Who and why does the church rank among the saints? Faces of holiness in the Orthodox Church

In this article, you will learn why the holy Emperor Nicholas II is not a martyr and redeemer, how crazy the holy fools are for the sake of Christ, and also which saints are the most in the church calendar.

Depending on the type of feat suffered during life for the sake of Christ, it is customary to subdivide saints according to the faces of holiness. Today we will consider what ranks (or faces) of saints exist in the Orthodox Church and how they differ from each other.

Martyrs

The ancient Greek word "μάρτῠρος" is translated into Russian not as "martyr", but as "witness". The fact is that the martyrs testified to their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by their torment and death. And in the original meaning, the emphasis is not on the type of feat (torment), but on its meaning (evidence of faith even under the threat of death).

Martyrs are one of the most ancient faces of holiness, the mostnumerous face of Christian saints and, at the same time, the most supported by documentary evidence.

In the first three centuries, while Christianity in the Roman Empire was considered a sect of the Old Testament religion of the Jews, and then just a dangerous anti-state doctrine, open confession of oneself as a Christian or denunciation from ill-wishers almost always meant a trial with the then accepted methods of inquiry - torture and execution, as a result of a guilty plea the defendant.

Whole move litigation, the questions of the judge, the answers of the accused, testimonies and apologies in defense of the person brought to trial were neatly recorded in the protocol. Therefore, many lives of the martyrs have a documentary basis, which was least affected by the addition of legends and traditions.

At the same time, from the first centuries of Christianity, only members of the Christian Church were considered martyrs, not schismatics and not sectarians, and only those who endured all the torments until death, without uttering renunciation and without sacrificing to pagan gods.

The bodies of the martyrs were usually taken by Christians in one way or another for burial in the catacombs or martyriums - special chapels built over the coffin. Quite quickly, a tradition was formed in the Church to celebrate services in front of the tombs and on the tombs of the martyrs, which became the prototype of modern altars in churches. On the modern altar, the liturgy is always performed on an antimension - a special board, in one of the edges of which is sewn a capsule with a particle of the relics of one of the saints.

Various people became martyrs - ordinary laity, clergy, nobility and monks. Therefore, in relation to some saints from the face of martyrs, one can come across such titles as “reverend martyr” - a martyr from among the monastics, “hieromartyr” - a martyr from among the clergy, or “great martyr” - a martyr from among royal persons or nobility. Now you can also find the name "new martyr", which refers to the feat of Christians who suffered for their faith in the USSR in the 20th century.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, "great martyrs" are called saints who have accepted especially difficult, often many days of torment for Christ. But in the first centuries of Christianity, this tradition was preserved in other Local Churches, it was precisely persons of noble origin who suffered for the faith that were called great martyrs.

Confessors

Another face of holiness, whose feat in meaning does not differ in any way from the feat of martyrs, is made up of confessors of the faith. Confessors are people who openly confessed their faith, who suffered torment and torture for this, who did not utter renunciation, but survived for one reason or another beyond their control.

Initially, the feat of confessors was understood to be somewhat less significant than the feat of martyrs, but already St. Cyprian of Carthage in the middle of the 3rd century proposed to venerate confessors on an equal footing with martyrs, noting, however, that not every Christian who suffered torment and did not renounce who survived, but only the one who spent the rest of his life righteously and remained faithful to the Lord.

For obvious reasons, numerically the confessors are significantly inferior to the martyrs, which cannot be said about the next rank of saints - the reverends.

Reverends

Reverends - the second largest after the martyrs, and perhaps even the rank of saints equal in number to it. There are almost no days in the church calendar that do not include the memory of at least one of the saints.

In this rank of holiness, representatives of monasticism are revered, which appears around the 2nd century, and already by the 3rd-4th centuries acquires the character of a mass movement in the Church. A little later, the monks begin to take holy orders and occupy bishop's chairs.

The term "reverend" refers to saints from among the monastics, who, through prayer and physical work received the Holy Spirit and became like God.

The presence in the holy calendar of a huge host of monastic saints is, of course, associated with their highest spiritual, cultural and moral authority among believers. Many reverend fathers were known for amazing ascetic feats like standing on a stone for a thousand days, living in a cage or on a pillar, wearing chains, etc. Also, many monks became the founders of huge monasteries and helped to survive the rise inner life to his contemporaries on the scale of entire states (Anthony the Great, Savva the Sanctified, Savva the Serbian, Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves and others).

Many reverend fathers became famous for the works of spiritual literature they created, for their active participation in the lives of the people around them, not only in terms of prayer, but also treatment, miracles, social assistance, and distribution of alms.

The most revered in Russia are two reverend fathers: Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov, each of whom has several hundred churches dedicated to them.

apostles

The apostles (“messengers”) are the most important face of saints, among whom the direct disciples of the Savior from among the twelve are revered (Peter, Andrew the First-Called, James Zebedee, John Zebedee (Theologian), Thomas, Matthew, Nathanael (Bartholomew), Simon Zealot (Zealot ), Jacob Alfeev, Judas Alpheev (Thaddeus), Philip and Matthias, elected to replace Judas Iscariot), as well as the Apostle Paul, separately chosen by the Lord.

Also in the face of the apostles are revered companions in the preaching of the direct disciples of the Savior, who lived in the 1st century and are conditionally called “apostles from the seventy” (in fact, there are more of them and not all of them personally saw the Savior at least once).

The feat of the apostles, in contrast to the feat of the saints, which will be discussed later, did not consist in keeping the Church locally, but in preaching the Gospel throughout the world, that is, it was inextricably linked with travel and missionary work.

Most of the apostles sooner or later ended their journey with martyrdom. Of the twelve disciples of Christ, only the Apostle John the Theologian died a natural death.

Among the apostles were not only men, but also women, such as Priscilla, who preached with her husband Aquila. Strictly speaking, Mary Magdalene, who is usually referred to as “equal to the apostles,” is in fact a woman apostle, since she preached Christianity in many places, and also personally knew the Lord and was a listener to many of His teachings.

Some confusion in the titling of certain saints in the Church can be found quite often. For example, one of the seventy apostles, Haggai, bore the nickname "Prophet" for the corresponding gifts of grace, but he is not revered among the prophets.

Saints

Saints are called the glorified righteous from among the church hierarchs - bishops who were worthy shepherds, and also showed personal righteousness.

The Greek word "bishop" is translated into Russian as "overseer". The apostles, after preaching in one city or another, appointed one of their disciples - the most pious and best learned Christian doctrine - to oversee the life of the local community. When the apostles left the founded Church and went on with their preaching, the duty of counseling the converts fell on the bishop.

The names of the saints were recorded in diptychs and were regularly commemorated during divine services. Local Churches exchanged similar diptychs and commemorated each other's saints.

The Church owes many of its traditions to the saints. For example, the Easter messages were invented by St. Athanasius the Great, religious processions- St. John Chrysostom, and social assistance centers - St. Basil the Great.

Equal-to-the-Apostles

Equal-to-the-Apostles is that group of saints who performed the apostolic ministry primarily after the first century after the Nativity of Christ. They were not direct disciples of the Lord and did not listen to his teachings personally, but, like the apostles, they converted entire countries and peoples to Christ.

Equal-to-the-Apostles, like the apostles, there are not very many. In this face of saints, the memory of Averky of Hierapolis, Mary Magdalene, Apphia of Colosse, Thekla of Iconium, Constantine the Great and his mother Elena, Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir, brothers Cyril and Methodius, Patrick of Ireland, Nicholas of Japan (Kasatkin), Savva of Serbia, Nina of Georgia are honored , Tsar Boris of Bulgaria, Cosmas of Aetolia and Innokenty of Moscow (Veniaminov).

prophets

The face of the holy prophets is the most ancient of all, since almost all the holy prophets lived before the birth of Christ. The prophets preached repentance among the Jewish people, predicted the coming of the Messiah - Christ and proclaimed the will of God to the Jew.

In total, in the rank of prophets, the Church honors eighteen saints, highlighting twelve minor prophets and four great ones - Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel.

Somewhat apart from the prophets are the prophet Moses, who led the Jewish people from Egyptian captivity to the Holy Land, and the prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, the only saint of the prophetic rank, who already lived in New Testament times and personally knew the Lord Jesus Christ.

Most of the prophets became famous for performing amazing miracles, predicting the future and openly denouncing the sins of some Jewish and Asian sovereigns. Some prophets left entire books behind them, and some we know about only from the stories of the historical books of the Old Testament.

Passion-bearers

Passion-bearers are the “most Russian” image of saints. In it, the Church venerates mainly noble righteous, who suffered not for their faith, but as a result of rampant human passions - a conspiracy, civil war and at the same time showed personal self-sacrifice and good-naturedness.

Some Christians mistakenly call the family of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II martyrs, ascribing to him the role of some kind of "redemption" of the Russian people. In fact, the Russian people, and indeed all Christians in general, can have only one Redeemer - the Lord himself, the God-man, with whom not even the greatest saint can be compared. Incorrect and naming royal martyrs martyrs, since they were not killed because of the Orthodox faith, but as a potential living "banner" for the white movement.

At the same time, the Church does not question the holiness of Emperor Nicholas II and his family, honoring them as martyrs along with princes Boris and Gleb, Dula of Egypt (who is also referred to as a saint), Tsarevich Dimitry of Uglich, and Prince Mikhail of Tver (who is also referred to as and to the face of the faithful).

the faithful

The rank of the faithful saints is another rank "for the nobility." The Church ranks among the faithful the rulers who have done a lot to strengthen faith and morality, develop the Church and enlighten them in the lands subject to them.

This face of holiness arose in the Church of Constantinople in the period Ecumenical Councils and was used during the canonization of Byzantine emperors and their wives, and then began to be used in other Orthodox Churches.

Among the Russian noble princes they revere: Alexander Nevsky, Yaroslav the Wise, Andrei Bogolyubsky, Dmitry Donskoy, John Kalita, Daniil of Moscow, Igor of Chernigov, Oleg Bryansky and others.

Unmercenaries

This is the name of the saints who renounced wealth and helped other people for free for the sake of Christ. Almost all the saints of this face were related to the art of medicine and, with the help of prayer, miracles, potions and medical skills, they helped people regain their lost health.

Christ himself worked his miracles and healed people for free, for the sake of mercy to the suffering, and commanded the same to his disciples: “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). The unmercenaries literally followed this testament of the Savior.

Cosmas and Damian, the healer Panteleimon, Yermolai, Cyrus and John, Samson the Hospice, the physician Diomede of Nicaea, Tryphon, Photius and Anikita, Falaley of Cilicia, Prokhor Lebednik, Agapit of the Caves and others are revered in the face of the unmercenaries.

Sometimes certain saints are also called miracle workers, but this is not a special face of holiness. Many saints worked miracles abundantly both during their lifetime and after their death, and the epithet “miracle worker” can be found both in relation to saints and to martyrs, unmercenaries, reverends and saints of other ranks of holiness.

righteous

In the first three centuries of Christianity, hundreds of thousands of Christians were martyred. Subsequently, in the history of the Church, we will also meet many turbulent periods when new martyrs appeared. Monasticism was also very widespread, actually usurped the highest posts in church administration by the 7th century, founded thousands of monasteries and had enormous spiritual and moral authority both in the Church itself and in society as a whole.

This is not bad, but that is why the focus of the Church’s attention was most often directed to the lives of martyrs and saints, whom we know in abundance, and rarely noticed the quiet deeds of other saints — doctors, couples with many children, philanthropists, warriors, whom we know relatively little. In other words, the Church honors literally a few righteous from among the laity, but there were definitely a lot of such saints among Christians. It's just that their lives and deeds remained hidden from us until the day of the Last Judgment.

Among the righteous, the most famous are such saints as: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, King David, Joachim and Anna, Job, Simeon the God-bearer, Simeon of Verkhoturye, John of Kronstadt, Alexy Mechev, John the Russian, Peter and Fevronia of Murom, Matrona of Moscow, Feodor Ushakov and others.

The righteous did not often exhaust themselves with some special feats, but all their lives they tried to follow the will of God, for the sake of the Lord to help others, often attend services and pray at home and follow the spirit, and not the letter of the Holy Scriptures. Many righteous people secretly did good to the needy and performed miracles.

Holy fools for the sake of Christ (Blessed)

The Slavic word "holy fool" is translated into modern Russian as "fool, insane." The holy fools for the sake of Christ were not insane - they only pretended to be crazy in order to get rid of pride and the obligation to follow all the establishments of society (often far from Christianity) through the contemptuous attitude of those around them.

Fools for the sake of Christ, as a rule, began their feat by distributing almost all their property to the needy and began to wander and live by alms. These saints prayed a lot, openly denounced human vices, predicted the future, helped those in need and, sometimes, healed those suffering from illnesses.

All holy fools for the sake of Christ are also called "blessed" and confusion can arise here. There are other saints who church tradition consistently referred to as "blessed", but who do not belong to this face of saints - Augustine of Hippo (hierarch), Jerome of Stridon (reverend) and Matrona of Moscow (righteous).

Also, do not confuse the Orthodox blessed - holy fools and the Catholic rank of "blessed" denoting the first stage of canonization, as it were, "revered Christians."

Some of the righteous and prophets of the Old Testament - Job, Ezekiel, Hosea and others - who are known for their strange deeds that denounced public lawlessness, can be considered the predecessors of the blessed - the holy fools.

Among the Orthodox blessed, the most revered are: Xenia of Petersburg, Vasily of Moscow, Andrei Yurodivy, Procopius of Ustyug.

Summarizing, we can say that in the Orthodox Church there are basically twelve faces of saints, who are divided both according to the type of their deed consecrated to God, and according to their position in society or the church hierarchy. At the same time, some saints, whose deeds are especially multifaceted, are sometimes attributed to two or more ranks of sainthood at once. Probably, this article will help some of our readers to navigate the life of the Church a little better and understand whom and for what they prayerfully honor, which will be very gratifying for the author.

Andrey Segeda

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May 2 - Day of Remembrance Saint Matrona of Moscow . Matrona Nikonova reposed May 2, 1952 . This saint until recently lived among people, performing healings and numerous miracles. Just 47 years after his death May 2, 1999 Saint Matrona was canonized as a locally venerated saint of the Moscow diocese (general church canonization took place in October 2004).

Today we want to talk about how the church glorifies a person in the face of saints.

Canonization (gr. "legitimize", "make it a rule") is the recognition by the Church of any of its members as a saint with a corresponding veneration. However, this does not mean that only those people who were canonized are saints, because there were many saints who died in obscurity.

Canonization (canonization) usually occurs after the death of a person, this procedure is very long and painstaking. To do this, a special commission examines the biography of the righteous man and decides whether he is worthy of canonization.

Currently, materials for canonization in the Russian Orthodox Church are being collected by Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints.

The rite of canonization of the blessed old woman Matrona

The commission studies the life, deeds, works of the canonized, the memories of his contemporaries about him, facts confirming miracles, if any, and the relics of the righteous are also studied.

So on what grounds are they considered saints?

At all times, the main condition for glorification was the manifestation of true sanctification, the holiness of the righteous. Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna Yuvenaly in his report “On the issue of the procedure for the canonization of locally venerated saints in the Russian Orthodox Church at the diocesan level” at the Local Council October 1, 1993 expounded the following signs of the holiness of Orthodox ascetics:

1. The faith of the Church in the holiness of the glorified ascetics as people who pleased God and served the coming to earth of the Son of God and the preaching of the Holy Gospel (forefathers, fathers, prophets and apostles were glorified on the basis of such faith).

2. Martyrdom for Christ, or torture for the faith of Christ (this is how, in particular, martyrs and confessors were glorified in the Church).

3. Miracles performed by the saint through his prayers or from his honest remains - relics (reverends, silencers, pillars, martyrs-passion-bearers, holy fools, etc.).

4. High church primatial and hierarchal service.

5. Great services to the Church and the people of God.

6. Virtuous, righteous and holy life.

7. In the seventeenth century, according to the testimony of Patriarch Nectarios, three things were recognized as the cause of true holiness in people:

a) Orthodoxy is impeccable;

b) the performance of all virtues, followed by opposition for the faith, even to the point of bloodshed;

c) God's manifestation of supernatural signs and wonders.

8. Often, the evidence of the holiness of the righteous was the great veneration of his people, sometimes even during his lifetime.

Of particular importance in the issue of canonization are relics(however, this is not a requirement). According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, the relics of the saints are both fully preserved (incorruptible relics) and individual particles from the bodies of the righteous glorified by God. The very name of their relics on Church Slavonic stands for "power", "strength", that is, some miraculous, supernatural manifestations of them, which became evidence of their involvement in Divine grace.

It is also evidence of holiness, which is sometimes miraculously formed on the relics of saints.

When glorifying in the face of saints, it is important for us that from the point of view of the Church, it is not canonization that makes a person a saint, but his feat. Canonization recognizes the merits of the ascetic, as well as confidence in his salvation, because, glorifying the righteous, the Church stops praying for him and begins to pray to him.

We call saints saints not for complete absence sins, but for an adequate attitude towards them, for the desire to cleanse oneself of vices and devote one's life to God. In this sense, the saints are an example for Christians.

At first glance, it seems that it is thanks to the people that one or another person is canonized, because the first step towards canonization is the veneration of the righteous during his lifetime, and then after his death. In fact this is not true. The holiness of a person is determined not by people, but, as it were, by the Lord himself. God sends people visible signals of the holiness of this person (for example, the healing of the sick at the grave of a saint or the clairvoyance of a saint during his lifetime).

The queue to the icon of the Holy Matrona of Moscow in the Intercession Monastery

Most often, after a positive decision Synodal Commission on canonization and blessings His Holiness Patriarch, the saint first becomes locally respected (in monasteries and dioceses), and as the veneration and church-wide saints. Next, the day of the celebration of the new saint is appointed, a service is compiled, an icon is written, as well as a life.

If a saint is canonized in one of the Local Orthodox Churches, his name is communicated to the heads of all the others. In these Churches, a decision may be made to include the newly glorified saint in church calendar(names of famous locally respected saints are not included in the general church calendar, and the service to them is not printed in the general church liturgical books, but is published in a separate edition locally).

For a person who has recently come to church or simply looks at it with interest from afar, there are many incomprehensible phenomena and concepts. As an example, a large number of revered saints - and for some reason one is a reverend, and the other is just a saint, one is a passion-bearer, and the other is a martyr. Our consolidated list of faces of holiness that exist in Orthodoxy will help to distinguish between 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 to the Old Testament saints.—forefathers and prophets. In the most ancient period, the veneration of the primates of local churches, as saints, is also taking shape.—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. A Brief Dictionary of Hagiographic Terms. Zhivov V.M.", furtherexcerpts from his bookhighlightedin italics).

apostles(Greek ἀ πόστολος - ambassador, envoy) - 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 upon them, they preached the Christian faith in all countries. At first there were twelve of them, then Christ chose seventy more.

Two of the apostles, Peter and Paul, are called supreme because they labored 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 Righteous Fathers of God Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Mother of God, and Righteous Joseph, the betrothed of the Mother of God, also belong to the forefathers.

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

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

veneration saints in modern form it began with the veneration of the martyrs, who testified with their blood the truth of Christianity; with the cessation of persecution, they also began to recognize as saints those who, without being awarded a martyr's crown, became famous for their labors and piety (primarily hermits and monks).

Now the face of the saints is all the righteous, reverends, 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 by righteous shepherding and a blameless life, who by a righteous death fulfilled the Providence of God for the Church in her movement towards the Kingdom of Heaven. Basil the Great (379), Gregory the Theologian (389), Gregory of Nyssa (c. 394), John Chrysostom (407) and Nicholas the Wonderworker (c. 345) are among the most revered saints. 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 (ie, the diversity of forms of holiness) was formulated at the very beginning of Christian history. The apostle Paul wrote: “To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; faith to another, by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; miracles to another, prophecy to another, discernment of spirits to another, different languages, a different interpretation of tongues. All this is done by the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as he pleases” (1 Cor. 12:8-11).”

Martyr(Greek μάρτυς - witness) - a person who accepted torment 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 consenting to be sacrificed for human sins, gave the highest evidence of fidelity to the saving mission entrusted to Him by the Father. The first Christian martyr (first martyr) was the archdeacon and apostle from 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 faith. The selection of great martyrs from the whole multitude of martyrs revered by the Church emphasizes the significance of this kind of feat.

The modern calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church includes such names of the Holy Martyr as: George the Victorious (303), Panteleimon the Healer (305), Demetrius of Thessalonica (c. 306) and the great martyr Anastasia the Unsetter (c. 304).

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

Famous holy martyrs include Ignatius the God-bearer, Bishop of Antioch (107); from Russian saints - Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1612), Kuksha Pechersky (+ after 1114). In our region, one can single out, in particular, schmch. Demetrius of Apansky (Nerovetsky) (1919).

Reverend Martyr(Greek όσιομάρτυς) - a martyr who belongs to the number of monastics. Pmch. make up a special face of the saints, since there are corresponding services for them. Among the Russian saints, they include Gregory, pmch. Caves, 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 good-naturedness and non-resistance to enemies. 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 face of saints in Orthodoxy, glorified by the Church for the open expression of their faith during persecution; Confessors included those Christians who, having endured martyrdom, remained, unlike the martyrs, alive. AT Ancient Russia Maximus the Confessor (662) was especially known and revered; in the Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, St. Luke (Voyno-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 the faithful kings and queens arises, and with the development of monasticism, the veneration of the 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, the rejection of wealth for the sake of his faith. This name is acquired in Orthodox tradition first of all, St. 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 as a saint. For example, Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky (1263) belongs to the faithful.

Blissful(Greek μαχάριος) - in the 19th century. this epithet began to be applied in Russia to saints venerated in other Christian confessions, in those cases when their veneration was established before the separation of the churches and is thus recognized by the Orthodox Church. Blessed Augustine (430) is glorified in the face. In ancient Russia, the name "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) Pechersky, Sergius of Radonezh (1392), Seraphim of Sarov (1833) receive special reverence in Russia.

Anthony the Great († 356) and Ephraim the Syrian († c. 373-379) became the first saints in the Christian church, glorified precisely for their monastic feat.

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

Stylites(Greek στυλίτης) - holy reverends who have chosen a special feat for themselves - standing on a pillar and concentrating on constant prayer. The founder of pilgrimage 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 of a number of saints, especially famous for the gift of miracles, intercessors, who are resorted to in the hope of miraculous healing. Miracle workers are not a special category of saints, since in principle all saints have the gift of miracles, and witnessed miracles are the main condition for canonization. Among the wonderworkers revered by the Russian Church, one can note St. Mir Lycian Nicholas(c. 345) and St. Anthony the Roman (1147).

holy fool(glory. Mad) - an ascetic, depicting a fool 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. Brief dictionary of hagiographic terms. Zhivov V.M.
2. Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk. Church protocol. - M .: Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2007.

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

1. Euphrosyne of Polotsk

In the world, Euphrosyne of Polotsk was called Predslava. She was the daughter of Vitebsk Prince Svyatoslav Vseslavich.
Predslava from an early age showed interest in spiritual life, as soon as the girl was 12 years old, she abandoned the dynastic marriage and on February 15, 1116, took secret tonsure in the Polotsk monastery.
A few years later, Euphrosinia took up the rewriting of books, which was a very laborious and lengthy process. Usually men received such obedience, but Euphrosinia was firm in her faith.
Saint Euphrosyne is credited with the acquisition by the Polotsk Sophia Cathedral of the icon of the Mother of God of Ephesus. Euphrosyne also commissioned a cross-reliquary from master Lazar Bogshe, which became known as her name. Euphrosyne of Polotsk died during a pilgrimage in Jerusalem on May 23, 1167. She was venerated in Polotsk shortly after her death, but Euphrosyne was canonized only in 1893.
Euphrosyne of Polotsk was a prominent church leader of her time. She initiated the construction of the Savior Monastery for women, took part in the political life of the principality and became a kind of banner of the Polovtsy 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 a Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles. Olga was the first in Russia to accept Christianity, even before Baptism.
Very little is known about Olga's youth, the most accurate information about her appears in the annals of 945, when her husband Igor dies. Then Nestor describes in the annals of Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans, who were guilty of the death of the prince.
From 947, Olga begins to rule herself. She sets up a churchyard system, opens up several overland routes, sets the size of a field. It was Olga who laid the foundation for stone construction in Russia.
In 955, Olga was baptized in Constantinople under the name Elena. The princess tried to introduce Christianity to her son Svyatoslav, but he remained a pagan until the end of his life.
Saint Olga was already recognized during the reign of Yaropolk, her grandson, and in 1547 Princess Olga was canonized as a Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles.

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 an orphanage, but the girl's mother had a prophetic dream about a blind dove, and Matrona was left. Already at the age of 8, the girl was deeply religious, she had the gift of predicting the future and healing the sick. By the age of 18, Matrona of Moscow lost her legs.
Most of her life, Matrona lived with fellow villager Evdokia Mikhailovna Zhdanova and her daughter Zinaida, 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 bow to her.

4. Xenia of Petersburg

Ksenia of Petersburg chose the path of foolishness at the age of 26. Many legends and memories about the prophetic gift of the saint have been preserved.
Xenia was born in the first half of the 18th century. Having reached the age of majority, Xenia married the court chorister Andrei Fedorovich Petrov. The young couple lived in St. Petersburg. Andrei Fedorovich did not die when Xenia was 26 years old.
The young widow embarked on the path of foolishness, began to respond only to the name of her husband, 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 sleep over.
The exact date of the death of Xenia of Petersburg is unknown. In 1988, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized her among the holy fools.

5. Fevronia

The life of the saint became widely known after the publication of The Tale of Peter and Fevronia, which looked more like a fairy tale than a historical document. Fevronia was the daughter of a beekeeper. Once, 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 common people's wife of the prince. Peter took his wife and left the city, in which turmoil broke out almost immediately, and the prince was asked to return back.
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 the request of Peter and Fevronia was not fulfilled, they miraculously ended up in the same coffin. The spouses 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 tonsure - Sofia) was born in the 13th century in 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. Athanasius. Before her death, Anna took the schema.
The veneration of Anna Kashinsky began in 1611, when her remains were discovered in the Kashinsky church in the name of Holy Mother of God. In 1650, she was canonized, but already in 1677, as part of the struggle against double-digit baptism, decanonization was carried out, and the life of St. Anne was anathematized. Only in 1909, Emperor Nicholas II gave permission for re-canonization.

7. Juliana Lazarevskaya

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

8. Holy Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna

Elizaveta Feodorovna was the elder sister of Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Russian empress. In 1884, Elizaveta Feodorovna married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, brother of Emperor Alexander III.
All her life Elizaveta Fedorovna was engaged in charity work. She organized the Elizabethan Benevolent Society, during the war she was engaged in medical care warriors. In 1905, her husband died in an assassination attempt.
Ovdov Elizaveta Fyodorovna founded the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy, which was engaged in medical and charitable work. Since 1909, the princess devoted her whole life to work in the monastery.
Elizaveta Fedorovna 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 were heard from the mine for some time.
In 1992, Elizaveta Feodorovna was canonized and included in the Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

9. Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya

Blessed Barbara was born into the family of a priest. After studying to be a home teacher, the girl began to teach. She was a devout believer and often brought a priest to her 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 over 35 years in an old barn, constantly praying and fasting. All these years, Varvara did not attend church, but she received priests and believers.
Varvara died in 1966, and in 2001 Patriarch Alexy II gave his blessing to glorify the ascetic among the locally venerated saints of the Ufa diocese.

10. Evdokia Dmitrievna

Evdokia Dmitrievna is also known as the Monk Evdokia of Moscow, during her lifetime she became famous for her charitable work. At the age of 15, she was married to the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy. She spent 22 years with him 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.
Evdokia Dmitrievna during her lifetime initiated the construction of many churches and monasteries, including the Ascension Convent. Under the leadership of Evdokia Dmitrievna, it was collected Moscow militia to protect the city from Tamerlane. In 1407, the princess retired to the Ascension Monastery, where she was tonsured with the name Euphrosyne. Euphrosinia lived in monasticism for only a few months and died in the same year. In 1988 she was canonized together with her husband.
In 2007, a church award was established - the Order and Medal of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow.

11. Euphrosyne of Kolupanovskaya

Princess Evdokia Grigorievna Vyazemskaya was the maid of honor of Catherine II, but her desire to devote herself to serving God was so great that she staged own death and secretly left the yard. She wandered for more than 10 years, until in 1806 she met with Metropolitan Platon, who gave her a blessing for the feat of foolishness. From that moment on, the former princess settled in the Serpukhov Vladychny Vvedensky convent under the name "Fool Euphrosyne".
It is known that Euphrosinia secretly wore chains and even went barefoot in winter.
When the abbess changed in the monastery, Euphrosyne began to be oppressed, which, in the end, 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 of Kolupanovskaya was canonized among the Tula saints in the face of the blessed.

12. Juliana Vyazemskaya

The fate of Juliana Vyazemskaya bears little resemblance to the fate of other Russian saints. She was the wife of Prince Simeon Mstislavich Vyazemsky, until the Smolensk prince Yuri Svyatoslavovich tried to forcefully bring Juliana to him "although live with her." Unable to endure the outrage, the princess stabbed the offender with a knife, and he, in a fit of rage, killed her husband, cut off her arms and legs herself, 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 Tvertets River. The found body of the saint was buried at the southern doors of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Torzhok, soon after that, miraculous healings began to occur at the burial site.
The exact date of the canonization of Juliania Vyazemskaya as a locally venerated saint is unknown, but many historians believe that this happened in 1815, the year the saint's relics were rediscovered.

Russian saints... The list of God's saints is inexhaustible. By their way of life they pleased the Lord and through this they became closer to eternal existence. Every saint has his own face. This term denotes the category to which God's Pleaser is assigned during his canonization.

These include the great martyrs, martyrs, reverend, righteous, unmercenaries, apostles, saints, passion-bearers, holy fools (blessed), faithful and equal to the apostles.

Suffering in the name of the Lord

The first saints of the Russian Church among the saints of God are the great martyrs who suffered for the faith of Christ, dying in heavy and long agony. Among the Russian saints, the brothers Boris and Gleb were the first to be ranked in this face. That is why they are called first martyrs - passion-bearers. In addition, the Russian saints Boris and Gleb were the first canonized in the history of Russia. The brothers died in the internecine war for the throne, which began after the death of Prince Vladimir. Yaropolk, nicknamed the Accursed, first killed Boris when he was sleeping in a tent, being on one of the campaigns, and then Gleb.

Face like the Lord

Saints are those saints who led an ascetic life, being in prayer, labor and fasting. Among the Russian saints of God, one can single out Reverend Seraphim Sarovsky and Sergius of Radonezh, Savva Storozhevsky and Methodius Peshnoshko. The first saint in Russia, canonized in this face, is considered the monk Nikolai Svyatosha. Before accepting the rank of monk, he was a prince, the great-grandson of Yaroslav the Wise. Renouncing worldly goods, the monk asceticised as a monk in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Nicholas the Svyatosha is revered as a miracle worker. It is believed that his sackcloth (coarse woolen shirt), left after his death, cured one sick prince.

Sergius of Radonezh - the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit

The 14th-century Russian saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the world Bartholomew, deserves special attention. He was born into a pious family of Mary and Cyril. It is believed that while still in the womb, Sergius showed his God's chosen. During one of the Sunday liturgies, the unborn Bartholomew cried out three times. At that time, his mother, like the rest of the parishioners, was terrified and embarrassed. After his birth, the monk did not drink breast milk if Mary ate meat that day. On Wednesdays and Fridays, little Bartholomew went hungry and did not take his mother's breast. In addition to Sergius, there were two more brothers in the family - Peter and Stefan. Parents raised their children in Orthodoxy and strictness. All the brothers, except for Bartholomew, studied well and knew how to read. And only the youngest in their family was given a hard time reading - the letters blurred before his eyes, the boy was lost, not daring to utter a word. Sergius suffered greatly from this and fervently prayed to God in the hope of gaining the ability to read. One day, again ridiculed by his brothers for his illiteracy, he ran into the field and met an old man there. Bartholomew spoke about his sadness and asked the monk to pray for him to God. The elder gave the boy a piece of prosphora, promising that the Lord would surely grant him a letter. In gratitude for this, Sergius invited the monk to the house. Before taking the meal, the elder asked the boy to read the psalms. Shy, Bartholomew took the book, afraid even to look at the letters that always blurred before his eyes ... But a miracle! - the boy began to read as if he had already known the letter for a long time. The elder predicted to his parents that their younger son because he is the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit. After such a fateful meeting, Bartholomew began to strictly fast and pray constantly.

The Beginning of the Monastic Path

At the age of 20, the Russian Saint Sergius of Radonezh asked his parents to give him a blessing to take the tonsure. Cyril and Maria begged their son to stay with them until their very death. Not daring to disobey, Bartholomew lived with his parents until the Lord took their souls. After burying his father and mother, the young man, along with his older brother Stefan, set out to be tonsured. In the desert called Makovets, the brothers are building the Trinity Church. Stefan cannot stand the austere ascetic lifestyle that his brother adhered to and goes to another monastery. At the same time, Bartholomew takes tonsure and becomes monk Sergius.

Trinity Sergius Lavra

The world-famous monastery of Radonezh was once born in a dense forest, in which the monk once retired. Sergius was in fasting and prayer every day. He ate vegetable food, and his guests were wild animals. But one day, several monks found out about the great feat of asceticism performed by Sergius, and decided to come to the monastery. There these 12 monks remained. It was they who became the founders of the Lavra, which was soon headed by the monk himself. Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who was preparing for a battle with the Tatars, came to Sergius for advice. After the death of the monk, 30 years later, his relics were found, which to this day perform a miracle of healing. This 14th-century Russian saint still invisibly welcomes pilgrims to his monastery.

Righteous and Blessed

Righteous saints have earned God's favor through a godly lifestyle. These include both lay people and clergymen. The parents of Sergius of Radonezh - Cyril and Mary, who were true Christians and taught Orthodoxy to their children, are considered righteous.

The blessed are those saints who deliberately took the form of people not of this world, becoming ascetics. Among the Russian Saints of God, Basil the Blessed, who lived during the time of Ivan the Terrible, Xenia of Petersburg, who refused all blessings and went on distant wanderings after the death of her beloved husband, Matrona of Moscow, who became famous for the gift of clairvoyance and healing during her lifetime, is especially revered. It is believed that I. Stalin himself, who was not distinguished by religiosity, listened to the blessed Matronushka and her prophetic words.

Ksenia - holy fool for Christ's sake

The blessed one was born in the first half of the 18th century into a family of pious parents. Having become an adult, she married the singer Alexander Fedorovich and lived with him in joy and happiness. When Xenia was 26 years old, her husband died. Unable to bear such grief, she gave away her property, put on her husband's clothes and went on a long wandering. After that, the blessed one did not respond to her name, asking to be called Andrei Fedorovich. “Xenia died,” she assured. The saint began to wander the streets of St. Petersburg, occasionally dropping in to dine with her acquaintances. Some people mocked the heartbroken woman and made fun of her, but Ksenia endured all the humiliations without a murmur. Only once did she show her anger when the local boys threw stones at her. After what they saw, the locals stopped mocking the blessed one. Xenia of Petersburg, having no shelter, prayed at night in the field, and then again came to the city. The blessed one quietly helped the workers to build a stone church at the Smolensk cemetery. At night, she tirelessly laid bricks in a row, contributing to the speedy construction of the church. For all the good deeds, patience and faith, the Lord gave Xenia the Blessed the gift of clairvoyance. She predicted the future, and also saved many girls from unsuccessful marriages. Those people who Ksenia came to became happier and more successful. Therefore, everyone tried to serve the saint and bring her into the house. Ksenia of Petersburg died at the age of 71. She was buried at the Smolensk cemetery, where the Church built by her own hands was nearby. But even after physical death, Ksenia continues to help people. Great miracles were performed at her coffin: the sick were healed, those seeking family happiness were successfully married and married. It is believed that Xenia especially patronizes unmarried women and already held wives and mothers. A chapel was built over the tomb of the blessed one, to which crowds of people still come, asking the saint for intercession before God and thirsting for healing.

holy sovereigns

Monarchs, princes and kings, who distinguished themselves by a pious way of life, contributing to the strengthening of faith and the position of the church, are ranked among the faithful. The first Russian Saint Olga was just canonized in this category. Among the faithful, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who won the Kulikovo field after the appearance of the holy image of Nicholas, stands out in particular; Alexander Nevsky, who did not compromise with the Catholic Church in order to maintain his power. He was recognized as the only secular Orthodox sovereign. Among the faithful there are other famous Russian saints. Prince Vladimir is one of them. He was canonized in connection with his great work - the baptism of all Russia in 988.

Sovereigns - God's Satisfiers

Princess Anna, the wife of Yaroslav the Wise, was also counted among the holy saints, thanks to whom relative peace was observed between the Scandinavian countries and Russia. During her lifetime, she built a convent in honor of St. Irina, since she received this name at baptism. Blessed Anna honored the Lord and sacredly believed in him. Shortly before her death, she took the tonsure and died. Memorial Day - October 4, Julian style, but modern Orthodox calendar this date, unfortunately, is not mentioned.

The first Russian holy princess Olga, baptized Elena, accepted Christianity, influencing its further spread throughout Russia. Thanks to her activities, contributing to the strengthening of faith in the state, she was canonized as a saint.

Servants of the Lord on earth and in heaven

Hierarchs are such saints of God who were clergymen and received a special favor from the Lord for their way of life. One of the first saints assigned to this face was Dionysius, Archbishop of Rostov. Arriving from Athos, he headed the Spaso-Stone Monastery. People were drawn to his monastery, as he knew the human soul and could always guide those in need on the true path.

Among all the saints canonized by the Orthodox Church, Archbishop Mirlikisky Nikolai Wonderworker. And although the saint is not of Russian origin, he truly became the protector of our country, always being on right hand from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The great Russian saints, whose list continues to grow to this day, can patronize a person if he prays earnestly and sincerely to them. You can turn to the Satisfiers of God in different situations - everyday needs and illnesses, or simply wanting to thank the Higher Powers for a calm and serene life. Be sure to purchase icons of Russian saints - it is believed that prayer in front of the image is the most effective. It is also desirable that you have a nominal icon - the image of the saint in whose honor you were baptized.