Orthodox Russian family. This glory is to all the saints. Nowadays, I am unworthy even more diligently, hastening the Lord, upon the simple, mortal and sinful hand that is laid before me, having your Holiness in this matter, assisting me, strengthening and instructing the blessing, which arouses me greatly, and shakes me off the sleep of laziness, which I am commanded to do carefully. Even though I am not skilled, I do not have the knowledge and ability to bring all the good to perfection of the work conceived: otherwise, in Jesus who strengthens me, the yoke imposed by the holy obedience I must wear, my feebleness is not enough for the fulfillment of Him, from His fulfillment we all receive, and is still acceptable, - and in the future the God-pleasing prayer of your Archpastor will continue to help me with the blessing, I really hope for it.”

Now Saint Demetrius decided to devote himself exclusively to the Fourth Menaion. “On February 14th (1692),” he himself narrates, “in the first week of Lent, before mass, I left and surrendered my abbess at the Baturinsky monastery for my quiet stay and writing the lives of the saints.” Living in his secluded cell, he compiled a second book, containing the next three months - December, January and February, and on May 9, 1693, he himself brought it to the Kiev-Pechersk printing house.

But no matter how hard the hardworking monk strove for a quiet and secluded life, people who appreciated his high spiritual qualities did not give him peace. So, while Saint Demetrius was overseeing the printing of his work, the new Archbishop of Chernigov, Saint Theodosius of Uglitsky, convinced him to take over the management of the Peter and Paul Monastery, 27 versts from the city of Glukhov. During his stay in this monastery, in January 1695, the printing of the second quarter of the Chetyi-Menya was completed. And for this book, Patriarch Adrian awarded Demetrius the same praise as for the first, sending him another letter of approval. This prompted Demetrius to diligently continue his work, and he began to prepare the third book, containing the months - March, April and May.

At the beginning of 1697, Saint Demetrius was appointed abbot of the Kyiv Cyril Monastery, and five months after that, on June 20, he was consecrated archimandrite of the Chernigov Yelets Dormition Monastery. Thus, finally, the good wish of Lazar Baranovichi was fulfilled: Demetrius received a miter. But, elevated to the rank of archimandrite, Saint Demetrius, remembering the words of Scripture: “to whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48), devoted himself to his labors and exploits with even greater zeal and zeal. Without abandoning his studies of the lives of the saints, he did not forget the improvement of the monastery and helped everywhere with advice and reasoning, in word and deed.

Two more years passed, and Saint Demetrius was transferred to the Spassky Novgorod-Seversky Monastery. This was the last monastery he ruled. Here he completed the third quarter of Menei-Chetikh, which was published in January 1700. After this, Archimandrite of the Lavra Joasaph Krokovsky, with his brethren, as a sign of special respect for the compiler of the lives of the saints, sent him as a gift an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, granted by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich to Metropolitan Peter Mogila of Kiev, during his crowning.

In the same 1700, Emperor Peter the Great, in concern for the remote areas of his vast possessions, instructed the Kiev Metropolitan Varlaam “to search among the archimandrites or abbots, or other monks, for a good and learned and blameless life, who would be a metropolitan in Tobolsk, and could by God’s grace preaching in China and Siberia, in the blindness of idolatry and other ignorances, the hardened people are led into the knowledge and service and worship of the true Living God.” No one was as well known to Varlaam in this regard as Archimandrite Novgorod-Seversky, and Saint Demetrius was summoned to Moscow at the beginning of 1701. Here he told the emperor welcome speech, in which he depicted the dignity of the king of the earth, representing on earth the image of Christ - the King of Heaven. Soon - on March 23 - Saint Demetrius was ordained Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk. The humble Demetrius was adorned with a high honor, but it was not to his heart. Siberia is a harsh and cold country, and the health of Saint Demetrius was weak, upset by incessant studies. Siberia is a distant country, but Saint Demetrius had an occupation close to his heart, which he began in Kiev and could only continue there, or near those places where enlightenment was then concentrated, and not in remote and distant Siberia. All this bothered him so much that he went to bed. The sovereign himself visited the sick man and, having learned the cause of his illness, reassured him and allowed him to stay for a while in Moscow, waiting for the nearest diocese. A vacancy for such a diocese soon opened up: Metropolitan Joasaph of Rostov died, and Saint Demetrius was appointed his successor on January 4, 1702.

Saint Demetrius arrived in Rostov on March 1, in the second week of Lent. Having entered the city, he first of all visited the Spaso-Yakovlevsky monastery. Entering the Cathedral of the Conception of the Mother of God, where the relics of St. James of Rostov rest, the new archpastor performed the usual prayer and at the same time, having learned by a special revelation from above that in Rostov he was destined to end his arduous and useful life, he appointed a grave for himself in the right corner of the cathedral and said to those around him: “Behold my rest: here I will dwell forever and ever.” Having then celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Assumption Cathedral, the saint delivered an eloquent and touching word to his new flock, where he outlined the mutual responsibilities of the shepherd and the flock.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” said the saint, “about my coming to you: for I have come in through the doors, and do not go elsewhere; I did not seek, but having sought I am, and without knowing you, you know me, but the destinies of the Lord are many; You sent me to you, but I came, not that you serve me, but that I serve you, according to the word of the Lord: though I be first in you, let me be a servant to all.”

Having entered into the administration of the Rostov Metropolis, Saint Demetrius found great discord in it. With the zeal of Elijah, he devoted himself to vigilant concerns about the improvement of the church and the salvation of human souls. Like a true shepherd, following the words of the Gospel: “ So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16), the saint himself was a model of piety in everything. At the same time, he tried to eradicate evil morals, envy, lies and other vices in people of all ranks. The clergy especially upset the saint with their ignorance and disdain for preaching the Word of God.

“To our accursed time,” said Saint Demetrius in one of his teachings, “as if that sowing was by no means neglected, the Word of God was completely abandoned and we do not know whom you should judge first, the sowers or the land, the priests or the hearts of men, or both.” buy? Together there was obscenity, there was no one creating goodness, not even one. The sower does not sow, and the earth does not accept; the priests are negligent, and the people err; the priests do not teach, and the people are ignorant; The priests do not preach the Word of God, and the people do not listen; they just want to listen.”

The saint did not find good moral education among many of the clergy. On the contrary, he had to notice with grief that the fathers of families were not attentive to the fulfillment of the main Christian duties by their household.

“And what’s even more amazing,” continues Saint Demetrius, “is that many priests’ wives and children never receive communion, even though we hear from here: priests’ sons come to be placed in the places of their fathers, whom we always ask how long ago they took communion, many will truly say that they don’t remember when.” took communion. Oh, wretched priests who neglect their home! How can children care for the Holy Church if they do not bring their household to holy communion? How can they bring parishioners who are not concerned about the salvation of souls in the house?”

The priests did not know their duties well. There were those among them who, at feasts, with reproof and reproach, told the sins of their spiritual children, revealed in confession. Others were too lazy to go to the sick for confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries, especially to the poor.

The saint was filled with even more pious zeal, and he began to grieve even more when he learned that some priests, having forgotten the fear of God, do not pay due veneration to the Most Pure and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ. In one of his messages the saint talks about such an event.

– It happened to us in January 1702 to go to the city of Yaroslavl. On the way I entered a village church. Having performed the usual prayer, I wanted to give worthy honor and worship to the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ and asked the local priest:

– Where are the Life-giving Mysteries of Christ?

The priest, as if not understanding my words, stood in bewilderment and was silent. Then I asked him again:

– Where is the Body of Christ?

The priest did not understand this question either. One of the experienced priests who accompanied me asked him:

-Where is the supply?

Then the priest took out a “very vile vessel” from around the corner and showed what was kept in it with such carelessness great shrine, at which even the angels look with fear.

“And they were deeply troubled by this in their hearts,” says the saint, “because in such disrespect the body of Christ is preserved, and because there is no honest reproach that is due to the Most Pure Mysteries. The heavens will be amazed at this, and the ends of the earth will be horrified!”

The saint began to take care of the immediate eradication of such glaring shortcomings. Desiring that the priests would abandon their negligence and carry out their ministry with all diligence and fear of God, Saint Demetrius wrote two district epistles for pastors. These messages, in many copies, were sent to priests so that they could copy them for themselves, read them more often and correct their duties in accordance with them.

In his first letter, the saint fatherly exhorted the shepherds to abandon their evil behavior, forbade them to talk about the sins of their spiritual children and to be vain about their title and position as a spiritual father. In the name of the Lord, he begged them not to despise the poor and wretched, but to equally and unceasingly care for the souls of all their flock.

In his second epistle, Saint Demetrius, by his archpastoral authority, commanded that priests, under fear of the terrible judgment of God, not only themselves give due worship to the Holy and Life-giving Mysteries, but also teach others to do so; He exhorted them to be kept in places and vessels appropriate to the sanctuary and not to call them “reserves”; he urged the priests to adequately prepare for their sacred service and begged them to teach the people as often as possible and to carefully fulfill their duties.

Striving to completely eradicate shortcomings among the clergy, Saint Demetrius realized that the most effective means for this was good teaching and upbringing. Therefore, he opened a school at his bishop's house. Having gathered more than two hundred people, the children of clergy, in this school, he divided them into three classes and assigned a separate teacher for each class. The school was the subject of special care of the saint. He often visited classes, listened to the students himself and tested their knowledge. In the absence of a teacher, he himself assumed his position. In his free time from his usual studies, the saint gathered capable students and interpreted to them some books from the Old Testament; in the summer, while living in the bishop's village of Demyanakh, he explained the New Testament to his disciples. The saint cared no less about the moral education of his disciples. On Sundays and holidays they had to come to the cathedral church for all-night vigil and liturgy. At the end of the first kathisma, during the reading of any word or life, the disciples had to approach the saint for a blessing, thus making their presence known. The Archpastor commanded the disciples to strictly observe not only Lent, but also other fasts; he himself confessed them and communed the Holy Mysteries. The saint gave places in churches to those who completed their studies, depending on their merit. To instill in them respect for their position, he initiated sextons and sextons into surplices, which had never happened before in Rostov.

However, no matter how burdened the saint was with numerous worries and affairs, even in his new ministry he did not abandon his work on the lives of the saints. Almost three years have passed since Saint Demetrius arrived in Rostov, and the following entry was made into the chronicle of the Rostov bishops, located at the Rostov Cathedral, about the completion of this great work by Saint Demetrius: “In the summer of the incarnation of God the Word 1705, the month of Fevruaria, in On the 9th day, in memory of the holy martyr Nicephorus, the so-called victorious one, on the occasion of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, I expressed my prayer to Saint Simeon the God-Receiver: “Now dost thou let thy servant go, O Master,” on the day of the Lord’s suffering, Friday, in which Christ said on the cross: “ accomplished,” - before the Saturday of Remembrance of the Dead and before the Week of the Last Judgment, with the help of God and the Most Pure Mother of God, and the prayers of all saints, the month of August was written. Amen".

In September of the same year, this last book, containing the months June, July and August, was printed in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Thus was completed the great work of compiling the Menaion-Chets, which required more than twenty years of intense work from the saint.

But Saint Demetrius was faced with another important feat in the Rostov flock. There were many schismatics there at that time, whose main teachers, hiding in the Bryn forests, spread their harmful teachings everywhere through their secret preachers. With wrong interpretations and secret exhortations they lured the sheep of Christ into their deadly snares. Many, having believed their flattering teaching, wavered in the true faith.

“Ole of the damned, our last times! - exclaims the saint, - as now the holy Church is greatly oppressed, diminished, both from external persecutors, and from internal schismatics, like the Apostle. they came from us, but were not ours”(1 John 2:19). And it is only because of the schism that the most true conciliar Church of the Apostolic Church has diminished, as if the true son of the Church can hardly be found anywhere: almost in every city some kind of special faith is invented, and already about faith, simple men and women, who do not know much about the true path, dogmatize and They teach, as they say about the addition of three fingers, that there is not a right and a new cross, and in their stubbornness of repentance they stand, having despised and rejected the true teachers of the church.”

Such phenomena were extremely regrettable for the enlightened defender of the faith of Christ. The saint decided to travel around his diocese several times and lived for a long time in Yaroslavl in order to denounce with his words the obdurate ignorance of the apostates of the Orthodox Church. On one of his visits to Yaroslavl, Saint Demetrius, having celebrated the liturgy in the cathedral on Sunday, was returning to his home. At this time, two people unknown to him approached him and asked him a question:

- Holy Lord, what do you command? They tell us to shave our beards, but we are ready to put our heads behind our beards.

The saint was surprised at such an unexpected question and in turn asked:

– Do you think your head will grow back if it is removed from you?

“No,” they answered.

– Will the beard grow? - asked the saint.

“The beard will grow,” they answered.

- So let them cut off your beard, wait for another one.

When the saint and the eminent citizens who accompanied him entered his cell, they talked for a long time about beard shaving. Saint Demetrius learned that in his flock there were many people who doubted their salvation because their beards were shaved by order of the king. They thought that along with the beard they had lost the image and likeness of God. The saint exhorted for a long time to leave these doubts aside, proving that the image and likeness of God is not in the beard or face, but in the soul of man. After this, the saint wrote an essay: “On the image of God and likeness in man” and sent it throughout his diocese. By order of the sovereign, this work was published three times.

Soon Saint Demetrius wrote an extensive work, “Search for the Bryn Faith,” which revealed the very spirit of the schism.

The saint clearly and convincingly proved in this work that the faith of the schismatics was wrong, their teaching was harmful to the soul, and their deeds were not pleasing to God.

Tirelessly striving for the benefit of the Church and the state, Saint Demetrius undertook other works. So, he intended to compile a “Chronicle telling the deeds from the beginning of the world to the Nativity of Christ.” The saint wanted to compile this book both for his own private reading and for other special circumstances. He knew well that not only in Lesser Russia, but also in Greater Russia, rarely did anyone have a Slavic Bible. Only rich people could acquire it, while the poor were completely deprived of the spiritual benefit that reading this inspired book brings. Many people, even among the clergy, did not know the order of the biblical narrative. Therefore, the saint wanted to compile a brief biblical history so that everyone could purchase it at an inexpensive price and become familiar with the contents of the Bible. Saint Demetrius immediately got down to business and began selecting information from the Holy Scriptures and various chronographs.

“I write,” said the saint, “with God’s help, moral teachings, and in some places interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, as much as I can in my weak strengths, and I give biblical stories only briefly instead of an introduction, and from them, as from sources, I produce streams of moral teaching.” .

No matter how much the saint wanted to finish the Chronicle, he could not fulfill his intention. The big obstacle for him in this was his completely disturbed health. He managed to describe the events of only 4600 years. Meanwhile, following this work, the saint thought to begin, with God's help, to compile a brief interpretation of the Psalter.

Saint Demetrius was a famous preacher of his time and often addressed his flock with eloquent words of edification. No work or duties ever distracted him from preaching the Word of God. The truths of Christianity he preached, flowing directly from the soul of the preacher, were always alive and active and captivated the listeners with the simplicity of the conversation between father and children, teacher and students. If it were possible to find and collect together all the teachings of this Russian Chrysostom, there should be a great many of them. But, unfortunately, many of the teachings of Saint Demetrius have been lost.

Saint Demetrius wisely ruled his flock and never resorted to harsh measures. Distinguished by his meekness, he treated everyone - both noble and simple - with equal love and without any partiality. All the faithful sons of the Church loved him and revered him as a father. The sovereign himself and the entire royal family deeply respected the Rostov Metropolitan for his truly virtuous life. The Christian virtues of Saint Demetrius shone equally both in the monastic cell and in the bishop's pulpit. Prayer, fasting, humility, non-covetousness and love for the poor and orphans shone especially brightly in his life.

Despite the many tasks of managing the diocese, Saint Demetrius came to church every day to pray; on all Sundays and holidays he performed the liturgy and delivered a sermon; He always took part in religious processions himself, no matter how long and distant they were. If he felt unwell, and this often happened, he would send him to the seminary so that the disciples, in remembrance of the five plagues of Christ, would read him the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) five times. While visiting the seminary, he exhorted his students to constantly call for help on the Teacher of wisdom and the Giver of understanding, the Almighty Lord. The saint taught his servants and everyone who lived with him to make the sign of the cross and quietly read the prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice,” every time the clock struck. He treated his servants very humanely. When one of them had a birthday, he blessed him with an image or rewarded him with money. He taught them to fast diligently and avoid overeating and drunkenness. Saint Demetrius himself set an example of this in his own life. Taking food only in order to maintain his bodily strength, the saint ate only once in the first week of Great Lent - he ate only once and on Holy Week, on Maundy Thursday.

Constantly remembering the words of the Savior: “ Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted”(Luke 18:14), Saint Demetrius was distinguished throughout his life by great humility.

“I am not like this,” the saint said about himself, “but your love does not allow me to exist. I am not well-behaved, but ill-natured, full of bad customs, and in my mind I am far from the reasonable; I am a bully and an ignoramus; and my light is only darkness and dust... I beg your brotherly love to pray for me to the Lord, my Light, that it will enlighten my darkness, and that the honest will come from the unworthy.”

Having reached the highest rank of hierarch, Saint Demetrius retained the same humility; he was respectful to those above him, favorable to his equals, merciful to his subordinates, and compassionate to the unfortunate.

It goes without saying that with such high moral qualities the saint had to be distinguished by complete selflessness. Indeed, there was no place in his heart for stinginess, covetousness and love of money. Throughout his life, he used all alms and income either for church needs or for charity to the poor. The saint cared for orphans, widows, the beggars and the poor as a father cared for his children. He distributed everything he received to them, calling the blind, deaf, lame and wretched to his chamber of the cross, offering them a meal, giving them clothes and showing other favors. The saint himself testified to his selflessness and non-covetousness in his spiritual testament, which he drew up two and a half years before his death.

“I am judged,” he says, “with this spiritual letter of mine it is known that everyone who wants to seek the property of my cell after my death will do it, so that he would not labor in vain, nor torture those who served me for God’s sake, so that the message is my treasure and wealth, which is from I have not gathered my youth (this is not to be vain about the river, but to let those who seek my possessions know from me that I will create). From now on I received the holy monastic image and took monastic vows in the Kiev Cyril Monastery in the eighteenth year of my age, and promised to God to have voluntary poverty: from that time, even until I was brought close to the tomb, I did not acquire property or take money, except for the books of the saints, I did not collect gold and silver , I did not deign to have unnecessary clothes, nor any things other than the very needs, but I tried to observe lack of possessions and monastic poverty in spirit and in deed as much as possible, not worrying about myself, but relying on the Providence of God, who had never forsaken me. The alms that came into my hands from my benefactors and even in the leadership of the cell parish, you and the monastery’s needs, where you were in the abbots and archimandrites, are also in the bishopric: we do not collect cell people, even not many parishes, but for my needs and dependents, and for the needs of the needy, where God commanded. Let no one work after my death, testing or seeking some kind of my cell meeting: for what I leave below in the burial is not for remembrance, but the poverty of the monks will especially appear to God at the end. I believe that it will be more pleasing to Him, even if there is no one left for me, than if so much had been distributed to my brothers.”

He announced this will, in which the saint again repeated his desire to be buried in the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, to his friend, Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky. Then they made a covenant among themselves: if the Right Reverend Stefan died first, then Metropolitan Demetrius would be at his burial; If Demetrius first goes to the Lord, then Stefan must bury him.

Saint Demetrius died at the age of fifty-eight, on October 28, 1709, a day after his namesake. A few days before his death, he was informed about the imminent arrival of Queen Paraskeva Feodorovna in Rostov to venerate the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, which this time, due to the autumn bad weather, which made it difficult for the queen to travel to Yaroslavl, was to be moved from here to Rostov. The saint, having heard this, called his treasurer, Hieromonk Philaret, and prophetically announced to him the proximity of his death: “Behold, two queens are coming to Rostov: the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of Earth; I will no longer be worthy of seeing them, but you, the treasurer, must be ready to receive them.”

Three days before the repose of Saint Demetrius, an illness that had long been hidden in his chest was revealed with particular force in his cough. Despite this, the saint tried to appear cheerful. On his namesake day, October 26, he himself performed the liturgy in the cathedral, but he could no longer speak his teaching, and forced one of his singers to read it from a notebook. At the dinner table he sat with the guests, although with extreme need. The next day, Archimandrite of the Danilov Monastery in Pereslavl came to visit Saint Varlaam. During their conversation, the nun Barsanuphia, who was then living in Rostov, was sent to the saint, the former nurse of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, tonsured into monasticism by Saint Demetrius himself. She treated the Archpastor of Rostov with deep reverence and often asked him for soul-helping instructions. So this time Barsanuphia earnestly prayed to the saint to visit her on the same day. Saint Demetrius went to her together with Archimandrite Varlaam. On the way back, he could barely reach his cell, leaning on the servants.

He immediately ordered the singers to be called to him to sing spiritual songs he himself had composed, such as: “My dear Jesus,” “I place my hope in God,” “You are my God Jesus, You are my joy.” This singing delighted his soul with words pouring out of itself, and he listened to the singers, warming himself near the stove.

At the end of the singing, having dismissed the singers, the saint retained one of them, Savva Yakovlev, his beloved, a zealous copyist of his works. Saint Demetrius began to tell him about his life, how he spent it in his youth and adulthood, how he prayed to God and His Most Pure Mother and all the saints, and said: “And you, children, pray the same way.”

Then he blessed the singer and, seeing him out of his cell, bowed to him almost to the ground and thanked him for his diligence in correspondence.

Seeing that the archpastor was seeing him off so humbly and unusually and bowing so low to him, the singer shuddered and said with reverence:

- Do you bow to me, holy lord, your last servant?

To this the saint answered with the same meekness:

- Thank you, child!

The singer wept bitterly and left. After this, Saint Demetrius ordered the servants to go to their places, and he himself locked himself in a special room, as if wanting to rest, and alone devoted himself to fervent prayer to God. In the morning, the ministers entered this room and found the saint deceased on his knees, in a praying position. Thus, prayer, which sweetened the life of the saint, accompanied him to death.

The honorable body of the deceased saint was clothed in bishop's robes, which he himself had prepared, and on the same day was transferred to the house church. In the coffin, under the head and under the whole body, according to the will of St. Demetrius, his rough papers were placed. Immediately the news of the repose of the saint spread throughout Rostov. Many people flocked to his tomb, sincerely crying over the invaluable loss of their beloved shepherd and teacher. On the same day, Tsarina Paraskeva Feodorovna arrived in Rostov with her daughters, princesses Ekaterina, Paraskeva and Anna (the future Tsarina) Ioannovna. Not finding the saint alive, as he himself had predicted, she cried a lot because she was not worthy to receive a blessing from him, and ordered a requiem service to be served at the cathedral.

On October 30, by order of the queen, the body of the saint was transferred to the cathedral with due honor. The queen listened to the requiem service for the second time, said goodbye to the saint of God for the last time and went to Moscow.

Soon Metropolitan Stephen arrived for the burial of the saint. Entering straight into the cathedral, he bowed to the body of his deceased friend and cried a lot over him. After this, he ordered the treasurer Filaret to prepare everything necessary for burial in the Yakovlevsky Monastery. Then the abbots of the Rostov monasteries, cathedral priests and many of the citizens approached Stephen with a request to bury Demetrius in the cathedral, where former bishops were usually buried. But Stefan did not agree, saying: “The Right Reverend Demetrius, having ascended to the Rostov See, first of all visited the Yakovlevsky Monastery and himself chose a place for burial here. How can I violate his will?”

On the day appointed for the burial, November 25, Metropolitan Stefan, faithful to the covenant of friendship, performed the liturgy and burial, during which he pronounced the word, often exclaiming: “Holy Demetrius, holy!” Following this, accompanied by weeping people, the body of Saint Demetrius was transferred to the Yakovlevsky Monastery, and here in the Conception Cathedral it was interred. The Reverend Stephen wrote funeral verses, in which, among other things, he said:

All of you, people of Rostov City, weep,

Remember the deceased shepherd with tears,

Demetrius, Bishop and Eminence,

The Metropolitan is quiet and humble.

For about forty-three years, the body of Saint Demetrius rested under a bushel. In September 1752, when they were dismantling the dilapidated floor of the Conception Cathedral, they found a rotten wooden frame, on top of which, instead of a roof, thick logs were laid lengthwise, which then fell inside the frame. They dismantled the rotten frame, took out the accumulated earth and saw the saint’s coffin. It was damaged: the roof was broken by fallen logs and through the holes one could see the veil, miter and all the holy clothes, not damaged by decay. When the holy relics were examined, it turned out that the saint’s hands, folded crosswise on his chest, were completely incorrupt; only the right hand had four fingers broken from a board that had fallen inside the coffin, and left hand separated from the elbow; all other parts of the body are intact.

Hearing about the discovery of the holy relics, the people hurried in crowds to the newly-minted saint of God, and at his tomb an abundant source of healings was discovered, which are given to believers to this day for the glory of the wondrous Triune God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in His saints. Amen.

Troparion, tone 8:

To the zealot of Orthodoxy, and to the eradicator of schism, Russian healer, and new prayer book to God, with your writings you have made them chaste, O spiritual priest, blessed Demetrius, pray to Christ God to save our Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, and all his heritage, and his power.

Kontakion, tone 8:

The Russian star that shone from Kiev, and through Novgrad Seversky reached Rostov, and illuminated this whole country with teachings and miracles, let us please the golden-talking teacher Demetrius: for he has written everything for everyone, even for instruction, so that he will gain everyone, like Paul, to Christ, and save by orthodoxy our souls.

Joseph (Nelyubovich - Tukalsky) from 1661, Archbishop of Mogilev, then Metropolitan of Kiev; was captured by the Poles and died in Chigirin in 1676.

Lazar Baranovich († 1693) was the Archbishop of Chernigov from 1657. A former student and rector of the Kyiv Academy (1650 - 1656), Lazar was famous for preaching the word of God and assisted the Moscow government in subjugating Little Russia. St. Demetrius called him “the great pillar of the church.”

Until the end of the 16th century. in Russia, sermons were rarely delivered orally: for the most part, translated teachings of St. fathers or lives of saints. Since the emergence of schools in southwestern Russia, examples of their own preaching began to appear, and at the same time a special position of preachers was formed, which was sent to cathedrals, monasteries and brotherhoods by educated clergy.

A search for the schismatic Bryn faith, published for the first time in Moscow in 1745. This work is divided into three parts. In the first, the saint solves two questions: “Is the faith of the schismatics right?” and “Is their faith old?” Answering the first question, St. Demetrius proves that the schismatics do not have true faith, for their faith is limited to old books and icons, the eight-pointed cross, their folding of fingers in the sign of the cross and the sevenfold number of prosphoras at the liturgy - which does not constitute faith. Solving the second question, the saint says that the faith of the schismatics is new or has renewed old heresies and errors. In the second part of the Search, the author says that the teaching of the schismatics, originating from teachers of impostors, is 1) false, 2) heretical and 3) blasphemous. In the third part - about the deeds of the schismatics - it is proven that their seemingly good deeds are spoiled by arrogance, vanity and hypocrisy, and then they list the evil, clearly lawless deeds of the schismatics.

This intention of the saint is known from his “Epistolary”, i.e. collections of letters.

The word “chronograph” is Greek (xroyos – time, grapo – writing) meaning weather record. This was the name given to various collections of historical content in Byzantium, which also presented biblical history. They came to us from Byzantium.

Letter from Diaria 1708.

Of the numerous works of Saint Demetrius, some have dogmatic content, others have spiritual and moral content, and others have historical content. – I. Dogmatic ones include: 1) “Short questions and answers about faith”; 2) “Mirror of the Orthodox Confession” (both works are a catechetical presentation of the doctrine and moral teaching of the Orthodox Church); 3) “Twelve articles on the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ”; 4) “The search for the Bryn faith.” – II. Spiritual and moral ones include: 1) “Spiritual healing for confused thoughts” (extracted from the Ladder, the Five, the lives of saints, etc.); 2) “Apology to quench the sorrow of a person in trouble” (conversation between the mourner and the comforter); 3) “The inner man is secluded in the cage of his heart, studying and praying in secret” (the purpose of this work is to accustom a Christian to prayer); 4) “Adoration of the Holy Trinity”; 5) “Worship of St. Mother of God"; 6) “Prayer of confession to the God of everyday life”; 7) “General confession of sins”; 8) “On Communion of the Holy Mysteries” (reflection on how to worthily approach the Holy Mysteries and prayers before and after communion); 9) Prayerful reflections on the sufferings of the Lord (with different titles); 10) Two pastoral letters (about the proper performance of the holy sacraments of repentance and communion); 11) “Spiritual Alphabet” (brief spiritual and moral rules, arranged according to the Slavic alphabet, following the example of the Ladder of John Climacus); 12) “Spiritual psalms or chants”, etc. – III. The historical ones include: 1) “Diary” (day notes from 1681 to 1703 and letters relating to the scientific works of the saint); 2) “Irrigated Fleece” (the tale of 24 miracles from the icon of the Mother of God in the Ilyinsky Chernigov Monastery); 3) “A chronicle indicating events from the beginning of the world to the Nativity of Christ”; 4) “Catalog of Kyiv Metropolitans” and 5) “Minea-Cheti”.

Dowager wife of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, who died in 1696.

The celebration in honor of the Tolga Icon of the Mother of God takes place on August 8. The Tolga Monastery is located 9 versts from Yaroslavl on the Volga; founded in 1314 by the Rostov Bishop Prokhor (in schema Tryphon) on the site of the appearance of the icon to him.

St. Demetrius was often visited by Tsarina Paraskeva Feodorovna and the daughters of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and gave him robes. From these offerings, the saint prepared himself a bishop's vestment and bequeathed to bury himself in these clothes.

April 22, 1757 St. Demetrius is canonized. On behalf of the Holy Synod, Arseny, Metropolitan of Rostov, then wrote a biography of the saint, and the service to him was compiled by Ambrose, Bishop of Pereyaslavl, later Archbishop of Moscow.

Brief life of St. Demetrius of Rostov

Saint Di-mitriy, mit-ro-po-lit of Ro-stov (in the world of Da-ni-il Sav-vich Tup-ta-lo), born in -ka-re of 1651 in the me-stech-ke of Ma-ka-ro-vo, not far from Ki-e-va, in a blessed family and you- grew up with deep faith as a Christian. In 1662, shortly after the transfer of ro-di-te-ley to Ki-ev, Da-ni-il was sent to Ki-e-vo-Mo-gi -Lyanskaya college, where for the first time the talents and unusual abilities of talent were revealed young-shi. He successfully studied Greek and Latin languages ​​and a number of classical languages. On July 9, 1668, Da-ni-il adopted a monastery with the name Di-mit-riy - in honor of the great Di-mit-riy. Riya So-lun-sko-go. Until the spring of 1675, he held a foreign service in the Kiev Ki-ril-lov mo-na-sta-re, where I was wondering about his li-te-ra-tour-naya and pro-knowledge-of-anything-ness. Cher-ni-gov-sky ar-hi-bishop Lazar (Ba-ra-no-vich) ru-ko-po-lo-lived Di-mit-riya on May 23, 1675 in Hiero-mo -na-ha. Over the course of several years, Hiero-monk Di-mit-ri stood in the hall, preaching the word of God in various ways. on the sites and temples of Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus. For some time he was the abbot of the Mak-si-mov-skaya abode, and then of the Ba-tu-rin-skogo Nikol-skogo mo- na-st-rya, from where in 1684 he was summoned to the Ki-e-Pe-Cher-Sk Lavra. On-sto-tel Lav-ry ar-hi-mand-rit Var-la-am (Yasin-sky), knowing the high-spiritual disposition of his-e- of a former scientist, his education, his inclination towards scientific work, and also the undoubted -ra-tur-noe da-ro-va-nie, in-ru-chil hiero-mo-na-hu Di-mit-riu co-creation of Che-ti-ih-Mi-ney (living- Saints) for the whole year. From that time on, the entire further life of Saint Dimitri was completely dedicated to this. movement-no-thing, grand-di-oz-no-go according to its scale of work. The work was enormously intense, it would have been necessary to collect and analyze a lot -a variety of different sources and to live them in a language that is suitable for you niya and one-newly accessible to all believers. Divine help did not abandon the saint during his twenty years of work. According to the testimony of the pre-excellent, his soul was filled with the saints who had strengthened him his spirit and body, all the faith in the blissful completion of his blissful work. At one time, with this, the Reverend Di-mitriy was the head of several monasteries (once again) . Work on moving about, paying attention to yourself, pat-ri-ar-ha Adri-a-na. In 1701, by decree of Peter I, Ar-hi-mand-rit Di-mitriy was summoned to Moscow, where on March 23, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin was a hi-ro-to-ni-san at the Siberian mit-ro-po-li-whose department in the city of To-bolsk. But after some time, due to the importance of academic work and poor health, the saint got better -his-name in Ro-stov-Yaroslav-sky, where he arrived on March 1, 1702 as a mit-ro-po-li-ta Ro -stov-sko-go.

As before, he continued to vigilantly worry about strengthening the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, weakened -th-old-ro-n-row-che-ra-s-ko-lom.

In his inspired works and stories, many of the Russian gods' words are spiritual strength for creativity and prayer. For all right-glorious Christians, he remains an example of a holy, as-ke-ti-che-che-s, unbearable life. neither. Upon his death, after October 28, 1709, no property was found in his possession, except for books and ru-ko-pi-sey.

The number of saints of Di-mit-riy, the mit-ro-of Ro-stov-skogo, to the face of saints from the top moose April 22, 1757. The holiday was established for him the same way on September 21, on the day of the discovery of relics.

Saint Di-mitriy, mit-ro-po-lit of Ro-stov, having arrived in 1702 at the Ro-stov ca-fed-ru, first of all in the monastery of St. Ia-ko-va, Episcopal of Rostov (commemorated on November 27 and May 23). In the congregational church in honor of the Holy Mother of God, he performed a tour, after which with all the presence in the temple, he determined on the right side the place of his future burial with words: “Behold, my peace, everyone is here forever and ever.” Rev. Saint Demetrius on October 28, 1709. Despite the desire for holiness, you are married in the za-ve-shcha-nii, the spirit-ho-ven-stvo and life of Ro-sto- wa about-si-li-arrived-for-gree-be-niya place-sto-blue-sti-te-la pat-ri-ar-she-go pre-sto-la Rya-zan- sko-mit-ro-po-li-ta Ste-fa-na Yavor-go to perform burial in the cathedral temple of the city, Rya -a house with a predecessor, Saint Di-mit-ria, Saint Joasaph. Mit-ro-po-lit Stefan, observing the protection of his friend, insisted on rowing -the body of the holy Di-mit-ria in the indicated place. One-on-the-time, before the arrival of the mit-ro-po-li-ta Ste-fa-at-the-place of the burial-place, there-was-not, ho About a month has passed since the day of his death. In connection with the urgent departure of the mit-ro-po-li-ta Ste-fa-na from Ro-sto-va in the vy-ko-pan-noy mo-gi-le was transferred -a soon-to-be-prepared timber frame, in which on the 25th of November there was a holy. This situation, pre-thought of by God, led to the rapid acquisition of powers . In 1752, renovations were carried out in the cathedral church of the mo-na-sta-rya, and on September 21, when it was repaired, it was lowered -she-go-xia was about-on-the-same-but the imperishable body of the holy Di-mit-ria. The burial place turned out to be damp, a du-bo-y coffin, and the ru-ko-pi-si-is-smoldering in it. li, but the body is holy, as well as the omo-phor, sak-kos, mit-ra and silk rosary have been preserved imperishable . After the discovery of the holy relics, there were a lot of works, which were not discussed before -but-du, according to the pre-pi-sa-niiu of someone, the Suz-dal mit-ro-po-lit Sil-vester and Si-mo-nov arrived in Ro-stov -sky ar-hi-mand-rit Gav-ri-il for the osvi-de-tel-stvo-va-niya of the relics of the holy Di-mit-riy and the things that happened -dys-ts-tse-le-niy. Subsequently, there was a decree of Si-no-da dated April 29, 1757 on the inclusion of saints in the list of saints. ria, the mit-ro-li-ta of Ro-stov-go and the establishment of the celebration of October 28 (the day of repose) and September 21 (day of re-re-re-re-re-relics).

The complete life of St. Demetrius of Rostov

The first movements of the holy Demetrius

In the pre-deeds of Kiev, in the small metropolis of Ma-ka-rov, the future saint was born in December 1651 -tel Di-mit-riy (in the world of Da-ni-il) from not-know-me-none, but good-che-sti-vyh ro-di-te-lei: hundreds ka Sav-vy Gri-gor-e-vi-cha Tup-ta-ly and his spouses Maria. He himself depicted in his notes, which he kept for almost his entire life, the blessed end of his Ma-te-ri, and the praise of that son is the best evidence of her goodness. His father, from simple Cossacks, served to the rank of sot-nika with get-ma-n Do-ro-shen-ko, in troubled conditions -at that time, in the later years of Bod-ro, I bore the burden of military service and died over a hundred years in Ki -e-ve, where did I go with my family? He devoted his last days to the service of the Church in the capacity of the priest of the Kirillovsky monastery, where he received his haircut subsequently his son and where he himself lay down in eternal rest beside his wife. Nothing more is known about them; but that glory is enough for the goodness of this thing, that it could, in the midst of its wretchedness, grow to shine such a light for the Church, teaching him, even in his home life, to do good deeds.

A learned grad-mo-te in the house of ro-di-tel-sky, from-rock Da-ni-il entered for higher education to the Brotherhood School at the Church of God in Ki-e-ve, which is now converted into the monastery of Aka-de-mi-che- skaya, it was the only garden-garden for the re-cultivation of the spirit for youth, planted, or, better to say . but from the moment the attention of his superiors was paid to him, and he showed quick successes above all his peers, but was even more estranged by his blessings and modest disposition, which removed him from all the amazements characteristic of his age. No further, at least eight years of age, he could have used the blessed teaching -we eat Brotherly obi-te-li; amidst the disastrous circumstances of that time, during the bloody war between Russia and the back-non-prov-skis ka-za-ka-mi, Ki-ev moved from hand to hand, and my school itself was closed when it kept wa Polish for the time being, I carry ko-la-da-la of our faith; for seven years it remained in such a place. That's when the young man Da-ni-il fell to the wounded desire of his heart and, three years later, you leaving school, thoroughly reading his father's books, taking monastic vows in a related community -te-ki-ril-lov-skoy; he took the name Dimitri, which he glorified in the Russian land. It’s clear that this abode was given to them, for there was someone here, the old man, his father, and now the former rector Brother -teacher, enlightened Me-le-tiy Dzik.

From here, although still in his youth, there are already a number of advances made by Di-mit-ri-e-vyh in the field of the church. kov-nom and theological-slovak, on which he spoke, as one of the ancient teachers of the Church of the Universal, recalling we have a bright face, and. Despite his youth, for the sake of your kindness and hard-working life, abbot Me-letiy asked for the re-chen-no-go mit-ro-po-li-ta Ki-ev-sko-go, Joseph Tu-kal-sko-go (who, without being up to his diocese, had a seat in Ka-ne-ve), ordain a new foreigner in hiero-di-a-ko -on the. Six years later, he emerged from the walls of Di-mit-riy and now I keep the mit-ro-po-liy of Ki-ev-skaya, La- for-ryu Ba-ra-no-vi-chu, ar-hi-epi-sko-pu Cher-ni-gov-sko-mu, husband, you are so kind and scientist, who himself was a vo-pi-tan-no-com and a rector of the Kiev Aka-demia and in-chi-tal-sya ve-li- kim table-pom of the Church and rev-no-te-lem of the right-to-glory in Ma-lo-ros-sia. The ar-hi-bishop-skop called Di-mit-riy, who had only reached twenty-five years of age, to Gu- Stynsky Tro-itsky monastery, where he himself went on the occasion of the consecration of the temple, and there he lived as a hiero -mo-na-ha; this was in 1675. Having learned more closely about the internal status of the new state, he took him with him to the diocese, where he needed help. in the knowledge of the words of God and in co-operation with la-ti-na-mi, which have strengthened their power -glory in southern Russia.

The zealous shepherd tried to awaken people enlightened to act against the Roman goats, he called for this is from Lithuania, the former river of the Kiev aka-de-mia Ioan-nik-kiya Go-lya-tov-skogo and po-kro-vi-tel- taught to the foreign-countryman Adam Zer-ni-ka-vu, who, being pro-te-stan-tom, turned to the great -for the glory of the only power of is; this Zer-ni-kav wrote an extensive book about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the one Father, in which swarm, in accordance with the opinions of the Latina, there would have been all possible evidence of the ancient teachings of the Church. With such learned people, Di-mitriy entered into the community, filling them with the knowledge that I did not know. current of his own, since the circumstances of the time did not allow him to complete the full course of theological in science at the Bratsk school. In the span of two years, he held the position of pro-co-leader at the Cher-ni-gov-skaya department and just as old Let me give you a beautiful word, how good it is as an example. A famous dream that he had about this time and was recorded in his diary, as wow, to some degree of church the preacher was strict with himself: “Once upon a time in Lent , in 1676, on the week of the Holy Cross, leaving the morning service and getting ready for service in the community -re (for the Eminence himself wanted to serve), I dozed off in a few thin sleeps. In a dream, it seemed to me that I was standing in the altar in front of the altar table: the most holy arch-hierei was sitting in chairs, and we are all around the throne, getting ready to serve, and reading something. Suddenly the lord was angry with me and began to swear at me strongly; his words (I remember them well) were like: “Didn’t I choose you, didn’t I give you a name? left brother Pav-la Dia-ko-na and others who came, and chose you?” In his anger, he uttered other words that were useful to me, but which, however, I don’t remember; I don’t remember this good thing. I bowed low to the Most Holy One and, promising to correct myself (which, however, I still haven’t -I bark), asked for forgiveness - and received it. Having forgiven me, he encouraged me to kiss his hand and began to talk kindly and a lot, ordering me getting ready to serve. Then I again stood in my place, straightened the servant, but in it I immediately found the same words as the holy The puppy told me you said, with big shi-mi letters: “Didn’t I choose you? "and so on, as was said before. With great horror and surprise I read these words at that time, and to this day I remember them firmly. Waking up from sleep, I was surprised a lot by the sight and until then, with the re-mind, I was surprised and amazed I believe that in this vision, through a specially sacred arch-hi-episco-pa, my Creator himself lied to me. At the same time, I asked about Paul: wasn’t there once such a Dia-ko? I couldn’t find him anywhere, neither in Cher-ni-go-ve, nor in Ki-e-ve, nor in other monasteries, and to this day I don’t know: he was Is there or is there now a Pavel deacon where in my fatherland? God knows what Pavel deacon means? O my Lord! arrange a thing for me according to Your good and most-hearted desire for the salvation of my sinful soul.” .

Rumors about the new branch of the church spread throughout Ma-lo-Russia and Lithuania; various personal environments, one after another, began to take advantage of his spiritual na-zi-da-no -the swarm attracted crowds of native people to them and established their right-to-glory in those parts. Moved by the good-che-sti-vy user-di-em, Di-mit-riy first of all from Cher-ni-go-va to No-vo -court monastery, under the jurisdiction of the Vi-lensky Holy Spirit, in the Lithuanian precincts, for clo-ne-niya miraculously-created icon of Bo-go-ma-te-ri, pi-san-noy holy mit-ro-po-li-tom. He was warmly received there by the mit-ro-poly, the bishop of the Bel-Russian Fe-o-do-si-em and I stand with the Holy Spiritual Monastery of Kli-men-tom Tro-its-kim. The latter invited him for a short time to his monastery of Vilenskaya, and Bishop Fe-o-do-siy - to Slutsk, where he there would have been a place for him with his Pre-ob-ra-female monastery; there, taking advantage of a special race of brotherhood and who-ra of the mo-na-styr-skogo, blah-de-tel- but the citizen of Skoch-ke-vi-cha, Di-mit-riy preached the word of God for more than a year, until the end we have our own bla-go-de-te-lei epi-sco-pa and who-ra; but throughout this time, there has been no wandering around the surrounding abodes for worship at the shrine; We are left with his description of the miracle of Ilyin’s icon of Bo-go-ma-te-ri, which is in Cher-ni-go-ve, under the name “Ru-na-or-shen” -no-go."

Meanwhile, Ki-ev and Cher-ni-gov tr-e-bo-va-li to themselves about-rat-but about-by-knowing, hold-wa-e-mo-go in Slutsk, because the general love for him was so great. At the station of the Ki-ril-lov-sko-go-mo-sty-rya Me-le-tiy, re-ve-den-ny in Mi-khai-lov-sky-Zla-to -top, invited his student to come and give him a haircut; het-man of Ma-lo-ros-sia Sa-moi-lo-vich gave him a place at his place in Ba-tu-rin about-to-know.

The vow to obey another prompted Dimitri to go to the call of the elder abbot, but the Slutskaya brethren did not give up -ka-la him, promising to take upon herself all the responsibility, and Me-letiy agreed for a while, having sent-from yourself in the blessing of the pro-knowledge of a part of the relics of the holy greatness Var-va- ry. When, one-on-the-time, after the death of his good-de-te-lei, the requirements from Ki- e-va and Ba-tu-ri-na, Di-mitriy had to see and be-fore the city of the het-man, for some reason that Ki-ev walked then under the fear of the invasion of Ta-tar: the former hetman Yuri Khmel-nitsky on-kli-kal tu- doom to your homeland, and all the back-not-prov-skaya Ukraine and its desolation; yes, at the monastery of the Lavra of Pe-cher-skaya I asked for time to move with my brother-in-law to something else, more without danger. new place. Mi-lo-sti-vo was accepted by Di-mit-riy get-man Sa-my-lo-vi-chem, who himself came from the title of du -hov-no-go, from-the-blessing; he indicated to him for residence the Niko-la-evsky monastery near Ba-tu-ri-na, where at that time he was stationed scientist Fe-o-do-siy Gu-gu-re-vich, who subsequently took the position of rector at the Kiev Academy.

Di-mitriy was invited from Slutsk to various personal occupancies for the propagation of the Word of God; from Ba-tu-ri-na - for the unified management of them. The brotherhood of the Ki-ril-lov-skaya obi-te-li came to ask their former wife to himself, but without success: whether he himself left the room out of confusion or whether the hetman did not let him go. It would have been more successful to invite the Mak-sakov monastery, which is near the city of Borzny; Di-mit-riy from-pra-vil-sya with a letter from get-ma-na in Cher-ni-gov for the benefit of the word to ar-hi-epi-sko-pu La -za-ryu and was received with all the cuteness, as he himself describes in his diary. Not yet reading the letter, the arch-priest said: “May the Lord God bless you for hegemony; but by the name of Di-mit-riy I wish for us mit-ry, Di-mit-riy and let mit-ry read.” On the same day after the dedication, having been invited to the table, I heard even more significant speeches from my his lord: “Today the Lord God has made you abbess in the monastery, where the temple of the Most Holy -under-nya, like Mo-i-sei on Fa-vo-re. Mo-i-seo-vi, who has told His way, may he also tell you on this Fa-vo-re His way to the eternal Fa-vo-ru.” “These words,” says Di-mitriy, “I, a sinner, took for a good-neck before-me-but-va- nie and noticed for myself; God grant that Ar-hi-pas-tyr-skoe’s pro-ro-che-stvo come true! He let me go as the father of his own son: give him, Lord, all the good in his heart.”

For a short time, one abbot, Saint Demetrius was in the abode of Mak-sa-kov; the next year he, at the request of the get-man, was transferred to the Ba-tu-rin monastery in the place of Fe-sto oh-before, he was taken to Kiev, but soon left this position out of love for his studies -nym. Remembering on the occasion of the death of one of his brothers-in-arms, the Kirillovskys, who died in Cher-ni-go- ve, about his own wanderings from the monastery to the monastery, Dimitri noted in his diary: “God knows “That’s where I’m destined to live my head!” Could he have ever expected that from his native Ma-lo-Russia he would be summoned to the holy ca-federa of a stranger him Se-ve-ra? On his day, An-ge-la laid down with himself the abbot of the humble Di-mitriy, remaining, alone, in obedience, because I was not afraid to fight someone else’s will out of my love for obedience. Meanwhile, the ar-hi-mand-rit of the Lavra of Pe-cher-skaya In-no-ken-tiy Gi-zel died and in his place was put no less about - the holy Var-la-am Yasinsky; he proposed to the former igure to re-sit in the lav-ru for scientific work, and this re-se-le-nie with a hundred times an era in his life, for the mind of God was pleased to call Demetrius to work for twenty years -their works, in which he rendered an invaluable service to the entire Russian Church.

Scientific researches of St. Demetrius

For a long time now we have felt the need to collect for the edification of the lives of the saints, glorified -shih State-by-and-mi-mov-mi; mit-ro-po-lit All-Russian Ma-kariy pre-adopted this soulful work, uniting it in his great Che-tyah-Mi-ne-yah all the lives that could only be re-sti-tied in the pro-logs and pa-te-ri-kahs of ours, and to the full their own lives are not described. The enlightened mit-ro-polit of Kiev Peter Mo-gi-la, inspired by such a good example, carried on-me- re-give a life in a more accessible language, Slavic-Russian, and you-wrote for the new re-re-vo-da with Mount Athos Greek books, which worked the most on the lives of the saints in the 10th century; but the early end-of-the-re-pre-emption-va-la jealousy-but-mu-pas-you-ryu-ki-ev-sko-mu-ve-sti-in-use -the good-for-the-moment, and after that, a difficult time for Ki-e-va for a long time. . One-on-one his successor, ar-hi-mand-rit of the Lav-ry of the Pe-cher-skaya In-no-ken-tiy Gi-zel is-pro-force with the same purpose at the pat. -ri-ar-ha Mos-kov-skogo Joaki-ma great Che-ty Mi-nei mit-ro-po-li-ta Ma-ka-riya and also died , without touching the thing. Var-la-am Yasinsky decided to continue to press on, to look for a person for himself in seclusion and comfort own a lot of work. He could not choose the best abbot of the Ba-tu-rin-skogo, from the general council of the Pe-cher-skaya brethren, and a few weeks after his transfer to Lavra, in June 1684, Dimitri came to description of the lives of saints; From then on, this became the constant work of his entire life, which he diligently continued both in the foreign cell and in the rank of a sto-tler, and in the cathedral of a saint, for his soul-sha-flame-but-loved-the-pleasers Bo -live them, whose memory I wanted to glorify. They themselves revealed themselves to him in those mysterious dreams, testifying there to his own closeness to the world. ru to the spirit-no-mu, since his thought was half-used on the images of the saints, they described them; this encouraged him even more to continue his work. This is how he himself describes two comforting dreams in his diary, which he enjoyed in those days -three months. “On August 1685, in the last week I heard good news for the morning, but, as usual, I was too lazy to sleep, and didn’t get to the start, but slept even before reading the Psalm. At this time I saw the following vision: it seemed like there was something I could see -paradise cave, in which there are holy relics. I osmated the coffins of the saints with a candle, I saw there as if there was a great saint named Var-va- RU. Having approached her coffin, I saw her lying sideways and her coffin, revealing some kind of rottenness. Wanting to cleanse it, he took its relics out of the shrine and placed it in another place. Having cleansed the shrine, he approached her relics and took these hands to put them in the shrine, but suddenly he saw the sacred Var-va-ru in the living Tuyu. Thing to me to her: “Holy de-vo Var-va-ro, my blah-de-tel-ni-tse! Pray to God for my sins!” The answer is holy, if you had some opinion with me: “I don’t know,” I said, “I beg you, for I pray in Roman style." (I think that this was told to me because I’m very lazy about prayer and in this case I relied on Rome-la-us , who have very short prayers, just like I have short and rare prayers). Having heard these words from the saint, I began to live there and supposedly give up, but she, after a little time, returned. looked at me with a cheerful and grinning face and said: “Don’t be afraid,” and some other comforting words -I carried words that I don’t even remember. Then, having put her hands and feet into the shell; It seemed like an elk, the body was alive and all white, but the hand was wretched and barking. Regretting that I dare touch holy relics with unclean and profane hands and lips and that I don’t see -ro-shey ra-ki, was thinking about how to decorate this coffin? And he began to look for a new god, into which the holy re-lics could be transferred: but in that very instant... I woke up. Regretting my awakening, my heart felt some kind of joy.” Concluding this story, Saint Dimitri humbly notes: “God knows that this dream knows and some other event will re-emerge! Oh, when would the prayer of Saint Var-va-ry give me the correction of the evil and evil of my life ! And a few years later, Saint Dimitri had the consolation of de-facto to honor the relics of the holy great-ness . Being abbot of Ba-tu-rin at that time, he learned that part of these relics was kept in the treasury of the het-man between pro-chi-mi with-cro-vi-sha-mi as if under a secret and a little to-mu from-west. She came here due to the following circumstances: back in 1651, Hetman of Lithuania Janusz Radzivil took tii Ki-e-va is-pro-strength two parts of the mighty ve-li-to-mu-che-ni-tsy, on-chi-va-yu-shchih in Mi-hai-lov -skom mo-na-sty-re. He sent one of these parts, from the ribs of St. Var-va-ra, as a gift to the Vi-len episcopal Ge-orgy Tish-ke-vi -I gave the other one from her, to his wife Maria, after whose death she became a mit-ro-po-li-tu Ki-ev-sko-mu Joseph Tu-kal-sko-mu and in the same way in the city of Ka-ne-ve, his usual place- pre-va-nii. From here, after the death of Tu-kal-sky, she was taken to the Ba-tu-rin ka-zen pa-la-tu. With his intensified request, Saint Di-mitriy received a dose from get-ma-to re-ve-sti this holy -you went to your Ba-tu-rin mo-na-styr and carried it with a solemn move on January 15, 1691, on Tuesday , and in remembrance of the re-re-no-se-tion, I decided to perform a prayer chant every Tuesday ve-li-to-mu-che-no-tse.

Another dream was even more powerful. “In 1685,” writes Di-mitriy, “during Philip’s fast, one night he ended the suffering of the holy man with a letter -Ka Ore-sta, who-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o, an hour or less before morning, I went to bed from -breathe more than once and in a dream vision I saw the holy man Ore-sta, with a joyful face towards me in all these words: “I endured more torments for Christ than you wrote.” These rivers, he opened his chest to me and showed a large wound in his left side, going through the interior, saying: “This is the same thing for me.” Then he opened his right hand up to the elbow, right at the elbow's place, and said: “This is not for me.” -re-za-but”; How could we see the re-re-re-re-zapped veins? In the same way, he opened his left hand, in the same place, and pointed at the same point, saying: “And then I re-re-re- for-but." Then, bending down, he opened his leg and put it on the fold of the side of the wound, and also the other leg, up to the side having opened the same wound in the same place, he said: “And this is what I’m going to do.” And standing up straight, looking me in the face, he said: “Do you see? I endured more for Christ than you wrote.” I didn’t dare say anything about this, I remained silent and thought to myself: “Who is this Orestes, isn’t he one of the five?” -th (December 13th)?” To this thought of mine, the holy martyr answered: “I am not that Orestes, like the one from the fifth, but the one you are now living on.” pi-sal." I saw another important person, a hundred people appeared behind him, and it seemed to me that there was also a certain person -there was a guy, but he didn’t do anything. At that very time, the good-west, taught to the morning, woke me up, and I regretted that this was a very pleasant -the window will come soon. “And what is this vision,” adds Saint Demetrius, “having written it down more than three years later, I, unworthy and sinner, truly saw and that he saw exactly as he wrote, and not otherwise, this is sacred under my oath “I know it: for everything is different, just as it was perfectly remembered then, so I remember it now.”

From this you can see how successfully his work progressed, for after half a year it was already completed by November 10th. He is blessed with complete freedom from outsiders, but he could not benefit for long. to marry her out of the special love of the secular and spiritual authorities for him; again the burden of rights was placed on him, from which he had so recently left. Di-mit-riy, together with ar-hi-mand-ri-t Var-la-a-mom, went to Ba-tu-rin to greet the new mit-ro- from the family of the princes of the Holy Poles of Chet-Vertinsk, who returned -sya from Moscow, where he was dedicated by Pat-ri-ar-hom Joachim: this was the first sub-division of the mit-ro-po-liy of Kiev- pat-ri-ar-she-mu to the pre-sto-lu of Moscow. The het-man and the mit-ro-po-lit convinced the holy abbot to take upon himself again the authority of the abode of Ni- ko-la-ev-skoy, and in-vi-no-val-sya to them a lover of obedience. The subjugation of the Kiev mit-ro had an influence on its future fate, because, as a matter of fact, a member and experienced theologian of the Little Russian Church, he took a living part in the spiritual issues of the at the time and due to the circumstances, he himself was little by little drawn from his native south to the north. The first important question was presented: about the time of the pre-existence of the Holy Gifts in li-tur-gy, for some Some Westerners tried to explain this according to La-Tin custom, that is, as if the pre-existence of I believe in the words of the Lord Jesus: “Take, eat and drink everything from her,” and not the call-to-you I eat the Holy Spirit on the gifts before me and eat them after these significant words. Pat-ri-arch Joachim, embarrassed but you are very understanding and knowing that the united Ma-lo-rossiya has been going on for a long time - was under the influence of the Polish, when it was necessary to ask the mit-ro-po-li-ta Ge-deon: “How does Ma-lo -Russian Church Cathedral of Florence?” He received a satisfactory response from the entire clergy of that country, including... The great abbot of Ba-tu-rinsky laid his hand on it. Subsequently, the pat-ri-arch wrote a spatial message about the time of pre-existence and successfully refuted the la- Teenage wisdom, which partly penetrated into Ma-lo-rossiya.

This served as the basis for a direct relationship between St. Demetrius and the Patriarch of Moscow. I will be forced to return, according to his demand, the great Four Minei in three winter months, which which were in his hands for merging with new ones, he wrote a message to St. Joachim, is- full of a deep sense of humility. “Before the holiness of you, father and ar-hi-pass-you-rya, and I am the father of your life, even if the next-next, and a-a-lot-familiar, with this wicked pi-sa-ni-em (it’s not possible for me to do it on my own) I walk and come to the feet of your holy feet, so that I can obtain from my saints Ar-hi-pass-you know -my and g-sha-e-my by name... Your holiness, to their Tsar-sko-go and most-light Vel-li- honor to God's prayer, and to his Holy Son in the Spirit, most sacred in God, Kir Ge-deo-nu the Holy -to-half-ku, Prince of Chet-ver-tin-sko-mu, Mit-ro-po-li-tu Ki-ev-sko-mu, Gal-lits-ko-mu and Little Russia- these, and before that, to the pre-pre-do-be-she-mu Var-la-a-mu Ar-hi-mand-ri-tu Pe-cher-sko-mu, because-lil pi-sa -ti about those books (Four Mi-not-yah for December, Gen-var and February). Both of those books are neither with him, the holy Mit-ro-po-li-ta, nor with the holy Ar-hi-mand-ri-ta , but in the mo-na-sta-re of Ba-tu-rin-sky, in my unworthy hands, until-s-le-bya-hu-we and with vni-ma- we don't eat anything. I receive a lot of benefits from them and agree with the Holy Ones, in them there are na-pi-san-ny-mi, I give these saints to you with the blessing and I tell you: as in the obedience of the saint, from Ma-lo-ros This Church has been entrusted to me, with God's help, through labor, according to my strength, in weakness, to the top -yu-shchey-sia, pre-pi-su-yu-shchi from the great blessings of Ma-ka-ria, Mit-ro-po-li-ta Mos-kov-sko- th and all of Russia, books and from these Christian is-to-ri-kov, wrote the lives of the Holy Months six, starting from Saint from the first to February on the next day, in agreement with the saints ve-li-ki-mi books-ga-mi in all is-to-ri-yah and news and de-ya-ni-yah, Holy-you-with-de-yan-nyh, in under-vi-zeh them and suffer-da-ni-yah. And already on-pi-san-tyih lives of the Saints that we for the most part and judge-yes-we from certain benefits people, and most of all in the holy Lavra of the Cherry. Nowadays there are many blessings and desires that I would like for the soul of Christ, for our benefit. -let me know, what is the most exciting thing I am, often pi-sa-nii from the most-excellent Ar- hi-mand-ri-ta Pe-cher-sko-go. For that matter, the Church of God (as I think) is not unneeded, your highest Ar-hi-pas I'm looking for a blessing. Yes, those of your Ar-hi-pas-tyr-skim b-slo-ve-n-m are managed, set-up-la-e-my and in their own way -my, maybe before-le-zha-sche mi de-lo good-ro so-ver-shi-ti, ras-jud-de-church-no-mu giving and type from -giving these six na-pi-san-nye months; even when God’s help and good-words are yours, Ar-hi-pas-tyr-skim, will-come-and-from-da-dut- Yes, then (if the Lord wills it and you will live) and for other things we strive, and to your holy person. Let’s talk about other holy books.”

Since there was no direct requirement from Moscow for the consideration of these newly-created Mi-nees, there is no prohibition - when they were ready to be printed, then in 1689 the Lavra of Pe-cher-skaya came to publish them into the world, starting from September September quarter. Ar-hi-mand-rit Var-la-am provided himself, together with his co-bor-ti, with a window of consideration these books and thereby incurred the displeasure of the pat-ri-ar-ha, who took this as a clear sign of disobedience. He immediately launched a letter against him, in which he stood up for the hierarchy -their rights and the need for obedience. A strict guardian of the right-to-glory, he noticed to the Lavra some inconsistencies, sneaking in in the book because it was not sent before the ar-hi-pas-tyr-skoe, and ordered -re-read the sinful lists and stop selling the not-yet-sold ek-lands, so as to -from now on, we will continue to allow the pat-ri-ar-she-go to continue. However, the blessed co-sta-vi-tel Mi-ney himself was not subject to the wrath of the saint, and even at this time -I had the opportunity to personally receive a blessing from Pat-ri-ar-ha Joachim and hear from his lips his approval for the continuation such useful work.

The chief of the Russian troops, Prince Go-li-tsyn, sent get-ma-na Ma-ze-pu to Moscow with do-not-se-ni-em about the successful completion of his campaign against the other rock; together with him from-the-right-le-we-were-from-the-ma-lo-ros-s-spirit-of-the-spirit-stvo, pro-yat-but, for clarification-not-clear- tion of the misunderstandings that have arisen, two abbots: St. Demetrius and the Kirillovsky monastery In-no-ken-tiy Mo-na -styr-sky. This happened in the troubled era of the Stre-lets revolt and after him the pas-de-niya of Tsar Sophia . Saint Demetrius, together with the get-man, first appeared to Tsar John and his sister in the capital, and then and to young Peter in the Lavra of Tro-its-koy, where he got away from the goats of the meat-s and where the window-cha-tel-but overcame them lel. Ma-lo-ros-si-ski-sent were there svi-de-te-la-mi and ho-da-tai-stva pat-ri-ar-she-go for pacifying tsa-rev-well. From the release of the abbot, Saint Joachim blessed Di-mit-ria to continue the lives of the saints and, as a sign of his blessing, Vo-le-niya gave him the image of the Most Holy Virgin in God's okla. Did St. Demetrius think that this was not only a sign for him on his way to his birth, but also, as it were, a foreknowledge of call to come back to Russia?

Upon his return to Ba-tu-rin, he continued with even greater zeal for his sacred work, where -Be careful in such a matter, which was already important for the entire Russian Church. For more privacy, he left even his own quarters and built himself a little house near the church Saint Nikolai, who called him his monastery. In his day-by-day around this time for-pi-sa-but together with the demise of the former abbot of Fe -o-do-siya Gu-gu-re-vi-cha return-from-foreign countries to-stri-the-same-obi-te-li Bu-tu-rin-Fe- o-fa-na, who went to study philosophy and theology in different lands. This was the future well-known pro-witch and god of words Fe-o-fan Pro-ko-po-vich, arch-hi-bishop of New Year -rod-sky. Soon, one after the other, Patriarch Joachim and Metropolitan Kiev Ge-de-on died; the new first-priest of Moscow, Adri-an, put the former ar-hi-mand on the mit-ro-poly of Kiev -ri-ta Lav-ry Var-la-a-ma Yasin-skogo, who brought the pat-ri-ar-shay bla-slo-ven-gra-mo-tu -to the ig-men: “God Himself, in the Trinity-creating blessing of the word forever, will reward you, brother , with all the good-words that are blessed, writing in the books of the life of eternity, for your bo- government-pleasing works in writing, is-right and type-from-da-niy, books of soul-spirited lives of Saints for three months first, Sep-tem-vriy, Ok-tov-riy and No-em-vriy. The same one will continue to bless you, strengthen you and hurry to work for you for the whole year, and so on -the same lives of the Holy books are so-perfectly and type-represented in the same st-ro-pi-gy of ours Pat-ri-ar-shey Lav-re Ki-e-vo-Pe-cher-skaya.” Following this, the pat-ri-arch p-so-in-kup-la-et that he asks for a new mit-ro-po-li-ta, and will-du-sche-ar -hi-mand-ri-ta Lav-ry about cooperation in everything “art-kus-no-mu, and b-go-ra-zum-no-mu, and b-go-zealous-but- mu de la te-lu" (October 3, 1690).

Deeply touched by such a holy mercy, the humble Di-mitriy gave a pat-ri-ar-hu of beauty but-we-re-ch-you in the word, in which he poured out all the feelings of the blessings of the soul: “Yes, praise-len and about -God will be glorified in the saints and from the saints, for he has now given His holy Church the way you shepherded- rya, goodness and art, your Ar-hi-pas-tyr-stvo, who in the beginning of his-e-pas-t-stva, is the first of all pe-che-shi -sya and think about the wisdom of God and the Saints of His glory, wishing them to live in the world in the same way from- given for the benefit of the entire Christian, right-glorious Russian family. This glory is to all the great ones. Nowadays, I am already unworthy, more diligent than the Lord, in haste to stand before my mortal and sinful hand. -ku, your sacredness in that matter, in its own way, strengthens and instills the blessing the word, the hedgehog excites me a lot, and shakes me out of my sleep, I do it carefully as I commanded. Tel no. Even though I am not an expert, I lack the knowledge and the ability to bring all good things to perfection for -that's the thing: both about strengthening me Jesus is the holy one for obedience to the yoke of no-si-ti duty- I am a wives, the poverty of my intellect is a lack-of-a-hundred-precise use of To-mu, from its use we are all at-my-home and we also accept, then and henceforth in our own way, with the b-word-ve-ni-em, God-accepted ar-hi-pass -tyr-stva va-she-go mo-lit-va, na na ze-lo na-de-yu-sya.” Attaching to this his request for the return of the taken Che-ty Min-neys, Di-mitriy concludes: “If only because -lil Ar-hi-pas-tyr-stvo va-she, co-gla-siya ra-di pi-shi-e-myh on-mi Holy Lives, the same Holy books of the three re -of the last few months, for a time, to my un-worthiness, to send, with the help of God, , while giving them a lot of benefit and then giving them out into the world.” (November 10, 1690)

Excited by the gra-mo-pat-ri-ar-shay, he decided to leave everything else and exclusively dedicate the I am at work in order to complete it more successfully, and secondly from the in-situation of the environment li Ba-tu-rin-skoy, entering the secluded hermitage. One of his last actions in the area, which he had managed for more than six years, was granted at the teaching work of Adam Zer-ni-ka-vu. He got to know him back in Cher-ni-go-ve under the protection of the knowledge of La-za-rya Ba-ra-no -vi-cha, and under the shelter of Di-mit-ria himself, he finished his labor-loving life with the god-word of the West, who , having left his family, he was looking for another one from the cheese in the provinces of Ma-lo-Russia, on the way to heaven. In the monastery of Di-mit-ri-e-vom he finished his memorandum-book on the origin of the Holy Spirit from the one Father, contrary to the opinions of La-Tin, which he himself previously divided as a pro-testant, for-importance -in this subject you have the dogma of the Roman Church. Meanwhile, Saint Demetrius brought the second part of his Four Mins to publication and himself took them to the ti-po-gra -fiya Pe-cher-skaya, but from-da-nie for-slow-li-los according to the strict re-look-ru of the book ar-hi-mand-ri-tom Me-le- you, who became more careful after his mistake before Var-la-a-ma. The co-chi-ni-tel itself, obtained from Dan-tsi-ga, is a broad description of the lives of saints from Bo-lan-di-tov, I carefully combined them with my own creation and prepared the third part, because I received again a new encouragement from Pat-ri-ar-ha Adri-a-na.

No matter how much Saint Demetrius wanted to go into seclusion for his spiritual progress, he was not left alone. having known some of his high-s-worthiness in the matter of church management. The new arch-bishop of Cher-ni-gov-sky Fe-o-do-siy Ug-lich-sky, for a short time took the place of La- Za-rya Ba-ra-no-vi-cha even during his life, convinced the lover without a word to accept control of the abode of the saints the first apostles of Peter and Paul near Glu-khov; but as soon as the arch-bishop of Fe-o-do-siy died, the Metropolitan of Kiev Var-la-am with the hand of power re-led the saint to the place of his tonsure, to the monastery of Kirillovskaya, where his hundred-year-old father was still a . He went there at mid-year time, as if just to repay his son's last debt. to her ma-te-ri, about whose death his loving heart responded in his daily notes: “On the Greatest Five-so-spa-si-tel-nyya passion my mother pre-sta-vis-sya at the ninth hour of the day, exactly at the hour when our Savior was on the -You are a guardian for our salvation, you have given your spirit to God the Father in His hand. She was more than seven years old from her birth... may the Lord remember you in His Heavenly Kingdom! Con-cha-la-sya with a good race, memory and speech. Oh, may the Lord grant me such a blessed end-of-life with her prayers! And truly, Christ-an-skaya was the end of it, for with all the ob-rya-da-mi Christ-sti-an-ski-mi and with the usual -ven-ny-mi ta-in-stva-mi, fearless, shameless, peaceful. Also, may God grant you kindness at His Terrible Judgment, as if I am not with me about God -I eat sweet-heartedness and about her salvation, knowing her steadfast, virtuous and godly life. And even then, for her good spa-ness, I have her sign, that on the same day and at the same hour, when Christ the Lord once again, at the right time “With my free passion, paradise opened up, and then he ordered her soul to separate from her body.” In these words there is the best praise and pure love of the sons of the new strict movement, and bliss go-che-stiyu ma-te-ri; according to her, she was with her son in the Kiev Ki-ril-lovsky monastery in 1689.

Are we mindful of such speeches, which were traded from the abundant love of our heart, and are all the more precious for us? , that in them came out something that was deep in the chest of the saint from the eyes of the world. It was not in vain that Dimitri called out several years before, on the occasion of his frequent transfer from the abode to monastery: “Somewhere I’ll have to live!” - because again after-va-la for him the change-in-re-placement; every arch-hi-herey wanted to have him in his diocese, and Ki-ev and Cher-ni-gov argued about him. Pre-em-nick ar-hi-episco-pa Fe-o-do-siya, who later became famous at the department of the Siberian ob-ra -there are many thousand thousands of tongues, he offered Dimitri the Yelets-Uspensky monastery in Cher-ni-go-ve, with joined him with Glu-khov-skogo, and ordained him to the rank of ar-hi-mand-ri-ta. This is how the word ar-hi-epi-sco-pa La-za-rya was used: “Di-mit-riy po-lu-chit mit-ru,” but The saint soon expected him. Di-mitriy did not pre-assume his new rank, on the contrary, his humility usu-gu-los as -highness in the step-ne-spirit, and did not leave his love for caring about the lives of the saints, as you can see from his letter to his friend Fe-o-lo-gu, mo-na-hu Chu-do-va mo-na-sta-rya, who was then a help-officer in Moscow -kov-skoy ti-graphy.

“Your brotherly love for me, I don’t stand, I thank you very much, for your honesty, out of love see yours, write to me in your words, don’t stand, praise is beyond my measure, na-ri-tsa-yu-sha-my good-nature, b-go-ra-zum-na and light rays into the world forgive-sti-ra-yu-sha, and other those -besides, even though they come from your love, they both use me a lot; It’s not as if your love doesn’t feel like it’s for me. I have no good morals, but evil morals; ; I am a buoy and an ignoramus, but my light is only darkness and dust... I beg your brotherly love to pray for me to the Lord, May my light enlighten my darkness and bring honestness out of unworthiness, and about this you will appear to me, a sin-but-mu, absolutely love God, when your saints pray for me to the Lord for me power-va-ti bu-de-te, in my spa-se-nium without-reliance and in the book-de-le before me. And this is out of love for your neck, for the blessing of God’s reward for my ar-hi-mand-ria of Yelets. -de-nii about bo-ze. I am oka-yan-ny, as if I love your neck, so the ar-hi-mand-rii of that one is not to-a-hundred. To everyone, as sometimes the Lord God allows the unworthy, from them I am the first, receiving the church, honest to the hundred -in-stva. Do this according to your misunderstood destinies; For some reason I am a little afraid, but the honor is higher than my unworthiness. As for your holy prayers, trusting in the kindness of God, you don’t perish without hope -mi mo-i-mi. Book of the third three-monthly life of the Saints, March, Ap-re-la, May, if the Lord helps me, then he will accomplish and like a picture of a married woman, I won’t forget your honesty, as I send a message to you, or I’ll bring it myself, if the Lord is willing and will live. About this, your honesty, come out of the world and pray to the Lord Christ for my blessing, so that we may soon achieve -the book that is on us, with the help of everything, and us, healthy and well-spent, who are the enemies of you -mi na-ve-to-van-nykh, but with-blue-det. Amen".

Two years later, Saint Demetrius was transferred to the Spassky Monastery of Nov-gorod-Sever-ska; this was already the last one he controlled, having been re-manufactured, but for a hundred of five ab- te-lei and two times -but one Ba-tu-rin-skaya. In the beginning of 1700, there were no windows in the Lavra ti-graphy on the third spring quarter of it Mi-ney for March, April and May, and ar-hi-mand-rit Lav-ry Joasaph Kro-kovsky in return for his special benefit -movement of work-div-she-go-xia sent him a bliss-word: Iko-well Bo-go-ma-te-ri, da-ren-nu-tsar Alek-se-em Mi-ha-i-lo-vi-than mit-ro-po-li-tu Pet-ru Mo-gi-le. The Tsar's icon, given to Di-mit-ri by the former ar-hi-mand-ri-t Niko-nom of the Moscow-Don-mo- na-sta-rya, it was, as it were, a secondary pre-ve-sti-em of the call of the future saint to the first-most-capital Moscow. Ma-lo-Russia has already lost its light, so it’s time ke the arch-hi-erei-skih cathedrals of Si-bi-ri and Ro-sto-va, so that with you you can shine them on the entire Russian Church. Im-pe-ra-to-ru Pet-ru Ve-li-to-la-tel-but there was a dispersal of the light of Christianity between foreign clans -tsa-mi recently for-e-van-the Si-bi-ri, so that its beneficial effect could reach the distant -fishing of China. In consultation with the holy pat-ri-ar-kh Adri-a-n, he decided to look for something in more detail. where Ma-lo-ross-sii do-stand-no-go-go-lo-ve-ka, can-gu-sha-re-place the ob-ligations to-know-no- ka pagan-ni-kov with the sa-no-saint-tel-sky at the ca-fed-re To-bol-ska, osi-ro-tev-shay after the end of the b-go-go- wey-no-go mit-ro-po-li-ta Pav-la. Var-la-a-mu Ki-ev-sko-mu before-pi-sa-but it would be possible to send someone from the ar-hi-mand-ri-tov to the hundred or abbot, husband of learning and life of impeccable, for the department of Siberian, who with help God could have converted the wicked in the following idol-service to the knowledge of the true God . The new shepherd should have brought with him two or three monks who would have studied the Chinese and Mongolian languages. Sky, in order to serve at the newly established church in Beijing. So yes-le-ko and blah-de-tel-but to-sya-gal the or-li-ny gaze ve-li-ko-go pre-o-ra-zo-va-te-lya, and mit -ro-po-lit Var-la-am did not judge anyone more worthy of this high step, like ar-hi-mand-ri-ta North, he knows because of his goodness and learning.

Priesthood of Di-mit-ria

Dimitriy, having arrived in Moscow in February 1701, did not find his blessings alive, pat- ri-ar-ha Adri-a-na, and greeted the go-su-da-rya with a beautiful word in which it was depicted The dignity of the king of the earth is like wearing the image of Christ. A month later, in the 50th year from birth, he was married to the mit-ro-li-ta of the Siberian Preo -Holy Stephen Yavor-sky, mit-ro-po-ly of Ryazan-sky, who himself was recently elevated to the rank of this Igu-me-nov of Ki-ev-sko-go N-ko-la-ev-sko-go-mo-na-sta-rya with on-know-what-in-the-place-blue-sti-te -li pat-ri-ar-she-go pre-sto-la. He would have liked the tsar to take care of all the de-la-mi of the abolished pat-ri-ar-khiya. However, the health of the mit-ro-po-li-ta of the Siberian-sko-go, in-ko-le-bav-she-e-sya from the incessant- nykh za-nya-tii, would not be able to fight with the harsh climate of his distant diocese, and, moreover, my beloved before -the work of his whole life would have remained unfinished. The thought of this love of the saints was so troubling that he even fell into a serious illness because of it, and bliss The inclined sovereign, having learned at his meeting about the cause of the illness, calmed him down with the royal word and dosage. I wanted to stay in Moscow for a while, waiting for the nearest diocese. It was not without God’s thought that his stay in the capital lasted more than a year; the visitor of Ma-lo-Russia had time to get to know the de-de-th-states and churches -from that region where you were called to ordain in a difficult year for pre-development. In Moscow, a friendly connection began between him and the mit-ro-po-li-t Stephan, whom he knew a little in Ki-e-ve ; they understood each other, and their affection was based on mutual respect, although Saint Demetrius still -when I tried to give deep respect to the place of the pat-ri-ar-she-pres-to-la, as if sa-mo-mu pat-ri-ar-hu. During his long-term illness in the cells of Chu-do-va mo-na-sta-rya, he became close to a certain we are scientists from the mo-na-she-stu-yu-y, Kir-ril-lom and Fe-o-do-rum, who were the in- quirers in graphics; he immediately found his old friend, foreigner Fe-o-lo-ga, and all three subsequently rendered him many services for his scientific work, on the subject of which he conducted a hundred-year correspondence with them. Books about the lives of saints and the frequent proclamation of the word of God brought him love and respect in Moscow noble persons. Widow of Tsar Ioan-na Alek-se-e-vi-cha, Tsar-ri-tsa Pa-ras-ke-va Fe-o-do-rov-na, pol-zo-vav-sha-ya - I pay special attention to them, I was very respectful for the saint -you and often on-de-la-la his clothes and food from his meal.

Meanwhile, Joasaph, Metropolitan of Rostov, died, and the Lord, who appreciated the saint’s services even more -for Di-mit-riya, ordered him to be transferred to the re-opening of the ca-fed-ru, but for the Siberian one he was found a successor worthy of him in the person of Philo-fairy Leschinsky, who christened many thousands of Ostyaks, wandering for no-mi on reindeer through their tundra. Yes, after his retirement, being a schema-nobody, he was called again to new apostolic activities , when John Maksimovich, the former arch-bishop of Cher-nigov, who took his place, died. They are both at the back of the CBC, but Bishop In-no-ken-tiy is at the station in Ir-kut-sk, subsequently attached to the -ku saints, at the same time, the axis of the whole vast Siberia with the light of Christianity. How-ki-mi-wonderful men of the Church, which all arose from the pre-deeds of Ma-lo-Russia, the Lord consoled Great Russia in the glorious days of the kingdom of Peter! These three are moving in Siberia, St. Demetrius in Ro-sto-ve, place-blue-sti-tel Stefan in a hundred tse, zealous defender of the right-of-glory and do-dignity of the hierarchy, Lazarus and Fe-o-do-siy in Cher-ni-go-ve , Var-la-am in Ki-e-ve, besides other famous saints, actually Russian, holy, Joba Nov -city, spiritual enlightenment, and others! It is not often that such a comforting phenomenon recurs in summer churches.

From here comes a new period of life for Saint Demetrius; all dedicated to the shepherds there, although he did not leave his beloved studies as scientists, here he revealed himself, according to the word of the apostle, the way he should be an arch-herer for his flock: “very good -y, kindly, non-defiled, renounced from sinners,” although due to the weakness of a person, likewise to all the first-priests, you also had to make sacrifices about your own sins, make a bloodless sacrifice -vu for human sins, until he himself was not restored to the ranks of saints (). Entering his diocese with all his readiness to dedicate the rest of his life to it, at the first step he already foresaw what was here its current must end, and for some reason I chose for myself a place of eternal rest on the edge of the city, in that room, in which he stayed, in order to go from there in a ceremonial way, to take over the department in the Rostov community. The new priest performed the usual prayer in the Church of the Holy Mother of God Ma-te-ri Yako-lev-sko-go-na -sha-rya, os-no-van-no-go one of the saints of his ancestors, bishop Ia-ko-vom (who-ro-th and the power is there), and sank into deep thought about his future; there, pointing out the place in the corner of the co-bo-ra, he said to those around him the word of the psalm about the king Yes-vi- yes, something turned into a pro-ro-che-stvo and for him: “Behold, my peace, here is everyone in the century.” . And here, in fact, the faithful now come to the incorruptible relics of God’s once again glorified delight. Then he completed the Divine liturgy in the cathedral council of the Assumption of Bo-go-ma-te-ri and greetings -Walked his flock with a beautiful word, reminding her of the ancient union of the Church of Rostov with the Lav-roy Pe- Cher-skaya, from where he brought to his flock the good-word of God of the Most Holy God-ro-di-tsy and the venerable Pe -cher-sky; the good shepherd was like a father with children, briefly from the mutual obligations of pa-su-sche-go and pa-so- we are X. The words were especially touching: “Let your heart not be embarrassed about my coming to you, door for vni-doh, and not pre-la-zya inu-de: not is-kah, but in-is-kan I am, and I don’t know you, nor do you know me; God knows there are many bottomless places; You kindly came to me to you, and I came, not to serve you, but to serve you, according to the words of the Lord: Even if you are the first, you will be a servant to everyone. I came to you with love: I said, I came, like a father to my child, but I re-ku: I came, like a brother to the brethren, and like each other to loved ones: for Christ the Lord is not ashamed of us for our brethren. You are my friends, gla-go-let, I’m not calling you ra-bi (), but friends, and even more honest and amazing, like from-tsa-mi yourself na-ri-tsa-et my love, gla-go-la: this one is both father and mother, who does the will of my father -Heaven, because you and I have love, and fathers, and brothers, and friends. If my father calls me, then I tell you so apos-tically: my children, who are ill with them, don “Christ arises in you” ().

In the notes of St. Di-mit-riya na-pi-sa-no: “1702. On the 1st of March, in the second week of the 100th birthday, I ascended to my throne in Ro-sto-ve of God from-in-the-le- no,” and after that: “1703, Jan-nu-a-ria on the 6th, at the third hour of the day of God’s appearance of the Lord, pre- sta-vis-sya my father Sav-va Gri-gor-e-vich and gree-ben in the Kirill-lov-Ki-ev-sky monastery, in the church of St. Tro-i-tsy: eternal memory for him.” These words are the key to the diary of St. Demetrius, who doesn’t seem to want to continue his -their pi-juice after the blissful end of a hundred-three-year-old man. Isn’t that kind of son-like feeling in the great saint, and at the same time isn’t it worthy of attention? -the fact that the simple sot-nik Tup-ta-lo, the blessed kti-tor of the Kirill-lov obi-te-li , even before his death, he had the consolation, if not to see in person, then at least to hear that his son Dimitri you have attained the degree of holiness and the mit-ro-poly. All kinship and family relations came to an end for the saint, and even the very ties that united him with his family is Mal-lo-ros-si-ey; the new extensive Ro-stov family surrounded his ca-fed-ru, and he dedicated all his pastoral cares to her -for seven years, for a hundred years, I have been thinking about her spiritual improvement.

His flock did not have any schools, which were only in Moscow, and even there was no life in the world. the words of God, and for some reason the people were easily carried away by the flattering teachings of lies and race. With deep grief the saint spoke in one of his teachings to the inhabitants of Ro-sto-va: “Ole oka-yan -but in our time, as if from-at-all, this-thing, the word of God remains, and we don’t know whose black eye is looking for: this-I-the-lei or the earth, the priests, or the hearts of men, Or is the wallpaper purchased? There’s no need for anything, there’s no need to create any goodness, there’s no need to eat. The plant does not sow, and the land does not accept; the priests are not delusional, but the people are astray; the priests do not teach, but the people are ignorant; The priests do not preach the word of God, and people do not listen, nor do they want to listen; It’s bad from both sides: the priests are stupid, and the people are ignorant.” Lack of precise preparation for the sacred sa-nu necessitated entailed various evils-required laziness and demons in a row, against which the zealous saint did not hesitate to take pastoral measures. Two of its district reports have reached us to the eparch-hi-al-no-mu-spirituality: from them it is visible, on one side, to some degree of pro-sti-ra-lo-lo-then the inattention of the priests to the importance of the title placed on them , and on the other hand, how great was the pastoral jealousy of St. Demetrius, crushing the evil of all mi me-ra-mi persuasion and power.

In the first place, he accuses some of the priests of his flock that they live in the world about their sins -their spiritual children, opened to them for the purpose of knowledge, or for vanity, or for the desire to harm them; The saint is convincing, but he knows that the secrets revealed in research are about to live, it means that it is not in the spirit of the Ta-in-stva, to offend the Holy Spirit, who gave forgiveness to sinners , about-to-speak in the example of Jesus Christ, forbearance of the wondrous sinners. The immodest clergyman is Judas the leader, and likewise he is subject to eternal death. Disclosure of secrets of co-ve-ness is harmful, but not only for the community, but also for the community those who cannot sincerely repent after this and incur general disgrace upon themselves. Then the saint talks about the priests who leave the poor parishioners of their sick without recourse. according to the message and Communion of the Holy Mysteries, so that many died without holy guidance; he threatens such people with the wrath of God for creating the Kingdom of Heaven before mankind. mi, they themselves do not enter and those who enter are forced to howl and present themselves in crowded places for their rights -the requirement of churches to invite “attached” priests. In another, Saint Di-mitriy instills a special blessing for the Ta-in-stvo of the Life-creating Te- la and the Blood of Christ. He communes with the priests who guard the Holy Gifts, prepared for the communion of the sick in the world year, in the wrong place, and pre-pi-sy-va-keeps these Secrets in pure co-ju-das at the holy pre-sto- le and give them good-go-vey-noe; therefore he admonishes the priests so that they should not approach the sacred action of the Ev-ha-ri-sti other than from the pre-va -ri-tel-nym in-preparation-le-ni-em, and at the end of the sacred-action of the pre-res-sence and sobriety; He also briefly informs them about their other responsibilities in relation to the flock.

Feeling that there was no way to correct this evil, Saint Demetrius decided to -they taught at the arch-priest's house from their own income, and these were the first in Great Russia -next to Moscow; it was divided into three gram-ma-ti-che-classes, numbering up to two hundred people. It was holy, so that you could learn from it the Word of God; he himself watched their successes, asked questions, you listened from you and, in the absence of a teacher, sometimes he took upon himself this responsibility, and in his free time he gave some -hundred of the Holy Pi-sa-niy and in the summer called them to his house outside the city. He cared no less about their moral education, gathered them on holidays for the all-night vigil and tour -gy to the cathedral church, and at the end of the first ka-fiz we should all come to his blessing , so that he could see: are there any missing ones? In Che-re-de-syat-ni-tsu and other rites, he obliged everyone to speak, himself communing the Holy Mysteries of all teachings. kov, and whenever he was sick, he sent them a message so that everyone would say a prayer to the Lord for him five times in commemoration of Christ’s five plagues, and this spiritual medicine alleviated his illness. His communication with the young people was completely fatherly, and he often repeated to them in consolation before a hundred appearances: “If I am able to receive mercy from God, then I will also care about you.” pray that you also receive mercy from him: pi-sa-but there is: yes, I am, and you will be” (XIV.4) . After graduating from the course, he took a place in the churches at his own discretion and tried to instill more respect in the clergy -tion to their duties, ordaining them to the sur-copter, which would not have happened before in Ro-sto-ve.

Such hundred-year-old za-nya-tiyas do not s-kra-sha-shcha-de-ya-tel-but-sti-go in any work of his description -knowledge of the lives of saints, for whom information was given through his Moscow acquaintances. Two years after his re-entry in Ro-sto-ve there were windows and the last summer quarter of Che-ty Minei, and so -same from-right-le-na to Ki-ev for printing. He was happy to tell his friend Fe-o-lo-ga about that in Moscow: “Be pleased with me in spirit, for you have been able to -through your prayers, the Lord enabled me to write Amen and complete the fourth of my life. this Holy book; your well-known friend's love, giving your brotherly love and desire to my unworthiness our book has come to completion. Glory to God, I beg you to pray that you would not be before the Lord in our work -du." A che-but: “In the summer from the incarnation of God the Word, the month of Feb-ru-a-ria, on the 9th day of the memorial of St. mu-che-ni-ka Ni-ki-for-ra, tell-zu-e-mo-go-be-do-nos-tsa, on the occasion of the feast of Wednesday Lord, from the river St. Simeon, God received his prayer: now from Thy servant -th, Vlady-ko, on the day of the Lord's suffering, Friday, on the cross, Christ spoke: so-ver-shi-sha- before the Sabbath of the departed and before the Week of the Last Judgment, with the help of God, and the Most Pure Bo-go-ma-te-ri, and all the Saints' prayers, month of August na-pi-sa-sya. Amen".

Move against the race

With all his responsibilities, the saint, as far as possible, surveyed his flock and, with the secondary the birth of Yaro-Slav in 1704, the tor-same-but-re-lived the relics of the holy princes, Fe-o-do-ra Smo-len-sko- go and his children Da-vi-da and Kon-stan-ti-na, into a new r-ku, arranged by di-di-em citizens, partly his own -nym; out of his love for all the people who please God, he allocated for himself a small part of their relics for the good of the word. Po-s-tiv again the next year Yaro-slavl, he was concerned about the enemies of some of the smaller brethren his vast flock - their meeting-in-life was the royal message about marriage, because they, after-after- those of their own, whether they have bo-ro-dy for seeking the image of God. The saint himself tells how one day, when leaving the co-bo-ra after a tour, two not-old people -you left him with a question: how do you tell them to go, what do they expect to do? It’s better to live with your heads on the chopping block for the sake of your life than with beards. Saint Demetrius, not prepared to answer, only asked them: “What is the matter? Is it from-se-chen-naya or bo-ro-da?” - and to their answer: “Beards,” he told them in turn: “And so it’s better for us not to spare the beards, which are so - once it grows back, how long will it take to shave it; the word is from-the-se-chen - only in the resurrection of the dead.” After such a lie, he admonished and his fellow citizens to reproach the government in everything greater power, according to the word of the apostle, and not in a visible, external form, to be understood in the same way as God. Subsequently, he wrote a whole reasoning on this subject, which was repeated more than once. ta-but according to the will of go-su-da-rya; This was his first experience of confrontation with races unknown to him before his arrival from Ma-lo-Russia.

“I am humble, not born and raised in these countries,” he wrote, “I have never heard of races, in this country about -re-ta-yu-shy-sya, nor about the difference in faiths and morals of the races; but already here, by God’s will and by decree of the go-su-da-rya, having begun to live, I heard from many people before ny". Then, for the education of your flock, in addition to the oral propagation of the word of God, he saluted ka-te-hi-zi-che-skie instructions in a more accessible form of information about faith, and so -the same mirror of the right-to-glory-of-use-and-twenty-more articles about the pre-existence of bread and vegetables -on the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Did he have other concerns about the good of the clergy entrusted to him, on the occasion of the transfer pi-si for distribution in the military service of the children of the priests and churches, since then when there was a great need for people of all ranks to fight the Swedish war over Russia. It was disappointing, but there was also a feeling of disappointment in the arch-hi-herey's house, because everyone was under -na-styr-sky order, but even that little that the saint could use, he demanded for teaching the poor. How bad is his own wretchedness, as can be seen from his letter to Fe-o-log; he sees that he doesn’t have horses to bring him to himself, for he himself almost wanders on foot: “No one , no riders, no sheep, no horses.” However, as he subsequently expressed in his statement: “Ever since he took upon himself a foreign society, once I promised God nothing free, even before approaching the tomb, I did not collect the property, blood me holy books; no evil, no silver, no extra clothes, except the most necessary ones, but I tried to observe the burden and poverty -that other spirit and deed itself, following the providence of God in everything, never abandoning me.” . But his health, with a lot of work, an hour from hour to hour, and it’s bu-di-lo on- write your spirituality before Easter of 1707.

A year before, he once again visited Moscow, where he was summoned to the office for meetings, as if lo under the pat-ri-ar-khs, and there they talked a lot about the teachings of the churches. His experience was very useful for his friend, Ste-fan's place, they turned to him and left yes-len-nye arch-hi-heries, attracted by his glory as the spirits of pi-sa-te-lya and vi-tii. Mitro-po-lit Kazan Tikhon, who transferred his relics of St. Gu-ria to the cathedral cathedral, about -strength to compose a service for him and a word of praise, which Saint Demetrius performed with the same love, with the same pi -sal the lives of the saints. He organized two more services for Ka-za-ni, in honor of the miraculously-created icon of God-ma-te-ri and the holy martyrdoms Ki-zi-che-skih, some of whom are still there. His soul, about-the-name of the Holy Spirit, has often appeared in your short spiritual -re-ni-yah, full-of-mind, which comes from such a blessed source, spa-si-tel-no action-va-lo on chi-ta-te-ley.

So-you his “Spiritual medicine for confusion in thoughts, from various books of our fathers, briefly collected” and “ Apo-logia in quenching the sadness of a person who is in trouble and anger,” and also: “Internal a man is in the cell of his own heart, secluded, but studying in secret”; their very name already conveys its internal value. Umi-tel-on his prayers-to-God every day, from a person, by-la-ha -y-y-y-spa-s-se-niya-on-cha-lo, and-on-ve-yes-the-common sins, my word-before-the-priest, who- that is what he puts into the mouth of every person who does not have the courage to express them clearly. freely. Exalted thoughts of the saint about the participation of the Holy Mysteries, in the contemplation of which he loved frequently; he also left them a brief remembrance about them for every five, along with a touching whole series of ulcers of the State -after our Jesus Christ, with God-thoughts, we worshiped him and wept at the burial of Christ- hundred Here the voice of the soul is clearly heard in contemplation of the Savior's sufferings, along with the Savior's who will give him from Geth-si-ma-nii to Gol-go-tha, soul, which is paradise, out of his love for Ras-fifth, can restore click together with the apostle: “Let me not praise, talk about the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ -hundred" ().

Sometimes this love burst forth in tears of sorrow; Seeing the breathless source of life, he calls out: “Where is the thunderous, sweetest Jesus? where is the distance from us, where we are and when we are here? ka-mo, our light, for-ho-di-shi from the eyes of our neck? neza-ho-di-my sun, how-do-you-know your west?

The whole world is for us! hundred no-sya-schii-bear-the-sinful burden of the whole generation of human beings! but there are hundreds of them, for his sake there is a hundred sun and moon in their place, on the Cross it’s in vain.”

“Don’t let us come to our father even if he’s already dead; don’t worry about the common birth of all, who gave birth to eat us with their blood. Yes-di-those none-small of tears from the comb-drops over that, like from the whole body for us, abundant and our own blood it’s like, from the ribs there’s blood in the water.”

Another spiritual, na-zi-da-tel-re-re-re-tion is attributed to the saint of Ro-stov, according to to the deep feeling of faith and goodness, which it is fully used: this is the Al-fa-vit spiritual, or the Forest of the rise of the spirit, divided into 33 steps, according to the number of years of the State under them, under you are happy with your creation. But Di-mitri himself, from his strength, led the in addition to the ancient Ila-ri-o-nu Pe-cher-sko-mu, from the caves of An-to-n-e-vykh ascended to the ca-fed-ru of Ki-ev-skaya . However, to this day the general opinion honors him with the name of St. Demetrius.

But since the zealous worker, with all his pastoral cares, could not remain for a long time without constant work, yes, then, after many years of moving the lives of the saints, I felt the need for that -what book, which could have familiarized someone with the fate of the Church in its ancient times. He decided to compose a chronicle, or sacred history, in such a way that it would serve as a guide for pro-ved-ni-kov. Humblely, he communicated his new thought to his friend in the place:

“Under the name and image of the writer, I would like to write some useful teachings, so that not only -to-ri-i-mi to instill chi-ta-te-la, but also to teach. This is my intention, if not for others (for who is there to teach learned men), then at least for me myself? go." Zealous, but he began to collect for this purpose the summer-pi-si churches, Slavic, Greek, la- tin-skie and appealed to Moscow with a request to Fe-o-lo-gu, so that he could be filled with a shortage of chrono-graphs of Ro-stov -skikh. As the letter moved, he re-sent his work to the mit-ro-po-li-tu Ste-fa-nu for consideration -re-re-tion, humble-but ask him to judge whether it will be for the benefit of the Holy Church or not, and blah-da-rya-sincerely for all his comments. But at the same time, he himself strengthened the spirit of the pat-ri-ar-she-go in his difficult field: “Mo -Lyu, ate-ko-gu, the State is strong and strong, may it strengthen your Ar-hi-herery in a difficult situation some cross. Not out of the way, Holy Saint of God, under such heavy burdens! the branch under the same weight always produces fruit. Do not consider your labors in vain before God, who says: come to Me, all who labor and are burdened -nye (). It's great to carry you and the bottom! They are not the essence of beings, they are the blah-ra-mind, but they are controlled by the ship of the Church of Christ during certain ob-re-va- ny. Please, your pre-eminence, solitude, I please and az; but the holy discourse is not bad either, which is about deserts and about those who work in cities and for people -sky benefit writes si-tse: ovii (pu-stin-but-li-te-li), imu-shche bliss, just worry about yourself; others (teach and the words of God about the knowledge) of other souls are careful: these are many above-you -yut. Encourage Jesus to strengthen you, move Christ! This burden is not due to the chance of your Holiness, but of God; beforehand, the crown of righteous reward awaits you; the yoke of Christ is good no-si-ti: be-di and its burden is easy for you.”

However, despite all the efforts of Saint Demetrius, his written work was not completed, partly his illness, and partly due to the urgent needs of the diocese, although he wanted to completely graduate from the Holy History , as can be seen from his letter to Fe-o-lo-gu: “What in the world am I, powerless, doing? The fear of death is on me... but how can the book be left? Will any hunter take over for him and take over? and there’s still a lot of work to be done in this matter: you can’t accomplish it in one year, and you can’t accomplish it in another year -sing, and the end at the door, se-ki-ra at the root, a death's scythe over the head. Alas for me! I don’t feel sorry for anything, I don’t feel sorry for the imam, I don’t have enough wealth, I don’t have enough money, but I’m sorry for that , as if this book is going to be completed; and I would also think about Psalms. Doom is beyond the sea, and death is behind us.” The summer-to-pi-sets remained at the sixth hundred-year-old-year of the fourth thousand years.

Another, more necessary work stood before him before the end of his life: to direct the twisted minds of some to the truth. then from your flock. Soon after Easter in 1708, the saint learned that in his cathedral city and other cities and villages -yah there are false teachings. The priest of Rostov informed him that one of his parishioners did not want to pay due honor to the saint. -to us, not to the people, and the saint from a personal time was convinced of his wickedness when he wanted pass-tyr-ski lie to him. The skies are from among the forests of Bryansk, in the Kaluga region, and penetrated into his diocese, which is threatening did the other side feel sorry for their false teachings in the Ko-Stroma and Nizhny Novgorod monasteries; Ras-ni-ki sma-ni-va-li easy-to-faithful, especially among women. Not seeing people in his spirit capable of acting against the threat of another race, he decided - He himself will provide a good example and a strong weapon against absurd rumors. In a simple, hostile word, he explained to the people the harmful influence of the Bryansk false-teachers and unfoundedness on them. -ness of their opinions, and, like a true shepherd, was not embarrassed in any way from the world , when I had to stand for the truth. The priest of his diocese appeared to defend the opinions of no one’s races; the saint, after a strict investigation, dismissed him from his duty and ordered him to search for himself like a widow a place somewhere in the mo-na-sta-re; but the new secret of the way found access to the queen, and she interceded for him before the holy Di- mit-ri-em. Then the guardian of the right-to-glory presented the tsa-ri-tse with the whole course of the illegal matter and humbly but asked her not to be angry rely on the fact that you cannot change your decision. “He gave me a lot of grief,” he wrote, “in front of many people, they blaspheme my humble name, na-ri-tsal me -here-ti-com and Roman-la-ni-nom and infidel: both of them I forgive him for Christ’s sake, who we reproach for-ti -wu do not reproach and the guard is tolerant; looking at the kindness of the Savior of my-e-go, then I forgot the verse, the priesthood is not for-pre-quiet, and gave him the will of his brotherhood -Where is the place? But the wrath of God is upon me, even if it were a wolf, in the clothes of a sheep, let me go to Christ's hundred -those souls of human races-no-che-ski-mi teachings. I pray to Your Tsar's Blessing, don't be angry with me, I pray for yours that I can't so-de-la-ti things are impossible.”

Having learned that the races had strengthened especially in Yaro-slav, he himself went there in November 1708 and with a convincing word of pro-ve-do-val about the wrong-ness of the faith of no one’s race and the truth of the right-of-glory in defense -that knowledge of honor on the cross. Not content with the living word, he began to compile written reports about the opinions of races, for the sake of he lived something that was so much for him, thinking in himself how he wrote to Fe-o-lo-gu, that: “...God does not torture him about le-to-pi-si, about the same thing, if he remains silent against the race -ni-kov, it’s-hard.” The saint, as if sensing that he did not have even a year of life left, hurried in such a way that to the Great it's almost all over. This was his famous “investigation about the Bryn faith” or a complete statement against the races; the last work, which he gave to the Russian Church, as a solid shield from the false teachings that the ogre wanted -to feed the pasture and after its demise. Izu-mi-tel-but, with how quickly he wrote his multi-complicated book, collecting oral verses from everywhere. new information about sects and rumors of races from people who lived in their monasteries and turned to the truth. The good example of the saint raised and moved against the races represented by Pi-ti-ri-ma , the former builder of Pe-re-ya-s-lav-skogo, who was sent to act against them on Kir-zhach and he subsequently converted many to the rank of bishop of Nizhe-rod-skogo. Saint Demetrius sought information against the races and in Moscow, from his learned friends, asking them carefully look at the sacred utensils of the boar, which can serve against any wrongs.

Yes, in his subsequent letters, he told Fe-o-lo-ga about his new co-chi-no-nie, something for all his work, although he was bored with that kind of work before and after -to complete it in time for the Holy Holiday, complaining only about the lack of scribes. This book was the end of the saint's written works for two years in his foreign place and place. mi-year-old holiness in Ro-sto-ve. Repeating with Da-vid: “I sing to God, who I am,” he said that we must marry something to do for the glory of God, so that the hour of death will not find us in idleness, and I was thinking of returning to my to Le-the-scribe, if God can help his weakness; but she defeated him in the five-ten-eighth year from birth, for his strength, due to many years of labor -yes, more and more donkeys, and already a year before his death he wrote to Moscow to his friends: “ God knows, can I accomplish this? not-so-often and my ailments-per-ro-pi-shu-thing from the hand-were-taken-lyut and the scribe-on-the-bed-believe-it, the coffin they present themselves to the eyes, and besides, the eyes see little and the glasses don’t help much, and the hand trembles when writing, and all the treasuries of my body are near the raz-re-re-tion.”

That's how you moved the holy saints of Demetrius, but who counted his cell-movements? For he was a vigorous man of prayer and fasting, and how he pi-sa-ni-i-mi instilled in others for-ve-di-a-hundred and You prayed, and you yourself gave an example to their implementation. All the days he remained in abstinence, eating a little food, except for holidays, and in the first week Che-re-de -for hundreds of days I just decided to write for myself, in Holy Week only on Maundy Thursday, and then- I taught him to my friends. He advised them to remember the hour of death at every hour of death, protecting himself the sign of the cross with the prayer: “Our Father” and “Bo-go-ro-di-tse.” When they came to his cell, they didn’t let them go without instruction and blessings of the little ones and all their he relied on small ke-ley incomes for good deeds, thinking about widows and orphans; often, when something was so sweet, nothing was left for the sake of life. He often gathered the poor, the blind and the lame into his cross pa-la, distributing clothes to them along with bread, for he, like Job, was the eye of the blind, the foot of the lame, and the comfort of his flock. Constantly awaiting the outcome of the clever work and fearing that they will not search after its end. ranks of imaginary riches, the saint, two years before his death, wrote his spiritual, into which he was poured before The Lord's house and the people of his whole high Christian soul, full of love for his neighbors and deep-hearted bo-cha-she-go media.

“In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. Behold, humble arch-hierei Dmitry, mit-ro-po-lit of Ro-stov and Yaro-slav, listening to the voice of the State of Mo-e -go, in the Holy Gospel of the word: be-di-te go-to-vi, for at this hour do not think, Son of man- Czech will come (); I don’t know when the Lord will come home, in the evening, or in the middle of the night, or in the afternoon, or in the morning, but not at -I suddenly came and found you sleeping (), listening to the voice of the Lord and fearing that I was also sick -we-we-were-obsessed, and day after day, out-of-my-body, and tea for all the time, she-God-house gla-go-lan -no-go-yang-no-go-hour of death, and according to my strength, I-go-to-go-to-go-du-from-this-life . whoever, after my death, wants to reclaim the property of my ke-lei-but, why don’t I bother him now, neither the is-t-ya-zo-va-ti who served me for God's sake, but the news of my treasure and wealth, which has been with me since my youth -bi-rah (this is not in vain, glorify the river, but yes, I know what I have for me); from-not-so-before-yah the holy-foreign image and in-stri-goh-sya in the Ki-ev-Ki-ril-lov mo-na-sta-re in the eighth summer of my age, I promised God that I would have freedom: from that time even before my approach to the grave, I did not acquire any property or treasures, except for the books of the saints, collected evil and silver, not because you have extra clothes, or any things, except for your own needs: but bearing the burden and the other-ness of the spirit and the deed itself, as much as possible, I was careful not to worry I’m talking about myself, but I’m relying on the Providence of God, who never forsook me. Entering into my hands from the good-de-te-lei of my-their-da-i-nii and even at the superiors of the cell-parish, you are -to-shche-wah for my and for mo-na-styr’s needs, ide-beh in the igu-men-neh and ar-hi-mand-ri-tech, that-kozh-de and in ar -hi-herey-stvo sy, not so-bi-rah ke-lei-nyh (and not many bya-hu) come-dov-dov, but on my demand-wah-wah, ovo but for the needs of the needy, where God leads. No one, after all, is working on my death, testing or seeking some kind of ke-ley-on-go-e- th meeting; for I leave nothing for the funeral, nor for the future, but that other thing will reveal itself at the end - to God: I believe that He will be more pleased with me, even if there is no food left for me, if the food has been eaten many times -da-va-e-mo. And even if I, so poor, no one wants to rise to the usual burial place, I pray to those who remember their death -yet, they drag my sinful body into a wretched house, and there, between the workers, they throw it away. If the authorities- What-so-of-the-ness of-the-life commands me, died, to row according to custom, then I pray to Christ-of-the-hundred-of-love-bi-vyh- gree-ba-te-ley, yes, gree-but me in the monastery of St. Ia-ko-va, episco-pa of Rostov, in the corner of the church kov-nom, ide-same place mi na-name-no-vah, I’m beating about this person. Because-in-la-yay, without-de-gently-but-for-my-sinful soul in the prayers of my God for the sake of, so-so and let him not give me any mercy, nor leave anything for me: may God be merciful to everyone and I'm a sinner forever. Amen".

“This is the testament: this is my spiritual graph: this is the message about my property. If someone, because of this news, does not have faith, begins by trying to get evil and silver for me, then even a lot -he labors, but finds nothing, and God judges him.”

Saint Demetrius announced his blessing for his friend, the place to ri-ar-she-Ste-fa-nu, and they made a mutual vow between them: so that the one of them who survives the other Go-go, I performed a funeral service for my deceased brother. Ste-fa-well, younger in years and cheerful in strength, had time to repay this last debt to his friend. A few days before the death of Saint Di-mitriy, having heard that the good tsa-ri-tsa Pa-ras-ke-va Fe-o- to the so-bi-ra-et-sya in Ro-stov for the veneration of the miraculous icon of God-ma-te-ri, which I owe -would we have come from the Tolgskaya obi-te, said the kaz-on-whose, hiero-mo-na-hu Phil-re-tu, before-ve telling him her end: “Behold, two guests are coming to Rostov, the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of Earth, so I can already see I can’t afford them here, but it’s up to the acceptance of them to be for you, for someone.”

Three days before his repose, he began to be unable to, one day on the day of his An-ge-la, holy ve-li- to whom Di-mit-riya So-lun-sko-go, served, according to custom, li-tur-gy in the co-bor-church, but no longer in the si- lah was speaking in teaching. One of the singers read what had been prepared for them in private, while the saint sat in the royal doors, changing into face from severe pain. Despite this, he forced himself to be present at the usual meal in the cross pa-la, although nothing didn't taste it. The next day, the ar-hi-mand-rit Var-la-am, who had been given to him, arrived from Pe-re-ya-s-lav-la and was received by him with love -view. During their spiritual be-se-dy, the former cor-mi-li-tsa of the tsa-re-vi-cha of Alek-sey Pet-ro-vi-cha, foreign- ki-nya Ev-fro-si-niya, from the Ka-zinsky family, living near the ar-hi-herey's house, to ask the saint to on-ve-stil her, hurting. I-cannot-go-from-the-hall due to illness, although I respected her kindness a lot life; but she sent a second convincing request to sit with her at least for a short time; he moved with the ar-hi-mand-ri-ta, who said that a small movement would be good for him. but, the saint decided to use the same goodness of another after the evening's singing, but with difficulty he could get back to his cell. He ordered the kaz-on-whose to treat his ar-hi-mand-ri-ta, and he himself, under-support-my servant -I walked around the cell for a long time, thinking about relieving myself from the choking cough; then he ordered to call a singer to his cell in order to once again delight his ears with the spiritual song of hymns, which he himself had -when he said, somehow: “Behold, my beloved Jesus!” On my life in Bo-ze in la-gai! You are my God, Jesus, You are my joy!” Throughout the singing, Saint Demetrius listened attentively, leaning against the stove and basking in the spirit, but more than -li body. With a blessing, he stole away each of the singers and kept only one of my loves with him. , who was his diligent co-worker in the re-writing of his works. The sick saint began to tell him simply about his life, already sensing its end: how to guide her -gave in his youth and at full age, as he prayed to the Lord, His Most Pure Ma-te-ri and to all who please Bo -li-im, and pri-s-in-ku-drank: “And you, children, pray the same way.”

Finally he said: “It’s time for you, child, to go to your home”; when the singer, having received the blessing, wanted to leave, the saint escorted him to the very door and through -bowed down to him almost to the ground, thank-you for the fact that he worked a lot, re-pe-pi-sy-s-hi-him- no-no. The singer shuddered, seeing such an unusual pro-leadership of his pasture, and sang with bliss -audience: “Do I, as a slave, like this, sir, holy lord?” And with gentleness the humble ruler again told him: “Bless you, child,” and returned to kel-liyu; The singer, weeping, went to his house. Then the saint ordered all his servants to disperse, but he himself, having locked himself up in a special cell, as if for this purpose, In order to rest a little, he remained in prayer until his death. At dawn the servants came up and found him on his knees, as if praying, but with some sadness Their hearts were full when they saw him already deceased at prayer. Hit the big bell three times; the singer, who had been with him just the other day, having heard this sorrowful voice of the holy repose, immediately -len-but-ran to the ar-hi-jerical pa-la-you and still found-you-herding your-e-father and standing on a stake -nyakh in the same place in which he gave up his righteous soul to God.

The deceased monk was in holy attire, which he himself wore, and instead of saying -would he, according to his good-will, have his various works, rough-written by his ru -koyu; the body of the deceased shepherd you-not-so-but it was in his cross-church of the All-lovely Savior, which is on se-nyah, near the cell where he died. When it was announced in Ro-sto-ve about the presence of goodness and the cha-do-love-of-grazing, almost the entire city -the family flocked to his honorable body, and a bitter cry arose for the good shepherd, who taught and for-stepped -no-ke, having left si-ro-ta-mi his flock. On the same day, the blessed tsa-ri-tsa Pa-ras-ke-va with three daughters-mi-tsa-rev-na-mi: Eka-te-ri-noyu , Pa-ras-ke-voyu and An-noya Ioan-nov-na-mi, arrived after lunch in Ro-stov and was completely upset that she didn’t have time -I wanted to receive the blessing of the saint before his departure. She ordered to serve a congregational pa-ni-hi-du over the deceased and went to the ceremony of the miraculous icon in Bo- Go-yav-lensky mo-na-styr, from-where-in-not-since-la came with a celebration to the Ro-stov-Cathedral Church, so that the main shrine of the axis of the diocese of the axis of the deceased shepherd. There, in the presence of the tsar, with great honor, there was a holy body and secondly, from the very top of the meeting, pa-ni-hi-da in her presence: to whom the Lord judged with honor to bestow blessings please your wife! His registration was immediately sent to Moscow at the Moscow Styr-kaz, and in his execution before his death -but there was a mo-gi-lu in the co-bor-church- see Za-cha-tiya Bo-go-ma-te-ri, in the corner from the right side, and cover it with stone; but due to the negligence of the graves, not without the special thought of God, you could not have laid on the stone gi-la, but only the de-re-rub was made, which soon rotted from the dampness, and this served subsequently - to the discovery of the relics of the saint.

For about a month, the body of St. Demetrius in his congregational church remained imperishable, and during all this time -the pa-ni-hi-dys all stood above him. Already in the last days of November I arrived in Ro-stov, the place of the pat-ri-ar-she-pres-sto-la mit-ro-po -Stephen fulfilled the vow he had given to a friend, and when he entered the cathedral, he cried a lot over the coffin of the deceased. she-ho. Then where are the monasteries of Ro-stov, the council priests and many of the honorable citizens I came to the mit-ro-po-li-tu, begging him to row the body of the holy ones in the co-bor- Noy church, near its predecessor Joasafa, where and always the mit-ro-li-you of Ro-stov were buried: but the place- hundred-blue-sti-tel pat-ri-ar-shiy did not decide about the will of his friend. He said to those asking: “Since upon his very entry into the diocese of Rostov, the Most Holy Demetrius preceded you.” The author himself chose the place of rest in the Yako-vlevsky monastery, then do I have the right to change it? »

On the day appointed for the funeral, November 25th, the place-blue-sti-tel pat-ri-ar-shiy from-served the new li-tur-gia in the cathedral cathedral and graveside singing with all the sacred-serv- ers of the city -Yes, Ro-sto-va, and he said a personal word in memory of the deceased. Then, in co-leadership of the entire clergy and people, with a lot of crying and through-the-tea-celebration of the re- not-that-but-the-holy-body in the Yako-vlev-sky mo-na-styr, where it is, according to the order, in the right corner with -bor-noy church, and over-the-grave verses on-pi-sa-ny would-be the place-blue-ti-the-lem Stephan. For-m-cha-tel-but, due to the love of holiness to the re-enactment of the passions of the Lord under-them, in the course of days he knew honorable: he died on Friday, shortly after his birthday, and in the month later, also on Friday, sacred to the memory of the Crucifixion of the Lord, and the re-establishment of the saints The same thing happened to him on Friday, for this great mover, co-equal throughout his life -not for the benefit of all the right-to-glorious Christ-an-sko-go-da lives of the saints, who are in the books in heaven -ge eternal, and he himself, soon after his departure from this short-lived life, was honored to be included among -stay with them in the same eternal book by the finger of God and be crowned with the crown of incorruptibility.

After 42 years that elapsed from his burial, on September 21, 1732, upon dissolution, he lowered his in the Church of Za-cha-tiya Bo-go-ma-te-ri about-we-were his incorruptible holy relics in a rotten tomb, as well as his holy clothes, and from them, as from a blessing, how can one use them? studies of obsessions with different types of pain: the blind see, the dumb talk, the weak The lazy ones moved, and the demons came out of prayers, finally arriving at the holy relics. Heeding these clear indications of the Divine Pro-thought, the Holy Synod, according to the testimony of the Holy -those relics and former miracles were counted by the saints of Dimitriy to the ranks of newly-revealed miracle-creators of Russia -Siy-skikh 22 April 1757. Pre-em-ni-ku him at the department of Ro-stov, mit-ro-li-tu Ar-se-niy, in-ru-what would-be-to-sta-vit the life-not-description-of-the-saint, and the service was written to him by Am-vrosiy, Bishop of Pere-ya-s-lav-sky, subsequently the history of the arch-bishop of the first capital capital, where the man ended his days. In the next year, the blessing of the three-year-old Eli-za-ve-ta through diligence to the holy arrang- and-la for the relics of his silver-rya-ra-ku, and in 1763 he-per-three-tsa Eka-te-ri-na after his tsar -th wedding on foot to complete the journey from Moscow to Rostov for veneration of the relics of the saint Di-mit-riya and re-transfer-them into a ready-made ra-ku, which she herself carried along with the ar-hi-ere -I-during the ceremonial visit to the temple: such a royal honor was again given to please Bo- I live.

Blessed works with the relics of the saint, over whom, are already in Nowadays, 40 years of vigilant vigil, another mover, the grave elder hiero-monk Am-fi-lo-hiy, left - having a good memory of himself and lying down as if on guard at the church of that temple, where - the power of the saint (there in the front door there is a po-chi-va-et and his blessed tribe-my-nickname ar-hi-mand- Rit In-no-ken-tiy, who was for a long time at Yako-vlev-skaya monastery). Let us glorify the Lord, by His inexplicable mercy, having shown so much goodness already in our days , in the humble city of Ro-sto-ve, and there are a lot of great things there who is the light of the Russian land, who will soon appear with the power of someone for a prize sharing his holy name. Mo-lit-va-mi this-go-to-right-to-glory rev-no-te-la and is-ko-re-ni-te-la races, tse -leb-ni-ka Rossiy-sko-go and tsev-ni-tsy spirit, survived-lo-wise-y-y-all of his pi-sa-ni-ya- May we also be able to be on-pi-san-ny-mi in the book of life of the Lamb of God, together with everyone who has pleased him from eternity -shi-mi, to the number of them there is Saint Di-mitriy of Rostov.

Since November 10, 1991, the honorable relics of St. Demetrius have been in the Yako-Vlevsky Church, to the right of the Tsar -skih gates. At the saint’s tomb, a warm and humble prayer again rises up for him: “Oh, everything is holy.” te-lyu Dmit-rie...”

Prayers

Troparion to Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov

Orthodoxy to the zealot and schism to the eradicator, / Russian healer, and new to God prayer book, / with your writings you have made them whole, / spiritual priest, blessed Demetrius, / / ​​pray Christ God may save our souls.

Translation: Orthodox zealot and exterminator, Russian healer and new prayer book to God, with your writings you have enlightened the foolish, spiritual lyre, Demetrius, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.

Troparion to Saints Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, Mitrofan and Tikhon, Bishops of Voronezh

Just as in ancient times in the East there were three great saints, / Basil, powerful in words, / the depth of theology, Gregory and John Chrysostom, / so today in the land of the midnight / three newly-minted luminaries faith in the firmament of the church eastern:/ the pillar of faith Mitrofan,/ the word of truth in the person of the king confessed ,/ and Demetrius, the denouncer of the schism,/ cut off all his wiles with a sharp sword,/ and the full vessel of anointing, Tikhon,/ with the quietness of his words, calling the sinner to repentance./ O greatness three holiness of the Russian land,/ pray to Christ God, who pleases him quickly,/ / save our souls.

Translation: As before in the East: Basil, strong in words, Gregory and John Chrysostom, who had the depth of theology, so now in the northern country three new luminaries of faith, revealed to us, have risen in the church sky: the pillar of faith Mitrofan, who confessed the word of truth to the face of the king, and the accuser Demetrius, with a double-edged sword Tikhon, who cut through all his machinations and was a vessel full of grace, called his sinners to repentance with the silence of his words. O great three saints of the Russian land, pray to Christ God, to Him you were pleasing, for the salvation of our souls.

Troparion to the Saints of Rostov

Holy Hierarchy of Wisdom,/ your flock and teacher of divine enlightenment,/ the faith of the Gospel in people has increased,/ heavenly love on earth is an admirable image,/ the people of the country of Rostov and Yaroslav all who shared salvation, / the servants of truly God / and the worthy companions of the apostles, appeared to nature, / Leontius the Hieromartyr, Isaiah , Ignatius, Jacob, Theodore/ and the Russian goldsmith Demetrius,/ Pray to Christ God/ for the bishops who are your successors on the throne,/ for the people who piously honor you,/ for our rightful country more glorious // and about the entire Church of Christ.

Translation: The wise saints, your God-enlightened teachers, who increased the Evangelical faith in people, worthy examples of Heavenly love on earth, who introduced the people of Rostov and Yaroslavl land to salvation, true servants of God and faithful followers, Hieromartyr Leonty, Isaiah, Ignatius, Jacob, Theodore and Chrysostom Russian Demetrius, pray to Christ God for the bishops, your successors on the throne, for the people who piously honor you, for our Orthodox country and for the entire Church of Christ.

Kontakion to Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov

The Russian star rose from Kiev, / and reached Rostov through Novgrad Seversky, / but illuminated this whole country with teachings and miracles, / we will please the golden-speaking teacher Demetrius, / who wrote everything to everyone, I And for instruction,/ may he win everyone, as Paul did to Christ ,// and our souls will be saved by orthodoxy.

Translation: The Russian star shone in Kiev and reached Rostov through Novgorod Seversky, illuminating our entire country with teachings and miracles, let us glorify the eloquent teacher Demetrius, for he wrote everything for instruction for everyone, in order to lead everyone to Christ, like the Apostle Paul (), and save Orthodoxy is our soul.

Kontakion to Saints Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, Mitrofan and Tikhon, Bishops of Voronezh

Even in our later generations and in the last times/ overwhelmed by the anxiety of worldly passions and the coldness of unbelief of those who were ill/ in grief, comforted your soul and the warmth of your faith warmed,/ three the newly-appeared holiness of Russia,/ Demetrius, Mitrofan and Tikhon,/ establish us on the rock of Orthodoxy/ and As loving fathers, guide your spiritual children along the path of the commandments of your fathers into the Kingdom of Christ.

Translation: In our later generations and in recent times, those caught in the storms of everyday passions and suffering from the cold of unbelief, who consoled us in our spiritual sorrow and warmed you with the warmth of your faith, the three new Russian saints who appeared to us, Demetrius, Mitrofan and Tikhon, strengthen us on the rock of Orthodoxy and, as lovers Fathers, guide your spiritual children, following the commandments of your fathers, into the Kingdom of Christ.

Greatness to Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov

We magnify you,/ Saint Father Demetrius,/ and honor your holy memory,/ for you pray for us// Christ our God.

Prayer to Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov

Oh, all-blessed Saint Demetrius, great saint of Christ, Chrysostom of Russia, hear us sinners praying to you, and bring our prayer to the Merciful and Lover of Mankind, to whom you are now stand in the joy of the saints and on the faces of the angels! Pray to His compassion, that He may not judge us according to our iniquities, but may He deal with us according to His mercy. Ask us from Christ and our God for a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health, the prosperity of the earth and all abundance and prosperity in everything, and may we not turn the good things given to us from the Generous God into evil Yes, but for His glory and glorification your intercession. Grant that we may pass through this temporary life in a God-pleasing manner; Deliver us from airy ordeals and guide us on the path that leads to the villages of the righteous, where they celebrate the unceasing voice, beholding the indescribable kindness of God’s face. Preserve the Holy Church from schisms and heresies, strengthen the faithful, convert the erring, and grant to all everything that is appropriate for the salvation and glory of God; Save your fatherland from enemies without hatred, but overcome the weapons of the Crusader army; and grant us all your archpastoral and holy blessing, so that through it we will get rid of the wiles of the evil one and escape from all misfortune and misfortune. Hear our prayer, Father Demetrius, and constantly pray for us to the Almighty God, glorified and worshiped in the Three Hypostases, to Him belongs all glory, honor and power forever and ever. Amen.

Canons and Akathists

Canon to Saint Demetrius of Rostov

Song 1

Irmos: As Israel walked across the abyss on dry ground, seeing the persecutor Pharaoh drowned, we sing a victorious song to God, crying out.

Stand before the Holy Trinity with the Angelic ranks, great hierarch Demetrius, pray for us sinners, that we may receive remission of sins.

By fasting and abstinence, you have enslaved the body to the spirit, and thereby made incorruptibility and healing power for your mortal substance, teach us, Holy Father, to work for God and not for mammon.

Glory: Guiding the flock entrusted to you from the Beginning of the Shepherd Christ, and driving away the harmful wolves from the fence of Christ with your God-inspired teachings, watch now, Saint Demetrius, so that not some fussiness schisms will disturb the silence of the church, but more than pray to the Lover of Mankind, God, that soon all with one mouth and with one heart let us praise His compassion.

And now: Having understood Thee as the Chosen and All-Pure, the Son of God, the All-Immaculate One, Thy Son was born; create sons by grace, the Mother of God who honors Thee.

Song 3

Irmos: There is no one holy like You, O Lord my God, who has lifted up the horn of Your faithful, O Good One, and established us on the rock of Your confession.

Having established yourself on the rock of the faith of Christ, you remained steadfast in the confession of Orthodoxy and you constantly denounced those who cursed.

Convicting, praying, advising, you did not cease to call the lost sheep from the flock of Christ, even if not all of them listened to your voice.

Glory: You encouraged the sons of the Church, who remained unshakably in her embrace, and we, listening with sweetness to your teaching, cry out: there is no one more holy than our God.

And now: Who redeemed man from disobedience and washed away the original sin of Adam with Her Blood, Thou didst give birth to the Pure and All-Immaculate One.

Sedalen, voice 8th

The healings and miracles flowing from your miraculous relics, Saint Demetrius, delight the faithful hearts and arouse love to sing to you: Rejoice, Father, Russian praise.

Glory, and now:

One true Patroness of Christians, deliver us from all cruel circumstances, troubles and sorrows, and save our souls with Your prayers.

Song 4

Irmos: Christ is my strength, God and Lord, the honest Church sings divinely, crying, pure in meaning, celebrating in the Lord.

From early childhood you were brought up in good teaching, and you did not direct the sharpness of your mind to the worldly reasoning, Saint Demetrius, but to the creation and strengthening of the Orthodox, and the denunciation and curbing of heretics: therefore, you appeared as a vicar worthy of the apostolic throne.

Your holy relics exude inexhaustible healing, and those who flow to them by faith find deliverance from the evil ones.

Glory: For the love you had for Christ, you were glorified by the gift of miracles and healings, for this sake we bow to you and pray to you, as a saint and friend of God, may you remember us in your holy prayers to God.

And now: Pray for us, O Most Holy Lady, the Lover of Mankind, that He may not remember our iniquities, but may He deal with us according to His mercy.

Song 5

Irmos: With Thy God's light, O Blessed One, illumine the souls of Thy morning with love, I pray, Lead Thee, the Word of God, the true God, crying out from the darkness of sin.

Preserve, O Saint of Christ, your fatherland from enemies and grant victory and victory to those who resist.

Protect us, God's servant Demetrius, from all the snares of the evil devil, so that we may not stumble through this path of life in fulfilling the commandments of God.

Glory: Father Demetrius, kindle the darkness of sin from our souls and enlighten us with the knowledge of the will of God, so that in the light of His commandments we may complete our good course.

And now: Virgin Immaculate, who gave birth to the true Light, shine upon us the light of the knowledge of God for our salvation.

Song 6

Irmos: The sea of ​​life, raised in vain by misfortunes and storms, flowed to Your quiet refuge, crying out to You: lift up my belly from aphids, O Most Merciful One.

Look with your merciful eye, O Saint of Christ, at the sinful excitement that overwhelms us, and direct our voyage to the quiet Haven of God’s mercy.

Be a good helmsman for us, Father Demetrius, and do not leave us to perish in our sins, and in them, as a man was tempted, help us, the tempted ones.

Glory: Saint Demetrius, be our intercessor and intercessor to the Most Merciful God, may our belly be freed from aphids.

And now: With our lips and hearts we magnify You, Mother of God: You, who have reconciled the entire human race to God, do not cast us away from Your intercession.

Kontakion, tone 4

The Russian star, which shone from Kiev, and reached Rostov through Novgrad Seversky, and illuminated this whole country with teachings and miracles, let us please the golden-talking teacher Demetrius: for he has written everything for everyone, even for instruction, so that he will gain everyone, like Paul, to Christ and save by orthodoxy our souls.

Ikos

The righteous for those who repent in Heaven, but we, sinners on earth, should rejoice in you, righteous Demetrius: as you are a new man of prayer to God for us, and we pleasing him with worthy praises, we call you with joy: Rejoice, praise of Rostov, and of all Russia praise.

Song 7

Irmos: The angel made the venerable cave into a venerable youth, and the Chaldeans exhorted the scorching command of God to the tormentor to cry out: Blessed art thou, O God of our fathers.

For the sake of Christ's sake, you have appeared as an image of humility, Saint Demetrius, and grant me not to cry out in pride, but in humility: Blessed are you, O God of our fathers.

By abstinence you have subjugated your body to your spirit, Saint Demetrius, grant me also to live in abstinence, so that with undefiled lips I will cry: blessed art thou, O God of our fathers.

Glory: By your teachings, Father Demetrius, you control our thoughts, and we, imitating you, sing to God: blessed art thou, O God of our fathers.

And now: You conceived the Beginning God in Your womb, O Most Pure Virgin, Who, singing, we call: Blessed is God our father.

Song 8

Irmos: You poured out dew from the flames of the saints and burned the righteous sacrifice with water: you did everything, O Christ, only as you wished. We extol You forever.

You were the builder of our salvation, Father Demetrius, crying out to all who listened to your teaching: exalt Christ forever.

God-wise hierarch, all-blessed Demetrius, with merciful and humane love for us, pray for us to the Humane God, Whom we extol forever.

Glory: You have refuted the malicious wisdom of the schismatics, Saint Demetrius, and you have instructed the faithful to remain firm in the true faith, exalting, crying out, Christ forever.

And now: Thy supernatural and wonderful Nativity, O Virgin, we sing piously, exalting Christ to all ages.

Song 9

Irmos: It is impossible for a man to see God; the angels do not dare to look at him; By You, O All-Pure One, the Word incarnate as man, Who magnifies Him, with the Heavenly Ones we please You.

Enjoying, Father, eternal life, for which you labored diligently, pray for us to achieve it.

Even though you moved away from us to Gornaya, Saint Demetrius, you still remain in spirit with those who call you, teaching and strengthening you to walk along the path of God’s saving commandments.

Glory: Thou hast appeared, an all-bright lamp of piety, a most graceful rhetorician, and the fertilizer of the Orthodox bishops: with this we worthily magnify thee with heartfelt love.

And now: Virgin Mother of God, Whom you gave birth to, the Lover of Mankind, pray with Saint Demetrius that He may save our souls.

Akathist to St. Demetrius of Rostov

Kontakion 1

Chosen wonderworker and great servant of Christ, multi-healing source of miracles, intercessor of inexhaustible graces, warm prayer book, great saint of Christ Demetrius, as having boldness towards Christ our God, free those who call us from all troubles:

Ikos 1

You were an angel in disposition, even if you were a man by nature, to Saint Demetrius: from your very youth you despised the earthly mind, you fixed it on the Heavenly and, while wearing flesh, you did not care about the flesh. In the same way, the Most Holy Spirit dwelt in you, having made you his dwelling place, and let us write to you praise:

Rejoice, thou who in thy gentleness imitated the lamb prophesied by Isaiah;

Rejoice, you who have nourished the poor with mercy.

Rejoice, you astonished the angels with abstinence;

Rejoice, having afflicted your flesh with fasting and prayer.

Rejoice, you who were a loving father to those under your control;

Rejoice, comforter of those suffering from compassion.

Rejoice, instead of the corruptible, you have acquired the imperishable;

Rejoice, heavenly man.

Rejoice, earthly angel;

Rejoice, chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice, zealot of Orthodoxy;

Rejoice, destroyer of soul-destroying strife.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 2

Seeing the abundant river of miracles and healings flowing from your holy relics, filled with reverence and joy, we thank God, who glorifies His saints, and we cry out to Him for you: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

Instilling the mind of true theology in the children of Christ in the Church, you affirmed with golden teachings: but you denounced those who are heretical, attracting them to a saving like-mindedness, in errors; for this we appeal to you for your care for our souls:

Rejoice, Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity;

Rejoice, preacher of the countless miracles of God.

Rejoice, guardian of the Apostolic Traditions;

Rejoice, conqueror of false wisdom.

Rejoice, flame that burns heresies;

Rejoice, thunder, fearsome tempter.

Rejoice, shining light, kindled by God, dispelling the darkness of wickedness;

Rejoice, star, showing the way to salvation.

Rejoice, tambourine, tinkling the glory of God;

Rejoice, organ of the Holy Spirit

Rejoice, zealot of Orthodoxy.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 3

By the power of God’s grace, even in your temporary life, you received the power, Saint Demetrius, to heal ailments and cast out demons; After your death, Almighty God especially glorified you with many miracles, so that everyone, looking at this, zealously flocked to your healing from bodily ailments, and especially spiritual ones, and cried out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Having vigilant concern for the salvation of the souls entrusted to you by God, Saint Demetrius, pastorally towards a soul-saving life, both in word and in deed, showing your indolent feat in imitation of the saints of God, you constantly instructed. For this reason, accept from our zeal worthy praise for you:

Rejoice, good shepherd, seeking out those who go astray on the mountains of superstition;

Rejoice, good and faithful servant, the talent given to you by the Lord has been aggravated.

Rejoice, worker of Christ's grapes;

Rejoice, immovable pillar of piety.

Rejoice, hard things have taken over the Church of Christ;

Rejoice, shield, protect piety.

Rejoice, sharpest sword, cut off evil;

Rejoice, unshakable foundation of Orthodoxy.

Rejoice, solid rock of faith;

Rejoice, fed the church, guiding the faithful to a quiet refuge.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 4

The storm of heresies, revived from the underworld through Aria in Greece, and in the last summer, through the machinations of the foolish, arose in our country, was ready to overthrow the silence of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; But you, good shepherd, laid down your soul for the sheep, driving away those soul-destroying wolves, you tamed the storm of superstition, and you taught the faithful to cry out to the Trinitarian God: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Hearing your superstitious denunciation of them, you, sick of their heartfelt delusion, wrote, you became very angry, and many of them, instead of proper correction, hellish flames spewed out on you, but you, like hard adamant, under the blows of malice and hatred, you did not change . For this reason, the Holy Church blesses you with these greetings:

Rejoice, fellow angels;

Rejoice, successor of the apostles.

Rejoice, co-throne of the saints;

Rejoice, Russian Chrysostom.

Rejoice, Spyridon, the great Basil, Gregory the Theologian and other great saints of the same honor;

Rejoice, Nicholas of Myra in Lycia and Meletius of Antioch are equal.

Rejoice, interlocutor of the venerables;

Rejoice, teacher of monks and fasters.

Rejoice, fertilizer for the martyrs;

Rejoice, ornament of the righteous.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 5

The God-bearing star appeared in your course, even as you accomplished your salvation, arranging for yourself; Having edified the souls of the faithful by example, you taught them to sing favorably to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Having seen your angelic ranks even in your temporary life, your great deeds in all piety and purity, I was amazed, glorifying God the Lover of Mankind, who strengthens weak human nature. We, who diligently honor you with love, honor you with these praises:

Rejoice, ray of the Trisolar Light;

Rejoice, lamp set on the church candlestick.

Rejoice, luminary, showing the right path;

Rejoice, invincible warrior of Christ.

Rejoice, true champion of the Consubstantial Trinity;

Rejoice, you who stop the heretical mouth.

Rejoice, you who speak heavenly truths through your golden lips;

Rejoice, you who sold all your possessions according to the word of the Lord.

Rejoice, thou who hast gained the one priceless bead of Christ the Lord;

Rejoice, having been faithful in a few days and placed over many.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 6

You were the silent preacher of the mystery of the Most Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity. For this reason, the Russian Church preaches the greatness of God, shown in you, Saint Demetrius, as if you have received the gift of healing mental and physical ailments, so that we all sing to God with one heart and one mouth: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

The shining light of the true knowledge of God has risen in your soul, beloved by God, for the sanctification and enlightenment of the faithful, who with sweetness listen to your saving teaching, seeing it, we truly recognize that at the eleventh hour you came, equal with the ancient saints and God-bearing fathers, received a denarius. We also praise you:

Rejoice, repository of virtues;

Rejoice, worthy of a shrine home

Rejoice, sea, drowning vain wickedness;

Rejoice, fragrant tree, wonderfully prosperous.

Rejoice, treasure of honey-bearing teachings;

Rejoice, thou who hast betrayed thy soul to the Bridegroom Christ.

Rejoice, true imitator of His humility;

Rejoice, you who preserved monastic non-acquisitiveness to the end.

Rejoice, thou who entered with the wise into the joy of thy Lord;

Rejoice, fragrance of the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 7

Although in a worthy manner to accomplish the feat entrusted to you from God, you first strengthened your soul by reading the lives of the saints, intending to imitate them; Also, having felt the benefit flowing from this, you were not lazy in being a writer of the lives of those with whom you now rejoice in the evening light, singing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

You are a new prayer book for us, a healer of souls and bodies, and an intercessor for us to save eternal wealth; but with a grateful heart and lips to God, who in these times has bestowed such a miracle worker, we cannot sing worthily to you, the saint and great servant of Christ Demetrius, we dare to bring praise to the sitsa:

Rejoice, pleasant care for all who mourn;

Rejoice, quick from every disease and free to the doctor.

Rejoice, banisher of evil thoughts;

Rejoice, for through your prayers the blind have received their sight.

Rejoice, for through your intercession I began to walk with lameness and leglessness;

Rejoice, for through you you drove away many demons.

Rejoice, for through your intercession you healed weakness;

Rejoice, healer of the aching and swollen.

Rejoice, healer of shaking and fire diseases;

Rejoice, you who have restored health from incurable water and stone diseases.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 8

It is strange for those possessed by the disease of unbelief to see how in a dead and corruptible body it is possible for angels to pass through life without stumbling, and after the Dormition, from one with faith, touching the body, revered by incorruptibility, is wondrous. We are on you, Saint Demetrius, hearing and seeing new miracles of the Almighty God, healing with your prayers, we cry out to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

Completely inflamed with sincere love for God, you surrendered everything to His will; and having imputed all things material and corruptible to the ability of being, you desired in spirit, soul and heart to enjoy the sight of God. But now you have asked for everything you need for eternity, do not forget us, who demand your intercession and intercession, and let us write even more praise to you:

Rejoice, completely pleasing to God;

Rejoice, you who have received the crown of immortal life.

Rejoice, be satisfied with God's grace;

Rejoice, praised by the prophets for the explanation of their scriptures.

Rejoice, blessed by the apostles for following their footsteps;

Rejoice, glorified by the saints for your zeal of the same mind with them.

Rejoice, crowned with martyrs for writing off their sufferings;

Rejoice, having been counted among them by the venerables for imitating them in all piety and purity through fasting and prayer.

Rejoice, exalted righteous for your highest humility and labors;

Rejoice, received with joyful greetings from all the saints.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 9

Deliver us from all troubles, sorrows and misfortunes, Saint Demetrius, with your warm prayers to God and strive to grant us temporary good, necessary for life, and eternal, so that together with you in the village of the righteous we will sing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Human infamy cannot quite take away the grace of God poured out on you, Saint Demetrius, but, overcome by your love, we dare to sing to you:

Rejoice, planter of good things;

Rejoice, destroyer of the evil ones.

Rejoice, village of purity;

Rejoice, consolation for the sad.

Rejoice, desperate intercession;

Rejoice, nourisher of orphans.

Rejoice, O representative of the offended;

Rejoice, true guardian of reverence and truth.

Rejoice, bright pillar of cloud, enlighten with many miracles;

Rejoice, dew-bearing cloud, extinguishing the flame of passions.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 10

Although you did not care about saving your soul, you did not care about your flesh, but through fasting, vigil, prayers and incessant labors you depressed your flesh, as if in the tympanum, in the mortification of the body, it is pleasing to God to cry out: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

You are a wall that protects those who diligently call for help from all troubles, Saint Demetrius, as in all the countries of the Russian Empire the abundant miracles of your whole-filled tomb are clearly preached. For this reason, we please you with these:

Rejoice, cup that pours out for us the oil of God’s mercy;

Rejoice, healing of the sick.

Rejoice, reinforcement of the weak;

Rejoice, first aid for the suffering.

Rejoice, teacher of those who stumble over the stone of temptation;

Rejoice, intercessor of the offended.

Rejoice, enlightener of the darkened;

Rejoice, enlightened and affirmative.

Rejoice, scattered gathered one;

Rejoice, you who have directed you towards the heavenly unflickering light.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 11

You brought silent singing to the Most Holy Trinity, Saint Demetrius, with your thoughts, with your voice, with your words, and with your deeds. And now, standing before the Divine Throne, pray for those who sing about you: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

Your luminous teaching, revealing the heavenly mind, now confirmed by your incorruption and many miracles, is a clear and effective means of the gift of the Humane God for the denunciation of heretics and the confirmation of the Orthodox. Now, in rapture with your holy and honeyed teaching, we cry out to you with a grateful feeling:

Rejoice, wise teacher;

Rejoice, wonderful shepherd.

Rejoice, unshakable confessor;

Rejoice, eye to the blind.

Rejoice, legs of the lame;

Rejoice, helpless hands.

Rejoice, head filled with Heavenly teaching;

Rejoice, God-speaking gusset.

Rejoice, golden-streaming fountain;

Rejoice, spiritual priest.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 12

The grace given to you from God to heal bodily and mental ailments, Saint Demetrius, calls together from everywhere those who honor your appearance and expect that you will receive what you ask from God. In the same way, we, falling down, with tenderness, pray to you, deliver us from the evils of sin, and let us sing gratefully to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Singing your miracles, Saint Demetrius, we praise God, who has given you such powers of healing. Do not disdain us, His sinful and unworthy servants, but hear us, crying out to you in tenderness:

Rejoice, Light unapproachable to the viewer;

Rejoice, the lamp that has kept the light for the Bridegroom Christ.

Rejoice, you who have destroyed harmful despondency from yourself;

Rejoice, having reached the villages of paradise by cruel means.

Rejoice, rich in poverty;

Rejoice, thou who hast received high by humility.

Rejoice, thou who through cramped space has gained eternal space;

Rejoice, having reproached Christ for the sake of eternal glory with Him.

Rejoice, crowned of the Holy Trinity;

Rejoice, not by fortune-telling, but by looking face to face with God.

Rejoice, Demetrius, new and great miracle worker.

Kontakion 13

Oh, great Saint Demetrius, destroyer of schisms and heresies, accept this praiseworthy song and pray to Almighty God to pacify the world and save our souls, all who cry out to the Orthodox Trinitarian God: Alleluia.

Say this kontakion three times, therefore ikos 1: An angel in character, even a man: And kontakion 1: Chosen miracle worker:

First prayer to St. Demetrius of Rostov

Oh, wonderful and glorious wonderworker Demetrius, healer of human ailments! You constantly pray to the Lord our God for all sinners: I pray to you, be my intercessor before the Lord and my helper to overcome the insatiable passions of my flesh and to overcome the arrows of my opponent the devil, who hurts my weak heart and, like a smooth and fierce beast, hungers to destroy my soul. You, Saint of Christ, are my fence, you are my intercession and weapon! With your help, I will crush everything in me that resists the will of the King of kings. You, the great miracle worker, during the days of your exploits in this world, zealous for the Orthodox Church of God, like a true and good shepherd, you kindly exposed the sins and ignorance of people, and you guided those who strayed from the path of truth into heresies and schisms onto the path of truth.

Make it easy for me to correct the short-lived path of my life, so that I may unfalteringly follow the path of God’s commandments and work unslothfully for my Lord Jesus Christ, as my only Master, Redeemer and my righteous Judge. Falling down to this, I pray to you, servant of God, when you remove my soul from my body, deliver me from dark ordeals: I have no good deeds to justify my justification: do not let Satan become proud of the victory over my weak soul. Deliver me from Gehenna, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, and through your holy prayers make me a partaker of the Heavenly Kingdom in the Trinity of the glorified God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Second prayer to St. Demetrius of Rostov

Oh, Saint Demetrius, great saint of Christ, Chrysostom of Russia! Hear us sinners praying to you, and bring our prayer to God, the Lover of Mankind, for the servants of God (names). Beg His mercy, that He may not condemn us for our iniquities, but may He deal with us according to His mercy. Ask us from Christ our God for a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health. Grant us a godly way to cross the path of temporary life: deliver us from airy ordeals and guide us on the path leading to the villages of the righteous; Grant us your archpastoral and holy blessing, so that we will be overshadowed by it and get rid of the wiles of the evil one and avoid all misfortune and adversity. Hear our prayer, Father Dmitry, and constantly pray for us to the Almighty God, glorified and worshiped in three Hypostases, to Him belongs all glory, honor and power forever and ever. Amen.

Third prayer to St. Demetrius of Rostov

Oh, all-blessed Saint Demetrius, great saint of Christ, Chrysostom of Russia, hear us sinners praying to you, and bring our prayer to the Merciful and Lover of Mankind, to whom you now stand in the joy of the saints and with the faces of the Angels! Pray to His mercy, that He not judge us according to our iniquities, but that He deal with us according to His mercy. Ask us from Christ and our God for a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health, earthly prosperity and all abundance and prosperity in everything, and may we not turn the good things given to us from the Generous God into evil, but into His glory and the glorification of your intercession . Grant us to pass through the field of temporary life in a God-pleasing manner; deliver us from airy ordeals and guide us on the path that leads to the villages of the righteous, where they celebrate the unceasing voice, beholding the indescribable kindness of God’s face. Preserve the Holy Church from schisms and heresies, strengthen the faithful, convert the erring, and grant to all everything that is appropriate for the salvation and glory of God; Save your fatherland from enemies without harm, but overcome the weapons of the Crusader army; and grant us all your archpastoral and holy blessing, so that through it we will get rid of the wiles of the evil one and escape from all troubles and misfortunes. Hear our prayer, Father Demetrius, and constantly pray for us to the Almighty God, glorified and worshiped in the Three Hypostases, to Him belongs all glory, honor and power forever and ever. Amen.

This day in history

1904 A bronze statue of Christ on the Chilean-Argentine border has been consecrated.

1881 Alexander II was mortally wounded on the embankment of the Catherine Canal in St. Petersburg by a bomb thrown by Narodnaya Volya member Ignatius Grinevitsky.

1989 The World Wide Web (WWW), better known as the Internet, was invented.

Month January

Memory January 1

Word on the Circumcision of Christ

Our Lord Jesus Christ, after eight days from birth, deigned to receive circumcision. On the one hand, He accepted it in order to fulfill the law: “I came not to destroy the law,” He said, “but to fulfill it”(Matthew 5:17); for He obeyed the law in order to free from it those who were in slavish subjection to it, as the apostle says: “God sent his Son, subjected to the law, to redeem those under the law.” (Gal.4:5). On the other hand, He accepted circumcision in order to show that He really took on human flesh, and so that heretical lips would be stopped, saying that Christ did not take on true human flesh, but was only born ghostly. So He was circumcised so that His humanity would be evident. For if He had not put on our flesh, how could a ghost and not the flesh be circumcised? Saint Ephraim the Syrian says: “If Christ was not flesh, then whom did Joseph circumcise? But since He was truly flesh, He was circumcised as a man, and the baby was truly stained with His blood, like the son of man; He was sick and cried in pain, as befits someone with human nature.” But, in addition, He accepted fleshly circumcision in order to establish spiritual circumcision for us; for, having finished the old law that concerned the flesh, He laid the foundation for a new, spiritual one. And just as the Old Testament carnal man circumcised his sensual flesh, so the new spiritual man must circumcise his spiritual passions: rage, anger, envy, pride, unclean desires and other sins and sinful lusts. He was circumcised on the eighth day because He foreshadowed to us with His blood the future life, which is usually called by the teachers of the Church the eighth day or age. Thus, the writer of the canon on the circumcision of the Lord, Saint Stephen, says: “he depicts life in the future unceasing osmago age, in the future the Lord was circumcised in the flesh.” And Saint Gregory of Nyssa says this: “According to the law, circumcision was to be performed on the eighth day, and the eighth number predicted the eighth future century. It is also appropriate to know that circumcision in the Old Testament was established in the image of baptism and cleansing of ancestral sin, although that sin was not completely cleansed by circumcision, which could not have happened until Christ voluntarily shed His most pure blood for us in His suffering. Circumcision was only a prototype of true cleansing, and not the true cleansing that our Lord accomplished, taking sin from the environment and nailing it to the cross, and instead of the Old Testament circumcision, establishing a new grace-filled baptism with water and the Spirit. Circumcision in those days was, as it were, an execution for the ancestral sin and a sign that the circumcised baby was conceived in iniquity, as David says, and his mother gave birth to him in sin (Ps. 50:7), which is why the ulcer remained on the adolescent body. Our Lord was sinless; for although He was like us in everything, He had no sin on Himself. Just as the copper serpent, built in the desert by Moses, was similar in appearance to a serpent, but did not have the poison of the serpent in it (Num. 21:9), so Christ was a true man, but not involved in human sin, and was born, supernaturally, from a pure and unmarried Mother. He, as a sinless one and Himself the former Lawgiver, would not need to undergo that painful legal circumcision; but since He came to take upon Himself the sins of the whole world and God, as the Apostle says, made Him who knew no sin to be a sacrifice for sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), He, being without sin, undergoes circumcision as if He were a sinner. . And in circumcision the Master showed us greater humility than in His birth. For at His birth He took upon Himself the form of man, according to the words of the Apostle: "having been made in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man"(Phil.2:7); in circumcision He took upon Himself the image of a sinner, as a sinner enduring the pain due for sin. And what He was not guilty of, for that He suffered as if innocent, as if repeating with David: “What I did not take away, I must give back” (Ps. 68:5), that is, for that sin in which I was not involved, I accept the disease of circumcision. By the circumcision He received, He began His suffering for us and the partaking of that cup, which He had to drink to the end, when, hanging on the cross, He said: "It is finished"(John 19:30)! He now pours out drops of blood from the foreskin, and then it will flow out in streams from His entire body. He begins to endure in infancy and becomes accustomed to suffering, so that, having become a perfect man, he will be able to endure more severe suffering, for one should be accustomed to feats of courage from youth. Human life, full of work, is like a day, for which morning is birth, and evening is death. So, in the morning, from the swaddling clothes, Christ, the adored man, goes out to his work, to his labors - He is in labor from His very youth and to his work until the evening (Ps. 103:23), that evening when the sun darkens and There will be darkness throughout the whole earth until the ninth hour. And He will say to the Jews: “My Father works until now, and I work”(John 5:17). What is the Lord doing for us? – Our salvation: "bringing salvation into the midst of the earth"(Ps. 73:12). And in order to do this work completely perfectly, He sets about it in the morning, from youth, beginning to endure bodily illness, and at the same time being heartily sick for us, as for His children, until He Himself, Christ, is depicted in us. In the morning He begins to sow with His blood in order to gather the beautiful fruit of our redemption by evening. The adored Child was given the name Jesus at circumcision, which was brought from heaven by the Archangel Gabriel at the time when he announced His conception to the Most Pure Virgin Mary, before He was conceived in the womb, i.e., before the Most Holy Virgin accepted the words of the evangelist before she said: “behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word!”(Luke 1:38). For, at these words of Her, the Word of God immediately became flesh, dwelling in Her most pure and most holy womb. So, the most holy name Jesus, named by the angel before conception, was given at the circumcision of Christ the Lord, which served as a notification of our salvation; for the name Jesus means salvation, as the same angel explained when he appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”(Matt. 1:21). And the holy Apostle Peter testifies to the name of Jesus with these words: “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”(Acts 4:12). This saving name Jesus, before all ages, in the Trinity Council, was prepared, written and until now was kept for our deliverance, but now, like priceless pearls, it was brought from the heavenly treasury for the redemption of the human race and was revealed to all by Joseph. In this name the truth and wisdom of God are revealed (Ps. 50:8). This name, like the sun, illuminated the world with its radiance, according to the words of the prophet: “But for you who revere My name, the Sun of righteousness will rise.”(Malach.4:2). Like fragrant myrrh, it filled the universe with its aroma: spilled myrrh - it is said in Scripture - from the fragrance of your ointments (Song. 1: 2), not the remaining myrrh into a vessel - His name, but poured out. For as long as the myrrh is kept in the vessel, so long will its incense be kept inside; when it spills, it immediately fills the air with a fragrance. The power of the name of Jesus was unknown while it was hidden in the Eternal Council, as if in a vessel. But as soon as that name was poured out from heaven to earth, then immediately, like fragrant ointment, when the blood of an infant was poured out during the circumcision, it filled the universe with the aroma of grace, and all nations now confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The power of the name of Jesus has now been revealed, for that wondrous name Jesus amazed the angels, rejoiced the people, frightened the demons, for the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19); from that very name hell shakes, the underworld shakes, the prince of darkness disappears, idols fall, the darkness of idolatry is dispersed and, in its place, the light of piety shines and enlightens every person who comes into the world (John 1:9). In this name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:10). This name of Jesus is a powerful weapon against enemies, as St. John Climacus says: “In the name of Jesus, always defeat warriors, for you will not find a stronger weapon than this, neither in heaven nor on earth. How sweet to the heart that loves Christ Jesus is this most precious name Jesus! How pleasant it is to him who has it! For Jesus is all love, all sweetness. How kind is this holy name of Jesus to the servant and prisoner of Jesus, taken captive by His love! Jesus is in the mind, Jesus is on the lips, Jesus is where people believe with the heart for righteousness, Jesus is where they confess with the mouth for salvation (Rom. 10:10). Whether you are walking, sitting still, or working, Jesus is always before your eyes. For I determined,” said the apostle, “to know nothing among you except Jesus (1 Cor. 2:2). For Jesus, for those who cling to Him, is enlightenment of the mind, beauty of the soul, health of the body, joy to the heart, a helper in sorrows, joy in sorrows, a cure in illness, consolation in all troubles, and hope of salvation for those who He loves Him, He Himself is the reward and recompense.”

Once upon a time, according to the legend of Jerome, the inscrutable name of God was inscribed on a golden tablet, which the great high priest wore on his forehead; now the divine name Jesus is inscribed with His true blood, shed at His circumcision. It is no longer inscribed on material gold, but on spiritual gold, that is, on the heart and on the lips of Jesus’ servants, as it was inscribed in the one about which Christ said: “for he is my chosen vessel to proclaim my name”(Acts 9:15). The sweetest Jesus wants His name to be carried in a vessel like the sweetest drink, for He is truly sweet to all who partake of Him with love, to whom the psalmist addresses himself with these words: “Taste and see how good the Lord is”(Ps.33:9)! Having tasted Him, the prophet cries out: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength”(Ps. 17:2)! Having tasted Him, the holy Apostle Peter said: “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; Who should we go to? You have the words of eternal life"(Matt. 19:27; John 6:68). This sweetness for the holy sufferers so delighted their grave torments that they were not afraid of even the most terrible death. Whoever, they cried, will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or danger, or sword, neither death nor life, for love is strong as death (Rom. 8:35, 38; Song 8:6). In what vessel does the indescribable sweetness – the name of Jesus – love to be carried? Of course, in gold, which was tested in the crucible of troubles and misfortunes, which is decorated, as if with precious stones, with wounds taken for Jesus and says: “For I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus on my body.”(Gal.6:17). That sweetness requires such a vessel; in such a vessel the name of Jesus desires to be borne. It is not in vain that Jesus, taking the name at the time of circumcision, sheds blood; by this He seems to be saying that a vessel that bears His name must be stained with blood. For when the Lord took for Himself a chosen vessel for glorifying His name - the Apostle Paul, He immediately added: “And I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”(Acts 9:16). Look at My bloody, wounded vessel - this is how the name of Jesus is outlined in the redness of the blood, the sicknesses, the sufferings of those who stand to the blood, struggling against sin (Heb. 12:14).

So, let us kiss you with love, O sweetest name of Jesus! We worship with zeal your most holy name, O sweet and all-generous Jesus! We praise Your highest name, Jesus the Savior, we fall down to Your blood shed at circumcision, gentle Child and perfect Lord! We beg with this Your abundant goodness, for the sake of Your most holy name and for the sake of Your most precious blood shed for us, and also for the sake of Your Immaculate Mother, who incorruptibly gave birth to You, pour out Your rich mercy on us! Delight our hearts, O Jesus, with You! Protect and protect us, Jesus, everywhere in Your name! Signify and seal us, Your servants, Jesus, with that name, so that we may be accepted into Your future Kingdom, and there, together with the angels, glorify and sing, Jesus, Your most honorable and magnificent name forever. Amen.

Troparion, tone 1:

On the fiery throne in the highest, sitting with the Father without beginning, and Your divine Spirit, You deigned to be born on earth, from a young woman, Your unmarried Mother Jesus: for this reason You were circumcised as a man of old age. Glory to Your all-good advice: glory to Your discernment: glory to Your condescension, O One who loves mankind.

Kontakion, tone 3:

The Lord endures circumcision of all and circumcises human sins as if it were good: He gives salvation to the world today. Both the Creator hierarch and the luminous divine secret place of Christ, Basil, rejoice in the highest.

The Life of Our Holy Father Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea

The great saint of God and God-wise teacher of the Church, Basil, was born of noble and pious parents in the Cappadocian city of Caesarea, around 330, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great. His father’s name was also Vasily, and his mother’s name was Emmelia. The first seeds of piety were sown in his soul by his pious grandmother, Macrina, who in her youth was honored to hear instructions from the lips of St. Gregory the Wonderworker - and by his mother, the pious Emmelia. Vasily’s father instructed him not only in the Christian faith, but also taught him secular sciences, which were well known to him, since he himself taught rhetoric, that is, oratory, and philosophy. When Vasily was about 14 years old, his father died, and the orphaned Vasily spent two or three years with his grandmother Macrina, not far from Neokesarea, near the Iris River, in a country house that his grandmother owned and which was later converted into a monastery. From here Vasily often went to Caesarea to visit his mother, who lived with her other children in this city, where she was from.

After the death of Macrina, Vasily, in the 17th year of his life, again settled in Caesarea to study various sciences in the local schools. Thanks to his special sharpness of mind, Vasily soon equaled his teachers in knowledge and, seeking new knowledge, went to Constantinople, where at that time the young sophist Livanius was famous for his eloquence. But even here Vasily did not stay long and went to Athens - the city that was the mother of all Hellenic wisdom. In Athens, he began to listen to the lessons of one glorious pagan teacher, named Evvula, while visiting the schools of two other famous Athenian teachers, Iberius and Proaresia. At this time, Vasily was already twenty-six years old and he showed extreme zeal in his studies, but at the same time he deserved universal approval for the purity of his life. He knew only two roads in Athens - one leading to the church, and the other to the school. In Athens, Basil became friends with another glorious saint, Gregory the Theologian, who was also studying at Athens schools at that time. Vasily and Gregory, being similar to each other in their good behavior, meekness and chastity, loved each other as much as if they had one soul - and they subsequently retained this mutual love forever. Vasily was so passionate about science that he often even forgot, while sitting at his books, about the need to eat. He studied grammar, rhetoric, astronomy, philosophy, physics, medicine and natural sciences. But all these secular, earthly sciences could not satiate his mind, which was looking for higher, heavenly illumination, and after staying in Athens for about five years, Vasily felt that worldly science could not give him firm support in the matter of Christian improvement. Therefore, he decided to go to those countries where Christian ascetics lived, and where he could become fully acquainted with true Christian science.

So, while Gregory the Theologian remained in Athens, having already become a teacher of rhetoric, Vasily went to Egypt, where monastic life flourished. Here, with a certain Archimandrite Porfiry, he found a large collection of theological works, in the study of which he spent a whole year, practicing at the same time in fasting feats. In Egypt, Vasily observed the lives of famous contemporary ascetics - Pachomius, who lived in Thebaid, Macarius the Elder and Macarius of Alexandria, Paphnutius, Paul and others. From Egypt, Vasily went to Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia to explore the holy places and get acquainted with the life of the ascetics there. But on the way to Palestine, he stopped in Athens and here had an interview with his former mentor Eubulus, and also argued about the true faith with other Greek philosophers.

Wanting to convert his teacher to the true faith and thereby pay him for the good that he himself received from him, Vasily began to look for him throughout the city. For a long time he did not find him, but finally he met him outside the city walls while Evvul was talking with other philosophers about some important subject. Having listened to the argument and without yet revealing his name, Vasily entered into the conversation, immediately resolving the difficult question, and then, for his part, asked a new question to his teacher. When the listeners were perplexed as to who could answer and object to the famous Evvul in this way, the latter said:

- This is either some god, or Vasily.

Having recognized Vasily, Evvul dismissed his friends and students, and he himself brought Vasily to himself, and they spent three whole days in conversation, almost without eating food. By the way, Evvul asked Vasily what, in his opinion, is the essential merit of philosophy.

“The essence of philosophy,” answered Vasily, “is that it gives a person remembrance of death.”

At the same time, he pointed out to Evvul the fragility of the world and all its pleasures, which at first seem really sweet, but then later become extremely bitter for those who have become too attached to them.

“Along with these joys,” said Vasily, “there are consolations of a different kind, of heavenly origin.” You cannot use both at the same time - "No one can serve two masters"(Matthew 6:24) - but we still, as far as possible for people attached to the things of this world, crush the bread of true knowledge and we bring the one who, even through his own fault, has lost the robe of virtue, under the roof of good deeds, pitying him, How we pity a naked man on the street.

Following this, Vasily began to talk to Evvul about the power of repentance, describing the images he once saw of virtue and vice, which alternately attract a person to themselves, and the image of repentance, next to which, like his daughters, stand various virtues.

“But we have no reason, Evvul,” added Vasily, “to resort to such artificial means of persuasion.” We possess the truth itself, which can be comprehended by anyone who sincerely strives for it. Namely, we believe that we will all one day be resurrected - some to eternal life, and others to eternal torment and shame. The prophets clearly tell us about this: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and David and the divine Apostle Paul, as well as the Lord Himself, who calls us to repentance, Who found the lost sheep, and Who, embracing the prodigal son returning with repentance, kisses him with love, and adorns him with bright clothes and a ring and makes a feast for him (Luke, ch. 15). He gives equal reward to those who came at the eleventh hour, as well as to those who endured the burden of the day and the heat. He gives to us who repent and are born of water and the Spirit, as it is written: eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man is what God has prepared for those who love Him.

When Basil conveyed to Evvul a brief history of the economy of our salvation, starting with the fall of Adam and ending with the teaching of Christ the Redeemer, Evvul exclaimed:

- Oh, Vasily revealed by heaven, through you I believe in the One God, the Father Almighty, Creator of all things, and I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century, amen. And here is the proof of my faith in God: I will spend the rest of my life with you, and now I wish you to be born of water and the Spirit.

Then Vasily said:

- Blessed is our God from now on and forever, Who illuminated your mind with the light of truth, Eubulus, and led you from extreme error to the knowledge of His love. If you want, as you said, to live with me, then I will explain to you how we can take care of our salvation by getting rid of the snares of this life. Let's sell all our property and distribute the money to the poor, and we ourselves will go to the holy city to see the miracles there; there we will be even more strengthened in faith.

Having thus distributed all their property to the needy and bought themselves the white clothes that those receiving baptism were required to have, they went to Jerusalem and along the way they converted many to the true faith.

“You would have lent me a lot, Vasily,” he concluded, “if you had not refused to present your teaching for the benefit of the students who are with me.”

Soon the disciples of Livaniya gathered, and Vasily began to teach them so that they would acquire spiritual purity, bodily dispassion, modest gait, quiet speech, modest speech, moderation in food and drink, silence in front of elders, attentiveness to the words of the wise, obedience to superiors, unfeigned love for equal to themselves and to their inferiors, so that they distance themselves from the evil, passionate and attached to carnal pleasures, so that they speak less and listen and delve more deeply, are not reckless in speech, are not verbose, do not laugh impudently at others, are adorned with modesty, do not enter into in conversation with immoral women, they would lower their eyes, and turn their souls to grief, avoid disputes, would not seek the teaching rank, and would regard the honors of this world as nothing. If anyone does anything to benefit others, let him expect reward from God and eternal reward from Jesus Christ our Lord. This is what Basil said to the disciples of Libanius, and they listened to him with great surprise, and after this he, together with Evvul, set off on the road again.

When they came to Jerusalem and walked around all the holy places with faith and love, praying there to the One Creator of all, God, they appeared to the bishop of that city, Maximus, and asked him to baptize them in the Jordan. The bishop, seeing their great faith, fulfilled their request: taking his clergy, he went with Basil and Evvul to the Jordan. When they stopped on the shore, Vasily fell to the ground and with tears prayed to God to show him some sign to strengthen his faith. Then, standing up with trepidation, he took off his clothes, and with them “put aside the old man’s former way of life”, and, entering the water, prayed. When the saint approached to baptize him, suddenly a fiery lightning fell on them and a dove that emerged from that lightning plunged into the Jordan and, stirring up the water, flew into the sky. Those standing on the shore, seeing this, trembled and glorified God. Having received baptism, Vasily came out of the water and the bishop, marveling at his love for God, clothed him in the clothes of Christ's resurrection, praying at the same time. He baptized Evvul and then anointed both with myrrh and communed the Divine Gifts.

Returning to the holy city, Basil and Evvul stayed there for one year. Then they went to Antioch, where Basil was made a deacon by Archbishop Meletius, then he was engaged in explaining the Scriptures. A little time later, he left with Evvul to his homeland, Cappadocia. As they approached the city of Caesarea, the Archbishop of Caesarea, Leontius, was announced in a dream of their arrival and told that Basil would eventually be the archbishop of this city. Therefore, the archbishop, calling his archdeacon and several honorary clergy, sent them to the eastern gate of the city, ordering them to bring to him with honor the two strangers whom they would meet there. They went and, meeting Basil and Evvul, when they entered the city, they took them to the archbishop; when he saw them, he was surprised, for it was them he had seen in his dream, and he glorified God. Having asked them where they were coming from and what they were called, and having learned their names, he ordered them to be taken to a meal and treated to food, and he himself, having called his clergy and honorable citizens, told them everything that had been told to him in a vision from God about Vasily . Then the clergy unanimously said:

- Since God has shown you an heir to your throne for your virtuous life, then do with him as you please; for truly the person whom the will of God directly indicates is worthy of all respect.

After this, the Archbishop called Vasily and Evvul to him and began to talk with them about Scripture, wanting to find out how much they understood it. Hearing their speeches, he marveled at the depth of their wisdom and, leaving them with him, treated them with special respect. Vasily, while staying in Caesarea, led the same life that he learned from many ascetics when he traveled through Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia and looked closely at the ascetic fathers who lived in those countries. So, imitating their life, he was a good monk and the Archbishop of Caesarea, Eusebius, made him presbyter and leader of the monks in Caesarea. Having accepted the rank of presbyter, Saint Basil devoted all his time to the labors of this ministry, so much so that he even refused to correspond with his former friends. Caring for the monks he had gathered, preaching the word of God, and other pastoral concerns did not allow him to be distracted by extraneous activities. At the same time, in his new field, he soon acquired such respect for himself that the archbishop himself, who was not yet quite experienced in church affairs, did not enjoy, since he was elected to the throne of Caesarea from among the catechumens. But barely a year of his presbytery had passed when Bishop Eusebius, out of human weakness, began to envy and be hostile to Basil. Saint Basil, having learned about this and not wanting to be the subject of envy, went into the Ionian desert. In the Ionian desert, Vasily retired to the Iris River - to the area in which his mother Emmelia and his sister Macrina had retired before him - and which belonged to them. Macrina built a monastery here. Near it, at the foot of a high mountain, covered with dense forest and irrigated by cold and clear waters, Vasily settled. The desert was so pleasant to Vasily with its imperturbable silence that he intended to end his days here. Here he imitated the exploits of those great men whom he saw in Syria and Egypt. He labored in extreme deprivation, having only clothes to cover himself - a sorrel and a mantle; He also wore a hair shirt, but only at night, so that it would not be visible; He ate bread and water, seasoning this meager food with salt and roots. From strict abstinence he became very pale and skinny, and became extremely exhausted. He never went to the bathhouse or lit a fire. But Vasily did not live for himself alone: ​​he gathered monks into a hostel; with his letters he attracted his friend Gregory to his desert.

In their solitude, Vasily and Gregory did everything together; prayed together; both abandoned the reading of worldly books, on which they had previously spent a lot of time, and began to devote themselves exclusively to the Holy Scriptures. Wanting to study it better, they read the works of the church fathers and writers who preceded them, especially Origen. Here Vasily and Gregory, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote the regulations for the monastic community, by which the monks of the Eastern Church for the most part are still guided today.

In relation to physical life, Vasily and Gregory found pleasure in patience; They worked with their own hands, carrying firewood, cutting stones, planting and watering trees, carrying manure, carrying heavy loads, so that calluses remained on their hands for a long time. Their dwelling had neither roof nor gate; there was never any fire or smoke there. The bread they ate was so dry and poorly baked that it could hardly be chewed with the teeth.

The time came, however, when both Basil and Gregory had to leave the desert, since their services were needed for the Church, which at that time was outraged by heretics. Gregory, to help the Orthodox, was taken to Nazianza by his father, Gregory, a man already old and therefore not having the strength to fight the heretics with firmness; Basil was persuaded to return to himself by Eusebius, the Archbishop of Caesarea, who reconciled with him in a letter and asked him to help the Church, which the Arians had taken up arms against. Blessed Basil, seeing such a need for the Church and preferring it to the benefits of the desert life, left solitude and came to Caesarea, where he worked hard, protecting the Orthodox faith from heresy with words and writings. When Archbishop Eusebius reposed, having given up his spirit to God in the arms of Basil, Vasily was elevated to the archbishop's throne and consecrated by a council of bishops. Among those bishops was the elderly Gregory, the father of Gregory of Nazianzus. Being weak and burdened by old age, he ordered to be escorted to Caesarea in order to convince Basil to accept the archbishopric and prevent the installation of any of the Arians on the throne.

Heretics, called Docetes, taught that God could not take upon Himself weak human flesh, and that it only seemed to people that Christ suffered and died.

The Old Testament primarily contained decrees concerning the external behavior of man.

Service to the Circumcision of the Lord, canon, on the 4th ode. – Saint Stephen Savvait – 8th century hymn writer. His memory is October 28th.

The number seven in Scripture signifies completeness. Therefore, in order to designate the entire duration of life of this world, the holy fathers used the expression seven centuries or days, and the eighth century or day, naturally, should have designated the future life.

Col. 2:14. Sin from the environment, that is, sin stood as an obstacle, a partition, separating a person from God. But then sin was nailed to the cross, that is, it lost all power and could no longer prevent a person from entering into communion with God.

Gal. 4:19. If depicted, the image of Christ is clearly imprinted on us, so that we will be fully worthy of the name Christians.

The gold tablet, attached to the main bandage of the high priest, had the name of God (Jehovah) inscribed on it.

Cappadocia, a province of the Roman Empire, was located in the east of Asia Minor and was famous during the time of Basil the Great for the education of its inhabitants. At the end of the 11th century, Cappadocia fell under the rule of the Turks and still belongs to them. Caesarea is the main city of Cappadocia; The Church of Caesarea has long been famous for the education of its archpastors. St. Gregory the Theologian, who laid the foundation for his education here, calls Caesarea the capital of enlightenment.

Vasily's father, also named Vasily, known for his charity, was married to a noble and rich girl Emmelia. From this marriage five daughters and five sons were born. The eldest daughter, Macrina, after the untimely death of her fiancé, remained faithful to this blessed union, devoting herself to chastity (her memory is July 19); Vasily's other sisters got married. Of the five brothers, one died in early childhood; three were bishops and canonized; the fifth died while hunting. Of the survivors, the eldest son was Vasily, followed by Gregory, later Bishop of Nyssa (his memory is January 10), and Peter, first a simple ascetic, then Bishop of Sebaste (his memory is January 9). – Vasily’s father, probably, shortly before his death, took the rank of priest, as can be concluded from the fact that Gregory the Theologian calls the mother of Vasily the Great the wife of a priest.

Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea (north of Caesarea Cappadocia), composed a creed and a canonical epistle, and in addition wrote several other works. He died in 270, his memory is on November 17.

Neokesarea - present-day Nixar - is the capital of Pontus Polemonia, famous for its beauty, in the north of Asia Minor; It is especially known for the church council that took place there (in 315). Iris is a river in Pontus, originating in Antitaurus.

Sophists are scholars who devoted themselves primarily to the study and teaching of eloquence. – Livanius and subsequently, when Vasily was already a bishop, maintained written relations with him.

Athens is the main city of Greece, which has long attracted the flower of the Greek mind and talent. Famous philosophers once lived here - Socrates and Plato, as well as the poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and others. - By Hellenic wisdom we mean pagan learning, pagan education.

Proeresius, the most famous teacher of philosophy at that time, was a Christian, as can be seen from the fact that he closed his school when the Emperor Julian forbade Christians to teach philosophy. Nothing is known about what religion Iberius adhered to.

Gregory (Nazianzen) was subsequently for some time the Patriarch of Constantinople and is known for his lofty creations, for which he received the nickname of the Theologian. He knew Basil back in Caesarea, but only became close friends with him in Athens. His memory is January 25.

Egypt has long been a place where Christian ascetic life was especially developed. Likewise, there were a great many Christian scholars, of whom the most famous were Origen and Clement of Alexandria.

That is, the time has not yet come to replace philosophy and pagan religion with the Christian faith. Livanius died a pagan (about 391, in Antioch).

Ancient Christians accepted St. very late. baptism - partly out of humility, partly in the consideration that, having been baptized shortly before death, they will receive forgiveness of all their sins in baptism.

Basil the Great owns many works. Like all the actions of St. Vasily was distinguished by extraordinary greatness and importance, and all his works are imprinted with the same character of Christian heights and greatness. In his works he is a preacher, a dogmatist-polemicist, an interpreter of Holy Scripture, a teacher of morality and piety, and, finally, an organizer of church services. Of his conversations, in terms of strength and animation, they are considered the best: against moneylenders, against drunkenness and luxury, about glory, about hunger. In his letters to St. Vasily vividly depicts the events of his time; Many of the letters contain excellent instructions about love, meekness, forgiveness of offenses, about raising children, against the stinginess and pride of the rich, against vain oaths, or with spiritual advice for monks. As a dogmatist and polemicist, he appears before us in his three books written against the Arian false teacher Eunomius, in an essay against Savelius and Anomeev about the deity of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, Basil the Great wrote a special book about the Holy Spirit against Aetius, of which Eunomius was also a champion. Dogmatic writings also include some conversations and letters of St. Vasily. As an interpreter of Holy Scripture, St. gained special fame for himself. Vasily had nine conversations at the “Six Days”, where he showed himself to be an expert not only in the Word of God, but also in philosophy and natural science. His conversations on the psalms and 16 chapters of the book of the prophet are also known. Isaiah. Conversations on both the Sixth Day and the Psalms were spoken in the church and therefore, along with explanations, contain exhortations, consolations and teachings. He touched on the teachings of piety in his famous “instruction to young men how to use pagan writers,” and in two books on asceticism. The canonical works include the letters of Basil the Great to some bishops. – Gregory the Theologian speaks about the dignity of the works of Basil the Great: “Everywhere there is one and the greatest pleasure - the writings and creations of Vasily. After him, writers do not need any other wealth than his writings. Instead of all, he alone became enough for students to get an education.” “Whoever wants to be an excellent civil speaker,” says the learned Patriarch Photius, “does not need either Demosthenes or Plato, if only he has taken Basil as a model and studies the words. In all his words, St. Vasily is excellent. He especially speaks pure, elegant, majestic language; in the order of thoughts he takes first place. He combines persuasiveness with pleasantness and clarity.” Saint Gregory the Theologian says this about the knowledge and writings of Saint Basil: “Who more than Basil was enlightened by the light of knowledge, saw into the depths of the Spirit, and with God explored everything that is known about God? In Basil, beauty was virtue, greatness was Theology, procession was the unceasing striving and ascent to God, power was the sowing and distribution of the word. And therefore I can say without becoming rigid: their voice went throughout the whole earth, and to the ends of the universe their words, and to the ends of the universes his words, that St. Paul said about the apostles (Rom. 10:18) ... - When I have his Sixth Day in my hands and pronounce it orally: then I talk with the Creator, I comprehend the laws of creation and I marvel at the Creator more than before - having only sight as my mentor. When I have before me his accusatory words against false teachers: then I see the fire of Sodom, with which the wicked and lawless tongues are incinerated. When I read the words about the Spirit: then I find the God Whom I have again and feel within myself the boldness to speak the truth, ascending through the degrees of His Theology and contemplation. When I read his other interpretations, which he makes clear even for people with limited vision: then I am convinced not to stop at one letter, and to look not only at the surface, but to stretch further, from one depth to enter a new one, calling upon the abyss of the abyss and acquiring light with light, until I will reach the highest meaning. When I become occupied with his praises to the ascetics, then I forget the body, talk with those being praised, and become excited for the feat. When I read his moral and active words: then I am cleansed in soul and body, I become a temple pleasing to God, an organ into which the Spirit strikes the hymn of God’s glory and God’s power, and through this I am transformed, I come into good order, from one person I become another, I am changed Divine change" (Funeral homily of Gregory the Theologian to St. Basil).

Eusebius was taken to the bishopric, at the request of the people, directly from the civil service and therefore could not have much authority as a theologian and teacher of the faith.

One of his most important activities at this time was preaching the word of God. He often preached not only every day, but twice a day, morning and evening. Sometimes after preaching in one church, he would come to preach in another. In his teachings, Vasily vividly and convincingly revealed to the mind and heart the beauty of Christian virtues and exposed the vileness of vices; He offered incentives to strive for the first to move away from the last and showed everyone the path to achieving perfection, since he himself was an experienced ascetic. His very interpretations are aimed, first of all, at the spiritual edification of his listeners. Whether he explains the history of the creation of the world, he sets himself the goal, firstly, to show that “the world is a school of the knowledge of God” (conversation 1 on the Sixth Day), and thereby arouse in his listeners reverence for the wisdom and goodness of the Creator, revealed in His creations, small and great, beautiful, varied, countless. Secondly, he wants to show how nature always teaches a person good moral living. The lifestyle, properties, habits of four-legged animals, birds, fish, reptiles, everything - even the former one-day-old - gives him the opportunity to learn edifying lessons for the master of the earth - man. Whether he explains the book of Psalms, which, in his words, combines everything that is useful in others: prophecies, history, and edification, he mainly applies the sayings of the Psalmist to the life and activity of a Christian.

Pontus is a region in Asia Minor, along the southern coast of the Black Sea, not far from Neokesarea. The Pontic Desert was barren, and its climate was far from favorable for health. The hut in which Vasily lived here had neither strong doors, nor a real hearth, nor a roof. During the meal, however, some hot food was served, but, according to Gregory the Theologian, with such bread, on the pieces of which, due to its extreme callousness, the teeth first slipped and then got stuck in them. Except common prayers, readings of St. Scriptures, scientific works of Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian and other local monks here themselves were engaged in carrying firewood, cutting stones, caring for garden vegetables, and they themselves carried a huge cart with manure.

These rules served and serve as a guide for the life of monks throughout the East and, in particular, for our Russian monks. In his rules, Vasily gives preference to communal life over hermitic and solitary life, since, living together with others, the monk has more opportunities to serve the cause of Christian love. Vasily establishes for the monks the obligation of unquestioning obedience to the abbot, orders them to be hospitable towards strangers, although he forbids serving them special dishes. Fasting, prayer and constant work - this is what monks should do, according to the rules of Vasily, and, however, they should not forget about the needs of the unfortunate and sick people around them who need care.

The Arian heretics taught that Christ was a created being, not eternally existing and not of the same nature as God the Father. This heresy received its name from the presbyter of the Alexandrian Church, Arius, who began to preach these thoughts in the year 319.

Current page: 1 (book has 57 pages total) [available reading passage: 38 pages]

Saint Demetrius of Rostov
Lives of Saints St. Demetrius of Rostov. Volume I. January

Binding design Pavel Ilyina

Memory January 1

Word on the Circumcision of Christ

Our Lord Jesus Christ, after eight days from birth, deigned to receive circumcision. On the one hand, He accepted it in order to fulfill the law: “I came not to destroy the law,” He said, “but to fulfill it”(Matt. 5:17); for He obeyed the law in order to free from it those who were in slavish subjection to it, as the apostle says: “God sent his Son, subjected to the law, to redeem those under the law.”(Gal. 4:5). On the other hand, He accepted circumcision in order to show that He really took on human flesh, and so that heretical lips would be stopped, saying that Christ did not take on true human flesh, but was only born ghostly. 1
Heretics, called Docetes, taught that God could not take upon Himself weak human flesh and that it only seemed to people that Christ suffered and died.

So He was circumcised so that His humanity would be evident. For if He had not put on our flesh, how could a ghost and not the flesh be circumcised? Saint Ephraim the Syrian says: “If Christ was not flesh, then whom did Joseph circumcise? But since He was truly flesh, He was circumcised as a man, and the baby was truly stained with His blood, like the son of man; He was sick and cried in pain, as befits someone with human nature.” But, in addition, He accepted fleshly circumcision in order to establish spiritual circumcision for us 2
That is, baptism, which, as stated below, removes sinful passions from a person.

; for, having finished the old one that touched the flesh 3
The Old Testament primarily contained decrees concerning the external behavior of man.

The Law, He laid the foundation for something new, spiritual. And just as the Old Testament carnal man circumcised his sensual flesh, so the new spiritual man must circumcise his spiritual passions: rage, anger, envy, pride, unclean desires and other sins and sinful lusts.

He was circumcised on the eighth day because He foreshadowed to us with His blood the future life, which is usually called by the teachers of the Church the eighth day or age. Thus, the writer of the canon on the Circumcision of the Lord, Saint Stephen 4
Saint Stephen Savvait is an 8th century hymn writer. His memory is October 28.

Speaks: “Life depicts the future unceasing osmago century, in the nude the Lord was circumcised in the flesh”5
Service to the Circumcision of the Lord, canon, on the 4th ode.

And Saint Gregory of Nyssa says this: “According to the law, circumcision was to be performed on the eighth day, and the eighth number predicted the eighth, future century.” 6
The number seven in Scripture signifies completeness. Therefore, in order to designate the entire duration of the life of this world, the holy fathers used the expression “seven centuries” (or days), and the “eighth century” (or day), naturally, was already supposed to designate the future life.

It is also appropriate to know that circumcision in the Old Testament was established in the image of baptism and cleansing of ancestral sin, although that sin was not completely cleansed by circumcision, which could not have happened until Christ voluntarily shed His most pure blood for us in His suffering. Circumcision was only a type of true cleansing, and not the true cleansing that our Lord accomplished by taking sin from the environment and nailing it to the cross 7
Col. 2:14. Sin from the environment - that is, sin stood as an obstacle, a partition, separating a person from God. But then sin was nailed to the cross, that is, it lost all power and could no longer prevent a person from entering into communion with God.

And instead of the Old Testament circumcision, establishing a new grace-filled baptism with water and the Spirit. Circumcision in those days was, as it were, an execution for the ancestral sin and a sign that the circumcised baby was conceived in iniquity, as David says, and his mother gave birth to him in sin (Ps. 50:7), which is why the ulcer remained on the adolescent body. Our Lord was sinless; for although He was like us in everything, He had no sin on Himself. Just as the copper serpent, built in the desert by Moses, was similar in appearance to a serpent, but did not have snake venom in it (Num. 21:9), so Christ was a true man, but not involved in human sin, and was born supernaturally, from pure and husbandless Mother. He, as a sinless one and Himself the former Lawgiver, would not need to undergo that painful legal circumcision; but since He came to take upon Himself the sins of the whole world and God, as the Apostle says, made Him who knew no sin to be a sacrifice for sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), He, being without sin, undergoes circumcision as if He were a sinner. . And in circumcision the Master showed us greater humility than in His birth. For at His birth He took upon Himself the form of man, according to the words of the Apostle: “Being made in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man”(Phil. 2:7); in circumcision He took upon Himself the image of a sinner, as a sinner enduring the pain due for sin. And for whatever he was not guilty of, for that He suffered as if innocent, as if repeating with David: “What I did not take away, I must give back” (Ps. 68:5), that is, for that sin in which I was not involved, I accept the disease of circumcision. By the circumcision He received, He began His suffering for us and the partaking of that cup, which He had to drink to the end, when, hanging on the cross, He said: “It is finished!”(John 19:30). He now pours out drops of blood from the foreskin, and then it will flow out in streams from His entire body.

He begins to endure in infancy and becomes accustomed to suffering, so that, having become a perfect man, he will be able to endure more severe suffering, for one should be accustomed to feats of courage from youth. Human life, full of work, is like a day, for which morning is birth, and evening is death. So, in the morning, from the swaddling clothes, Christ, the adored man, goes out to his work, to his labors - He is in labor from His very youth and to his work until the evening (Ps. 103:23), that evening when the sun darkens and There will be darkness throughout the whole earth until the ninth hour. And He will say to the Jews: “My Father works until now, and I work”(John 5:17). What is the Lord doing for us? – Our salvation: "He who arranges salvation in the midst of the earth"(Ps. 73:12). And in order to do this work completely perfectly, He sets about it in the morning, from youth, beginning to endure bodily illness, and at the same time being heartily sick for us, as for His children, until He Himself, Christ, is depicted in us 8
Gal. 4:19. If depicted, the image of Christ will be clearly imprinted on us, so that we will be fully worthy of the name Christians.

In the morning He begins to sow with His blood in order to gather the beautiful fruit of our redemption by evening. The adored Child was given the name Jesus at circumcision, which was brought from heaven by the Archangel Gabriel at the time when he announced His conception to the Most Pure Virgin Mary, before He was conceived in the womb, that is, before the Most Holy Virgin accepted the words of the evangelist, before she said: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word!”(Luke 1:38). For at these words Her Word of God immediately became flesh, indwelling Her most pure and most holy womb. So, the most holy name Jesus, named by the angel before conception, was given at the circumcision of Christ the Lord, which served as a notification of our salvation; for the name Jesus means salvation, as the same angel explained when he appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”(Matt. 1:21). And the holy Apostle Peter testifies to the name of Jesus with these words: “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”(Acts 4:12). This saving name Jesus, before all centuries, in the Trinity Council was prepared, written and until now was kept for our deliverance, but now, like priceless pearls, it was brought from the heavenly treasury for the redemption of the human race and was revealed to all by Joseph. In this name the truth and wisdom of God are revealed (Ps. 50:8). This name, like the sun, illuminated the world with its radiance, according to the words of the prophet: “But for you who revere My name, the Sun of righteousness will rise.”(Mal. 4:2). Like fragrant myrrh, it filled the universe with its aroma: spilled myrrh - it is said in Scripture - from the fragrance of your ointments (Song 1:2), not the remaining myrrh into a vessel - His name, but poured out. For as long as the myrrh is kept in the vessel, so long will its incense be kept inside; when it spills, it immediately fills the air with a fragrance. The power of the name of Jesus was unknown while it was hidden in the Eternal Council, as if in a vessel. But as soon as that name was poured out from heaven to earth, then immediately, like fragrant ointment, when the blood of an infant was poured out during the circumcision, it filled the universe with the fragrance of grace, and all nations now confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 9
Phil. 2:11, that is, the Lord Jesus glorified God the Father with His deeds, which He took upon Himself.

The power of the name of Jesus has now been revealed, for that wondrous name Jesus astonished the angels, rejoiced the people, and terrified the demons, for even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19); from that very name hell shakes, the underworld shakes, the prince of darkness disappears, idols fall, the darkness of idolatry is dispersed and in its place the light of piety shines and enlightens every person who comes into the world (John 1:9). In this name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:10). This name of Jesus is a powerful weapon against enemies, as St. John Climacus says: “In the name of Jesus always defeat warriors, for you will not find a stronger weapon than this, neither in heaven nor on earth. How sweet to the heart that loves Christ Jesus is this most precious name - Jesus! How pleasant it is to him who has it! For Jesus is all love, all sweetness. How kind is this holy name - Jesus - to the servant and prisoner of Jesus, taken captive by His love! Jesus is in the mind, Jesus is on the lips, Jesus is where people believe with the heart for righteousness, Jesus is where they confess with the mouth for salvation (Rom. 10:10). Whether you walk, sit still, or work, Jesus is always before your eyes. “For I determined,” said the apostle, “to know nothing among you except Jesus” (1 Cor. 2:2). For Jesus, for those who cling to Him, is enlightenment of the mind, beauty of the soul, health of the body, joy to the heart, a helper in sorrows, joy in sorrows, a cure in illness, consolation in all troubles, and hope of salvation for those who He loves Him, He Himself is the reward and reward.

Once upon a time, according to the legend of Jerome, the inscrutable name of God was inscribed on a golden tablet, which the great high priest wore on his forehead 10
The golden tablet attached to the main bandage of the high priest bore the inscription of the name of God (Jehovah).

; now the Divine name Jesus is inscribed with His true blood, shed at His circumcision. It is no longer inscribed on material gold, but on spiritual gold, that is, on the heart and on the lips of Jesus’ servants, as it was inscribed in the one about which Christ said: “For he is my chosen vessel to proclaim my name.”(Acts 9:15). The sweetest Jesus wants His name, like the sweetest drink, to be carried in a vessel, for He is truly sweet to all who partake of Him with love, to whom the psalmist addresses himself with these words: “Taste and see how good the Lord is”(Ps. 33:9)! Having tasted Him, the prophet cries out: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength”(Ps. 17:2)! Having tasted Him, the holy Apostle Peter said: “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; Who should we go to? You have the words of eternal life"(Matt. 19:27; John 6:68). This sweetness for the holy sufferers so delighted their grave torments that they were not afraid of even the most terrible death. “Who,” they cried, “will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or danger, or sword, neither death nor life, for love is strong as death (Rom. 8:35, 38; Song of Songs 8:6) " In what vessel does the indescribable sweetness—the name of Jesus—love to be carried? Of course, in gold, which is tested in the crucible of troubles and misfortunes, which is decorated, as it were, with precious stones, with wounds taken for Jesus, and says: “For I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus on my body.”(Gal. 6:17). That sweetness requires such a vessel; in such a vessel the name of Jesus desires to be borne. It is not in vain that Jesus, taking the name at the time of circumcision, sheds blood; by this He seems to be saying that a vessel that bears His name must be stained with blood. For when the Lord took for Himself a chosen vessel for the glorification of His name - the Apostle Paul - He immediately added: “And I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”(Acts 9:16). Look at My vessel, bloody, ulcerated - this is how the name of Jesus is outlined in the redness of blood, illness, suffering of those who stand to the blood, struggling against sin (Heb. 12:14).

So, let us kiss you with love, O sweetest name of Jesus! We worship with zeal your most holy name, O sweet and all-all-giving Jesus! We praise Your highest name, Jesus the Savior, we fall down to Your blood shed at circumcision, gentle Child and perfect Lord! We beg with this Your abundant goodness, for the sake of Your most holy name and for the sake of Your most precious blood shed for us, and also for the sake of Your Immaculate Mother, who incorruptibly gave birth to You, pour out Your rich mercy on us! Delight our hearts, O Jesus, with You! Protect and protect us, Jesus, everywhere in Your name! Signify and seal us, Your servants, Jesus, with that name, so that we may be accepted into Your future Kingdom, and there, together with the angels, glorify and sing, Jesus, Your most honorable and magnificent name forever. Amen.

Troparion, tone 1:

On the fiery throne in the highest, sitting with the Father without beginning, and Your Divine Spirit, You deigned to be born on earth, from a young woman, Your unmarried Mother Jesus: for this reason You were circumcised, like a man of old age. Glory to Your all-good advice: glory to Your discernment: glory to Your condescension, O love for mankind alone.

Kontakion, tone 3:

The Lord endures circumcision of all and circumcises human sins as if it were good: He gives salvation to the world today. Both the Creator hierarch and the luminous divine secret place of Christ, Basil, rejoice in the highest.

The Life of Our Holy Father Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea

The great saint of God and God-wise teacher of the Church, Vasily, was born of noble and pious parents in the Cappadocian city of Caesarea. 11
Cappadocia is a province of the Roman Empire, located in the east of Asia Minor, and was famous during the time of Basil the Great for the education of its inhabitants. At the end of the 11th century, Cappadocia fell under the rule of the Turks and still belongs to them. Caesarea is the main city of Cappadocia; The Church of Caesarea has long been famous for the education of its archpastors. St. Gregory the Theologian, who laid the foundation for his education here, calls Caesarea “the capital of enlightenment.”

Around 330, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great 12
Emperor Constantine the Great reigned from 324 to 337.

His father's name was also Vasily 13
Vasily's father, also named Vasily, known for his charity, was married to a noble and rich girl Emmelia. From this marriage five daughters and five sons were born. The eldest daughter, Macrina, after the untimely death of her fiancé, remained faithful to this blessed union, devoting herself to chastity (her memory is July 19); Vasily's other sisters got married. Of the five brothers, one died in early childhood; three were bishops and canonized; the fifth died while hunting. Of the survivors, the eldest son was Vasily, followed by Gregory, later Bishop of Nyssa (his memory is January 10), and Peter, first a simple ascetic, then Bishop of Sebaste (his memory is January 9). Vasily's father, probably, shortly before his death, took the rank of priest, as can be concluded from the fact that Gregory the Theologian calls the mother of Vasily the Great the wife of a priest.

And the mother is Emmelia. The first seeds of piety were sown in his soul by his pious grandmother, Macrina, who in her youth was honored to hear instructions from the lips of St. Gregory the Wonderworker 14
Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea (north of Caesarea Cappadocia), composed the Creed and the canonical epistle, and in addition, wrote several other works. He died in 270, his memory is on November 17.

- and mother, pious Emmelia. Vasily’s father instructed him not only in the Christian faith, but also taught him secular sciences, which were well known to him, since he himself taught rhetoric, that is, oratory, and philosophy. When Vasily was about 14 years old, his father died, and the orphaned Vasily spent two or three years with his grandmother Macrina not far from Neokesarea, near the Irisa River 15
Neokesarea - present-day Nixar - is the capital of Pontus Polemonia, famous for its beauty, in the north of Asia Minor; It is especially known for the church council that took place there (in 315). Iris is a river in Pontus, originating in Antitaurus.

In a country house that his grandmother owned and which was later converted into a monastery. From here Vasily often went to Caesarea to visit his mother, who lived with her other children in this city, where she was from.

Saint Basil the Great. Icon. XVIII century

After the death of Macrina, Vasily, in the 17th year of his life, again settled in Caesarea to study various sciences in the schools there. Thanks to the special acuity of his mind, Vasily soon became equal in knowledge to his teachers and, seeking new knowledge, went to Constantinople, where at that time the young sophist Livanius was famous for his eloquence 16
Sophists are scholars who devoted themselves primarily to the study and teaching of eloquence. Livanius and subsequently, when Vasily was already a bishop, maintained written relations with him.

But even here Vasily did not stay long and went to Athens - a city that was formerly

mother of all Hellenic wisdom 17
Athens is the main city of Greece, which has long attracted the flower of the Greek mind and talent. Famous philosophers once lived here - Socrates and Plato, as well as the poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and others. By “Hellenic wisdom” we mean pagan learning, pagan education.

In Athens, he began to listen to the lessons of one glorious pagan teacher named Evvul, while visiting the schools of two other famous Athenian teachers, Iberia and Proaresia 18
Proeresius, the most famous teacher of philosophy at that time, was a Christian, as can be seen from the fact that he closed his school when the Emperor Julian forbade Christians to teach philosophy. Nothing is known about what religion the priest adhered to.

At this time, Vasily was already twenty-six years old - and he showed extreme zeal in his studies, but at the same time he deserved universal approval for the purity of his life. He knew only two roads in Athens - one that led to the church, and the other to the school.

In Athens, Basil became friends with another glorious saint, Gregory the Theologian, who was also studying at Athens schools at that time 19
Gregory (Nazianzen) was subsequently for some time the Patriarch of Constantinople and is known for his lofty creations, for which he received the nickname of the Theologian. He knew Basil back in Caesarea, but only became close friends with him in Athens. His memory is January 25.

Vasily and Gregory, being similar to each other in their good behavior, meekness and chastity, loved each other as much as if they had one soul - and they subsequently retained this mutual love forever. Vasily was so passionate about science that he often even forgot, while sitting at his books, about the need to eat. He studied grammar, rhetoric, astronomy, philosophy, physics, medicine and natural sciences. But all these secular, earthly sciences could not satiate his mind, which was looking for higher, heavenly illumination, and, having stayed in Athens for about five years, Vasily felt that worldly science could not give him firm support in the matter of Christian improvement. Therefore, he decided to go to those countries where Christian ascetics lived and where he could become fully acquainted with true Christian science.

So, while Gregory the Theologian remained in Athens, having already become a teacher of rhetoric, Vasily went to Egypt, where monastic life flourished 20
Egypt has long been a place where Christian ascetic life was especially developed. Likewise, there were a great many Christian scholars, of whom the most famous were Origen and Clement of Alexandria.

Here, with a certain Archimandrite Porfiry, he found a large collection of theological works, in the study of which he spent a whole year, practicing at the same time in fasting feats. In Egypt, Vasily observed the lives of famous contemporary ascetics - Pachomius, who lived in Thebaid, Macarius the Elder and Macarius of Alexandria, Paphnutius, Paul and others. From Egypt, Vasily went to Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia to explore the holy places and get acquainted with the life of the ascetics there. But on the way to Palestine, he stopped in Athens and here had an interview with his former mentor Evvul, and also argued about the true faith with other Greek philosophers.

Wanting to convert his teacher to the true faith and thereby pay him for the good that he himself received from him, Vasily began to look for him throughout the city. For a long time he did not find him, but finally he met him outside the city walls while Evvul was talking with other philosophers about some important subject. Having listened to the argument and without yet revealing his name, Vasily entered into the conversation, immediately resolving the difficult question, and then, for his part, asked a new question to his teacher. When the listeners were perplexed as to who could answer and object to the famous Evvul in this way, the latter said:

- This is either some god, or Vasily 21
That is, according to Evvul, Vasily had a mind that was superior an ordinary person the measure of intelligence, and in this respect approached the gods.

Having recognized Vasily, Evvul dismissed his friends and students, and he himself brought Vasily to himself, and they spent three whole days in conversation, almost without eating food. By the way, Evvul asked Vasily what, in his opinion, is the essential merit of philosophy.

“The essence of philosophy,” answered Vasily, “is that it gives a person remembrance of death.” 22
That is, he only deserves the honorary name “philosopher” who looks at death as a transition to new life and therefore leaves this world without fear.

At the same time, he pointed out to Evvul the fragility of the world and all its pleasures, which at first seem really sweet, but then become extremely bitter for those who have become too attached to them.

“Along with these joys,” said Vasily, “there are consolations of a different kind, of heavenly origin.” You cannot use both at the same time - "No one can serve two masters"(Matthew 6:24) - but we still, as far as possible for people attached to the things of life, crush the bread of true knowledge and bring the one who, even through his own fault, has lost the robe of virtue, under the roof of good deeds, pitying him as we pity a naked man on the street.

Following this, Vasily began to talk to Evvul about the power of repentance, describing the images he once saw of virtue and vice, which alternately attract a person to themselves, and the image of repentance, next to which, like his daughters, stand various virtues 23
Such pictures in ancient times were often used by moral teachers in order to make a greater impression on their listeners.

“But we have no reason, Evvul,” added Vasily, “to resort to such artificial means of persuasion.” We possess the truth itself, which can be comprehended by anyone who sincerely strives for it. Namely, we believe that we will all one day be resurrected - some to eternal life, and others to eternal torment and shame. The prophets tell us clearly about this: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and David and the divine Apostle Paul, as well as the Lord Himself, who calls us to repentance, Who found the lost sheep and Who, having embraced the prodigal son returning with repentance with love, kisses and adorns him with bright clothes and a ring and makes a feast for him (Luke 15). He gives equal reward to those who came at the eleventh hour, as well as to those who endured the burden of the day and the heat 24
That is, heat, heat, which is very severe in the east (Matthew 20:12).

He gives to us who repent and are born of water and the Spirit, as it is written: eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man is what God has prepared for those who love Him. 25
That is, what we now cannot imagine by any means (1 Cor. 2:9).

When Basil conveyed to Evvul a brief history of the economy of our salvation, starting with the fall of Adam and ending with the teaching of Christ the Redeemer, Evvul exclaimed:

- Oh, Vasily revealed by heaven, through you I believe in the One God, the Father Almighty, Creator of all things, and I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century, amen. And here is the proof of my faith in God: I will spend the rest of my life with you, and now I wish to be born of water and the Spirit.

Then Vasily said:

- Blessed is our God from now on and forever, Who illuminated your mind with the light of truth, Evbul, and led you from extreme error to the knowledge of His love. If you want, as you said, to live with me, then I will explain to you how we can take care of our salvation by getting rid of the snares of this life. Let's sell all our property and distribute the money to the poor, and we ourselves will go to the holy city to see the miracles there 26
That is, various attractions, such as the Holy Sepulcher, Golgotha, and so on.

; there we will be even more strengthened in faith.

Having thus distributed all his property to the needy and bought himself the white clothes that those receiving baptism were required to have 27
Both now and in ancient times, the newly baptized, as a sign of the cleansing they had received from sins, were clothed in white robes.

They went to Jerusalem and along the way they converted many to the true faith.

Arriving in Antioch 28
Here, of course, is Syrian Antioch near the Orontes River, called the Great.

They entered the same hotel. The innkeeper's son, Philoxenus, was sitting at the door at this time in great distress. Being a student of the sophist Livanius, he took from him some of Homer's poems 29
Homer is the greatest Greek poet who lived in the 9th century. BC; wrote the famous poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey".

To translate them into oratory, but could not do this and, being in such difficulty, was very sad. Vasily, seeing him sad, asked:

-What are you sad about, young man?

Philoxenus said:

“Even if I tell you the reason for my grief, what good will it do me?”

When Vasily insisted on his own and promised that it would not be in vain that the young man would tell him about the reason for his sorrow, the youth told him about the sophist and about the verses, adding that the reason for his sorrow was that he did not know how to clearly convey the meaning of those verses. Vasily, taking the poems, began to interpret them, translating them into simple speech; the boy, surprised and rejoicing, asked him to write that translation for him. Then Basil wrote a translation of those Homeric verses in three different ways, and the boy, taking the translation with joy, went with them in the morning to his teacher Livanius. Livanius, having read it, was surprised and said:

- I swear by Divine Providence that there is no one among modern philosophers who could give such an interpretation! Who wrote this to you, Philoxenus?

The youth said:

“There is a wanderer in my house who wrote this interpretation very quickly and without any difficulty.

Livanius immediately hurried to the hotel to see this wanderer; Seeing Vasily and Evvul here, he was surprised at their unexpected arrival and rejoiced at them. He asked them to stay at his house and when they came to him, he offered them a sumptuous meal. But Basil and Evvul, according to their custom, having tasted the bread and water, gave thanks to God, the giver of all good things. After this, Livanius began to ask them various sophistic questions, and they offered him a word about the Christian faith. Livanius, having listened to them carefully, said that the time had not yet come for accepting this word, but that if such was the will of Divine Providence, no one would be able to resist the teachings of Christianity 30
That is, the time has not yet come to replace philosophy and pagan religion with the Christian faith. Livanius died a pagan (about 391, in Antioch).

“You would have lent me a lot, Vasily,” he concluded, “if you had not refused to present your teaching for the benefit of the students who are with me.”

Soon the disciples of Livaniya gathered, and Vasily began to teach them so that they would acquire spiritual purity, bodily dispassion, modest gait, quiet speech, modest speech, moderation in food and drink, silence in front of elders, attentiveness to the words of the wise, obedience to superiors, unfeigned love for equal to themselves and to their inferiors, so that they distance themselves from the evil, passionate and attached to carnal pleasures, so that they speak less and listen and delve more deeply, are not reckless in speech, are not verbose, do not laugh impudently at others, are adorned with modesty, do not enter into in a conversation with immoral women, they would lower their eyes to the ground, and would turn their souls to grief, avoid disputes, would not seek the teaching rank and would regard the honors of this world as nothing. If anyone does anything to benefit others, let him expect reward from God and eternal reward from Jesus Christ our Lord. This is what Basil said to the disciples of Libanius, and they listened to him with great surprise, and after this he, together with Evvul, set off on the road again.

When they came to Jerusalem and walked around all the holy places with faith and love, praying there to the One Creator of everything, God, they appeared to the bishop of that city, Maxim 31
Maxim III - Patriarch of Jerusalem from 333 to 350.

And they asked him to baptize them in the Jordan 32
Ancient Christians accepted Holy Baptism very late - partly out of humility, partly in the consideration that, having been baptized shortly before their death, they would receive forgiveness of all their sins in baptism.

The bishop, seeing their great faith, fulfilled their request: taking his clergy, he went with Basil and Evvul to the Jordan. When they stopped on the shore, Vasily fell to the ground and with tears prayed to God to show him some sign to strengthen his faith. Then, standing up with trepidation, he took off his clothes, and with them “put aside the old man’s former way of life” 33
That is, he was freed from hereditary ancestral sin (Eph. 4:22).

And, entering the water, he prayed. When the saint approached to baptize him, suddenly a fiery lightning fell on them and a dove that emerged from that lightning plunged into the Jordan and, stirring up the water, flew into the sky 34
This miracle resembled the Descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove onto Christ the Savior who was baptized in the Jordan.

Those standing on the shore, seeing this, trembled and glorified God. Having received baptism, Vasily came out of the water and the bishop, marveling at his love for God, clothed him in the clothes of Christ's resurrection 35
The Lord Jesus Christ, being in the tomb, was wrapped in white shrouds.

While doing this, pray. He baptized Evvul and then anointed both with myrrh and communed the Divine Gifts.

Returning to the holy city, Basil and Evvul stayed there for one year. Then they went to Antioch, where Basil was made a deacon by Archbishop Meletius, then he was engaged in explaining the Scriptures 36
Basil the Great owns many works. Just as all the actions of Saint Basil were distinguished by extraordinary greatness and importance, so all his writings are imprinted with the same character of Christian heights and greatness. In his works he is a preacher, a dogmatist-polemicist, an interpreter of Holy Scripture, a teacher of morality and piety, and, finally, an organizer of church services. Of his conversations, they are considered the best in terms of strength and animation: against moneylenders, against drunkenness and luxury, about glory, about hunger. In his letters, Saint Basil vividly depicts the events of his time; Many of the letters contain excellent instructions about love, meekness, forgiveness of offenses, about raising children, against the stinginess and pride of the rich, against vain oaths, or with spiritual advice for monks. As a dogmatist and polemicist, he appears before us in his three books written against the Arian false teacher Eunomius, in an essay against Savelius and the Anomeans on the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, Basil the Great wrote a special book about the Holy Spirit against Aetius, of which Eunomius was also a champion. Some conversations and letters of St. Basil also belong to dogmatic writings. As an interpreter of the Holy Scriptures, Saint Basil gained special fame for himself with his nine conversations on the “Sex Day,” where he showed himself to be an expert not only in the Word of God, but also in philosophy and natural science. His conversations on the psalms and 16 chapters of the book of the prophet Isaiah are also known. Conversations on both the “Sex Day” and the psalms were spoken in the church and therefore, along with explanations, they contain exhortations, consolations and teachings. He touched on the teaching of piety in his famous “Instruction to Young Men on How to Use Pagan Writers” and in two books on asceticism. The canonical works include the letters of Basil the Great to some bishops. Gregory the Theologian speaks of the dignity of the works of Basil the Great in the following way: “Everywhere there is one and the greatest pleasure - the writings and creations of Vasily. After him, writers do not need any other wealth than his writings. Instead of all, he alone became enough for students to get an education.” “Whoever wants to be an excellent civil speaker,” says the learned Patriarch Photius, “does not need either Demosthenes or Plato, if only he has taken Basil as a model and studies the words. In all his words Saint Basil is excellent. He especially speaks pure, elegant, majestic language; in the order of thoughts he takes first place. He combines persuasiveness with pleasantness and clarity.” Saint Gregory the Theologian says this about the knowledge and writings of Saint Basil: “Who more than Basil was enlightened by the light of knowledge, saw into the depths of the Spirit and explored with God everything that is known about God? In Basil, beauty was virtue, greatness was theology, procession was the unceasing striving and ascent to God, power was the sowing and distribution of the word. And therefore, without becoming rigid, I can say: their voice went throughout the whole earth, and to the ends of the universe their words, and to the ends of the universes their words, that St. Paul said about the apostles (Rom. 10:18) ... When I have his “Six Days” in my hands and pronounce it orally, then I talk with the Creator, comprehend the laws of creation and marvel at the Creator more than before - having only sight as my mentor. When I have before me his accusatory words against false teachers, then I see the fire of Sodom, with which the wicked and lawless tongues are incinerated. When I read the words about the Spirit, then I find the God Whom I have again and feel within myself the boldness to speak the truth, ascending through the degrees of his theology and contemplation. When I read his other interpretations, which he makes clear even for people with limited vision: then I am convinced not to stop at one letter and look not only at the surface, but to stretch further, from one depth to enter a new one, calling upon the abyss of the abyss and acquiring light with light, until I reach highest meaning. When I become occupied with his praises to the ascetics, then I forget the body, talk with those being praised, and become excited for the feat. When I read his moral and active words, then I am cleansed in soul and body, I become a temple pleasing to God - an organ into which the Spirit strikes with the hymn of God's glory and God's power - and through this I am transformed, I come into good order, from one person I become another, I am changed by Divine change” (“Funeral Sermon of Gregory the Theologian to Saint Basil”).

A short time later, he left with Eubulus to his homeland, Cappadocia. As they approached the city of Caesarea, the Archbishop of Caesarea Leontius was announced in a dream of their arrival and told that Basil would eventually be the archbishop of this city. Therefore the archbishop, having called his archdeacon 37
Archdeacons were of great importance in the Ancient Church as the closest assistants to bishops.

And he sent several honorary clerics to the eastern gate of the city, ordering them to bring to him with honor the two wanderers whom they would meet there. They went and, meeting Basil and Evvul, when they entered the city, they took them to the archbishop; when he saw them, he was surprised, for it was them he had seen in his dream, and he glorified God. Having asked them where they were coming from and what they were called, and having learned their names, he ordered them to be taken to a meal and treated to food, while he himself, having called his clergy and honorable citizens, told them everything that he had seen in a vision from God about Vasily . Then the clergy unanimously said:

- Since God has shown you an heir to your throne for your virtuous life, then do with him as you please; for truly the person whom the will of God directly indicates is worthy of all respect.

After this, the Archbishop called Vasily and Evvul to him and began to talk with them about Scripture, wanting to find out how much they understood it. Hearing their speeches, he marveled at the depth of their wisdom and, leaving them with him, treated them with special respect. Vasily, while staying in Caesarea, led the same life that he learned from many ascetics when he traveled through Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia and looked closely at the ascetic fathers who lived in those countries. So, imitating their life, he was a good monk, and the Archbishop of Caesarea Eusebius 38
Eusebius was taken to the bishopric at the request of the people directly from the civil service and therefore could not have much authority as a theologian and teacher of the faith.

He appointed him presbyter and leader of the monks in Caesarea. Having accepted the rank of presbyter, Saint Basil devoted all his time to the labors of this ministry, so much so that he even refused to correspond with his former friends 39
One of his most important activities at this time was preaching the word of God. He often preached not only every day, but twice a day, morning and evening. Sometimes after preaching in one church he would come to preach in another. In his teachings, Vasily vividly and convincingly revealed to the mind and heart the beauty of Christian virtues and exposed the vileness of vices; He offered incentives to strive for the former, to move away from the latter, and showed everyone the path to achieving perfection, since he himself was an experienced ascetic. His very interpretations are aimed, first of all, at the spiritual edification of his listeners. Does he explain the history of world-making - he sets himself the goal, firstly, to show that “the world is a school of the knowledge of God” (conversation 1 on “Six Days”), and through this to arouse in his listeners reverence for the wisdom and goodness of the Creator, which is revealed in His creations, small and great, beautiful, varied, countless. Secondly, he wants to show how nature always teaches a person good moral living. The way of life, properties, habits of four-legged animals, birds, fish, reptiles, everything - even former one-day things - gives him an opportunity to learn edifying lessons for the master of the earth - man. Whether he explains the book of Psalms, which, in his words, combines everything that is useful in others: prophecies, history, and edification, he mainly applies the sayings of the Psalmist to the life and activity of a Christian.

Caring for the monks he had gathered, preaching the word of God and other pastoral concerns did not allow him to be distracted by extraneous activities. At the same time, in his new field, he soon acquired such respect for himself that the archbishop himself, who was not yet quite experienced in church affairs, did not enjoy, since he was elected to the throne of Caesarea from among the catechumens. But barely a year of his presbytery had passed when Bishop Eusebius, out of human weakness, began to envy and be hostile to Basil. Saint Basil, having learned about this and not wanting to be the subject of envy, went into the Ionian desert 40
Pontus is a region in Asia Minor, along the southern coast of the Black Sea, not far from Neokesarea. The Pontic Desert was barren, and its climate was far from favorable for health. The hut in which Vasily lived here had neither strong doors, nor a real hearth, nor a roof. During the meal, however, some hot food was served, but, according to Gregory the Theologian, with such bread, on the pieces of which, due to its extreme callousness, the teeth first slipped and then got stuck in them. In addition to general prayers, reading the Holy Scriptures and learned works, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and other monks there were engaged here themselves in carrying firewood, cutting stones, caring for garden vegetables - and they themselves carried a huge cart with manure.

In the Ionian desert, Vasily retired to the Iris River - to the area in which his mother Emmelia and his sister Macrina had retired before him - and which belonged to them. Macrina built a monastery here. Near it, at the foot of a high mountain, covered with dense forest and irrigated by cold and clear waters, Vasily settled. The desert was so pleasant to Vasily with its imperturbable silence that he intended to end his days here. Here he imitated the exploits of those great men whom he saw in Syria and Egypt. He labored in extreme deprivation, having only clothes to cover himself - a sorrel and a mantle; He also wore a hair shirt, but only at night, so that it would not be visible; He ate bread and water, seasoning this meager food with salt and roots. From strict abstinence he became very pale and skinny and became extremely exhausted. He never went to the bathhouse or lit a fire. But Vasily did not live for himself alone: ​​he gathered monks into a hostel; with his letters he attracted his friend Gregory to his desert.

In their solitude, Vasily and Gregory did everything together; prayed together; both abandoned the reading of worldly books, on which they had previously spent a lot of time, and began to devote themselves exclusively to the Holy Scriptures. Wanting to study it better, they read the works of the church fathers and writers who preceded them, especially Origen. Here Vasily and Gregory, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote the regulations for the monastic community, by which the monks of the Eastern Church for the most part are still guided today. 41
These rules served and serve as a guide for the life of monks throughout the East and, in particular, for our Russian monks. In his rules, Vasily gives preference to communal life over hermitic and solitary life, since, living together with others, the monk has more opportunities to serve the cause of Christian love. Vasily establishes for the monks the obligation of unquestioning obedience to the abbot, orders them to be hospitable towards strangers, although he forbids serving them special dishes. Fasting, prayer and constant work - this is what monks should do according to the rules of Vasily, and, however, they should not forget about the needs of the unfortunate and sick people around them who need care.

In relation to physical life, Vasily and Gregory found pleasure in patience; They worked with their own hands, carrying firewood, cutting stones, planting and watering trees, carrying manure, carrying heavy loads, so that calluses remained on their hands for a long time. Their dwelling had neither roof nor gate; there was never any fire or smoke there. The bread they ate was so dry and poorly baked that it could hardly be chewed with the teeth.

The time came, however, when both Basil and Gregory had to leave the desert, since their services were needed for the Church, which at that time was outraged by heretics. Gregory, to help the Orthodox, was taken to Nazianza by his father, Gregory, a man already old and therefore not having the strength to fight the heretics with firmness; Basil was persuaded to return to himself by Eusebius, the Archbishop of Caesarea, who reconciled with him in a letter and asked him to help the Church, which the Arians had taken up arms against. 42
The Arian heretics taught that Christ was a created being, not eternally existing and not of the same nature as God the Father. This heresy received its name from the presbyter of the Alexandrian Church Arius, who began to preach these thoughts in 319.

Blessed Basil, seeing such a need for the Church and preferring it to the benefits of the desert life, left solitude and came to Caesarea, where he worked hard, protecting the Orthodox faith from heresy with words and writings. When Archbishop Eusebius reposed, having given up his spirit to God in the arms of Basil, Vasily was elevated to the archbishop's throne and consecrated by a council of bishops. Among those bishops was the elderly Gregory, the father of Gregory of Nazianzus. Being weak and burdened by old age, he ordered to be escorted to Caesarea in order to convince Basil to accept the archbishopric and prevent the installation of any of the Arians on the throne.