The complete life of Alexy the man of God. Electronic publications

St. Theodore Tyrone. Crete. 15th century

The torturer, amazed at such courage and patience of Saint Theodore, said to him:
- Are you, the most vile of all people, not ashamed to trust in the Man called Christ, Who Himself was executed by a dishonorable death? Are you really exposing yourself to torment so recklessly for the sake of this Man?
The martyr of Christ answered this:
- Let the same dishonor befall me and the lot of all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Then the people began to shout and demand that the execution of Saint Theodore be carried out as soon as possible.

Miracle of Saint Theodore

In memory of this, Orthodoxy has established a celebration in honor of St. Theodore, celebrated on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Saturday evening (Friday), after the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the prayer canon to the Great Martyr Theodore (compiled by John of Damascus) is read and the kolivo is blessed and distributed to the believers. This celebration in honor of Theodore Tyrone has already been described Patriarch of Constantinople Nectarius (381-397).

Epic image of a saint

“The Tale of the Exploits of Fyodor Tirinin” is an apocrypha about Fyodor Tiron, related to the theme of the main myth: the hero appears here as a snake fighter. The “Tale” is a type of “martyrdom”, and not a full-fledged biographical life: the feat of St. Theodore is only externally connected with his life, which begins with him. Alexander Veselovsky suggests possible connection spiritual verse with the epic “Dobrynya and the Serpent”.

Eastern and South Slavic traditions represent Feodor Tiron, like Yegoriy the Brave, as a horseman and protector of livestock.

See also

Brief life of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates of Heraclea

Ve-li-ko-mu-che-nik Fe-o-dor Stra-ti-lat pro-is-ho-dil from the city of Ev-ha-it. He had a lot of da-ro-va-ni-ya-mi and a beautiful appearance. Because of his sweetness, God enlightened him with perfect knowledge of the Christian is- ture. The saint's courage became known to many after he, with the help of God, killed the great -th snake, living in the abyss in the vicinity of the city of Ev-ha-i-ta. The snake devoured a lot of people and animals, keeping the entire vicinity in fear. Saint Fe-o-dor, having fought with a sword and prayed to the Lord, defeated him, glorifying him among the people The name is Christ. Beyond ot-va-gu, Saint Fe-o-dor was appointed by the vo-e-na-chal-nikom (strat-ti-la-tom) in the city of Ge-rak- further, where he carried out, as it were, a double service, combining his responsible military service with the apostolic ministry. I see Evangelia among the pagans under him. His ardent conviction, backed by the personal example of Christian life, turned many away from -lip “lies without God.” Soon, almost all of He-rac-lea accepted Christianity.

At this time, im-per-ra-tor Li-ki-niy (307-324) began the same campaign against Christianity. Wanting to decapitate the new faith, he started pursuing the enlightened Christians -stva, in which, not without reason, they saw the main threat to the dying language. Among them was Saint Fe-o-dor. The saint himself invited Li-ki-niy to He-rac-leia, promising him to make a sacrifice to the pagan gods. To complete this magnificent ceremony, he wanted to collect in his house all the gold and silver items from -va-ya-niya of gods, which were in He-rak-ley. Blinded by hatred of Christianity, Li-ki-niy believed the words of the holiness. One day when he was waiting, Saint Fe-o-dor smashed them into pieces and gave them to the poor. So he disgraced the worldly faith in soulless idols and literally on the ruins of the language he established the laws of -sti-an-sko-go mi-lo-ser-dia.

Saint Theodore was captured and subjected to severe and sophisticated torture. Their friend was the slave of Saint Fe-o-do-ra, Saint Uar, who barely found the power of opi- tion in himself. sy-to-be the incredible mu-che-niya of your state-di-on. Sensing his imminent death, Saint Theo-dor had already addressed his last prayers to God, saying: “Mr. di, re-kl you are first, I am with you, but now for some reason you have left me? See, Lord, like a di-vii beast, it has killed me for You, for your sake, because they are the ze-ni-tsy of my hair, my flesh ra-on-mi is crushed, it hurts the face, crushes the teeth, unites the same skin hang on the cross: for me, Lord, pre-ter-re-the cross for you, for your sake, and fire, and a nail was lifted up for Thee: the rest, take my spirit, for I am already leaving this life.”

However, God, in His great mercy, wished that the end of the holy Fe-o-do-ra would be like this he was fruitful for his neighbors, like his whole life: He healed the worn-out body of the saint and brought him down from the cross, to somehow he was left there all night. In the morning, the royal soldiers found Saint Fe-o-do-ra alive and unharmed; Convinced with their own eyes in the infinite power of Christ-an-God, they are right there, not far from the place -one hundred executions have appeared, have received holy Baptism. So Saint Theo-dor appeared, “like a bright day,” for those who were in the darkness of the idol-worship of the pagans and enlightened their souls with “the light of their passion lu-cha-mi.” Not wanting to escape a man's death for Christ, Saint Theo-dor willingly gave himself up to the ki Li-ki-niya, who stopped the people who rebelled against mu-chi-te-ley, who believed in Christ, with the words: “ Stop it, beloved ones! My Lord Jesus Christ, hanging on the Cross, restrained the Angels, so that they would not commit vengeance against the people. ve-che-sko-mu." Going to execution, the holy martyr, with one word, opened the dungeon doors and freed the prisoners from their bonds. People, come to his robes and the miracle of God renewing his body, instantly -healed from illnesses and was freed from demons. At the order of the king, Saint Fe-o-dor was beheaded with a sword.

Before the death penalty, he told Ua-ru: “Don’t be lazy about writing the day of my death, and my body is in Ev- ha-i-tah." He asked for these words every year. Then, saying “Amen,” he bowed his head under the sword. This happened on February 8 (21), 319, on Saturday, at three o’clock in the afternoon.

Complete Life of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates of Heraclea

The holy ve-li-ko-mu-che-nik Fe-o-dor Stra-ti-lat was put to death by a man in 319 according to the Rozhdest Christ's holiness. In the pre-word translation from Greek, the word “stra-ti-lat” means “high warrior”, in te-ra-tur-nom per-re-vo-de - “vo-e-vo-da”, “vo-e-na-chal-nik”. Saint Fe-o-dor came from the city of Ev-ha-i-you, now Mar-si-an in the north of Ma-lo-azi-at-sko -th mountain in Turkey. The good news of the Holy Gospel came to these places in the days of the Apostle.

Saint Fe-o-dor was on-de-len from the Gos-po-yes many-gi-mi da-ro-va-ni-ya-mi. Among those around him, you see his natural beauty, great soulful heart, deep knowledge -knowledge of Christian truths, wisdom and beautiful speech. The courage of the saint has become much known after he, with the help of God, killed a huge -th snake, living in the abyss in the vicinity of the city of Ev-ha-i-you. The snake devoured a lot of people and animals, keeping the entire vicinity in fear. Saint Fe-o-dor, without saying anything to anyone, taking with him his usual weapon and having a cross on his chest, moved I'm on my way. Before he reached the field near the place where the serpent warrior of Christ lived, he got off his horse and lay down to rest. In these places lived a certain blessed woman named Ev-se-via. She was pre-cloned let-ta-mi. Several years before this, she used the body of the holy mu-che-nik Fe-do-r Ti-ro-na, who had not burned his neck on the -during the execution, rowed him near his house and every year celebrated his memory on the day of his death -le-niya February 17 (March 2). Blessed Ev-se-via, having seen Fe-o-do-ra Stra-ti-la-ta sleeping in Christ, once bu-di-la him and tried to convince him to leave these places so as not to suffer from the serpent. The courageous warrior of Christ Fe-o-dor told her: “Get away and stand further from this place, and you will see this -lu Christ-sta mo-e-go.” The woman went away and began to pray to the Spa-si-te-lyu for the blessing of the brave one. He turned with a prayer to the Lord and Saint Theo-dor: “The Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from From-of-the-being, who helped me in the battles and allowed me to win against the enemy, You are still the same God “For Christ’s sake, God, send me peace with your holy one.” Saint Fe-o-dor created a miracle, glorifying the name Christ among people. For ot-va-gu, Saint Fe-o-dor was appointed as a chief in the city of Ge-rak-ley near Cher-no-go mo- rya, not far from Ev-ha-it. Here Saint Theo-dor co-ch-talled responsible military service with the apostolic pro-ve-dya Evangelia environment - there are no tongues under him. His fervent faith, strengthened by his personal Christian example, turned many people away from their lips when -you-check. As a result, almost all the lives of Ge-rak-ley accepted Christianity.

At this time, the same hundred years of persecution against Christianity began. Im-per-ra-tor Li-ki-niy (307-324), who died forty of the Se-va-sti-sky mu-che-niks, destroyed his -not on the simple people, but on the enlightened fighters of Christianity, in which they saw serious matters a new threat to the world's language. Having heard about the brave vo-e-na-chal-nik, the im-per-ra-tor wanted to see him and sent his close ones for him. wives. Saint Theodore accepted the words with honor, but did not want to leave his city. Before-seeing the name-per-ra-to-ra, the monk of Christ wanted to suffer in his city, after This is why he told them that he couldn’t leave He-rac-lia right now and asked him to be sorry him. On the day of the arrival of the wicked pra-vi-te-lya, Saint Fe-o-dor was granted a miracle of vi-de-de- nia. While he was praying, he suddenly saw himself in the temple, the roof suddenly opened up, and a heavenly figure rose above the temple light and a voice rang out: “Go ahead, Fe-o-dor, I’m with you!” The fortified linen vi-de-ni-em, the holy monk turned to the Lord with a fervent prayer, asking Him strengthen your strength for the next move. Im-pe-ra-tor came, taking with him gold and silver idols. He treated Saint Fe-o-do-ru favorably, praised him for his good management of the city and his ordered him to bring victims to the idols in front of the people. The saint asked him to leave the idols in his house overnight. Im-pe-ra-tor so-gla-sil-sya. After taking possession of the is-tu-ka-na-mi, Saint Fe-o-dor broke them into many parts and distributed pieces of gold and so on -reb-ra beggar. So he disgraced the vain faith in soulless idols and on the ruins of paganism he affirmed the laws of Christianity. sko-go mi-lo-ser-dia. The martyr of Christ, on the orders of his per-ra-to-ra, was captured and subjected to severe and sophisticated torture. Mu-chi-te-li beat him with the hair-la-mi and tin-vi-ny-mi rods, rubbed his body with a nail- mi and pa-li-li-fire. All this the holy martyr endured with great patience and only repeated: “Glory to You, Bo- it’s ours!” After much, the saint threw himself into that place, and stayed there for five days without food or water, and then -ter-zan-the-holy-nail-to-the-cross and left-for-the-night. I really thought that he would die on the cross that night. One day, the Lord decided to glorify his saint before all the inhabitants of He-rac-lia. In the morning, those who took part in the execution saw the holy man alive and unharmed. Convinced with their own eyes in the infinite power of Christ-an-God, they are right there, not far from the place -one hundred executions have appeared, have received holy baptism. The monk Fe-o-dor kept the living and new people who had believed in Christ from me, telling them: “Re-stand-up, beloved ones! My Lord Jesus Christ, hanging on the cross, restrained the angels, so that they would not commit vengeance against the race of people. ve-che-sko-mu." The monk of Christ freely gave himself into the hands of the mu-chi-te-lei. Going to execution, the saint with one word opened the dungeon doors and freed the prisoners. Lived He-rak-lia, attached to his clothes, were cured of illnesses and freed from be-owls. Before giving himself over to the hands of pa-la-cha, the mu-che-nik Fe-o-dor con-sented his body in a good way to Ev- ha-i-tah in the estate of ro-di-te-ley. He ordered his servant Ua-ru to write all the torments he was subjected to, for the sake of nurturing the -thinking about the Christians. Then the martyr of Christ prayed for a long time and, finally, said the word “Amen” and bowed his honor under the sword -new and holy chapter. The execution took place on February 8 (21), 319, on Saturday, at three o’clock in the afternoon. The people regarded the remains of the mu-che-ni-ka as great, holy ones. On June 8 (21) of the same year they were solemnly but transferred to Ev-ha-i-you. During the transfer of the saint's body, and already in the city itself, many monstrous de-sa to the glory of Christ God, to Him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, honor and worship forever. Amen.

Holy ve-li-ko-mu-che-nik Fe-o-dor Stra-ti-lat, faithful to death to the Lord Jesus Christ, fearless and a sacrificial military leader, a brave soldier, from ancient times he is called the patron of the right-to-glorious but-th military-in-stva.

In memory of Fe-o-do-ra Stra-ti-la-ta temples were built in all right-glorious countries nah. According to your prayers to him, many miracles came from His icons. So the saint, pat-ri-arch of Antio-Khiy (599) and (c. 780) mentioned a miracle that happened in temple of Fe-o-do-ra Stra-ti-la-ta not far from Da-mas-ka in the place of Kar-sa-ta in Syria. When these places were se-ra-tsi-na-mi, the temple was demolished and subsequently subjected to desecration. nu. There were sa-ra-tsi-ns in the building. One day, one of them, taking a bow, shot an arrow at the painted image of St. Fe-o-do on the wall -ra. The arrow hit the saint's right shoulder, and immediately a stream of living blood flowed down the wall. The wicked were surprised by this, but the temple was not okay. In total, about twenty families lived in the church. After some time, they all died for an unknown reason. The pestilence fell on the saints, while their fellow tribes, who lived outside the temple, did not suffer.

See also: in the book of St. Di-mit-ria of Ro-stov.

Kontakion to the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates

With the courage of your soul, embrace the faith/ and the word of God is like taking a copy in your hand, you have defeated the enemy,/ the great martyrs of Theodore,// praying with them to Christ God do not cease for all of us.

Translation: Having armed yourself with spiritual courage and faith and taking the word of God like a spear in your hand, you defeated the enemy, Theodore, glory to the martyrs; with them, do not cease to pray to Christ God for all of us.

Prayer to the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates

Oh, holy, glorious and all-praised Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates! We pray to you before your holy icon: pray with us and for us, servant of God (names), we beseech God in His mercy to mercifully hear us asking for blessings from Him, and to fulfill all our requests for salvation and life. We also pray to you, holy victorious Theodore Stratelates, destroy the forces of the enemies rising against us, visible and invisible. I begging the God of God, the whole creator of the Creator, to delight us from the belief of the torment, and we always glorify the father and the Son and the Holy Soul and your performance, now and in the beliefs of the centuries. Amen.

In the temple of St. Eustathius, the relics of two famous warrior-martyrs are also buried - St. Theodore Tyrone and St. Theodore Stratilates (Warrior).
During the persecution of Christians under Emperor Maximian (286 - 305) in the Pontic city of Amasea (the territory of the north of modern Turkey), Saint Theodore Tyrone, who at that time was a soldier in the Roman army, was demanded to renounce the Christian faith and sacrifice to idols. He refused to do this, after which he was thrown into prison and subjected to severe torture. During his imprisonment, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him, strengthening and comforting the sufferer. He was eventually sentenced to death and burned alive in 305. First he was buried in Euchaite, later the relics were transferred to Constantinople and placed in a church dedicated to him. The head of Saint Theodore Tiron is located in the town of Gaeta in Italy.

About fifty years after his death, the saint performed the miracle that is best known to the Orthodox. During the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), the ruler of Constantinople decided to trick Christians into participating in pagan festivals, and during the first week of Lent, he ordered food sold in the market to be sprinkled with the blood of animals that had been sacrificed to the pagan gods. Saint Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, told about the ruler’s intentions and asked him to tell Christians not to buy defiled food, but instead to prepare kolivo (boiled wheat with honey). Thus, Christians avoided desecration, and every year on the first Saturday of Great Lent the memory of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore is celebrated - a prayer service is served, believers eat kolivo in memory of his intercession.

Saint Theodore Stratilates was a Roman military commander in the army of Emperor Licinius (312 - 324) and military ruler of the city of Heraclea. His service, both military and as a mayor, was very worthy, and Licinius, wishing to honor him publicly, invited him to a pagan festival that was to take place in Nicomedia. Theodore realized that the hour had come when he would have to publicly refuse to bow to the pagan gods and give praise to Christ. The emperor's servants delivered golden idols to the festival site, but Saint Theodore ordered his soldiers to break the idols even before the celebrations began and distribute the fragments to the poor. When this act became known to the emperor, he enragedly called Theodore to him, and Theodore spoke to him about Christ. Licinius sentenced him to death. The saint was scourged and received more than a thousand blows. After this he was crucified and pierced with arrows. During his suffering, he continuously praised God. To the bewilderment of the executioners, he remained alive and died only after being beheaded with a sword on February 8, 319. After Constantine's victory over Licinius and his accession to the throne of the Emperor, the relics of Saint Theodore were transferred from Euchaita (he was buried there next to Saint Theodore Tyrone) to Constantinople and subsequently placed in famous church in Vlaherna. They pray to him as the patron saint of the Orthodox army.

Saint George the New Martyr of Neapolis

The relics of St. George are also located in the Church of St. Eustathius. He lived in the 18th century in the Asia Minor city of Neapolis and was a hieromonk. During the Oryol Uprising of 1770 (a failed attempt to achieve Greek independence during the Russo-Turkish War), Turkish shepherds, dissatisfied with the uprising and irritated by the fact that a priest, that is, the head of the local Christian community, was nearby, killed him when he went to a neighboring village to serve liturgy. They stabbed him with a dagger and threw his body into a field. A few days after his death, he appeared to his family and told them where to look for his remains. After these events, miracles occurred through prayers at his relics.

Temple of the Assumption (Saints Eleutherius and Anthia)

In the Church of the Assumption in the Nea Ionia area there are the relics of the holy martyr Eleutherius, who in the 2nd century suffered a martyr’s death along with his mother Anthia. This Illyrian hierarch of the early Church suffered under the Roman Emperor Hadrian (117 - 138). As stated in the traditional Life, the saint was born in Rome, where his father occupied a high position at court. After the early death of his father, mother Eleutheria Anthia, together with her little son, secretly joined the growing Christian community, helping financially a small group of disciples of the Holy Apostle Paul. According to one legend, she was baptized by the Apostle himself as a girl. One day, Bishop of Rome Anacletus (76 - 88, the third bishop of Rome after Peter and Linus) noticed the piety and nobility of the young man’s manners and decided to help him in receiving upbringing and education. At the age of fifteen, the young man became a deacon, at seventeen a priest, and at twenty a bishop. After his ordination to the episcopate, he went to shepherd the flock of Christ in Avlona (or Valona, ​​which is now called Vlor and is located in the territory of modern Albania). Anthia went there with him. Soon, news of the young miracle-working bishop spread throughout Illyria and Epirus (now northern Greece), and so great was his fame that the Roman authorities became worried and began to put obstacles in his way. He was eventually taken into custody by order of Emperor Hadrian.

One of the centurions who came to take him entered the temple at the moment when Eleutherius was delivering a sermon. After listening to the sermon, this centurion (his name was Felix) wished to become a Christian and asked to be baptized. He was baptized, and then, at the insistence of Eleutherius himself, he carried out the order - he brought the bishop to Rome. Eleutherius was subjected to torture, which was observed by the local ruler Horibus. Seeing that the Saint remained unharmed after being immersed in boiling oil, tortured on a hot iron grid, scourged, and being in a burning oven, the ruler also accepted Christianity. Bishop Eleutherius, the centurion Felix, the governor Choribus, and several other people converted by Eleutherius were beheaded. The bishop's mother Anthia stood over her son's body in prayer. She was captured and her head was also cut off. This happened in 120 AD. It is believed that the holy relics of the mother and son were transported to Avlona by his followers. The Romans still celebrate their feast day on April 18, traditionally considered the day of their martyrdom. The Orthodox service in their honor is held on December 15: on this day in Constantinople, under the Emperor Arcadius (395 - 408), the Church of Saints Eleutherius and Anthia was consecrated.

A particle of the relics of the holy martyr Eleutherius is still available in the Italian town of Reati, where a large Greek community traditionally lived; and the Church of the Assumption in Nea Ionia in Athens is the main place where pilgrims from all over the Orthodox East come to venerate this Saint. They say that in Avlona (now the Albanian town of Vlori) a particle of his relics also still remains, and that miracles still happen through the prayers of the saint. Unfortunately, the location of the relics of the martyr Anthia is unknown, although it is quite possible that there is a particle of them in Vlori.

When French invaders transformed the Parthenon in the 12th century, former cathedral Our Lady of Ateniogassa, in catholic church, one small church in honor of St. Eleutherius was consecrated as Orthodox Cathedral Athens continued to perform this function, and services continued under the Turks. Among other things, in this church the ordination of St. Dionysius from Zakynthos to the rank of bishop took place. It still stands on this site, although it seems tiny compared to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral built in the 19th century, which houses the relics of St. Philothea of ​​Athens and Patriarch Gregory V.

Saints Eleutherius and Anthia are considered the patrons of pregnant women and women in labor. In addition, they pray to Saint Eleutherius for the captives, and to both of these saints for protection from interference demonic forces. The name Eleutherius means “freedom”, and therefore independence fighters during the Greek uprising and Orthodox Christians prayed to him Greek Church in Albania under the yoke of communist atheism.
Bishop Eleutherius should not be confused with Eleutherius the Pope (175 -189), who is said to have sent Christian missionaries to England.

Temple of the Holy Martyr Paraskeva the Roman (Prmts. Paraskeva Roman)

The relics of the holy martyr Paraskeva are located in the area of ​​Athens, which is called “Paraskevi”, in a temple dedicated to her name. She was born into a family of noble Romans around the year 130, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, when belonging to Christian Church was considered a crime. The girl’s parents, Agathon and Politaia, were married for many years without children, so they dedicated the child they had in their declining years to the Lord in gratitude to Heaven. They called for skilled mentors to raise and educate their daughter, and, inspired by the good example of her parents, after their death, she distributed her inheritance to the poor. At the age of twenty, she entered the monastery of Christian virgins - a kind of future monasteries - where she devoted herself to serving God. Having succeeded sufficiently in spiritual life, she left the community and began to preach on the streets of Rome.

Paraskeva was so filled with God's grace and she was so burning in spirit that, according to hagiographers, many people turned to Christ simply by hearing her sermon. It's quite obvious that she was strong personality and influenced many, as the Roman authorities pursued her with indefatigable energy. She managed to escape persecution only by moving to Asia Minor, where she continued to preach in what is now Turkey. Finally, she was captured in Therapia by the soldiers of Emperor Anthony Pius (138 - 61). She was accused not only of insulting the gods, but also of the fact that it was she who became the cause of all the misfortunes that happened to the empire in those days!

Paraskeva was brought to trial before Emperor Anthony, who first tried to persuade her to renounce her faith, and when she refused, he ordered her to be imprisoned and tortured. Daily torture was ineffective, every morning the guards again and again found her in good health, without any traces of torture, on the contrary, she was cheerful and cheerful, as if nothing had happened. Seeing this, the ruler ordered her to be thrown into a cauldron with boiling resin, oil and water. Before his eyes, she was immersed in this boiling mixture up to her neck, but she behaved as if this liquid was barely warm. He thought that it was all his soldiers’ fault, their careless attitude to work, and began to scold them. He demanded that Paraskeva splash some of the mixture on him. She obeyed and splashed her palm at him. The boiling tar and oil blinded him. He began to beg her for help, promising to become a Christian if she restored his sight. She left the cauldron, went to the nearest source and, after praying, washed his eyes with spring water. His vision returned to him, after which he, as promised, was baptized and stopped the persecution.

Paraskeva returned to her apostolic activities, but during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the successor of Emperor Anthony, she was again taken into custody and this time beheaded by order of the heir to the throne, Tarasius, on July 26, 180. Later, her relics were transferred to Constantinople, and during the Exchange of Populations in 1922, part of them ended up in Athens.

Pendeli Monastery (St. Timothy of Pendeli)

Timothy was born in the middle of the 16th century in the town of Kalamos in the family of a cleric and was educated in Athens under the patronage of Bishop Oropov. He accepted the priesthood, and after the death of his benefactor became his successor in the episcopal see. Then he was appointed archbishop of Euripos (Chalkis) and reorganized the metropolitanate of Chalkis. A virtuous man, an energetic, brilliant figure, by 1565 he became a guiding star for local Christians on the path to salvation. At that time, the notorious Sultan Selim II (1566 - 1574) sat on the Turkish throne, and many churches in Constantinople were confiscated for mosques. Khoka Sadddin, the teacher of Selim II's son Murad III, boasted that "those churches that were within the city [of Constantinople] were freed from vile idols, from the filth of idolatrous impurities, and after the faces were erased from their images, and in themselves the temples began to sound muslim prayers and sermons, many monasteries and chapels can be the envy of the Eden Gardens themselves." Such an attitude towards churches was prevalent, therefore in Khalkis, most likely, there was also a constant threat of confiscation of churches. Focusing on the anti-Christian policy of Constantinople and fearing the growing popularity and influence of the Archbishop, Pasha Khalkis in 1570 ordered Timothy to be taken into custody, but Nurbana, the beloved wife from Selim's harem, the mother of his son and heir Murad III, ordered to secretly warn the Archbishop, and he fled with his deacon and several priests to Mount Pendeli, near Athens .

Mount Pendeli is located 20 kilometers from the center of Athens and has a height of 430 meters. For centuries it gave shelter to ascetic hermits who lived here in caves and small monasteries. In such a place, Timothy could be just one of the many monks there. As one author writes, “sometimes monks had to live side by side with thieves, but the thieves did not bother them, because, firstly, they had nothing to steal, and, secondly, the thieves saw their piety and holy life. Some of these the criminals even repented and became monks themselves.” On Mount Pendeli there was a monastery of St. George Kikinaris, St. John of the Quarries, Holy Archangels, St. Petra and Davela Cave.

Coming to Mount Pendeli for the first time, Saint Timothy settled near the small Church of the Holy Trinity, the building of which today is a monastery chapel. Then he went down a little lower and began to live on the site of an ancient abandoned monastery. There, under one of the olive trees, he found an icon of the Mother of God and took it as a sign from above, indicating the need to revive ancient monastery. From the day of its foundation, this monastery was under the protection of a firman issued on behalf of the Sultan and his successors (more lenient than Selim), although local rulers sometimes (for example, in 1688 - 1690) ignored the firman, turning a blind eye to the plunder of the monastery. After 1821, the Pendeli monastery, which was previously stauropegial (that is, subordinate directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople), came under the jurisdiction of the Athens diocese. Unfortunately, the icon of the Mother of God, carefully preserved since the day it was found by St. Timothy in 1570, was stolen in 1966 and has not been found since then.
The restoration and construction of the monastery buildings was completed in 1578, after which it was consecrated in honor of the Dormition Mother of God. People who wanted to live an ordinary life began to come to the monastery. monastic life, and Saint Timothy moved to the church of St. George Gargetos not far from there, and then even further, to another church of St. George in Vravona. There, one Turkish woman who converted to Christianity donated some kind of food to St. Timothy land plot after he saved her children from pirates. As stated in the chronicles of the Pendeli Monastery, local Turks and other neighbors were unhappy with the fact of the donation. It seems that in addition to this, there were also tensions between St. Timothy and St. Philotheus, because, as one local historian writes, wanting to settle the issue of the donated land and “put an end to the disagreements between himself and St. Philothea, St. Timothy retired to the island of Kea (Zia) and built there the monastery of St. Great Martyr Panteleimon.” For some time he lived on this island in a cave, near which to this day a wonderful spring associated with his name appears from time to time. He rested on the island of Kea on August 16, 1590, a year and a half after the death of St. Filofei.

Of the relics of Saint Timothy, only the head has survived. It is kept in the chapel of St. Timothy, which is located to the left of the Church of the Assumption, in the courtyard. The head exudes a subtle fragrance. Through the intercession of Saint Timothy, many miracles took place. Twice the Athenians escaped from epidemics of plague and cholera after procession with his relics.

During times Turkish yoke The Pendeli monastery set up a school for rebel children in its caves. After the declaration of Greek independence in 1821, it served as a regular public school until 1920. Pendeli monks actively participated in the War of Independence of 1821. Twenty-two of them took part in the “Battle of Small Bridges”, as well as in the siege of the Acropolis, where the abbot of the monastery was wounded.

Both the monastery and the cave in which the school was located are open to visitors. There is also a small museum in the cave.

Temple of Agia Dynamis

The 17th-century chapel of Ayia Dynamis (Holy Power), located on the corner of Pendeli and Metropolis streets in the southwestern part, is associated with the Pendeli Monastery and the 1821 War of Independence. During the Turkish yoke, many valuable items church utensils and monastic archives were hidden in an underground passage under the temple of Agia Dynamis. Unfortunately, the Turks discovered and plundered this cache. Later, with the approval of the Turkish ruler Ali Haseki (1775 - 1795), the parish of the monastery participated in the production of gunpowder and bullets for the defenders of Athens. In the 19th century, ammunition was smuggled through the underground passage under the temple of Ayia Dynamis for Greek rebels. On the night of April 25, 1821, the rebels, including the Pendeli monks, began a siege of the Acropolis - the fleeing Turks hid there. The monks even offered their books and archives for the manufacture of wads, which were used to stuff the barrels of guns and guns in battle.

Byzantine Museum

The Byzantine Museum is located in a beautiful Florentine-style building near Syntagma Square. It houses an extensive and beautiful collection of Christian art from the 4th to 19th centuries. Among the museum's exhibits are icons from all periods of the Byzantine era, examples of early Byzantine sculpture, and even one small early Christian basilica. There are also relief images (bronze, gold and silver), as well as well-preserved mosaics and frescoes.

Rizarios Old Church School (St. Nektarios of Aegina)

Not far from the Byzantine Museum is the old church school of Rizarios, which was headed by St. Nektarios of Aegina from 1894 to 1908. This building now houses the school's administrative offices; the school itself moved to the Halandri area. This church school is one of many in Greece where boys 12-18 years old can receive an Orthodox education and study church subjects in addition to secular school subjects. Many students here prepare to enter the ecclesiastical educational institutions and to taking orders. Next to the administrative building of the school there is the Church of St. George, built in 1834, in which St. Nektarios celebrated liturgy for many years. Some of his personal belongings and a portion of his relics are kept in this church. The church is open daily.

Mount Himettus and Kessariani Monastery

Mount Himettus is only a twenty-minute bus ride from the center of Athens, but peace and cleanliness reign here, so dear to the heart of a pilgrim exhausted by city noise and dust. The forested mountainside gives a vivid picture of the appearance of Athens throughout its history. Back in the forties and fifties of the 20th century, shepherds with pipes, as in ancient times, grazed their flocks here. Bees still hover here, collecting nectar from thyme inflorescences. The Athenians call any honey "hymettus", but the most aromatic and delicious is that taken from the hives on the slope of this mountain.

Kessariani Monastery dedicated to the Entry into the Temple Holy Mother of God, built in the 11th century on the site ancient temple Apollo, who is more late times of the classical era was a temple of the goddess Aphrodite. The church has preserved Ionic columns and the floor of that time, which organically fit into the appearance of the monastery. The monastery of Kessariani is perfectly preserved. This is a Byzantine era monastery in its purest form, without any significant changes; even the Catholicon has been preserved ( main church, cathedral) of the 11th century. The cathedral is made in the shape of a cross and is crowned with a dome standing on four columns. The dome is decorated with an icon of Christ Pantocrator, the walls of the apse are painted with frescoes depicting Divine Liturgy. The arch of the northern facade is a striking example of the excellent art of Byzantine masons. The narthex and nave are decorated with 17th-century frescoes by the famous icon painter Ioannis Hypatios. The customer of these frescoes was Nicholas Benizelos (one of the members of the Benizelos family into which Saint Philothea was born a century earlier). Adjacent to the cathedral is a small chapel of St. Anthony.

The monastery buildings are located around courtyard. The cathedral is located in the eastern part, the refectory and kitchen are in the western, and in the southern part there is a bathhouse (previously it was an oil press), which was adjacent to a two-story building with monastic cells. In all likelihood, the monastery reached its peak in the 13th century, although even during the Turkish yoke it was known as a center of spiritual enlightenment and learning. Unfortunately, these days Kessariani is only a museum. Despite this, the beauty of its buildings, preserved with such care, and the surrounding nature - a mountain slope covered with forests and flowers - radiate peace and tranquility, testifying to the centuries-old presence of prayer monks.

He was born in 1745 in the Yaroslavl province. His parents belonged to an ancient, poor family. But everyone in the area knew and respected them as Christian believers. WITH youth The youth Theodore was particularly courageous, so together with his peers they went into the forest to hunt a bear. However, in ordinary life he was distinguished by modesty and compliance. When he turned 16, he was taken to the Senate Armorial Office for presentation, after which he was enrolled in the Naval Cadet Corps. He studied well and was particularly diligent. After completing his training, he was sworn in.
He began to serve in the Baltic Fleet. During the Russian-Turkish War, he won a number of brilliant victories. After that, he took command of the port and the city of Sevastopol, and began building barracks for sailors, because They lived mainly in barracks and huts, where there were no conditions. That’s why they often got sick and died. Saint Theodore was also involved in the construction of roads, supplying the city with water and provisions, and built churches. We have received information that he always attended Matins, Mass and Vespers every day.
In 1793, the rear admiral was personally called to St. Petersburg by Catherine the Second, who wished to see the hero. After the accession to the throne of Paul the First, Theodore Ushakov began his famous Mediterranean campaign. One of the first tasks was the liberation of the Ionian Islands, which are located along Greece, the most important of which was the island of Corfu. Saint Theodore addressed an appeal to his Greek brothers, asking them to help them free the islands from the godless French. In 1799 the islands were liberated. For this victory, Paul the First awarded him the rank of full admiral.
Feodor Ushakov also supported Alexander Suvorov, who at the same time was crushing the French in Northern Italy. In the same year, our troops both on land and on water took the city of Bari, where they served a thanksgiving prayer service to St. Nicholas, and then entered Rome.
As you know, in 1801 Paul the First was killed, and Alexander the First ascended the throne. Soon, Admiral Feodor Ushakov was transferred to St. Petersburg, appointed chief commander of the Baltic Training Fleet, as well as head of naval teams in St. Petersburg. After 5 years, he submitted his resignation to the emperor. And then he moved to the village of Alekseevka near the Sanaksar Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery. After some time, he accepted the monastic rank with the name Theodore in this monastery, where he lived until his death in 1817.

The Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates is revered as the patron saint of the Orthodox army.

Biography

Scientific approach to life

In ancient Russian literature, there are three versions of the life of Theodore Stratilates, which experts call the “short”, “complete” and “Slavic version”.

These three lives are translated from Greek and constitute a hagiography-martyrium.

In ancient Russian manuscripts this work was most often called “The Torment of St. Theodore Stratelates” and began with the words:

A short version of his life tells about the tortures that the saint endured on the orders of King Licinius. It describes the events of Theodore's martyrdom, while the saint dies on the cross and is resurrected by an Angel.

IN full version life, the text coincides with the short version almost word for word, but after describing the merits of Fyodor, this version includes an episode of the meeting with the Christian Eustathia and the victory over the monstrous serpent.

After the description of this event, the text of the short version of the life continues from the moment of the arrival of the ambassadors sent by Licinius.

These two versions of the life are translations of the Greek originals, of which there were also two, and they also differed in the mentioned episode. These versions of the text have been preserved and are kept in the Vatican Apostolic Library (full - No. 1993, short - No. 1245).

The first list in Slavic is short version, which is included in Yagich's Chrysostom, dating from the beginning of the 14th century.

But in the general manuscript tradition, the full version of the legend is much more common, which begins like this:

The third version is a translation of the Greek text of the life, which was included in the collection of Damascene Studites “Treasures” (Greek: ????????) of the 16th century, translated by Arseny the Greek.

Apparently this text was copied into the collection of A.I. Anisimov, who called it the “Slavic version.” Later, in 1715, this work of the Damascene Studite was completely translated by Feodor Gerasimov Poletaev.

In this work, the title of the life looks like this: “The torment of the holy glorious great martyr Theodore Stratilates, laid on common language the last subdeacon and Studite among the monks of Damascus,” which begins with the words:

The combination and translation of these versions was carried out by Dmitry Rostovsky, whose works were published in 1689-1705 and were considered the most successful.

This book lately reprinted once a decade, the last reprint was in 1998 (volume 7 - February).

The translation of Greek texts itself often led to confusion of texts in some translations, which was a problem not only for Slavic translators. The problem was the proximity of Saints Theodore - Tyrone and Stratilates - they were both revered as Christian warriors, lived in the same area at the same time, each defeated his own serpent, and were patrons of the army Byzantine Empire.

In addition, the texts of the lives of the mentioned saints are read close to each other: firstly, the celebration of the memory of the saints in the calendar was located nearby, some of the Menaions are composed in such a way that the stories about the saints follow each other. Therefore, when reading the lives of saints at home, in the mind of the reader (scribe, translator), these stories were intertwined and there are errors in copying and translation. Secondly, during the reading of Chrysostom, these lives are read side by side and can be perceived by listeners as a single whole.

In some cultures, the features of saints penetrate each other; scientists give an example of a Georgian translation, in which there is only one martyr, and his name is “Theodore Stratilon”. The serpent-wrestling of Theodore Stratilon is described based on the life of Theodore Stratelates, and the torment and death of the character coincide with the Greek text of the life of Theodore Tyrone. There are texts by Chrysostom in which Theodore Tiron is called “Stratiot”. There are also apocryphal texts in which Tyrone is credited with the military rank of strategos, which is an inconsistency ("Tiron" is translated as recruit).

Additional confusion is brought about by folk signs on the day of Theodore Stratelates - according to the life of Theodore Tyrone, it is he, and not Theodore Stratelates, who strikes the snake that guards the drinking spring.

Scientific studies of the saint's life share this error; the academic edition of the History of Russian Literature of 1941 contains the text:

This is a mistake, since Tyrone saves his mother, and Eusebia warns Stratelates. Also in scientific research There is confusion with the dates of commemoration of saints and the texts of readings on these days.

Troparion, tone 4:

By true warfare, more passion-bearing,
You were a good commander of the Heavenly King, Theodore;
You have wisely armed yourself with weapons of faith,
And you defeated the demons of the shelf,
And you, the sufferer, appeared victorious.
Likewise, by faith
We will always please

Kontakion, voice 2:

I embraced faith with the courage of my soul
And the word of God, like a copy, is held in hand,
You defeated the enemy, the great martyrs Theodora,
Don’t stop praying to Christ God with them for all of us.

Greatness

We magnify you,
Passion-bearing Saint Theodore,
And we honor your honest suffering,
even you suffered for Christ.

Moreover, almost all Byzantine and Old Russian images of saints depict them in such a way that the differences between them become obvious. The hagiographic icon of Theodore Stratilates, which is kept in the Novgorod Museum, depicts both saints.

A.I. Anisimov expressed the following opinion on this issue:

Events of the life of the saint

According to life, Theodore was a talented, brave and handsome young man. The events that glorified Theodore took place during the reign of Emperor Licinius. During this period there was extensive persecution of Christians, but the emperor, seeing that most of them were happy to die for their faith, began to persecute high-ranking Christians first. Theodore shared the fate of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia and other martyrs from among the emperor’s entourage.

Theodore was born in the city of Euchait (Asia Minor) and served in the imperial army. The fame of his military prowess spread after he killed a serpent who lived near Euchaitis. According to legend, this snake lived in a hole in a deserted field, which was located north of the city. Once a day he got out of there and at that moment any animal or person could become his victim. Having had his fill, he returned to his lair.

Theodore, without notifying anyone of his intentions, decided to rid the city of this monster and marched against him with his usual weapons. Arriving at the field, he wanted to rest in the grass, but he was awakened by the elderly Christian woman Eusevia. Eusebia, in whose house the relics of Theodore Tyrone were buried, warned him of the danger. Theodore prayed, mounted his horse, and challenged the serpent to battle. After the Serpent crawled out of the underground shelter, Theodore's horse jumped on him with its hooves and the rider struck him.

Residents of the city who saw the snake's body associated the feat with Theodore's faith and were amazed at the power of Christianity. After this, he was appointed military commander (stratilate) in the city of Heraclea, where he actively preached Christianity. Most the townspeople were converted by him to Christian faith. This was reported to Emperor Licinius, who sent dignitaries after him, who invited Theodore to his place. In response, Theodore invited the emperor to Heraclea, promising to arrange a magnificent sacrifice to the pagan gods there.

For this purpose, the emperor arrived in the city with eight thousand soldiers; many gold and silver statues of Hellenic gods were brought. Theodore asked to take them overnight for a personal sacrifice, promising in the morning next day worship the gods in public. At night he broke the statues of the gods and distributed the parts to the poor. The next morning, the imperial centurion Maxentius revealed Theodore's deception to the emperor:

The emperor was shocked, and Theodore Stratilates explained his actions by faith in Christ and disbelief in pagan gods. During the dialogue, Theodore proved to Licinius the correctness of his faith and the incorrectness of the emperor’s beliefs. The emperor was offended and ordered the execution of the disobedient military leader. After this, the saint was subjected to many days of torture, he was flogged, he was burned with fire and torn with iron claws. Theodore was then imprisoned and starved for five days, then blinded and crucified. According to legend, thanks to God’s intercession, an angel came to Theodore at night and the warrior became unharmed.

As a result of this miracle, the entire city believed in Christ and the residents tried to intercede for their stratilate. Stratilates stopped the civil strife with a sermon; according to legend, he freed prisoners and healed the sick.

After this, Theodore gave his final orders on various issues, including the location of his burial. After additional prayer, he voluntarily went to execution. He was beheaded by the sword on February 8, 319. His body, according to his last will, was buried in his hometown of Evkhait, where he was transferred on June 8.

The biography of Theodore Stratilates was recorded by his servant and scribe Uar, who was an eyewitness to the events and the executor of his last will.

Mention of a saint

There are legends about miracles associated with Theodore Stratelates.

Syria Damascus Anastasius Sinaite John of Damascus Svyatoslav Igorevich

Iconography of Theodore Stratilates

Theodore Stratilates is depicted in plate armor, most often in right hand he holds a spear, which is depicted vertically (unlike Theodore Tyrone, whose spear is placed diagonally in the picture). Also, a shield (mostly round) is often depicted on icons; Russian icon painters later began to paint a shield from the time of Dmitry Donskoy. In addition, there are icons in which Theodore Stratelates holds a cross. Much less common are icons in which a sword is depicted in the hands of a saint. Much less common are icons in which Theodore is depicted riding a horse. This is mainly an eastern tradition; it has some peculiarities of icon painting - a small Saracen is depicted on Theodore’s horse, as well as on the icons of St. George the Victorious. This Saracen is the embodiment of those Arabs who are at one with the saint. The color of the horse under Saint Theodore on Coptic icons is depicted as white, sometimes as a dun or a nightingale.

Feodor Ioannovich Irina Feodorovna Godunova

1. Temple icon of the Feodorovsky Cathedral of the Feodorovsky Monastery.
2. Temple icon of the Church of Theodore Stratilates on the Stream in the second quarter of the 16th century.
3. Icon from Kalbensteinberg
4. Pskovskaya or Novgorod icon of unknown origin, third quarter of the 16th century, stored in the State Russian Museum
5. Temple icon of the Fedorov chapel of the Church of St. John the Climacus of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, made around 1572.

It is believed that the prototype for the icons that are in the Russian Museum (No. 4, 5) was the icon of the Feodorovsky Monastery.

Memory of Theodore Stratelates

There are streets and settlements that bear the name of the saint. Special veneration St. Theodore in the city of Kostroma, which was restored in 1239 by Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Then he erected the wooden church of Theodore Stratelates in the center of the city.

There are a certain number of monasteries and churches that were erected in honor of Theodore Stratilates, and there are also churches in which a particle of the saint’s relics is kept.