What time does the Holy Fire light up? Descent of the Holy Fire

In Three cases when the Holy Fire did not want to descend according to the will and ambitions of individual individuals.

Ancient time

Disagreements between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople began long before 1054, but it was in 1054 that Pope Leo IX sent legates led by Cardinal Humbert to Constantinople to resolve the conflict. It was not possible to find a path to reconciliation, and on July 16, 1054, in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, the papal legates announced the deposition of Patriarch Michael Kirularius and his excommunication from the Church.

In response to this, on July 20, the patriarch anathematized the legates. There was a split in the Christian Church, Roman Catholic Church in the West with its center in Rome and the Orthodox - in the East with its center in Constantinople.

For several centuries Jerusalem was under control Eastern Church. And there was not a single case when the Holy Fire did not descend on Christians.

In 1099, Jerusalem was conquered by the Crusaders. The Roman Church, having received the support of dukes and barons and considering the Orthodox to be apostates, began to literally trample on their rights and Orthodox faith. Orthodox Christians were forbidden to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, they were expelled from churches, property and church buildings were taken away from them, they were humiliated and oppressed, even to the point of torture.

This is how the English historian Stephen Runciman describes this moment in his book “The Fall of Constantinople”: “The first Latin patriarch Arnold of Choquet started unsuccessfully: he ordered the expulsion of the sects of heretics (ed: Orthodox Christians) from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then he became torture Orthodox monks, asking where they keep the Cross and other relics...".

A few months later Arnold was succeeded on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa, who went even further. He tried to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox Christians, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and allow only Latins there, completely depriving the rest of the church buildings in or near Jerusalem...

God's retribution would soon strike. In 1101, on Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not occur until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians.

Middle Ages

In 1578, after another change of the Turkish mayor of Jerusalem, the Armenian priests agreed with the newly-minted “mayor” that the right to receive the Holy Fire instead of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem would be given to a representative Armenian Church. At the call of the Armenian clergy, many of their fellow believers came to Jerusalem from all over the Middle East to celebrate Easter alone...

On Holy Saturday 1579, Orthodox Patriarch Sophrony IV and the clergy were not allowed into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They stood in front of the closed doors of the Temple from the outside. The Armenian clergy entered the Edicule and began to pray to the Lord for the descent of the Fire. But their prayers were not heard.

Standing at closed doors Orthodox priests of the temple also turned to the Lord with prayers. Suddenly a noise was heard, the column located to the left of the closed doors of the Temple cracked, Fire came out of it and lit candles in the hands of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. With great joy, the Orthodox priesthood entered the Temple and glorified the Lord. Traces of the descent of Fire can still be seen on one of the columns located to the left of the entrance.

This was the only case in history when the descent took place outside the Temple, actually through the prayers of the Orthodox, and not the Armenian high priest. “Everyone rejoiced, and the Orthodox Arabs began to jump for joy and shout: “You are our only God, Jesus Christ, our only true faith- the faith of Orthodox Christians,” wrote the monk Parthenius.

The Turkish authorities were very angry with the arrogant Armenians, and at first they even wanted to execute the hierarch, but later they had mercy and ordered him, as a warning about what happened at the Easter ceremony, to always follow Orthodox Patriarch and henceforth not take direct part in receiving the Holy Fire.

Although the government has long since changed, the custom continues to this day. By the way, this was not the only attempt by the Muslim authorities to prevent the descent of the Holy Fire. Here is what the famous Islamic historian al-Biruni (IX-X centuries) writes: “...once the governor ordered the wicks of copper wire to be replaced, hoping that the lamps would not light up and the miracle itself would not happen. But then, when the fire died down, the copper caught fire.”
XX century

According to traditions that have taken root over 2000 years, the obligatory participants in the sacrament of the descent of the Holy Fire are the abbot and the monks of the Lavra Saint Sava Sanctified and local Orthodox Arabs.

On Holy Saturday, half an hour after the sealing of the Edicule, Arab Orthodox youth, screaming, stomping, drumming, sitting astride each other, rush into the Temple and begin singing and dancing. There is no evidence about the time when this ritual was established. The cries and songs of the Arab youth represent ancient prayers on Arabic turned to Christ and Mother of God, Which is asked to beg the Son to send Fire to St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East.

According to oral traditions, during the years of British rule over Jerusalem (1918-1947), the English governor once tried to ban “savage” dances. The Patriarch of Jerusalem prayed for two hours: The fire did not go down. Then the Patriarch ordered with his will to let in the Arab youth. After they performed the ritual, the Fire descended...

Because it comes down from heaven only on Orthodox Easter Holy Fire(provided that an Orthodox patriarch serves in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher Orthodox calendar), God testifies to the truth of the Orthodox faith, the Orthodox Church.

A little history:

In response to this, on July 20, the patriarch anathematized the legates. There was a split in the Christian Church, into the Roman Catholic Church in the West, centered in Rome, and the Orthodox Church in the East, centered in Constantinople.

For several centuries, Jerusalem was under the control of the Eastern Church. And there was not a single case when the Holy Fire did not descend on Christians.

In 1099, Jerusalem was conquered by the Crusaders. The Roman Church, having received the support of dukes and barons and considering the Orthodox as apostates, began to literally trample on their rights and the Orthodox faith. Orthodox Christians were forbidden to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, they were expelled from churches, property and church buildings were taken away from them, they were humiliated and oppressed, even to the point of torture.

This is how the English historian Stephen Runciman describes this moment in his book “The Fall of Constantinople”:

“The first Latin Patriarch Arnold of Choquet started unsuccessfully: he ordered the expulsion of the heretical sects (ed: Orthodox Christians) from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, then he began to torture Orthodox monks, trying to find out where they kept the Cross and other relics...”.

Middle Ages

In 1578, after the next change of the Turkish mayor of Jerusalem, the Armenian priests agreed with the newly-minted “mayor” that the right to receive the Holy Fire instead of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem would be given to a representative of the Armenian Church. At the call of the Armenian clergy, many of their fellow believers came to Jerusalem from all over the Middle East to celebrate Easter alone...

The Orthodox priests standing at the closed doors of the Temple also turned to the Lord with prayers. Suddenly a noise was heard, the column located to the left of the closed doors of the Temple cracked, Fire came out of it and lit candles in the hands of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. With great joy, the Orthodox priesthood entered the Temple and glorified the Lord. Traces of the descent of Fire can still be seen on one of the columns located to the left of the entrance.

This was the only case in history when the descent took place outside the Temple, actually through the prayers of the Orthodox, and not the Armenian high priest.

“Everyone rejoiced, and the Orthodox Arabs began to jump for joy and shout: “You are our one God, Jesus Christ, our one true faith is the faith of Orthodox Christians,” wrote the monk Parthenius.

The Turkish authorities were very angry with the arrogant Armenians, and at first they even wanted to execute the hierarch, but later they had mercy and decided to edify him about what happened at the Easter ceremony to always follow the Orthodox Patriarch and henceforth not take direct part in receiving the Holy Fire.

HE SAW A MIRACLE...

141st Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem III. Full title: His Beatitude and All-Holiness Cyrus Theophilus, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine, Syria, Arabia, Jordan, Cana of Galilee and Holy Zion. Once a year, at a service held in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Holy Saturday, on the eve of Orthodox Easter, at exactly 12:55 he, together with the Armenian archimandrite, enters the Holy Sepulcher. There, kneeling before the Bed of the Savior, they read a prayer, after which they light their bundles of candles from the fire that miraculously appeared, and bring it out to the waiting people.

XX century

According to traditions that have taken root over 2000 years, the obligatory participants in the sacrament of the descent of the Holy Fire are the abbot, the monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified and local Orthodox Arabs.

On Holy Saturday, half an hour after the sealing of the Edicule, Arab Orthodox youth, screaming, stomping, drumming, sitting astride each other, rush into the Temple and begin singing and dancing. There is no evidence about the time when this ritual was established. The exclamations and songs of the Arab youth are ancient prayers in Arabic, addressed to Christ and the Mother of God, who is asked to beg the Son to send Fire, to St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East.

According to oral traditions, during the years of British rule over Jerusalem (1918–1947), the English governor once tried to ban “savage” dances. The Patriarch of Jerusalem prayed for two hours: The fire did not go down. Then the Patriarch ordered with his will to let in the Arab youth. After they performed the ritual, the Fire descended...

And here is what the English historian Stephen Runciman writes about the persecution of Orthodox Christians after the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099.

The facts are based on Western chronicles: “The first Latin Patriarch Arnold of Choquet started unsuccessfully: he ordered the expulsion of heretical sects from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then he began to torture Orthodox monks, trying to find out where they kept the Cross and other relics... A few months later Arnold was replaced on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa... He tried to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and allow only Latins there, generally depriving the rest of the church buildings in or near Jerusalem... God's retribution soon struck: already in 1101 On Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not occur until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians...”
They also talk about one case. The Holy Fire did not appear on sad Easter in 1923. At this time, Patriarch Tikhon was removed from the administration of the Russian Orthodox Church.
One day, the Turks, who captured Jerusalem, forbade the Orthodox to serve, and those who were not allowed into the temple stood at its entrance, crying and praying - the Holy Fire suddenly burst out of one of the columns of the temple, watering the Orthodox people.

This crack in the column, formed contrary to all the laws of nature, still serves as evidence of the triumph of Orthodoxy.

For nearly two thousand years, Orthodox Christians have met their greatest holiday- The Resurrection of Christ (Easter) in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Every time, everyone who is inside and nearby the Temple witnesses the descent of the Holy Fire on Easter.

The Holy Fire has been appearing in the temple for more than a millennium. The earliest mentions of the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ are found in Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Silvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. They also contain descriptions of earlier convergences. According to the testimony of the Apostles and Holy Fathers, the uncreated Light illuminated the Holy Sepulcher shortly after the Resurrection of Christ, which one of the Apostles saw: “Peter presented himself to the Sepulcher and the light in vain was horrified in the tomb,” writes St. John of Damascus. Eusebius Pamphilus narrates in his " Church history"that when one day there was not enough lamp oil, Patriarch Narcissus (2nd century) gave his blessing to pour water from the Pool of Siloam into the lamps, and the fire that came down from heaven lit the lamps, which then burned throughout the entire Easter service.

The litany (church ceremony) of the Holy Fire begins approximately one day before Orthodox Easter. Pilgrims begin to gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, wanting to see with their own eyes the descent of the Holy Fire. Among those present there are always many heterodox Christians, Muslims, and atheists; the ceremony is monitored by the Jewish police. The temple itself can accommodate up to 10 thousand people, the entire area in front of it and the enfilade of surrounding buildings are also filled with people - the number of people willing is much greater than the capacity of the temple, so it can be difficult for pilgrims.

A lamp filled with oil, but without fire, is placed in the middle of the bed of the Life-Giving Sepulcher. Pieces of cotton wool are laid out throughout the bed, and tape is laid along the edges. Thus prepared, after inspection by the Turkish guards, and now by the Jewish police, the Edicule (Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher) is closed and sealed by the local Muslim key keeper.

Before the descent, the temple begins to be illuminated by bright flashes of the Holy Light, small lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion you can clearly see that they are coming from different places the temple - from the icon hanging over the Edicule, from the dome of the Temple, from the windows and from other places, and flood everything around with bright light. In addition, here and there, between the columns and walls of the temple, quite visible lightning, which often pass without any harm through standing people.

A moment later, the entire temple turns out to be surrounded by lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading across the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, the candles of those standing in the temple and in the square are lit, and the lamps located on the sides of the Edicule are lit (with the exception of 13 Catholic ones). The temple or its individual places are filled with an unparalleled radiance, which is believed to have first appeared during the Resurrection of Christ. At the same time, the doors of the Tomb open and the Orthodox Patriarch emerges, blessing those gathered and distributing the Holy Fire.

How does the Holy Fire light up in the Holy Sepulcher?

"...The most vivid description dates back to 1892, where a wonderful picture of the ignition of the Holy Fire is given from the words of the Patriarch. He said that sometimes, entering the Edicule, and not having time to read the prayer, he already saw how the marble coffin slab was covered with small multi-colored beads, like small pearls. And the stove itself began to emit an even light. The Patriarch swept away these pearls with a piece of cotton wool, which merged like drops of oil. He felt the warmth in the cotton wool, and with it the wick flared up, like gunpowder. The slab is first covered with cotton wool. According to eyewitnesses, this is sometimes done by non-believers to eliminate doubts on this matter.

There is also other evidence. The Metropolitan of Trans-Jordan, who received the Holy Fire more than once, said that when he entered the Edicule, the lamp standing on the Tomb was burning. And sometimes - no, then he fell and with tears began to ask for mercy from God, and when he rose, the lamp was already burning. From it he lit two bunches of candles, carried them out and gave the fire to the people waiting for him. But he himself never saw the fire light up.

After the Patriarch leaves the Edicule, or rather he is taken to the Altar, the people rush inside the Tomb to venerate. The whole slab is wet, as if it had been wet by rain." Excerpt taken from the book: Holy Fire over the Holy Sepulcher, 1991.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire does not burn for the first minutes after the descent. Here's what they write:

“Yes, and I, a sinful slave from the Metropolitan’s hands, lit 20 candles in one place and burned my candles with all those candles, and not a single hair curled or burned; and having extinguished all the candles and then lit them from other people, I warmed those candles, so and on the third day I too lit those candles, and then without touching anything, not a single hair was scorched or writhed, and I am damned, not believing that the heavenly fire and the message of God, and so I lit my candles three times and extinguished, and before Metropolitan and before all the Greeks said goodbye to him for blaspheming God's power and he called the fire of heaven, which the Greeks make sorcery, and not God’s creation; and the Metropolitan blessed me with all his forgiveness and blessings." The life and journey to Jerusalem and Egypt of Kazan resident Vasily Yakovlevich Gagara (1634-1637).

"Father Georgy films everything with a video camera, takes photographs. I also take a few pictures. We have ten packs of candles prepared with us. I extend my hand with candles to the burning bundles in people’s hands, I light them. I scoop up this flame with my palm, it is large, warm, light - light yellow, I hold my hand on fire - it doesn’t burn! I bring it to my face, the flame licks my beard, nose, eyes, I feel only warmth and a gentle touch - it doesn’t burn!!!" Priest from Novosibirsk.

“It’s amazing... At first, the Fire doesn’t burn, it’s just warm. They wash themselves with it, rub it over the face, apply it to the chest - and nothing. There was a case when one nun’s apostolate caught fire, and there was no trace left. Another burned through her cassock. She carried it home with a hole, but when I came, there was no hole.” Archimandrite Bartholomew (Kalugin), monk of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1983.

“I try to take Fire in my palm and find that it is material. You can touch it, in your palm it feels like a material substance, it is soft, neither hot nor cold.” Parishioner of the Church of St. Nicholas in Biryulyovo Natalia.

The people who are in the temple at this time are overwhelmed with an indescribable and incomparable in its depth feeling of joy and spiritual peace. According to those who visited the square and the temple itself when the fire descended, the depth of feelings overwhelming the people at that moment was fantastic - eyewitnesses left the temple as if born again, as they themselves say - spiritually cleansed and cleared of sight.

Many non-Orthodox people, when they first hear about the Holy Fire, try to reproach the Orthodox: how do you know that it was given specifically to you? What if he had been received by a different representative? Christian denomination? However, attempts to forcefully challenge the right to receive the Holy Fire from representatives of other faiths have happened more than once.

The most significant incident occurred in 1579. The owners of the Temple of the Lord are simultaneously representatives of several Christian Churches. The priests of the Armenian Church, contrary to tradition, managed to bribe Sultan Murat the Truthful and the local mayor to allow them to individually celebrate Easter and receive the Holy Fire. At the call of the Armenian clergy, many of their co-religionists came to Jerusalem from all over the Middle East to celebrate Easter alone. The Orthodox, together with Patriarch Sophrony IV, were removed not only from the edicule, but also from the Temple in general. There, at the entrance to the shrine, they remained to pray for the descent of the Fire, grieving over their separation from Grace. The Armenian Patriarch prayed for about a day, however, despite his prayer efforts, no miracle followed. At one moment, a ray struck from the sky, as usually happens during the descent of Fire, and hit the column at the entrance, next to which the Orthodox Patriarch was located. Splashes of fire splashed out from it in all directions and a candle was lit by the Orthodox Patriarch, who passed on the Holy Fire to his co-religionists. This was the only case in history when the descent took place outside the Temple, actually through the prayers of the Orthodox, and not the Armenian high priest. “Everyone rejoiced, and the Orthodox Arabs began to jump for joy and shout: “You are our one God, Jesus Christ, our one true faith is the faith of Orthodox Christians,” writes monk Parthenius. At the same time, in the enfilades of buildings adjacent to the temple square there were Turkish soldiers. One of them, named Omir (Anvar), seeing what was happening, exclaimed: “One Orthodox faith, I am a Christian” and jumped down onto the stone slabs from a height of about 10 meters. However, the young man did not crash - the slabs melted under his feet. wax, capturing his traces. For the adoption of Christianity, Muslims executed the brave Anwar and tried to scrape off the traces that so clearly testified to the triumph of Orthodoxy, but they failed, and those who come to the Temple can still see them, as well as the dissected column at the door of the temple. The body of the martyr was burned, but the Greeks collected the remains, which until late XIX centuries were in convent Great Panagia, exuding fragrance.

The Holy Fire is the greatest miracle of God for all people. For believers - indescribable bliss and joy in Christ, for non-believers - the opportunity to see and believe!

It is generally accepted that only people who adhere to the relevant beliefs believe in the existence of religious miracles. Moreover, the phenomenon of such a miracle as the Holy Fire cannot be explained by any skeptic, no matter what arguments he tries.

What is the Holy Fire?

This amazing phenomenon has been studied more than once by scientific and religious leaders, who could not find at least evidence of the natural origin of the phenomenon called “the descent of the Holy Fire.” It includes:

Ceremony of preparation for the appearance of the flame. Exists special ritual, without which the main event of Holy Saturday will not take place and the celebration will be ruined.
Checking the Patriarch and his entry into the temple. From this moment on, the international broadcast of the ceremony by television channels begins.
The appearance of the Holy Fire and its transfer to other clergy.
The beginning of the first celebrations in honor.

How does the Holy Fire appear?

The process of the appearance of flames itself deserves special attention. At approximately 10 o'clock in the morning, traffic begins to move towards the Jerusalem Orthodox Church religious procession, headed by the Patriarch and the highest ranks of the clergy. After they come close to the Edicule (Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher), events begin to develop as follows:

So that believers do not have doubts about where the Holy Fire comes from, the Patriarch unmasks himself and remains in only a white cassock, under which nothing can be carried.
He is examined by representatives of the Turkish and Israeli police, according to a tradition that has existed since the 14th century.
The Patriarch approaches the entrance to the Edicule along with similar ranks from the Armenian, Coptic and Syrian apostolic churches. They will be the first to see the Holy Fire after the Patriarch.
The doors of the chapel are closed, and the believers are left waiting for a miracle outside the doors.

How does the Holy Fire descend?

After the Patriarch and priests remain behind the first doors of the Edicule, they appear in front of the room with the Tomb of Christ. The Metropolitan of Jerusalem will enter it alone, but a representative of the Armenian Church will stand a few steps away from him. The descent of the Holy Fire occurs in several stages:

The Patriarch begins prayers praising Jesus Christ.
Turning to God can take several hours or several minutes.
Lights flash on the stone slab, flowing down like drops.
The Patriarch picks them up with a cotton ball and lights a bunch of candles.

Why doesn't the Holy Fire burn?

The sheaf of candles that the Patriarch holds in his hands consists of 33 pieces (according to the number of years Jesus spent on Earth). The only one who has personally seen the secret of the Holy Fire takes the bundle out of the Edicule and hands it over to the Armenian Metropolitan. He shows it to the believers, and they light their candles from it. Weakened after fervent prayer The Patriarch, as soon as he appears at the door, is lifted up and carried to the exit with chants. Meanwhile, those who visited Jerusalem for the first time noted with surprise the special properties of the flame:

Knowing where the Holy Fire actually comes from, experienced tourists fearlessly wash themselves with it, apply candles to their faces and raise their fingers to it.
The color of the fire varies from light blue to blue, which cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.
5-10 minutes after the convergence, the flame on all sheaves acquires normal properties and heats up.

How to bring the Holy Fire home?

No less important for a believer is not only the opportunity to contemplate Fire, but also the desire to take a particle of it with him. The Holy Fire at home can be placed in front of the iconostasis or lamps can be lit from it and placed in rooms on the eve of Easter. To implement the plan, you will need:

a small candle, which in churches is allowed to touch the flame from the Holy Sepulcher;
a small lamp with a lid that protects the lamp from going out;
Vaseline oil, which is used to support combustion.

What should you do with the Holy Fire?

Most spiritual teachers do not recommend turning into idolaters and turning fire into a kind of cult. Believers must treat it accordingly: they can find the flame in the parishes to which it is brought by plane from Jerusalem. It is believed that the Holy Fire is what allows:

Orthodox Christians who were unable to come to church and see the miracle in person;
remind about happy holiday Easter, which it marks;
gain spiritual strength for fasting on Holy Saturday.

Holy Fire - true or false?

If church officials consider it sinful to doubt the sacred nature of the phenomenon, then journalists and scientists do not hesitate to make the most daring assumptions that the descent of the Holy Fire has a completely earthly origin. From supporters different versions The leading options are:

Concealing the fire from those inspecting the Patriarch. Since on the day of Holy Saturday he does not have the opportunity to carry the flame with him, it can be decided that the Fire is carried and hidden at the Tomb in advance.
A chemical reaction caused by the special composition of the slab on the tomb of Christ. Esters of organic acids can give a cold fire, but its color will not be blue, but green.
Spontaneous combustion. Some natural substances at certain temperatures environment and humidity may flare up. This property is possessed by: white phosphorus, boric acid, jasmine oil.

Holy Fire - scientific explanation

In 2008, skeptics had a chance to find out the nature of the Holy Fire. Before Holy Saturday, Russian physicist Andrei Volkov was allowed into Kuvuklia, who received approval from the Orthodox Church to install equipment with sensitive sensors. Before him, no one knew the answer to the slippery question of how scientists explain the descent of the Holy Fire; Andrei Volkov’s research gave ambiguous results:

A few seconds before the flame appeared at the Holy Sepulcher, the physicist recorded an unusual long-wave electrical impulse that arose spontaneously.
When the cotton wool placed on the lid of the tombstone caught fire, the pulse fluctuations increased many times over.
Power measurements showed that a flash of fire can be compared to the operation of a low-power welding machine.
Scientific diagnosis of a crack on a column at the entrance to the Edicule proved that such damage could have occurred solely under the influence of electricity.

Holy Fire - interesting facts

The mystical nature of Fire has been repeatedly associated with curious events throughout history. As soon as even one tradition of his appearance was broken, the course of the ceremony changed before the eyes of all witnesses. The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire underwent drastic interventions twice:

In 1101, the Latin Patriarch of Choquet decided to take the reins of the greatest Christian miracle V own hands. The heretic was so possessed by the desire to unravel his secret that he tortured the monks and obtained from them all the details of the procedure for obtaining Fire. The flame did not appear after a day of futile attempts.
In 1578, a priest from Armenia decided that the secret of the Holy Fire would be revealed to him and obtained permission from the clergy to be the first to enter the Edicule. Orthodox priests They didn’t protest and stayed at the door. The column in front of the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher cracked and flames began to come out of it.

On Holy Saturday, tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to wash themselves with its blessed light and receive God's blessing.

Not only Orthodox Christians, but also representatives of various faiths are excitedly awaiting the greatest miracle.

For many hundreds of years, people have been trying to understand where the Holy Fire comes from. Believers are sure that this is a real miracle - God's gift to people. Scientists do not agree with this statement and try to find an explanation for this phenomenon with scientific point vision.

Holy Fire

According to many testimonies, both ancient and modern, the appearance of the Holy Light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, but the most famous and impressive is the miraculous descent of the Holy Fire on Holy Saturday, on the eve of the Holy Resurrection of Christ.

Throughout almost the entire existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian faiths (Catholics, Armenians, Copts and others), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher has been known since ancient times; the descending fire has unique property— it doesn’t burn you in the first minutes.

The first witness to the descent of the fire was the Apostle Peter - having learned about the Resurrection of the Savior, he hurried to the tomb and saw an amazing light where the body had previously lay. For two thousand years this light has descended every year on the Holy Sepulcher as the Holy Fire.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was erected by Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena in the 4th century. And the earliest written mentions of the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ date back to the 4th century.

The temple with its huge roof covers Golgotha, the cave in which the Lord was laid down from the cross, and the garden where Mary Magdalene was the first of the people to meet His resurrection.

Convergence

At approximately noon, a procession led by the Patriarch leaves the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, heads to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, having walked around it three times, stops in front of its gates.

All the lights in the temple have been extinguished. Tens of thousands of people: Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Jews, Germans, British - pilgrims from all over the world - watch the Patriarch in tense silence.

The Patriarch is unmasked, the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher itself, looking for at least something that can produce fire (during Turkish rule over Jerusalem, Turkish gendarmes did this), and in one long flowing tunic, the Primate of the Church enters.

Kneeling in front of the Tomb, he prays to God to send down the Holy Fire. Sometimes his prayer lasts a long time, but there is interesting feature— The Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

And suddenly, on the marble slab of the coffin, fiery dew appears in the form of bluish balls. His Holiness touches them with cotton wool, and it ignites. With this cool fire, the Patriarch lights the lamp and candles, which he then takes into the temple and hands over to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the people. At the same moment, tens and hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple.

It’s hard to imagine the jubilation that filled the crowd of thousands. People shout, sing, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole temple is on fire.

Miracle or trick

This one has miraculous phenomenon V different times there were many critics who tried to expose and prove the artificial origin of fire. Among those who disagreed was catholic church. In particular, Pope Gregory IX in 1238 disagreed about the miraculous nature of the Holy Fire.

Not understanding the true origin of the Holy Fire, some Arabs tried to prove that the Fire was allegedly produced using any means, substances and devices, but they had no direct evidence. At the same time, they did not even witness this miracle.

Modern researchers have also tried to study the nature of this phenomenon. In their opinion, it is possible to produce fire artificially. Spontaneous combustion of chemical mixtures and substances is also possible.

But none of them are similar to the appearance of the Holy Fire, especially with its amazing property of not burning in the first minutes of its appearance.

Scientists and theologians, representatives of various faiths, including Orthodox Church It has been stated more than once that the fire of candles and lamps in the Temple was allegedly caused by " sacred fire"This is a falsification.

The most famous statements in the middle of the last century were made by professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy Nikolai Uspensky, who believed that in the Edicule the fire is lit from a secret hidden lamp, the light of which does not penetrate into the open space of the Temple, where all the candles and lamps are extinguished at this time.

At the same time, Uspensky argued that “the fire lit on the Holy Sepulcher from a hidden lamp is still sacred fire, received from a sacred place.”

Russian physicist Andrei Volkov allegedly managed to take some measurements at the Holy Fire ceremony several years ago. According to Volkov, a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Edicule, a device recording the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave pulse in the temple, which no longer appeared. That is, an electrical discharge occurred.

In the meantime, scientists are trying to find scientific confirmation of this phenomenon, and in contrast to the complete lack of evidence of the skeptics’ statements, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire is an annually observed fact.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire is available to everyone. It can be seen not only by tourists and pilgrims - it takes place in front of the whole world and is regularly broadcast on television and the Internet, on the website of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate.

Every year, several thousand people present in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher see: the Patriarch, whose clothes were specially examined, entered the Edicule, which had been checked and sealed. He came out of it with a burning torch of 33 candles and this is an indisputable fact.

Therefore, the answer to the question of where the Holy Fire comes from can only be one answer - it is a miracle, and everything else is just unconfirmed speculation.

And in conclusion, the Holy Fire confirms the promise of the Risen Christ to the apostles: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It is believed that when the Heavenly Fire does not descend on the Holy Sepulcher, this will be a sign of the onset of the power of the Antichrist and the imminent end of the world.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.