The church honors four martyrs who suffered during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Decius in the 3rd century.
These martyrs lived about 250 during the reign of the emperor Decius and the proconsul of the East Valerian. Saint Carp was the son of a pagan priest. He believed in Christ, was baptized, and some time later became the bishop of the Church of Pergamon, founded by Saint John the Theologian. Papila came from Thyatira. Instructed in the faith and baptized by Carp, he was ordained a deacon and stayed with the bishop and spiritual father in Pergamum to preach the word of God. They did not want to obey the edict of the emperor, who ordered the sacred vessels and clothes to be handed over to the authorities, so they were arrested and brought before the proconsul.
Before Valerian, Christians fearlessly confessed the Lord and declared that they would endure any torment, but would not renounce Christ for the sake of worshiping lifeless idols. The confidence of Karp and Papila aroused the anger of the proconsul. He ordered them to be tied behind the horses and forced them to run in front of his chariot from Thyatira to Sardis - a distance of about 60 kilometers. In Sardis they were tied to a rack and skinned alive with iron hooks. As Karp smiled during the torture, the astonished ruler asked about the reason. The saint replied:
“I saw the glory of the Lord and rejoiced!”
Agathodorus, the servant of Carp, who followed him, at that time received assurance from the angel that he too should confess Christ by blood. He approached the executioners and in a loud voice declared his faith in the true God. He was immediately seized, hung on a rack along with Papila and Karp, and beaten with rods with such cruelty that he went to the Lord.
Papila was tied to four high stakes and beaten with stones. God protected His servant - he emerged unharmed from this test. And again Papila appeared together with Karp before the ruler. Then they were dragged through thorny bushes, beaten on the stomachs, and then handed over to be torn to pieces by predators in the amphitheater. But there - lo and behold! - the lion spoke in a human voice in order to reproach those who tortured the holy martyrs of Christ with cruelty. They covered their ears rather than admit that even animals without reason confess Christ. Then they nailed the iron sandals to the feet of the saints and threw them into the blazing furnace. In the midst of the raging flames, Karp exclaimed:
“Blessed be you, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, who has deigned me, a sinner, to become a partaker of Your inheritance!”
At that moment, when the souls of both martyrs went to God, a Christian woman named Agathonika exclaimed:
“And I, too, saw the glorious celebration and wish to sit there to join in it!”
Despite the futile entreaties of her relatives, who reminded her of her duty towards her small child, she, rejecting the natural weakness of her sex, threw herself into the fire with the words:
“Lord, help me, for I resort to You!”
So her soul departed to the heavenly chambers to share heavenly bliss with her companions.
Memorial Day of St. Benjamin (XIV century). Before becoming a monk, he was a merchant. He was a monk of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. He was buried in the Feodosiev (Dalniye) caves.
The Monk Benjamin of Pechersk lived in the 14th century and before becoming a monk “was a great merchant.” Once, during the Divine Service, the words of the Savior sank deep into the heart of Saint Benjamin: for the inconvenience of riches will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:23). Having distributed his property to the poor, Saint Benjamin became a monk, “pleasing the Lord God in fasting and prayer even to the point of death.” Buried in Theodosius Cave.
Discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Uspensky), Archbishop of Tver and Kashinsky
The celebration takes place three times a year: February 25, May 7 and October 26. Believers gather for worship and pray in front of the icon for deliverance from physical and mental illnesses, asking for help in work, for prosperity and help in troubles. In special chants, parishioners praise the Iveron Mother of God and her miracles.
In some places, a religious procession is carried out with the icon. This was especially common in earlier times: it was believed that the Iveron Mother of God protected from natural disasters and sent a rich harvest, so believers walked around the village with the icon in their hands.
The holiday is intended to remind us that heavenly forces do not abandon a person in difficult times.
The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God or the Goalkeeper, located on Mount Athos, became famous for many miracles. On October 26, the Orthodox Church celebrates a holiday in honor of the transfer of the miraculous image to Moscow - an exact copy of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God was delivered from Athos in 1648. According to legend, one of the most revered images of the Mother of God was created by the Holy Apostle Luke - the evangelist painted the icon during the days of the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos and with Her blessing.
This icon of the Mother of God was first mentioned in the 9th century - during that period, Holy images were desecrated and destroyed both in churches and in homes. During the brutal struggle against the Christian religion, the ancient icon of the Mother of God was kept by a pious widow who lived near the city of Nicaea (the territory of modern Turkey) with her son.
According to legend, soldiers who were searching for and destroying icons on the orders of the Greek Emperor Theophilus burst into the widow’s house one night. Seeing the icon, one of them hit the face of the Mother of God with a spear. The blow hit the right cheek of the Mother of God, and blood flowed from the wound.
The woman, not losing hope of saving the shrine, begged the soldiers to leave the icon of the Mother of God until the morning, promising them a reward for this. The selfish iconoclasts agreed, confused by the blood appearing on the icon.
The woman took the icon to the sea and lowered the image into the water to save it from destruction. In front of the astonished widow and her son, the icon, standing upright, facing the shore, set off on a journey across the sea.
What happened to the widow in the future is unknown. As for her son, he became a monk of the Iveron Monastery on Holy Mount Athos. It was he who told the monks the story of the ancient icon, which became the sacred tradition of the monastery.
The bleeding wound remained on the face of the Mother of God, which is why the Iveron Mother of God is always depicted with a small wound on her face.
The news of the miraculous Iveron Icon of the Mother of God spread in Rus' in the 17th century - Archimandrite Nikon of the Novospassky Monastery, the future Patriarch, asked the Archimandrite of the Iveron Athos Monastery, Pachomius, to send a list of the miraculous image to Moscow. The blessing to paint the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos for Russia was received by the priest Iamblichus Romanov. Before the start, the brethren of the Iveron Monastery - all 365 monks - held a great prayer service from evening until dawn and blessed the water with holy relics.
Holy water was poured over the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, and then a new board made of cypress wood, prepared for painting the icon, was poured over. After the Divine Liturgy, the icon painter was given Holy water and particles of Holy relics - having mixed them with paints, he began to paint the icon of the Mother of God.
On August 28, 2020, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This holiday is considered by the Holy Russian Orthodox Church to be one of the great twelve immovable holidays.
It is called the Assumption (“falling asleep”), because the Mother of God died quietly, as if she had fallen asleep, and her body did not remain in the tomb for long, since three days later She was resurrected by the Lord and ascended to heaven.
Orthodox Christians prepared for this holiday by fasting for two weeks, strictly observing the rules from August 14 to 27. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday the Church Charter prescribes “dry eating”, on Tuesday and Thursday - boiled food, but without oil, on Saturdays and Sundays wine and oil are allowed.
Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2020: history
After the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, His Most Pure Mother lived for about 15 years (according to other sources 10 years or 22 years) in Jerusalem, in the house of the Apostle John the Theologian, to whose care the Lord entrusted Her. The Most Holy Mother of God became the common Mother for all the disciples of Christ. They prayed with Her and listened with great joy and consolation to Her instructive conversations about the Savior. When the Christian faith spread to other countries, many Christians came from distant countries to see and listen to the Mother of God.
Living in Jerusalem, the Mother of God loved to visit those places where the Savior often visited, where He suffered, died, was resurrected and ascended into heaven. She prayed in these places, cried, remembering the suffering of the Savior, and rejoiced at the place of His Resurrection and Ascension. She often prayed that Christ would quickly take Her to Himself.
One day, when the Most Holy Mary was praying on the Mount of Olives, Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her with a date branch in his hands and brought Her the good news that in three days Her earthly life would end and the Lord would take Her to Himself. The Most Holy Mother of God rejoiced at this news. She told her betrothed son, John, about this and began to prepare for her death. The rest of the apostles were not in Jerusalem at that time; they went to other countries to preach about the Savior.
The Mother of God wanted to say goodbye to them, and so the Lord miraculously gathered all the apostles to Her, except Thomas, transporting them with His omnipotent power. It was sad for them to lose their Mistress and their common Mother when they learned why God had gathered them together. But the Mother of God consoled them, promising not to abandon them and all Christians after Her death, to always pray for them. Then She blessed them all.
At the hour of her death, an extraordinary light illuminated the room where the Mother of God lay - the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, surrounded by Angels, appeared and received Her most pure soul.
The apostles buried the most pure body of the Mother of God, at her request, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the cave where the bodies of Her parents and righteous Joseph rested. Many miracles took place during the burial. By touching the bed of the Mother of God, the blind received their sight, demons were cast out, and every disease was healed. Many people followed her pure body. The Jewish priests and leaders tried to disperse this holy procession, but the Lord invisibly guarded it. One Jewish priest, named Athos, ran up and grabbed the bed on which the body of the Mother of God was being carried, in order to overturn it. But an invisible Angel cut off both his hands. Athos, amazed by such a terrible miracle, immediately repented, and the Apostle Peter healed him.
Three days after the burial of the Mother of God, the absent Apostle Thomas arrived in Jerusalem. He was very sad that he did not say goodbye to the Mother of God, and with all his soul he wanted to worship Her most pure body. The apostles, taking pity on him, decided to go and roll away the stone from the grave cave to give him the opportunity to say goodbye to the body of the Mother of God. But when they opened the cave, they did not find Her most holy body in it, but only burial shrouds. The amazed apostles all returned to the house together and prayed to God to reveal to them what had become of the body of the Mother of God. In the evening, after finishing the meal, during prayer they heard angelic singing. Looking up, the apostles saw the Mother of God in the air, surrounded by Angels, in the radiance of heavenly glory.
The Mother said to the apostles: “Rejoice! I am with you always; and I will always be your prayer book before God.” The apostles exclaimed in joy: “Most Holy Theotokos, help us!”
This is how the Lord Jesus Christ glorified His Most Holy Mother. He resurrected Her and placed Her above all His Angels. (The description of the Dormition of the Mother of God is in the Holy Tradition and is sacredly preserved by the Holy Russian Orthodox Church.)
In the 9th century, the funeral vestments of the Mother of God, kept in Jerusalem, were brought to Constantinople by Queen Pulcheria, Marcian’s wife, and placed by her in the Blachernae Church.
The Assumption, which completes the annual cycle of the great (twelfth) Orthodox church holidays, is not at all dedicated to death, as it might seem at first glance. The Slavic word “dormition” means sleep, and, according to church tradition, the meaning of this holiday is akin to the meaning of Easter - there is no longer the death that awaited everyone before the Resurrection of Christ. And since it is not there, then there is no sorrow about death, there is no fear of it.
According to legend, the Mother of God knew about the time of her transition from this world, prepared for it with fasting and intense prayer - in memory of this fast of hers, the Dormition Fast was established (since 450) in the church - and, as is sung on this day in church hymns, " in the Dormition you did not forsake the world.” About this holiday, Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh wrote: “Throughout our entire life we strive for the fullness of life that the Lord promised us; whether we know it or not, we can find this fullness only in God. And behold, the saints who knew this, and those who truly believed, and those who wavered, and those who did not know it, and even those who denied it all their lives, on the day when their soul is separated from the body, will find themselves before the living God, Who is life, Who is joy, beauty... On all paths of both truth and untruth, man seeks this fullness, this indescribable beauty, this meaning and this all-conquering, all-purifying, all-transforming love...
Therefore, we can celebrate today with complete joy the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God... Our joy can be perfect, without tears, without grief: this is the triumph of life; but this is also evidence for us that resurrection is not an empty word, that resurrection is not an allegory, but all of us, according to the word of God, will be resurrected and enter in the fullness of our humanity, both soul, spirit, and flesh, into eternity, into eternal joy of our Lord."
In Jerusalem, the crusaders built on the spot where, according to legend that spread in the 5th century, the Mother of God died, an underground temple, into which 50 steps lead, with chapels in the name of her holy parents Joachim and Anna and Joseph the Betrothed, located on the sides of the stairs. The temple has a cruciform shape: in the center there is the tomb of the Mother of God with two entrances, at the end of the cave there is an altar, in a stone icon case there is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Jerusalem in Russian writing. The temple belongs to the Greeks and Armenians. It is here, according to tradition, that before the Feast of the Dormition from Little Gethsemane near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Orthodox Christians carry the Shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos in a procession of the cross - the same way in which, according to legend, the apostles carried her body to burial.
In Rus', the Assumption has long been one of the most beloved holidays: since the time of Saint Prince Vladimir, Assumption churches began to be built everywhere - the first cathedral Kiev church, the Tithe Church, was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and by the 14th century, Assumption churches were the main ones in Suzdal, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Zvenigorod and, finally, in Moscow, where the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin became the main temple of the Russian Orthodox Church, in which all Russian tsars and emperors were crowned kings, and during the patriarchate, patriarchs were enthroned.
In honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God, many villages in Rus' were called Uspensky, Uspeniya, Uspenki. There is a village called Uspensky even near Karaganda in Kazakhstan. Uspensky is one of the most common Russian surnames.
The Feast of the Assumption summed it up - less than a month later, on September 14 (September 1, old style) in Rus', before Peter’s reforms, the New Year was celebrated. The Russian Orthodox Church still preserves this tradition today, marking on this day the beginning of the church year, which again opens the circle of the great twelve feasts with the honoring of the Most Holy Theotokos - on her Nativity, September 21.
On November 7, 3 Orthodox church holidays are celebrated. The list of events informs about church holidays, fasts, and days of honoring the memory of saints. The list will help you find out the date of a significant religious event for Orthodox Christians.
Church Orthodox holidays November 7
Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius
Memorial Day of Reader Marcian and Subdeacon Martyrios, who served in the Cathedral of Constantinople. They were sentenced to death by the Arian heretics.
The holy martyrs Marcian and Martyrius served in the Cathedral of Constantinople. Marcian was a reader, and Martyrius a subdeacon; both of them also served as notaries, that is, secretaries of Patriarch Paul the Confessor (November 6). The Aryan heretics expelled and secretly executed the righteous Patriarch Paul, and his see was transferred to the heretic Macedonius. The heretics tried to attract Saints Marcian and Martyrius to their side with flattery, offered gold, and promised episcopal sees. But all the efforts of the Arians were in vain.
Then the wicked threatened to discredit them before the emperor and threatened them with torture and death. But the saints firmly professed Orthodoxy, bequeathed by the Fathers of the Church. Marcian and Martyrius were sentenced to death. Before their death, the martyrs offered up a fervent prayer to the Lord:
“Lord God, who invisibly created our hearts, who orders all our affairs, receive in peace the souls of Your servants, for we are killed for You and counted as sheep of the slaughter (Ps. 32:15; 43:23). We rejoice that we depart from this life with such a death for the sake of Your Name. Grant us to be partakers of eternal life with You, the Source of life.”
After prayer, the martyrs bowed their heads with quiet joy under the sword of the wicked (†about 355). Their holy bodies were reverently buried by Orthodox Christians. Later, on the instructions of the holy Bishop John Chrysostom, the relics of the holy martyrs were transferred to a specially built church. Believers were healed from many ailments here through the prayers of the saints, to the glory of the One Life-Giving Trinity.
Venerable Martyria, deacon, and Martyria the recluse, Pechersk
It is considered the day of remembrance of the Two Martyrs. The first, Deacon of Pechersk, had the gift of casting out demons and healing from illnesses. The second labored in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery in the XIII-XIV centuries. The remains of the saints rest in the Far (Feodosiev) caves.
Venerable Martyrius, deacon of Pechersk, in the Far Caves (XIII-XIV). His holy name is remembered in the 7th song of the canon by the monk of the Far Caves. Here his hard work, righteousness and purity of heart are glorified, as well as the gift of casting out demons and healing ailments. The memory is also celebrated on August 28 and in the 2nd week of Lent.
Righteous Tabitha of Joppa
The church honors Saint Tabitha, who belonged to the Christian community in Joppa. She was raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter.
A virtuous and merciful woman from the Christian community in Joppa, righteous Tabitha sewed clothes and earned her food with her own hands, and also “did alms”: she sewed for poor orphans and widows. This is, perhaps, all we know about the life of the saint. It seems that the skillful hand of God’s Providence deliberately left us only these subtle outlines of the image of historical Tabitha. Just a few lines from the Acts of the Holy Apostles (9: 36–42). But this was enough for the Church to glorify the saint as “a heavenly-wise disciple and an animated icon of God’s grace.” It is enough that after her death the cry of widows aggravated by grief forced the Apostle Peter to enter the deceased and by the power of God bring her back to life, saying: “Tabitha, arise!” (Acts 9:40)…
The courage of the martyrs, the strength of the ascetics - all this is close to every Christian in the power of patience and silence.
But the saint was silent. She did not dare to take on the burden of teaching, did not dare to undertake apostolic labors, only “in deep humility she did works of mercy, known only from those closest to her.” She served with what she had, what God gave her. She wasn’t burdened by society, she wasn’t sad about the modesty of her work, she was simply grateful. And this is what amazes most in the life of any saint - the amazing ability to remain silent in response to the most unfavorable circumstances, to the most inconvenient accidents. Humble acceptance of what is happening for granted and gratitude for everything sent from God is the answer of the powerful of this world. And here the main strength is not to judge, not to try to decide instead of God what is more useful for me in life, where I can bring more benefit. Ultimately, it is this silence that gives meaning to all the exploits and labors of the righteous. It turns out that the height of the apostolic preaching, the courage of the martyrs, the strength of the ascetics of the desert - all this is completely close to every Christian in the power of patience and silence, in the power of recognizing God as the Master of our life.
The righteous life of Saint Tabitha in this sense provides us with a particularly inspired example.
“Rejoice, heavenly wise and God-pleasing woman... Rejoice, zealous angelic rank... Rejoice, for for your sake ancient Joppa flourished... Rejoice, heavenly pillar of divine virtues...” exclaims the church hymnographer.
One has only to think that these words were spoken in honor of a simple woman who humbly helped her neighbors with her handicrafts! “Sad compassion is quiet…” - this is how the Holy Church addresses righteous Tabitha. And in this one phrase the greatness of the saint’s feat is reflected. Not attaching much importance to her labors, not daring to teach and instruct, she meekly fulfilled the Savior’s commandments in relation to those who were nearby. And with this “immaculate life, the fulfillment of the law of the Gospel, the fruitful olive tree appeared in the house of God” and “the helper of the disciple Spasov”! Great is the silence of the righteous!
At the end of time, some will talk about the greatness of their deeds... and in response they will unexpectedly hear:
“I never knew you; Depart from me, you workers of iniquity."
Others will silently await the Creator's verdict. And God's answer will be amazing:
“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Here we encounter an amazing pattern of spiritual life. It turns out that at the end of time some will speak with confidence about the greatness of their deeds performed “in the name of Christ,” asking the Creator:
"God! Have we not prophesied in Your name? and was it not in Your name that they cast out demons? and didn’t they do many miracles in Your name?” But in response they will unexpectedly hear: “I never knew you; Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22–23). Others, on the contrary, ashamed of the insignificance of their lives, will silently await the Creator’s verdict. And God’s response to their silence will be amazing: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).
In the life of righteous Tabitha, the greatness of the feat of Christian life according to God is manifested with particular clarity. “Rejoice, Tavitho, vessel filled with grace!” - those who honor the memory of the saint appeal. Thus, the most essential law of life is confirmed again and again: next to God there is nothing bad, nothing unnoticed, nothing useless, but everything accepted from Him with simplicity of heart and humility is worthy of the highest title - a participant in eternity, the son of the Most High! On the contrary, no matter how plausible and virtuous the feat may seem, no matter how society extols this or that heroic deed, authority - all this without God is worth absolutely nothing, because for eternity it is useless!
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