Icons of the holy royal martyrs. Why Nicholas II was canonized

27.09.2019

Interview of Deacon Andrey Kuraev to Vsluh magazine

Olga Sevastyanova: Father Andrey, in your opinion, why canonization was so difficult and difficult royal family?
O. Andrey Kuraev: The fact that it was difficult and difficult, it seems to me absolutely natural. Circumstances were too unusual recent years life of the Russian emperor. On the one hand, in the ecclesiastical understanding, the emperor is an ecclesiastical rank, he is the bishop of external affairs of the church. And, of course, if a bishop himself resigns his rank, then this can hardly be called a worthy act. It was with this that the main difficulties were connected, above all doubts.

O.S. That is, that the king at one time renounced, saying modern language, did not benefit his historical image?

A.K. Undoubtedly. And the fact that the canonization still took place ... The Church's position here was quite clear: it was not the form of the reign of Nicholas II that was canonized, but the image of his death, if you like, leaving the political arena. After all, he had every reason to be embittered, furious, recent months his life, being under arrest, boil with anger and blame everyone and everything. But none of this happened. We have his personal diaries, diaries of his family members, memoirs of guards, servants, and we see that nowhere is there a shadow of a desire to take revenge, they say, I will return to power and I will nail you all. In general, sometimes the greatness of a person is sometimes determined by the amount of losses suffered by him.

Boris Pasternak had such lines about great era, “about a life that looks poor, but great under the sign of losses”. Imagine, on the street in the crowd, we see an unfamiliar woman. I look - a woman as a woman. And you tell me that she suffered a terrible grief: her three children died in a fire. And only this misfortune is able to distinguish her from the crowd, from all those similar to her, and elevate her above those around her. It's the same with the royal family. There was no other person in Russia who would have lost more than Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov in 1917. In fact, then he was already the ruler of the world, the owner of the country that practically won the First world war. And tsarist Russia undoubtedly won it and became the number one power in the world, and the emperor had big plans, among which, by the way, was abdication, oddly enough. There is evidence that he told very trusted people that he would like to introduce a constitution in Russia, a parliamentary monarchy, to transfer power to his son Alexei, but in the conditions of the war he simply did not have the right to do so. So he thought in the 16th year. And then the events flowed a little differently. In any case, the image of the martyr turns out to be very Christian. In addition, when we are talking about our attitude to the last emperor, we must take into account the symbolism of the Church's perception of the world.

O.S. And what is the symbolism?

A.K. The 20th century was a terrible century for Russian Christianity. And you can not leave it without summing up some results. Since this was the age of martyrs, there were two ways to go about canonization: try to glorify all the new martyrs, in the words of Anna Akhmatova, “I would like to call everyone by name, but they took away the list and did not recognize everyone.” Or to canonize a certain Unknown Soldier, to honor one innocently shot Cossack family, and with it millions of others. But this way for the church consciousness would probably be too radical. Moreover, in Russia there has always been a certain identity “king-people”. Therefore, given that the royal family could again say about themselves in the words of Anna Akhmatova:

No, and not under an alien sky,
And not under the protection of alien wings -
I was then with my people,
Where my people unfortunately were...,

canonization of the martyr king Nicholas II- this is the canonization of "Ivan the Hundred Thousand". There is also a special overtone here. I will try to explain this almost with a personal example.

Let's say I was visiting in another city. Stayed with my father. Then we had a heated discussion with this priest: whose vodka is better - Moscow-made or local. We found a consensus only by agreeing to go through trial and error. We tried, tasted, agreed, in the end, that both are good, and then, before going to bed, I went out for a walk in the city. Moreover, under the windows of the priest there was a city park. But the priest did not warn me that satanists were gathering under the windows at night. And in the evening I go out into the garden, and the Satanists look at me and think: what a well-fed calf our lord sent as a sacrifice to us! And they kill me. And here is the question: if something similar happened to me, and, I emphasize, I myself did not strive for martyrdom, was not very spiritually ready, tasted vodka and met his death like this, to determine my posthumous fate at God's judgment, will it matter what I was wearing that day? Secular reaction: what difference does it make what he wears, the main thing is what is in his heart, in his soul, and so on. But I think that in this case it is much more important what the clothes were. If I were in civilian clothes in this park, it would be “everyday life”. And if I walked in church clothes, then people whom I personally do not know, who have no personal claims against me, they threw out on me the hatred that they have for the Church and for Christ. In this case, it turned out that I suffered for Christ. It's the same with the royal family. Let lawyers argue among themselves whether Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov was a tsar in 18 or just a private individual, a retired colonel. But, in the eyes of the people who shot him, he certainly was an emperor. And then they wrote memoirs all their lives and told the pioneers about how the last Russian tsar was killed. Therefore, it is obvious to the Church that this man is a martyr for our faith, as well as his family.

O.S. And family too?
A.K. Likewise. It is possible for the ruler of Russia, Nicholas II, to present some political claims, but what do children have to do with it? Moreover, in the 80s there were voices that, they say, let's at least canonize children, what are they to blame for?

O.S. What is the sanctity of a martyr in the church's understanding?

A.K. The holiness of a martyr is a special holiness. This is the sacredness of one minute. In the history of the church there were people, for example, in ancient rome when a theatrical execution was staged in the arena, during which Christians were executed in all seriousness. They choose the most filthy jester and, in the course of action, another jester, in the clothes of a priest, baptizes him. And when one jester baptizes another and says these sacred words: "a servant of God is baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." And when, after the words of prayer, grace really descended on the jester, who portrayed a Christian, and he began to repeat that he had seen God, that Christianity was true, the tribunes at first laughed, and then, realizing that this was not a joke, they killed the jester. And he is revered as a martyr... Therefore, the holiness of a martyr is something different than the holiness of a saint. The Reverend is a monk. And his whole life is taken into account. And for a martyr, this is a kind of photo finish.

O.S. And how does the Church feel about the fact that in different centuries all sorts of false Anastasias arose?

A.K. For an Orthodox person, this is speculation on a shrine. But if it were proven, the Church would recognize it. A similar case in the history of the Church was, however, not connected with the royal names. Any Orthodox person knows the story of the seven youths of Ephesus, who hid from the persecution of Emperor Julian in the caves, where they fell into a lethargic state and woke up 150 years later. When they left the caves, it became clear from what they said that these children were miraculous thus missed one and a half hundred years. It has never been a problem for the Church to accept among the living people who were considered dead. Moreover, it is not resurrected, but dead. Because there were cases of a miraculous resurrection, and then a person disappeared, was considered dead, and after some time appeared again. But, in order for this to happen, the Church will wait for confirmation from secular science, secular expertise. With Buddhists, such issues are resolved more easily. They believe that the soul of the deceased Dalai Lama reincarnates into a child, into a boy, children are shown toys, and if a two-year-old boy, instead of a shiny rattle, suddenly reaches for the old cup of the former Dalai Lama, it is believed that he recognized his cup. So the Orthodox Church has more complex criteria.

O.S. That is, if a hundred-year-old old woman appeared now and said that she was a princess, she would be believed for a long time to be normal, but would they take such a statement seriously?

A.K. Undoubtedly. But, I think genetic testing would be enough.
O.S. And how do you feel about the story of the “Ekaterinburg remains”?

A.K. Is this what is buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, the remains found in the Yekaterinburg region? From the point of view of the state commission, which was headed by Boris Nemtsov, these are the remains of the royal family. But the church examination did not confirm this. The Church simply did not participate in this burial. Despite the fact that the Church itself does not have any remains, it does not recognize that those bones that are buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral belonged to the royal family. The Church expressed its disagreement with this public policy. And not the past, but the present.
O.S. Is it true that before the royal family, no one was canonized in our country for a very long time?

A.K. No, I wouldn't say that. Beginning in 1988, Andrei Rublev, Ksenia of Petersburg, Theophan the Recluse, Maxim Grek, and the Georgian poet Ilya Chavchavadze were canonized.

O.S. Have there been cases of canonization related to the Great Patriotic War, besieged Leningrad?
A.K. No, oddly enough, I haven't come across anything like this yet. Still, a martyr is not the one who sacrificed himself, even if it was religiously motivated, died terrible death, innocently injured. This is the one who faced a clear choice: faith or death. During the war, people in most cases did not have such a choice.

O.S. Did the king have a cardinal choice?

A.K. This is one of the most difficult issues of canonization. Unfortunately, it is not completely known to what extent he was attracted, to what extent something depended on him. Another thing is that every minute he was able to choose whether to feed his soul with revenge or not. There is another aspect of this situation. Church thinking is precedent thinking. What happened once can serve as an example to follow. How to explain this to people so that they do not take an example from him? It's really difficult. Imagine: an ordinary school principal. She has converted to Orthodoxy and is trying to educate the children in her school accordingly. Excursions turn into Orthodox pilgrimages. invites dad to school holidays. Chooses Orthodox teachers. This causes dissatisfaction of some students, parents, teachers. And then the higher authorities. And then some deputy invites her to his place and says: “You know, a complaint against you. Violate the law on secular education, invite a priest. Therefore, you know, so that now there will be no scandal, write a letter of resignation now, don’t worry about the school, here Sarah Isaakovna is standing, she perfectly understands how Russian children should be educated, and how they should not be educated. She will be appointed to your place, and you will sign a waiver of the post. What is this director to do? She is an Orthodox person, she cannot give up her beliefs so easily. But, on the other hand, she remembers that there was a man who humbly gave up power. And the children will be taught by Sarah Isaakovna, who will educate them at best - in a secular version, at worst - simply anti-Christian. Therefore, I consider it very important to explain here that in the case of the emperor, this would be foolishness.

O.S. Like this?

A.K. A holy fool is a person who violates church and secular laws in order to fulfill the will of God. At that moment, obviously, the will of God was that Russia should go through the way of the cross, which it had to go through. At the same time, each of us still should not push Russia to take this step. Simply put, if there is the will of God, then one must be ready to fulfill it in the most unexpected way. And we must also remember that foolishness and orphanhood, in this case- foolishness, does not cancel the law. The law is clear: the position of the emperor is that he is given a sword, so that he can defend his people and his faith with the power of the state sword. And the task of the emperor is not to fold the sword, but to be able to wield it well. In this case, Emperor Constantine XXII, the last Byzantine emperor, who, when the Turks had already broken through the walls of Constantinople in 1453, took off his royal regalia, remained in the clothes of a simple soldier and, with a sword rushing into the midst of opponents, he found his death there. This behavior is much clearer to me than renunciation, refusal. So the behavior of Emperor Constantine is the law, this is the norm. The behavior of Emperor Nicholas is foolishness.

O.S. Well, in Russia there were many all kinds of blessed ones, but so that ...

A.K. Those were beggars. And this is the king.

O.S. Does time mean anything to the church? After all, many years have passed, generations have changed ...

A.K. That is what means a lot. Moreover, canonization cannot take place earlier than 50 years, so that the memory can stand.

O.S. As for the canonization procedure itself, is it a big responsibility for the one who makes this decision?

A.K. The decision is made by the Council, that is, by all the bishops. Not only Russia, but also Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, middle Asia... There were discussions about canonization at the Council itself

O.S. Means, royal family Was it just included in some special lists or were there other procedures?

A.K. No, there was also the blessing of an icon, a prayer… This is very important, because in the early 1990s other prayers already appeared, both literary and theologically completely illiterate.

O.S. I have heard the expression “an unprayed icon”. Is it possible to consider an icon depicting the royal family as “prayerful” How do believers treat it?

A.K. Suppose the church does not know such an expression. And the icon has already become familiar in homes and churches. She is approached by a variety of people. The canonization of the royal family is the canonization of the family, which is very good, because we have almost no holy families in the holy calendar. What is important here is that this the large family about which we know a lot. Therefore, this nepotism is dear to many people.

O.S. Does the Church really believe that everything was smooth and right in this family?

A.K. No matter how many opinions there are, no one seems to have accused anyone of adultery.

Olga Sevastyanova spoke with Deacon Andrei Kuraev.

An icon depicting Jesus Christ as a saint ruling over people of all ranks and classes. More often this epithet is found as part of a deesis composition, but sometimes it can be found as an independent image.

Canonical epithet

The icon depicts Jesus seated on a throne. The Savior is dressed in royal clothes - dalmatic and lore, designed in red and gold. The Dalmatic is a wrist-length tunic made of silk and embellished with noble metal with inserts precious stones(clothes of the Byzantine rulers).

This choice is not accidental: Christ was dressed in similar clothes at the mockery. Lor is a long and wide ribbon, derived from the Greek toga, the vestment of bishops and other dignitaries in Byzantium.

Icon of the Tsar by the Tsar: meaning and history

The described icon among the people has several names: "King of Glory", "Savior Great Bishop" and The composition is based on an epithet from revelations (Rev. 19: 11-17), in which Jesus is described as a righteous judge and warrior, dressed in rich clothes stained with the blood of the infidels and his enemies. And the name of the Savior is written on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords."

This can also be considered a reference to biblical stories, which speak of the birth of Christ, the King of the Jewish people. However, when the much-awaited guardian of God's law came to earth, he and his prophecies were doubted, and he was executed in the most shameful way.

Thus, the King of kings is an icon that reveals this idea of kingship, for which, by the way, Jesus was executed on earth, after the ascension, promising to descend again to us in all his Glory to act as a human judge.

Icon Variations

According to legend, the oldest icon based on this story was created in the 7th century by Alypiy Pechersky. It is believed that it is his work - "The Queen Appears" - that is stored in it, although there is no evidence of this fact.

"The queen appears" is one of the iconographic types of the deesis depicting Christ, in accordance with the epithet "King of kings", surrounded by the Virgin in rich robes framed in gold, and John the Baptist. Speaking plain language, such a plot illustrates Jesus and the Mother of God as the rulers of the human and angelic race.

Iconography originated in Byzantium around the 14th century. The most ancient example (if you do not take into account the icon from the Assumption Cathedral) of the epithet "King of Kings" is a painting from a monastery in Macedonia, made between 1334 and 1343.

When the iconography reached Russia, "The Queen appears" was depicted differently: it was replaced by another Old Testament prophet.

Deisis King of kings

The icon "The queen appears", which we mentioned earlier, as well as the King of kings, belongs to the type called "deisis", which translates as "prayer" or "petition". There is an erroneous pronunciation of "deesis", apparently in consonance with the name of the Savior. Such images are always placed in the center of the iconostasis, as dominant.

The icon of the King of Kings (we offer its photo to your attention in the article) can be written on three separate boards, instead of one. At the same time, what is especially interesting is that one of the variations of the 15th century is in the Tretyakov Gallery as an example of the art of icon painting.

The image symbolizes the connection of the New and old testaments through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Attributes of the icon

Christ, within the framework of this epithet, is always written framed by a mandorla (a halo of a special form), dressed in royal attire (there is no lore on newer icons). A tiara adorns his head, and his left hand holds a scepter surmounted by a cross. From the side of the shoulder, a sword is visible, pointing upwards diagonally "from the mouth" of the Savior.

Often the attributes of the King of Glory are also used to depict Christ in mixed iconography related to the motifs of the deesis.

Who helps

The icon of the King of Kings helps all believers, but the image is especially favorable to people in leadership positions. They can ask for wisdom in order to fairly manage the staff and smooth out sharp corners in the work team. The icon is able to bestow success on a person holding a high position, to give him the love of his subordinates.

In addition, the Orthodox can pray to Christ for their relatives and friends who have strayed from the path of truth and fell into the clutches of sectarians. It is believed that the Savior, as a good shepherd, should lead the erring back to the true religion.

Parishioners of any church can always ask Christ for the health of their father and any other dignitary whom they have never personally met. Before the prayer, it is advisable to read the akathist to Jesus the Sweetest.

memorial days

The King of Kings is an icon painted according to the apocalyptic scenes of the Bible, therefore its mention falls on the second coming of Christ, which should occur on the day when people have to appear at the Last Judgment and answer for their actions.

According to church traditions, this holiday is not tied to any number. It depends on the day of Easter in the current year and falls on the Week of the Last Judgment. This is Sunday, when the conspiracy takes place before Great Lent.

Where to find the icon of the King of Kings

In Moscow, icons depicting this epithet are mostly found in museums and art galleries. Particularly revered specimens are in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, on Kapotnya and in the church Life-Giving Trinity(Moscow region).

Judging by information from open sources, we can conclude that this icon is quite rare in Moscow, as well as in Russia as a whole (not counting the frescoes in the church of Yaroslavl and the Cathedral of Murom). And if it weren’t for the high cost of the sale, which is far from accessible to everyone Orthodox person, it would be much easier to buy an icon for yourself personally in any specialized online store.

In 1981, the Romanovs, who died in the Ipatiev House and in the mine near Alapaevsk, were canonized as holy martyrs of the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, and in 2000 they were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, although with some reservations and are currently referred to by it as "Royal Passion-Bearers". The caveats are that the Russian Orthodox Church does not recognize servants and courtiers who died with the royal family as martyrs. I don’t know how things are now with this, because, as we remember, in 2007 a joint act on canonical communion between the two churches was signed and, therefore, apparently the saints are now common. Is it so? Couldn't find an answer. Many still do not accept the holiness and martyrdom of the Romanovs, but nevertheless, this is already a fait accompli, which is reflected both in icon painting and in existing akathists and prayers to the royal martyrs.

Prayer to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers Tsar Nicholas, Tsarina Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, Princesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia

What shall we say, about the Holy Passion-Bearers of the Kingdom, Tsar Nicholas, Tsarina Alexander, Tsesarevich Alexy, Tsarevna Olgo, Tatiano, Maria and Anastasia! Lord Christ vouchsafe you angelic glory and incorruptible crowns in His Kingdom, but our mind and tongue will not understand how to praise you according to your property.
We implore you with faith and love, help us with patience, thanksgiving, meekness and humility to bear our cross, placing hope in the Lord and betraying everything in the hands of God. Teach us purity and chastity of heart, yes, according to the words of the apostle, we always rejoice, we pray without ceasing, we give thanks for everything. Warm our hearts with the warmth of Christian love. Heal the sick, instruct the young, make the parents wiser, give joy, consolation and hope to the grieving, turn the erring to faith and repentance. Protect us from the wiles of the evil spirit and from all slander, misfortune and malice.
Do not leave us, the intercession of your supplicants. Pray to the All-Merciful Master and the Most Pure Virgin Mary for the Russian power! May the Lord strengthen our country through your intercession, may it grant us all that is useful for this life and vouchsafe the Kingdom of Heaven, where, together with you and with all the saints of the Russian land, we will glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Romanov's iconography is very interesting due to the fact that a single canon for writing their images has not yet been developed. Therefore, each icon painter creates as he sees fit. The first were Western icon painters, and it is abroad that you can most often find icons of the Romanovs. Now, in Russia, almost every church has its own icon dedicated to the Romanov martyrs.

Icon "Cathedral of the Holy New Martyrs of Russia from the Beaten Atheists"

Kontakion

New Passion-bearers of Russia, confessing the earthly field, having received boldness in suffering, pray to Christ, who has strengthened you, and we, when the hour of trial comes upon us, will receive the gift of God's courage. For you are the image of those who kiss your feat, as neither sorrow, nor narrowness, nor death from the love of God could separate you.

But first, I will make a small digression and it concerns those who rightfully became the new saints according to the combined version. These are those who died during the execution in the Ipatiev House: Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, 50 years old; Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, 46 years old; their daughters - Olga, 23; Tatyana, 21 years old; Maria, 19; Anastasia, 17 years old; and heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei, aged 14. And their loyal subjects: Yevgeny Botkin, medical doctor; Ivan Kharitonov, cook; Alexei Trupp, valet Anna Demidova, maid. And also those who died in the mine near Alapaevsk: Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna; Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich; princes - John Konstantinovich; Konstantin Konstantinovich; Igor Konstantinovich; Vladimir Pavlovich Paley; (son of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich from his morganatic marriage to Olga Pistohlkors); Elizabeth Feodorovna's cell attendant Varvara (Yakovleva); Fyodor Semyonovich Remez, manager of the affairs of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich (the situation with him is not very clear, allegedly even ROCOR did not recognize him as a martyr, but why???). Such an official mournful list, which did not include a few more names of those people who were also in last days under the royal family and were destroyed by the Bolsheviks. On the above icon of Western writing, just all of the list is presented in the form of holy martyrs.

Icon "Martyrs of the Ipatiev House and Martyrs of the Alapaevsk Mine"

August sisters of mercy - Tatyana, Olga and Alexandra

For many years, members of the royal family and their entourage went to holiness - their service to Russia was expressed in good deeds and mercy. So during the war, the daughters of the Romanovs and the Empress herself could often be seen in hospitals and infirmaries, in shelters and almshouses. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna abandoned worldly life in favor of helping the poor and destitute. Their immediate environment followed suit.

Life physician of the royal family Evgeny Sergeevich Botkin and retinue who followed with the royal family to Tobolsk

It is not surprising that often in iconography one can see unusual robes on women - these are costumes or nuns or sisters of mercy. And so it was until their very last hour.

Small icon "Royal Martyrs"

As mentioned above, there is no uniformity in the iconography of the Romanovs, and therefore icons are sometimes sometimes “strange”, for example, the icon of the martyr Tsar Nicholas in the image of John the Baptist. The head on the platter is a direct allusion to suffering for the faith. In addition, this icon is characterized by the presence in the side hallmarks as St. Gregory Rasputin.

Icon "Holy Tsar-redeemer Nicholas"

But still, there are more icons of the royal family familiar to the eye: there are both separate images and icons depicting the entire royal family together.

Icon "Holy Blessed Tsar-Martyr Nicholas"

Kontakion
Chosen from birth as a passion-bearer and incarnation of Christ's love, we sing praiseworthy, as if most of all to the one who loved his Fatherland, but you, as if you had boldness towards the Lord, enlighten our darkened minds and hearts, let us call you: Nicholas, God-crowned king and great passion-bearer!

Icon "Saint Martyr Nicholas in Lives"

Icon "Martyr Tsar Saint Nicholas" (Western script)

Prayer to Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

Lord God Almighty! We bow our necks and our hearts and bow our knees before Thy Servant, humiliated, slandered and tortured with the silent consent of our fathers, the Great Martyr Emperor Nicholas and others like him who suffered.
We repent, as once the people of Kiev before Prince Igor, who was tortured by them, as the people of Vladimir before the great prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who was killed by them, and boldly ask: for the blood of your saints, grant repentance to us, free our Fatherland from the misfortunes and misfortunes that have befallen, revive the Russian land, autumn with Your glory and grant her the Orthodox Tsar, may the prophecies of your saints come true and may the Russian people sing glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Iconographic images of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

Icon of the Holy Martyr Empress Alexandra

Prayer to the Holy Martyr Queen Alexandra the New

O Holy Tsarina-Martyr Alexandro the New, merciful intercessor of orphans, mother of the cross, with your generous right hand, illuminate us, who are now praying to you, and ask the All-Generous and Merciful God, His name is Love, rich mercy and wake up: in the existing brother - purity and love holy guardian; children of small and youth - a wise nurse; orphans and mourners - compassionate comforter; the sins of the overwhelmed compassionate clinic; from tempted enemies - a strong protector; and to all those who ask for your intercession - merciful before God and the Queen of Heaven intercessor; Most of all, pray, our holy mother and queen, to grant us the grace of the All-Holy Spirit; yes, in this life we are protected and saved, with you we will be honored forever to glorify the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him glory befits with His All-Good Father and the Holy Most Generous Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Iconographic images of the martyr Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

Icon "Blessed Martyr Tsarevich Alexei"

Prayer to the Great Martyr, Right-Believing Tsarevich Alexei

O passion-bearer, Holy Tsarevich Alexy! O new Tsarevich Demetrius, like this one, who concludes his House! About Gabriel of Bialystok and other babies, accuser of the Jews, like! O Artemy, the youth, neglected by the people, the next! We are known, like a militia army, surrounded by rebellious ones, by you from the impenetrable swamp, unhinderedly exterminated. These same harassment, priest, with boldness to Elijah the Thesbite, like a stammering prayer for salvation, I am not glorified by people. Now behold thy kingdom, about which thou hast spoken: Whenever I am king, there will be no lie around me—today the kingdom of the father of lies appears, for until now you do not reign in the hearts of your people. Ubo yourself, O prince, come and stand here with us, make us wise, even if we are not leading: you are a fair doctor, leading us more than we need to our salvation. Veme is your compassion, Veme is your meekness, Veme is your love for your people: help your existing people in long-term illness, do not let them be lovingly left before Holy Russia, but you yourself, like weigh, take boldness for our salvation. Amen.

Iconographic images of the Tsarevich-martyr Alexei

Icon "Holy Royal Martyrs"

Iconographic images of martyrs-daughters Anastasia, Tatiana, Maria, Olga

Prayer (based on the prayer "one martyr") to the royal martyrs princesses Anastasia, Olga, Tatyana, Maria

Oh, Holy New Martyr Blessed Princess of Russia Olga (Tatiana; Maria; Anastasia); you stand with your soul in heaven at the Throne of the Lord, on the earth, given to you by grace, you perform various healings; then look mercifully on the coming people and praying before your most pure image and asking for your help; Forgive the Lord your holy prayers for us and ask us - the forgiveness of sins, the sick - healing, the grieving and the distressed - ambulance, implore the Lord, may He give us a Christian end and a good answer at his terrible judgment, may we be honored and together with you and all the new martyrs and passion-bearers of our land, glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Icon "The New Martyr Elizabeth" (Western script)
Icon "Holy Martyr Elizabeth"

Prayer to the Holy Martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Monk Varvara

O Holy New Martyrs of Russia, Grand Duchess Elisaveto and her sister of the cross, the most honorable nun Varvaro, who ended her way in many torments, having fulfilled the Gospel commandments by deed in the monastery of Mercy, for the sake of the Orthodox, striving to death in last times this, and good fruit in the patience of the passions brought to Christ! Pray to Him, as the Conqueror of death, that he may establish the Russian Orthodox Church and our Fatherland, redeemed by the blood and suffering of the new martyrs, and will not let our property be plundered by the enemy of Russia. This crafty enemy, arm yourself with us, although destroy us in internecine wars, sorrows, unbearable sorrows, illnesses, needs and fierce troubles. Beg the Lord to put down all their feeble audacity; Strengthen faith in the hearts of Russian people, and when the time comes for us to test, we will accept the gift of courage with your prayers, rejecting ourselves and taking up our cross, we will follow Christ, crucifying our flesh with passions and lusts. Save us from all evil, sanctify the paths of our life, grant unfeigned repentance, silence and peace to our souls, ask the Lord for all of us bitter ordeals and eternal torment to be delivered and the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven to be with all the saints who have pleased God from the ages, but rejoicingly give praise , honor and worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Iconographic images of the Holy Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna

Icon with portraits of the family of royal martyrs

Icons "Royal Martyrs"

Prayer to the royal martyrs

Oh, holy passion-bearer Tsar Martyr Nicholas! The Lord has chosen His anointed one, in a hedgehog mercifully and the right to judge by your people and the guardian of the Orthodox Church. For this sake, with the fear of God, you performed the royal service and care for the souls. The Lord, testing you, like Job the Long-suffering, let reproach, bitter sorrow, betrayal, betrayal, alienation from your neighbors and abandonment in the spiritual anguish of the earthly kingdom. All this for the good of Russia, like her faithful son, having endured, and, like a true servant of Christ, accepting martyrdom, you reached the Kingdom of Heaven, where you enjoy the glory of the Highest at the Throne of all the Tsar, together with your holy wife, Tsarina Alexandra and royal children Alexy, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Now, having the boldness of the greatness of Christ the King, pray that the Lord forgive the sin of the apostasy of our people and grant forgiveness of sins and instruct us in every virtue, may we acquire humility, meekness and love and be vouchsafed the Kingdom of Heaven, where together with you and all the saints, the new martyrs and Russian confessors let us glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

As we can see, everything is very non-standard and far from the canons. Time will show whether our church will ever develop a single type of icons of the royal martyrs, but for now there are still a few interesting iconographic works on this topic.

It is based on the biblical story from the book "The Revelation of St. John the Theologian", chapter 6. When John ascended to heaven, he saw the throne with the Creator sitting on it and, according to right hand Gentlemen, a scroll written on both sides and sealed with seven seals. The Lamb opens the seals one by one, and visions appear before John's eyes, symbolizing the history of God's people, the struggle between good and evil, the coming of Christ, Last Judgment etc. "When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who were killed for the Word of God ... They shouted: "... Sovereign and Lord of all! ... How long will you delay judgment and retribution for our blood to the inhabitants of the earth?" Each of them was given white clothes, and they were asked to wait some more time until their brothers and friends who performed the same ministry as they were destroyed, so that the number of martyrs would reach its full number".

They pray for the fate of Russia, as well as for forgiveness for the death of Nicholas II and his family.

In 1991, the Russian emigrant Iya Dmitrievna Shmit entered into an inheritance, it was small, and she decided to donate it to a good cause. She thought for a long time and could not understand what exactly to spend the money on. One night she had a dream in which she saw the image of the Great Russian Tsar, the martyr Nicholas II. When she woke up, all doubts disappeared from her, she knew where she would spend the money. She turned to the icon painter Pavel Tikhomirov, who lived at that time in California. They studied the pictures for a long time, drew the images of the king she saw in the Monomakh's hat and with a scepter and an orb in his hands.

The icon was painted several years before the martyrs of the royal families were canonized. To the right of the sovereign was depicted his heavenly patron - Nicholas the Wonderworker, and to the left the righteous Job the Long-suffering.

One of the lithographs with the image of Nicholas II, Iya Dmitrievna handed over to her brother Hegumen German in the Ryazan St. Nicholas almshouse. After the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne, exactly 80 years later, on March 15, 1997, this event happened.
The image of Tsar Nicholas II wandered from temple to temple, but did not stay anywhere for a long time. The first monastery to receive the icon was Novodevichy.

A week later, the icon was transferred to the Church of the Ascension of the Lord on the Gorokhove Field. For several months the image streamed myrrh, and akathists were read before it. On the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy (February 28, 1999), the lithograph was handed over to the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Pyzhy. The icon was received solemnly, the carpet was laid, the bells rang, all the parishioners prayed at that time. On this day, the image of the Sovereign was very myrrh-streaming.

The first healing from the icon was with retired colonel Alexander Mikhailovich Vytyagov. For the first time, he heard about the icon of Nicholas II on the radio, and asked his relatives to take him to this temple, to this icon. The fact is that Alexander Mikhailovich suffered greatly during the Great Patriotic War, he had many injuries, and after a while he lost his sight. He has been blind for 15 years. When the icon was received in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, it was brought to Archpriest Alexy Uminsky, who at that time was the rector of the temple. Turning to the rector for help, he led him to the miraculous icon, covered him with a towel, which was all saturated with myrrh, and began to pray. Waking up in the morning, Alexander Mikhailovich looked around his room and shouted loudly what he saw. All the household members ran to him and could not get enough of the miracle.

There have been a large number of healings from diseases. The stories of people, passed from mouth to mouth, drove the glory ahead of the icon itself. People sought to get to the image as soon as possible in order to get help in solving their problems.
One man told about how he received grace from the icon of the Sovereign. Somehow he fell ill, he had a high temperature, which did not go astray, the medicines did not help, and his arm even began to be taken away. He could not work, but he had to feed his family. Once he came to the temple and began to pray to the martyr Nicholas II for healing, and then kissed the shrine. He immediately felt relieved and was able to work the next day.

There is another recorded case already in Ukraine. One woman suffered from ascites for a very long time, all the fluid accumulated in her stomach. The stomach was huge, so the poor woman suffered greatly from pain and heavy breathing. When she arrived at the temple, she prayed for a long time. After she clung to the miraculous image, her stomach fell down. The doctors were shocked and could not explain it. The woman prayed and thanked God and Nicholas II for the relief of her suffering, and soon she died quietly and calmly.

But mainly this name refers to those saints who did not accept martyrdom for the Christian faith, in contrast to the martyrs and great martyrs, perhaps even from their relatives and co-religionists - because of their malice, greed, deceit, conspiracy. Accordingly, in this case, the special nature of their feat is emphasized - malice, which is one of the commandments of Jesus Christ. So, in particular, the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb are often called, saint Dimitri Uglichsky, Reverend Dula , who lived in the 5th century . In 2000 the last Russian emperor Nicholas II and his family, shot by decision of the Ural Council in 1918, were canonized as martyrs.

Briefly, the feat of passion-bearing can be defined as suffering for the fulfillment of the Commandments of God ( Commandments of Jesus Christ and Commandments of the Law of God), in contrast to martyrdom - which is suffering for witnessing faith in Jesus Christ (faith in God) during times of persecution and when persecutors try to force them to renounce their faith (from Wikipedia).

Accordingly, in this case, the special nature of their feat is emphasized - good-naturedness and non-resistance to enemies.

In 1928 they were canonized as saints of the Catacomb Church.
In 1981 they were glorified by the Russian Church Abroad.
On August 20, 2000, they were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, revealed and unmanifested.

Many years went to the sanctity of the members of the royal family and their close associates - their service to Russia was expressed in good deeds and mercy. So during the war, the daughters of the Romanovs and the Empress herself could often be seen in hospitals and infirmaries, in shelters and almshouses. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna abandoned worldly life in favor of helping the poor and destitute. Their immediate environment followed suit.

ST. ROYAL PASSION BEARERS with the icon of the Mother of God REGULATORY serafim-library.narod.ru

Icon of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, made by the sisters of the Novo-Tikhvin Convent by order of the Moscow Epiphany Patriarchal Cathedral.

Two tendencies of icon painters are obvious: the first is to dress the royal family in ancient Russian attire of the 16th-17th centuries, and then the icons are identified by the mustaches of Nicholas and the number of people on the board. They are no more different from other images of any saints.

The second trend is to leave them in the clothes of the early twentieth century, and sometimes in military uniform and nurses' aprons. But icon painters, apparently, are confused by the resulting stylistic inconsistency - halos do not fit well with tunics, so the first option comes across more often.

Icon with portraits of the family of royal martyrs

Icon "Holy royal martyrs"

icon of the holy royal martyrs

Holy Royal Martyrs. They are all dressed in white - White color this is a symbol of the fact that they are in the kingdom of heaven, a designation of the uncreated light. In the skies above them the Sovereign Icon Mother of God. The Sovereign Mother of God is one of the officially “miracle-working” icons of the Mother of God of proper Russian origin; was found, according to the report of Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow, on March 2, 1917 in the basement of the Ascension Church of Kolomna. On the icon is an image of Christ kneeling at the Virgin, in the hands of the Virgin are royal regalia, a scepter and an orb. According to some Orthodox symbolic meaning The appearance of the Sovereign icon is that the death of the constitutional monarchy of Russia was sent to the people as a punishment, but the Mother of God herself keeps the symbols of royal power, which gives hope for repentance and the revival of Russia and the Russian state.

Iconographic images of the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II

The image of Tsar Nicholas II was painted in America in 1997, on the eightieth anniversary of the bloody revolution in Russia. It was written by the Orthodox icon painter Pavel Tikhomirov for a charitable organization. Colored lithographs were made from the icon, and the proceeds from their sale were sent to help those in need in Russia ... This icon streamed myrrh in many churches

Icon "Saint Martyr Nicholas in Lives"

PRAYERS to the Holy Royal Martyrs:

Blessed art thou, Lord God our Father, and praised and glorified your name forever, as if you were righteous about everyone, even if you did it to us, and all your works are true and your ways are right, and your Judgments are true, and the fate of the truth has been created by you for everyone, even if you have brought upon us, as if you have sinned and lawless departed from You, and sinned in all, and did not obey Your commandments, below the observant, below the co-worker, as if you commanded us that it would be good for us, and delivered us into the hands of enemies of the lawless, vile - apostates, an unrighteous and crafty man more than all the earth.
And now there is no way for us to open our mouths, muzzle and reproach by Thy servant and those who honor Thee. Do not betray us to the end of Thy name for the sake of and do not destroy Thy covenant, and do not leave Thy mercy from us, as, Master, we will be humbled more than all the language and Esma of humility throughout the earth today, sin for our sake and bear during this time the chief, the prophet and the leader. And now we follow with all our hearts and fear You and seek Your face, do not disgrace us, but do with us according to Your meekness, and according to the multitude of Your mercy, and prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints, deliver us according to Your miracles, and give glory to your name, O Lord, and let them be put to shame who are your evil servants, and let them be ashamed of all power, and let their strength be broken, and let everyone understand that you are our God, one and glorious in the whole world. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers Tsar Nicholas, Tsarina Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, Princesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia

Prayer to the Royal Passion-Bearers
Oh, holy passion-bearer Tsar Martyr Nicholas! The Lord has chosen His anointed one, in a hedgehog mercifully and the right to judge by your people and the guardian of the Orthodox Church. For this sake, with the fear of God, you performed the royal service and care for the souls. The Lord, testing you, like Job the Long-suffering, let reproach, bitter sorrow, betrayal, betrayal, alienation from your neighbors and abandonment in the spiritual anguish of the earthly kingdom. All this for the good of Russia, like her faithful son, having endured, and, like a true servant of Christ, accepting martyrdom, you reached the Kingdom of Heaven, where you enjoy the glory of the Highest at the Throne of all the Tsar, together with your holy wife, Tsarina Alexandra and royal children Alexy, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Now, having the boldness of the greatness of Christ the King, pray that the Lord forgive the sin of the apostasy of our people and grant forgiveness of sins and instruct us in every virtue, may we acquire humility, meekness and love and be vouchsafed the Kingdom of Heaven, where together with you and all the saints, the new martyrs and Russian confessors let us glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

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