Faces of holiness in the Orthodox Church. Faces of saints in the Russian Orthodox Church canonization Faces of deities and saints

According to Christian doctrine, “there is one God without sin,” all people, even the greatest righteous people, commit sins. However, the church singles out people who, through prayer, good deeds They were awarded special honor before God and acquired holiness.

Canonization of saints- elevation to the rank of saints. Conditions for canonization - there must be a cult of veneration of the saint, miracles from relics, objects, incorruptibility of relics, the flow of myrrh from consecrated icons in the church, evidence of the holiness of life.

Holiness(“holiest of all saints”) - only one Mother of God, the Virgin Mary.

Apostles – this is a special rite of holiness. The Apostles are joined by the Equal-to-the-Apostles - they, like the Apostles, brought Christianity to entire nations (the Russian Orthodox Church venerates Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir as Equal-to-the-Apostles).

Prophets – Old Testament prophets Moses, Elijah the Prophet, etc.

Righteous - canonized laymen (Abraham, righteous Juliana, etc.).

Reverends – canonized monks (St. Sergius of Radonezh, St. Seraphim of Sarov).

Saints – canonized highest church hierarchs (patriarchs, metropolitans) - Metropolitan Peter (14th century), Patriarch Tikhon (died in 1925).

Martyrs – those who died for the faith, the most massive rank of holiness (Great Martyr Tatiana, Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia - 2nd century, the new martyrs of Lenin-Stalin times have now been canonized)

The faithful - canonized rulers (kings, princes) - Boris and Gleb, Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy.

Passion-bearers –“those who endured the passions”, who died deeply as Christians, but not for the faith - like royal passion-bearers, Nicholas II and the royal family were canonized.

Blessed - canonized holy fools, there were especially many of them in Rus', this is a unique contribution of Russian Orthodoxy to Ecumenical Orthodoxy (“fool” is a disease of God, holy fools in Christ walked naked, pretended that they were terrible sinners, but in fact they did not sin even in women’s baths ). St. Basil the Blessed. In Rus' there were many deceivers who only played the role of holy fools, but in fact were not holy fools in Christ - they, naturally, were not canonized (example: Grishka Rasputin)

Until 1054 the church was united and Orthodox both in the West and in the East (the popes sometimes even saved Orthodoxy, since heresies often developed in the East, in Byzantium).

1054 – Great Schism(schism) of churches - the eastern part remained Orthodox, the western part became Catholic.

XVI century – Reformation- split in the Western Church between Catholics and Protestants. Thus, three Christian denominations have emerged: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism.

The main differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy

Differences in the sacraments:

Baptism - for the Orthodox, complete immersion of the person being baptized (in the same way as the first Christians baptized), for Catholics - sprinkling.

Communion - for the Orthodox - as in the first centuries of Christianity - full communion for everyone (both priests and laity are given both bread and wine), for Catholics - only bread for the laity, since 1965, lay Catholics can demand full communion for themselves; consecrated bread is also different - Orthodox have leavened bread, Catholics have unleavened bread

Confirmation - for the Orthodox immediately after baptism, for Catholics - anointing only upon reaching the age of ecclesiastical majority (not earlier than 12-14 years)

repentance - among the Orthodox they see the person confessing, among the Catholics - in the booths.

2. B management churches - Catholics have the sole head of the entire Catholic Church throughout the world (the Pope), while Orthodox Christians have the principle of autocephaly - self-government of local churches (Greek, Bulgarian, Russian, etc.).

3. Chief holiday- For the Orthodox, Easter, for Catholics, Easter was eclipsed by Christmas.

4. Fasting days- The Orthodox tradition of early Christianity is Wednesday and Friday, the Catholics have Saturday. One of the Ecumenical Councils noted this violation of apostolic custom in the Western Church.

5. Liturgy(service with communion) for Catholics - only in Latin, for Orthodox - in national languages ​​(since 1965, Catholics have allowed services in national languages, but Latin remains the main language). The Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible, is recognized as divinely inspired.

6. Celibacy(celibacy) - in Orthodoxy only for monks, among Catholics - and for priests (in Orthodoxy priests are married).

7. B rituals and symbols– Orthodox Christians cross themselves with three fingers from right to left, Catholics – with five fingers from left to right, the main cross is four-pointed for Catholics, eight-pointed for Orthodox Christians.

8. Catholics introduced new dogmas, which are not in Orthodoxy:

About the infallibility of the Pope (in Orthodoxy only the Ecumenical Council is infallible).

About purgatory (in Orthodoxy there is only heaven and hell).

About the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (according to Orthodox doctrine, she was conceived in the usual way and was subject to original sin).

On the supererogatory merits of saints (hence the centuries-old practice of indulgences)

About the filioque (the insertion of “and from the Son” into the Creed - that the Holy Spirit comes not only from God the Father, as the Orthodox believe, but also from God the Son). Hence the special technique of Catholic prayer - getting used to the role of the crucified Christ. Artificiality in worship - organ, sculptures in churches. In Orthodoxy there is “smart” (heartfelt) prayer, getting used to the role of Christ is combined with pride, there is no organ or sculptures, there are only icons and spiritual choral singing.

All these differences exist with very great similarities between the two faiths. It is very important that Catholics and Orthodox Christians mutually recognize the grace of priests, the canonicity of their ordinations, the reality of each other’s sacraments (if a Catholic priest converts to Orthodoxy or vice versa, he is not re-ordained, but immediately made a priest - it is considered that he has already been ordained).

Geography of Christian denominations:

Orthodox countries– Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia (Armenia is close to Orthodoxy, but there are certain differences).

Catholic countries– Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Philippines, all of Latin America, Lithuania.

Protestant countries– England, USA, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Canada, Australia, Estonia.

There are the most Catholics in the world, the least Orthodox (this is what happened historically)

For a person who has recently come to church or is simply looking at it from afar with interest, there are many incomprehensible phenomena and concepts. As an example, there are a large number of revered saints - and for some reason one is a reverend, and the other is simply a saint, one is a passion-bearer, and the other is a martyr. Our consolidated list of faces of holiness existing in Orthodoxy will help to distinguish them.

The veneration of saints has been established in Christianity since ancient times. The original cult extends to the apostles and martyrs, as well as the Old Testament saints—forefathers and prophets. In the most ancient period, the veneration of the heads of local churches as saints also developed.—first within the local churches, and then as a general church cult. Historical development leads to the emergence of other categories of saints, the veneration of which is organically included in the general cult (Fragments from the book “Holiness. Brief dictionary hagiographic terms. Zhivov V.M.", furtherexcerpts from his bookhighlighteditalics).

Apostles(Greek ἀ πόστολος - ambassador, messenger) - these are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, whom He sent to preach during His earthly life; and after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, they preached the Christian faith throughout all countries. At first there were twelve of them, then Christ chose seventy more.

Two of the apostles, Peter and Paul, are called supreme, since they worked more than others in preaching the faith of Christ. The four Apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Theologian, who wrote the Gospel, are called Evangelists.

Forefathers(Greek προπάτωρ) - a category of Old Testament saints revered by the Christian Church as executors of the will of God in sacred history before the New Testament era. The forefathers also include the righteous Godfathers Joachim and Anna, parents of the Mother of God, and righteous Joseph, betrothed to the Virgin.

Prophets(Greek προφήτης) - a category of Old Testament saints revered by the Christian Church as heralds of the will of God, who predicted the coming of Christ. In the Holy Scriptures prophets are called Old Testament patriarchs Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses. John the Baptist appears as the last of the prophets.

Equal to the Apostles(Greek Ισαπόστολος) - a saint, especially famous for preaching the Gospel and converting peoples to the Christian faith. The Church applies this name to Saint Mary Magdalene as a co-worker of the apostles, the holy Emperor Constantine and his mother Helen, the enlighteners of the Slavs Cyril and Methodius, the holy Prince Vladimir and Grand Duchess Saint Olga, who baptized the Russian land.

Reverence saints V modern form began with the veneration of martyrs who testified with their blood to the truth of Christianity; with the cessation of persecution, those who, without receiving the crown of martyrdom, became famous for their labors and piety (primarily hermits and monks) also began to be recognized as saints.

Nowadays the face of the saints is all the righteous, saints, martyrs, confessors, noble princes, holy fools for Christ’s sake, saints, prophets and apostles, evangelists.

Saint- a saint who acquired holiness on the path of hierarchical service through righteous shepherding and an immaculate life, who through his righteous death fulfilled God’s Providence for the Church in its movement towards the Kingdom of Heaven. Particularly venerated saints include Basil the Great (379), Gregory the Theologian (389), Gregory of Nyssa (c. 394), John Chrysostom (407) and Nicholas the Wonderworker (c. 345). The first Russian saint is St. Leonty, third bishop of Rostov (c. 1077).

The doctrine of the plurality of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the diversity of forms of holiness) was formulated at the very beginning of Christian history. The Apostle Paul wrote: “To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to others gifts of healings by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another divers tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Yet all these things are done by one and the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as he pleases" (1 Cor. 12:8-11)."

Martyr(Greek μάρτυς - witness) - a person who accepted torture and death for confessing faith in Jesus Christ, testifying his faith with blood. The first martyr in the highest sense was Jesus Christ Himself, who, by agreeing to sacrifice Himself for the sins of men, gave the highest evidence of fidelity to the saving mission entrusted to Him by the Father. The first Christian martyr (protomartyr) was the archdeacon and apostle of the 70s, Stephen (c. 33-36).

Great Martyr(Greek: μεγαλόμαρτυρ) - a martyr who endured especially cruel and prolonged torment and at the same time showed extreme firmness in the faith. The selection of the great martyrs from the entire multitude of martyrs revered by the Church emphasizes the significance of this type of feat.

The modern calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church includes such names of martyrs as: St. George the Victorious (303), Panteleimon the Healer (305), Demetrius of Thessalonica (c. 306) and Great Martyr Anastasia the Pattern Maker (c. 304).

Hieromartyr(Greek άγιομάρτυς) - holy martyrs who belonged to the sacred rank (deacon, priest or bishop). Hieromartyrs constitute a special group of saints. Although they are remembered at the Liturgy along with other martyrs, there are services to the holy martyr and holy martyrs.

Famous holy martyrs include Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch (107); of the Russian saints - Hermogen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (1612), Kuksha of Pechersk (+ after 1114). In our region, we can highlight, in particular, schmich. Dimitry Apansky (Nerovetsky) (1919).

Venerable Martyr(Greek όσιομάρτυς) - a martyr who belongs to the ranks of the monastics. Pmchch. constitute a special rank of saints, since there are corresponding services for them. Among the Russian saints, their number includes Gregory, martyr. Pechersky, resting in the Near Anthony Caves (1093).

Passion-bearers- the name of Christian martyrs who accepted martyrdom not for the name of Christ, but because of the malice and deceit of people. The main thing in the feat of passion-bearers is kindness and non-resistance to enemies. The passion-bearers are the holy noble princes Boris and Gleb (1015), the last Emperor Russian Nicholas II and members of his family (1918).

Confessors(Greek ὁ μολογητής) - a special group of saints in Orthodoxy, glorified by the Church for openly expressing their faith during persecution; Confessors included those Christians who, having endured torture, remained alive, unlike the martyrs. IN Ancient Rus' Maximus the Confessor was especially known and revered (662); At the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) was glorified as a confessor.

With the establishment of Christianity as the state religion, new forms of holiness naturally appear. In this context, the veneration of pious kings and queens arises, and with the development of monasticism, the veneration of saints. According to Christian ideas, the process of discovering new forms of holiness is inexhaustible and continues to this day.

Unmercenary(Greek άνάργυρος) - a saint, especially famous for his selflessness, his renunciation of wealth for the sake of his faith. This name is adopted in the Orthodox tradition primarily by Sts. Cosmas and Damian, brothers who suffered as martyrs in the second half of the 3rd century.

Blessed(Greek εὐ σεβής) - a ruler (prince, king), famous for his piety, mercy and concern for strengthening the Christian faith and canonized by the Church. For example, the holy prince Alexander Nevsky (1263) is one of the faithful.

Blissful(Greek μαχάριος) - in the 19th century. This epithet began to be applied in Russia to saints revered in other Christian confessions in those cases where their veneration was established before the division of churches and is thereby recognized by the Orthodox Church. Blessed Augustine (430) is glorified in the image. In Ancient Rus', the title “blessed” was applied to holy fools, as in the case of St. Basil the Blessed.

Reverend- a person who acquired holiness on the path of monastic asceticism. The organizers of monastic life, the founders of laurels and monasteries, such as Anthony (1073) and Theodosius (1074) of Pechersk, Sergius of Radonezh (1392), Seraphim of Sarov (1833), receive special veneration in Russia.

The first venerables in christian church Anthony the Great († 356) and Ephraim the Syrian († c. 373-379) became famous precisely for their monastic feat.

Righteous- a person who has achieved holiness in the world, in ordinary family and public life. These are in Old Testament- Noah, Joa; in the New Testament - Joseph the Betrothed, Joachim and Anna; of the Russian saints - John of Kronstadt (1909).

Stylites(Greek στυλίτης) - holy venerables who have chosen a special feat for themselves - standing on a pillar and concentrating on constant prayer. The founder of Styliteism is considered to be Rev. Simeon (c. 459). Of the Russian ascetics, Stylites were St. Nikita Pereyaslavsky (1186) and Savva Vishersky (1461).

Miracle Worker(Greek θαυματουργός) - an epithet for a number of saints, especially famous for the gift of miracles, intercessors to whom they resort in the hope of miraculous healing. Miracle workers are not a special category of saints, since in principle all saints have the gift of working miracles, and witnessed miracles are the main condition for canonization. Among the miracle workers revered by the Russian Church, one can note St. Nicholas of Myra of Lycia (c. 345) and St. Anthony the Roman (1147).

Holy Fool(glorified madman) - an ascetic portraying a madman for the sake of rejecting “the wisdom of this world,” which “is foolishness before God” (1 Cor. 3:19). This kind of asceticism is a radical means of destroying pride in oneself. The most famous holy fools were Procopius of Ustyug (1303) and Basil the Blessed of Moscow (1557).

Sources:

1. Holiness. A brief dictionary of hagiographic terms. Zhivov V.M.
2. Bishop of Yegoryevsky Mark. Church protocol. - M.: Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2007.

icon of Blessed Xenia

Icon of the famous holy fool Xenia the Blessed, also known as Xenia of Petersburg.

Icons of Patron Saints are the most numerous category in icon catalogs. Since the very Old Testament times, revered Saints have been people who gave their lives for the Christian faith, led a righteous, pious, ascetic lifestyle, avoided the fall of sin, and became pleasing to God with their thoughts and actions. And in our time, many devoutly believing people are capable of spiritual feats and miracles of righteousness, therefore the number of Orthodox Saints will only grow and multiply.Icons of Patron Saintsoccupy an important place in Everyday life people: they pray to the Saints with the hope of intercession, they are inspired by the fortitude and willpower of the Holy Martyrs, they admire the quiet daily feat of humility of the Holy Righteous.

Orthodox Saints: locally revered and church-wide

Depending on the prevalence of veneration of Saints, they can be classified into two different categories:

• Church Saints- Saints revered in absolutely all dioceses of the Church.
• Locally Revered Saints- Saints revered within a particular diocese. Despite the limited territory of veneration, the canonization of a locally venerated Saint takes place according to the same rules as generally venerated ones - with the involvement of the Synodal Commission for Canonization and approval by the Patriarch himself.

There are many cases in history when a locally revered Saint was recognized by the general church: for example, the “gatherer of Russian lands,” the winner of the Battle of Kulikovo, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, members of the last royal family of Emperor Nicholas II and many others.

Faces of Holiness

The Lives of the Saints are numerous and varied, but some common features, traced in the nature of life’s feat, give grounds to classify them as one of the following faces of Holiness (in brackets is the indication of the face of Holiness accepted in Orthodox iconography):

• Holy Apostles ( indicated on icons up.) - direct disciples of the Savior, who set the goal of their lives to spread faith in the Church of Christ as widely as possible. For more detailed information about the apostles from the twelve and the apostles from the seventy, see the section icons of the Holy Apostles.
• Silverless(indicated on iconsindefinite)- Saints who in their lives abandoned material goods in favor of spiritual ones, Christians who help people for free. The most famous non-silver doctor was the healer Panteleimon.
• The faithful (indicated on iconsblgv.) - only pious people of royal and princely blood could receive the face of the Holy One, who strengthened and glorified the deeds of their lives Orthodox faith. The most famous blessed Saint is Prince Alexander Nevsky.
• Blessed(indicated on iconsblessed)- Saints, deliberately seeming to be out of their minds, exposing corruptible, superficial worldly values ​​as opposed to eternal spiritual ones, incurring insults on themselves in order to cultivate humility and strengthen Christian virtues. The face of Saints is very revered in the Orthodox Church; in St. Petersburg, for example, the Holy Blessed Xenia of Petersburg is very revered.
• Great Martyrs(indicated on iconsvmch., vmts.)- those Saints who passed the test of their faith in God through especially cruel and severe torture and bullying, who died after suffering. The very first Holy Great Martyr was Irene the Great, who fought against the persecution of Christians in her country. Due to the rather late formation of the list of saints, the term “great martyr” is not applied to Russian Saints.
• Confessors (indicated on iconsSpanish)- martyrs for the faith who survived torture and abuse. In Orthodoxy, confessors are also considered Reverend Confessors(monk confessors) and priests(clergy-confessors). The feat of confessors lies in their refusal to renounce Christ, no matter what suffering their body endures; in choosing the salvation of the soul rather than the body.
• Martyrs(indicated on iconsmch., mts.)- Christians who died for their faith as a result of torture. They differ from the great martyrs in the less severe circumstances of their violent death. A separate revered category of martyrs - venerable martyrs (prpmch./prpmts.) and holy martyrs ( indicated on iconssschmch.)- monks and clergy, deceased martyrdom. The very first Saints in Rus', the noble princes Boris and Gleb, were canonized as martyrs.
• Righteous (indicated on iconsright)- humble, pious Christians who have devoted their entire temporal and spiritual life to observing all the covenants of Christ. One of the most revered righteous Saints is John of Kronstadt, clergyman of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt.
• Forefathers- Old Testament Saints who lived before the birth of Jesus Christ, who through their deeds prepared people for the coming and acceptance of His Church. The series of forefathers begins with Adam, the first man, and ends with Joseph the Beautiful, who interpreted dreams about skinny cows to Pharaoh.
• Reverends (indicated on iconsprp.)- Saints who were monks during their lifetime, who led an ascetic life full of humility and self-denial. One of the very first Saints to become righteous was Alypiy of Pechersk, author of the Pechersk Icon of the Mother of God.
• Prophets (indicated on iconsprophet, prr.)- one of a number of Saints to whom God addressed in order to inform the rest of the people about his plans. John the Baptist (Baptist) became the first New Testament prophet. After him there were no more prophets, for Jesus Christ had already been born.
• Equal to the Apostles (indicated on iconsequal to ap.)- Saints who have distinguished themselves for special merits in the conversion of unbelievers and pagans to Christians. In Russia, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, who baptized Rus', and the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril, brothers who preached Christianity in Rus' and gave it the Church Slavonic language, are highly revered.
• Saints (indicated on icons St. ) - Saints who were especially noted at their episcopal post for righteous deeds, good behavior and special successes in mentoring believers. John Chrysostom, Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, in whose honor the Orthodox Church was established, are numbered among the Saints. religious holiday"Cathedral of the Three Saints"
• Stylites- Saints, revered for the special feat of pillarism - continuous prayer to God, while on some elevation (pillar, stone, tower). Stylites aroused the genuine interest of pilgrims, and many of them, after visiting and talking with the stylites, took with them small icons depicting these righteous people, which greatly influenced the distribution of icons and the veneration of icons themselves. In Russia, the feat of pillar-building was performed by the Holy Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, who stood on a huge boulder next to the Sarov Monastery for 1000 days and nights in unceasing prayers.
• Passion-bearers (indicated on iconspassions.) - persons who accepted their death in complete humility. Such Saints are revered precisely for keeping the commandments of Christ. In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized the innocently murdered family of Emperor Nicholas II Romanov as martyrs.
• Miracle Workers(indicated on iconsmiracle, chdtv) - Saints, glorified by numerous good miracles and the intercession of those who pray to their image. The most famous of the Holy Wonderworkers is Nikolai Ugodnik (Wonderworker).
• Holy Fools(indicated on iconsblzh.) - or For Christ's sake holy fools. Same as the Blessed Ones. In Moscow, in its very center, there is a beautiful temple named after the most famous holy fool in Russia - St. Basil the Blessed.

The Most Holy Theotokos herself is considered the intercessor and patroness of Russia. It is not surprising, therefore, that among the nearly 300 Russian Orthodox saints there are women. And the first person to convert to Christianity in Rus' was Princess Olga.

1. Euphrosyne of Polotsk

In the world, Euphrosyne of Polotsk was called Predslava. She was the daughter of the Vitebsk prince Svyatoslav Vseslavich.
Predslava with early years showed interest in spiritual life, as soon as the girl turned 12 years old, she abandoned the dynastic marriage and on February 15, 1116, took secret monastic vows in the Polotsk Monastery.
A few years later, Euphrosyne began rewriting books, which was very labor-intensive and a long process. Usually it was men who received such obedience, but Euphrosyne was firm in her faith.
Venerable Euphrosyne is credited with acquiring the Polotsk St. Sophia Cathedral icons of the Mother of God of Ephesus. Euphrosyne also ordered a reliquary cross from the master Lazar Bogshe, which began to be called after her. Euphrosyne of Polotsk died during a pilgrimage in Jerusalem, May 23, 1167. They began to venerate her in Polotsk soon after her death, but Euphrosyne was canonized only in 1893.
Euphrosyne of Polotsk was a prominent church figure of her time. She initiated the construction of the Spassky Convent for women, took part in political life principality and became a kind of banner of the Polovtsian struggle for their independence.
It is interesting that in the life of St. Euphrosyne there is no story about posthumous miracles.

2. Princess Olga

Princess Olga is the only Russian woman who has been canonized as an Equal-to-the-Apostles saint. Olga was the first in Rus' to convert to Christianity, even before Baptism.
Very little is known about Olga’s youth; the most accurate information about her appears in the chronicles of 945, when her husband Igor died. At the same time, Nestor describes in the chronicles Olga’s revenge on the Drevlyans, who were guilty of the death of the prince.
Since 947, Olga begins to rule herself. It establishes a system of graveyards, opens several land routes, and sets the size of the polyudye. It was Olga who laid the foundation for stone construction in Rus'.
In 955, Olga was baptized in Constantinople under the name Helen. The princess tried to introduce her son Svyatoslav to Christianity, but he remained a pagan until the end of his life.
Saint Olga was recognized already during the reign of Yaropolk, her grandson, and in 1547 Princess Olga was canonized as an Equal-to-the-Apostles saint.

3. Matrona of Moscow

Matrona of Moscow is one of the most popular Russian saints. She was canonized relatively recently - in 1999.
Matrona was born blind. The parents wanted to leave the child in the orphanage, but the girl’s mother had a prophetic dream about a blind dove, and they left Matrona. Already at the age of 8, the girl was a deeply religious person, she had the gift of predicting the future and healing the sick. By the age of 18, Matrona of Moscow lost her legs.
Matrona lived most of her life with her fellow villager Evdokia Mikhailovna Zhdanova and her daughter Zinaida, and hosted the suffering and sick. Matrona of Moscow died in 1952.
In 1999, Matrona was canonized as a locally revered saint, but people from all over Russia come to venerate her.

4. Ksenia Petersburgskaya

Ksenia Petersburgskaya chose the path of foolishness at the age of 26. Many legends and memories of the prophetic gift of the saint have been preserved.
Ksenia was born in the first half of the 18th century. Having reached adulthood, Ksenia married the court singer Andrei Fedorovich Petrov. The young couple lived in St. Petersburg. Andrei Fedorovich did not die when Ksenia was 26 years old.
The young widow took the path of foolishness, began to respond only to her husband’s name, distributed all their property to the poor, and gave the house to one of her friends, on the condition that she would let the poor spend the night.
The exact date of death of Ksenia of Petersburg is unknown. In 1988, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized her as a holy fool.

5. Fevronia

The life of the saint became widely known after the publication of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” which rather resembled fairy tale than a historical document. Fevronia was the daughter of a beekeeper. One day, Prince Peter turned to her for help, who promised to make her his bride if she healed him of his wounds. The girl cured Peter, but he did not keep his promise, and the disease returned. Then Peter took Fevronia as his wife. The boyars did not accept the prince's common wife. Peter took his wife and left the city, where unrest almost immediately broke out, and the prince was asked to return.
Peter and Fevronia ruled for many years, and in their old age they took monastic vows in different monasteries. They prayed to die on the same day and bequeathed to be buried together. When Peter and Fevronia’s request was not fulfilled, they miraculously ended up in the same coffin. The couple were buried in 1228, and in 1547 they were canonized. Peter and Fevronia are considered the patrons of the family.

6. Anna Kashinskaya
Anna (in her monastic vows - Sofia) was born in the 13th century into the family of the Rostov prince Dmitry Borisovich. In 1299, she married Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver, and 20 years later he was killed in the Horde. Years later, her sons and grandson were executed in the Horde.
The year of Anna's tonsure is unknown, but in 1358 she is mentioned as the 80-year-old abbess of the Tver Convent in the name of St. Afanasia. Just before her death, Anna accepted the schema.
The veneration of Anna Kashinskaya began in 1611, when her remains were discovered in the Kashin church in the name of Holy Mother of God. In 1650, she was canonized, but already in 1677, as part of the fight against double-fingered baptism, decanonization was carried out, and the life of St. Anne was anathematized. Only in 1909 did Emperor Nicholas II give permission for re-canonization.

7. Juliania Lazarevskaya

The real name of Juliania Lazarevskaya is Ulyana Ustinovna Osoryina. She was born in 1530 into a family of nobles, the Nedyurevs. Since childhood, the girl was very pious and diligent. At the age of 16, she married Yuri Osorin, and with him she gave birth to 13 children. After the death of two sons on royal service, Ulyana began to beg her husband to let her go to the monastery. He agreed on the condition that before that she would raise the remaining children.
When famine broke out during the reign of Boris Godunov, Juliania sold all her property to feed the poor.
Juliania died in 1604 and was buried in Murom. In 1614, when a grave was being dug nearby, the relics of Juliana, which exuded myrrh, were discovered. Several people were then healed. In the same 1614, Juliania Lazarevskaya was canonized as a righteous woman.

8. Holy Princess Elizaveta Feodorovna

Elizaveta Feodorovna was the elder sister of Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Russian empress. In 1884, Elizaveta Fedorovna married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, brother of Emperor Alexander III.
Throughout her life, Elizaveta Fedorovna was involved in charity work. She organized the Elizabethan Benevolent Society, and during the war she was engaged in medical care to the warriors. In 1905, her husband died as a result of an assassination attempt.
Having been widowed, Elizaveta Feodorovna founded the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy, which was engaged in medical and charitable work. Since 1909, the princess devoted her entire life to work at the monastery.
Elizaveta Feodorovna was killed and thrown into a mine in 1918 in the city of Alapaevsk along with other members of the Romanov family. There is evidence that Elizabeth died later than the others, since chants could be heard from the mine for some time.
In 1992, Elizaveta Feodorovna was canonized and included in the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

9. Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya

Blessed Barbara was born into the family of a priest. Having trained as a home teacher, the girl began teaching. She was a devout believer and often brought a priest to classes, but when atheism began to be preached in schools, Varvara stopped working and chose the path of a recluse for herself.
She lived for more than 35 years in an old barn, constantly praying and fasting. All these years, Varvara did not attend church, but received priests and believers.
Varvara died in 1966, and in 2001, Patriarch Alexy II gave his blessing to glorify the ascetic among the locally revered saints of the Ufa diocese.

10. Evdokia Dmitrievna

Evdokia Dmitrievna is also known as the Venerable Evdokia of Moscow; during her lifetime she became famous for her charitable activities. At the age of 15 she was married to the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy. She spent 22 years with him in a happy marriage, and after the death of her husband she ruled for some time, being the guardian of the succession to the throne among her sons.
During her lifetime, Evdokia Dmitrievna initiated the construction of many churches and monasteries, including the Ascension Convent. Under the leadership of Evdokia Dmitrievna, the Moscow militia was assembled to protect the city from Tamerlane. In 1407, the princess retired to the Ascension Monastery, where she was tonsured with the name Euphrosyne. Euphrosyne lived in monasticism for only a few months and died in the same year. In 1988 she was canonized along with her husband.
In 2007, a church award was established - the Order and Medal of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow.

11. Euphrosyne Kolyupanovskaya

Princess Evdokia Grigorievna Vyazemskaya was Catherine II's maid of honor, but her desire to devote herself to serving God was so great that she faked her own death and secretly left the court. She wandered for more than 10 years, until in 1806 she met Metropolitan Plato, who gave her his blessing to perform the feat of foolishness. From that moment on, the former princess settled in Serpukhov Vladychny Vvedensky convent under the name "fool Euphrosyne".
It is known that Euphrosyne secretly wore chains and even went barefoot in winter.
When the abbess changed in the monastery, Euphrosyne began to be oppressed, which ultimately forced the woman to leave the walls of the monastery. The former princess spent the last 10 years of her life in the village of Kolyupanovo in the house of the landowner Natalya Alekseevna Protopopova. Even during her lifetime, Efvrosinia Kolyupanovskaya was credited with the gift of healing and foresight. Blessed Euphrosyne reposed in 1855, but the veneration that began during her lifetime continued after her death.
In 1988, Euphrosyne Kolyupanovskaya was canonized as one of the Tula saints.

12. Juliania Vyazemskaya

The fate of Juliana Vyazemskaya bears little resemblance to the fates of other Russian saints. She was the wife of Prince Simeon Mstislavich Vyazemsky, until the Smolensk prince Yuri Svyatoslavovich tried to forcibly bring Juliana to himself “even if he wanted to live with her.” Unable to tolerate the abuse, the princess stabbed the offender, and he, in a fit of rage, killed her husband, cut off her own arms and legs, and ordered her body to be thrown into the Tvertsa River.
In the spring of 1407, the body of the martyr Juliana was found floating against the current of the Tverets River. The found body of the saint was buried at the southern doors of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Torzhok, and soon after this miraculous healings began to occur at the burial site.
The exact date of the canonization of Juliana Vyazemskaya as a locally revered saint is unknown, but many historians believe that this happened in 1815, the year of the rediscovery of the saint’s relics.

On January 9, 1920, Archbishop Tikhon of Voronezh was killed in Voronezh on the day of the mass execution of clergy. It is worth clarifying that the persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church began even before the Bolsheviks came to power. The liberals from the Provisional Government anticipated the Bolsheviks in their attitude towards religion and the Church, showing themselves to be enemies of Russian Orthodoxy. If in 1914 in Russian Empire Since there were 54,174 Orthodox churches and 1,025 monasteries, in 1987 only 6,893 churches and 15 monasteries remained in the USSR. In 1917-20 alone, more than 4.5 thousand priests were shot. Today is a story about clergy who gave their lives for their faith.

Archpriest John Kochurov

Ioann Kochurov (in the world Ivan Aleksandrovich Kochurov) was born on July 13, 1871 in the Ryazan province in large family village priest. He graduated from the Dankov Theological School, the Ryazan Theological Seminary, and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, after which, in August 1895, he was ordained a priest and sent to missionary service in the Aleutian and Alaskan diocese. This was his long-time desire. He served in the USA until 1907, being the rector of St. Vladimir's Church in Chicago.

Returning to Russia, John Kochurov became a supernumerary priest of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Narva, a priest of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Sillamäe, and at the same time was a teacher of the law at the Narva women's and men's gymnasiums. Since November 1916, Archpriest John Kochurov has been the second priest in the Catherine Cathedral of Tsarskoe Selo.

At the end of September 1917, Tsarskoye Selo became the center of confrontation Cossack troops, supporting the overthrown head of the Provisional Government A. Kerensky, and the Bolshevik Red Guard. October 30, 1917 Fr. John took part in the procession with special prayers for an end to the internecine warfare and called on the people to remain calm. This happened during the shelling of Tsarskoe Selo. The next day, the Bolsheviks entered Tsarskoe Selo and arrests of priests began. Father John tried to protest, but he was beaten, taken to the Tsarskoye Selo airfield and shot in front of his son, a high school student. The parishioners buried Father John in a tomb under St. Catherine's Cathedral, which was blown up in 1939.

It is worth saying that the murder of Archpriest Ioann Kochurov was one of the first on the mournful list of murdered church leaders. After this, arrests and murders followed almost non-stop.

Archbishop Tikhon IV of Voronezh

Archbishop Tikhon IV of Voronezh (in the world Nikanorov Vasily Varsonofievich) was born on January 30, 1855 in the Novgorod province into the family of a psalm-reader. He received an excellent theological education, graduating from the Kirillov Theological School, the Novgorod Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. At the age of 29, he became a monk at the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery with the name Tikhon, and was ordained a hieromonk. After another 4 years, he was granted the abbess. In December 1890, Tikhon was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and became rector of the Novgorod Anthony Monastery, and in May 1913 he was awarded the rank of archbishop and transferred to Voronezh. Contemporaries spoke of him as “a kind man whose sermons were simple and accessible.”

His Grace Tikhon had to meet for the last time in the history of the city of Voronezh with Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her daughters Olga and Tatiana. The royalty then visited the Mitrofan Annunciation Monastery, venerated the relics of St. Mitrofan and toured hospitals for wounded soldiers.

Since the beginning of the First World War, Archbishop Tikhon led active public and church-charitable activities. He performed private and public services at the farewell of conscripts, and held funeral services for those killed on the battlefield. Boards of trustees were opened in all Voronezh churches, providing moral and material assistance to those in need, and gifts were collected and sent to the army. In October 1914, Archbishop Tikhon blessed the opening of an infirmary-hospital for the wounded with 100 beds in the Mitrofanovsky Monastery, as well as the opening of the Voronezh diocesan committee for the placement of refugees.

Archbishop Tikhon became one of the first clergy who had to face a negative attitude towards the Church of the new government. He was arrested for the first time and, accompanied by soldiers, was sent to Petrograd on June 8, 1917. On January 9, 1920, the day of the mass execution of clergy in Voronezh, Archbishop Tikhon was hanged on the Royal Doors of the Annunciation Cathedral. The highly revered martyr was buried in the crypt of the Annunciation Cathedral. In 1956, when the Mitrofanovsky Monastery and crypt were destroyed, Tikhon’s remains were reburied at the Kominternovsky cemetery in Voronezh, and in 1993 his remains were transferred to the necropolis of the Alekseevsky Akatov Monastery. In August 2000, Archbishop Tikhon of the Russian Orthodox Church was glorified as a martyr.

Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia Vladimir Bogoyavlensky (in the world Vasily Nikiforovich Bogoyavlensky) was born on January 1, 1848 in the Tambov province in the family of a rural priest. Spiritual education He received his education first at the theological school and seminary in Tambov, and then at the Kyiv Theological Academy. After graduating from the academy, Vladimir returned to Tambov, where he first taught at the seminary, and after getting married, he was ordained and became a parish priest. But his family happiness was short-lived. A few years later, Father Vasily’s only child and his wife died. Having experienced such enormous grief, the young priest takes monastic vows with the name of Vladimir in one of the Tambov monasteries.

During his lifetime, Hieromartyr Vladimir was called the “All-Russian Metropolitan,” since he was the only hierarch who consistently occupied all the main metropolitan sees of the Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv.

In January 1918, the All-Ukrainian Church Council raised the question of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Metropolitan Vladimir defended the unity of the Russian Church. But the leader of the schismatic party, Archbishop Alexy, who arbitrarily settled in the Lavra next to Metropolitan Vladimir, in every possible way incited the monks of the Lavra against the holy archimandrite.

On the afternoon of January 25, 1918, the Red Guards burst into the Metropolitan’s chambers and conducted a search. The monks began to complain that they wanted to establish order in the monastery, like the Reds - with councils and committees, but the Metropolitan did not allow it. Already in the evening, 5 armed soldiers came to the metropolitan in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Vladimir was taken out of the Lavra through the All Saints Gate and brutally killed between the ramparts of the Old Pechersk Fortress, not far from Nikolskaya Street.

However, there is an opinion that the Bolsheviks did not take any part in this atrocity, but the metropolitan was killed by bandits invited by some monks of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, who succumbed to Bolshevik propaganda and slandered the archpastor, allegedly “robbed” the Lavra, which receives large incomes from pilgrims.

On April 4, 1992, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Metropolitan Vladimir (Epiphany) as a holy martyr. His relics are in the Far Caves Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in the cave church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Arimandrid Varlaam

Arimandrid Varlaam (in the world Konoplev Vasily Efimovich) was born on April 18, 1858. The son of mining peasants. His family belonged to the Old Believers of the priestless persuasion. Varlaam’s path to Orthodoxy was not easy. “Lord, show me a miracle, resolve my doubts,” he asked in prayers, and Father Stefan Lukanin appeared in his life, who with meekness and love explained to Vasily his perplexities, and his heart was pacified. October 17, 1893 in Perm cathedral he received confirmation. Soon 19 of his relatives also joined the Church.

On November 6, 1893, he settled on Belaya Gora and from that time on, those wishing to lead a monastic life began to flock to him. This place was as secluded as . He also became the first abbot of the Belogorsk St. Nicholas Monastery.

In October 1918, the Bolsheviks plundered the Belogorsky St. Nicholas Monastery. Archimandrite Varlaam was drowned in a pillowcase made of rough linen in the Kama River. The entire monastery complex was subjected to barbaric destruction: the throne was desecrated, shrines, monastic workshops and the library were plundered. Some monks were shot, and some were thrown into a pit and covered with sewage. Archimandrite Varlaam is buried in the cemetery in Perm.

Bishop Feofan (in the world Ilminsky Sergei Petrovich) was born on September 26, 1867 in the Saratov province into the family of a church reader. He was left without a father early. He was raised by his mother, a deeply religious person, and his uncle, the rural archpriest Dimitri. Sergei graduated from the Kazan Theological Academy and taught at the Saratov Diocesan Women's School. Only at the age of 32 was he ordained to the priesthood. Contemporaries recalled that his pastoral appeal was always direct and uncompromising. Regarding the murder of Stolypin in Kyiv, he said this: “ Again Herodias is raging, again the revolutionary, Jewish-Masonic hydra demands the head of the Sovereign’s servants!»

In September 1915, Father Feofan was elevated to the rank of archimandrite of the Solikamsk Holy Trinity Monastery. When in 1918 new government became interested in the land, Bishop Feofan stated that he was no longer afraid of the Last Judgment and would not disclose information about the monastic holdings. Under the leadership of the bishop, crowded religious processions were organized as protests against the persecution of the church and the robberies of monasteries.

In June 1918, Bishop Theophan took control of the Perm diocese after the arrest and execution of the holy martyr Archbishop Andronik of Perm, but was soon arrested himself. On December 11, 1918, in thirty-degree frost, Bishop Feofan was repeatedly immersed in the ice hole of the Kama River. His body was covered with ice, but he was still alive. Then the executioners simply drowned him.

And further…

In 2013, the PSTGU publishing house released the book-album “Those who suffered for the faith and the Church of Christ. 1917–1937,” and on May 15, a meeting was held at the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church dedicated to the study and preservation of the memory of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, organized by the Orthodox St. Tikhon’s Humanitarian University.

We invite everyone who is interested in this topic to find out.