Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky went from shepherd to bishop. And all his life he was faithful to the Lord with every fiber of his heart. For which, during his lifetime, he was overshadowed by Divine grace - to perform miracles.
Here /catalog/ikony/svyatye/ikony-spiridon-trimifuntskiy/ you can inexpensively buy an icon of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntskiy.
The Lord gave him the gift of clairvoyance, he saw the inner intentions of a person, he could treat hopeless patients, he could control the weather, which was very important for the peasant. But he did not attribute a single miracle to himself, but always thanked God for His love for humanity.
On the island of Corfu there is a shrine containing the relics of Spyridon of Trimythous. Once a year, his vestments are changed, which inexplicably wear out; many believe that the saint walks invisibly among people and helps the suffering.
Blessed shepherd
History has meager facts telling about the young years of Saint Spyridon.
It is known that the boy was born around 270 in the village of Assia, located in the north of the island of Cyprus. From childhood, the boy, who tended sheep, imitated the life of the Old Testament prophets. The future saint was a meek and simple-hearted peasant who received weary travelers with warmth.
The young man married a pious girl, who gave birth to a daughter, Irina. The marriage did not last long. After the death of his wife, the widower did not give in to despondency. Spiridon served God more zealously, glorifying the works of the Almighty with prayers. The righteous person acquires the gift of clairvoyance and miracle-working. The sick receive healing, and the possessed are delivered from evil spirits. The inhabitants of Trimifunt elect Spyridon as bishop.
This is interesting! A strong prayer for the preservation of the family and the admonition of the husband
The First Ecumenical Council meets to condemn the Aryan heresy. The Greek philosopher Eulogius, an ardent supporter of Arianism, was amazed by the miracle created by the saint. Water flowed out of the brick squeezed by the bishop’s hand, and a tongue of flame rose up. Clay dust remained on the palm. Spyridon declared that three essences are represented in one God, just as three elements are contained in one brick. The humiliated opponent of the simple shepherd began to confess the divinity of the Holy Trinity.
The faithful shepherd performed many good deeds and miracles during his lifetime. People came from everywhere to ask for help from Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. Until his last days, God's saint called sinners to repentance. In 348, Spyridon reposed, offering prayers to God.
In the 7th century, pirates captured Cyprus. In order to save the shrine from plunder and desecration, the inhabitants of the island decided to transport the relics of the saint to the temple of Constantinople.
This is interesting! Having opened the burial, people found the remains of the saint incorrupt, and the entire crypt was fragrant.
After the fall of Byzantium, the remains of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous were transferred to the island of Corfu. In 1589, Venetian merchants built a temple where the honest relics are located.
Holy relics
The islanders are sure that even now God’s saint travels, doing good deeds. Every year, the temple servants exchange old worn-out shoes for new shoes in the Ark of St. Spyridon.
A trip to Kerkyra, the capital of the Greek island of Corfu, will leave a lasting impression. Here you can enjoy the beauty of the ancient city with its churches and hear amazing stories by visiting the temple with the relics of the saint.
Miracles performed
The main miracle of the temple of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky is the relics of the saint, which are still not subject to decay . The remains of the old man correspond in body weight to the dimensions of an adult man. With God's help, they have not been touched by decay for many centuries and have a temperature of 36.6 ˚C.
The monk left this world about 1,700 years ago, but the tissues of his body are soft, his hair and nails do not stop growing. There is no scientific explanation for this.
A special miracle of the temple is the elder’s velvet shoes, which are constantly worn down , and several times a year he is replaced with new ones. A nun sews them for him.
The worn-out shoes are donated to other churches and denominations or cut into small pieces and distributed to believers.
There are cases when the guardians of the temple cannot open the shrine. They know that the venerable elder left her for a while and helps those in need.
Tradition
There is a legend that the relics of Elder Spiridon of Trimifuntsky were visited by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. He bowed to the tomb in a crowd of people willing and heard the Englishman’s reasoning that the human body cannot be preserved for so long. The trick is good embalming. According to Gogol, the saint’s body swayed and turned towards the speaker. Gogol, having witnessed this miracle, was shocked.
Legend
When, during early Christianity, the relics of Spyridon were transferred for veneration from one place to another, the keepers of the ark with the relics noticed that the shoes began to fall off their feet.
At first, the monks sinned as thieves, but the shoes were in different places where the ark was brought: either in a hospital, or in a place where grief had occurred and help was needed.
People who are far from faith have a hard time accepting the possibility of such miracles. But Christians know that the appearance of such people on earth by the will of God is a clear testimony of the almighty Creator. When faith weakens, the Lord shows His love through them and helps in difficult times. Don't be afraid to humbly ask for help.
Faith in God saves, heals and gives strength!
Moscow churches
Since ancient times, Saint Spyridon of Trimythous has been revered in Rus'. The reigning persons did a lot to glorify the Cypriot bishop. In the name of the saint, in the middle of the 15th century, Ivan the Terrible, celebrating the capture of Kazan, built a temple. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich erected the Spiridonov Church on the Goat Swamp in Moscow, mentioned in the patriarchal gazettes of 1627.
Emperor Paul instructs Admiral F. F. Ushakov to liberate the Greek island of Corfu, where the remains of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous were buried, from the French invaders. In February 1799, the naval commander brilliantly carried out a landing operation. In the 19th century, temples and churches built were often consecrated in the name of the saint.
This is interesting! What are Orthodox rosary beads for and how to use them?
Orthodox parishioners and pilgrims ask for the intercession of the heavenly patron in the churches where the holy relics of Spyridon of Trimythous are located in Moscow.
Temple of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky in Koptevo project
Church in Bryusov Lane
The temple on Uspensky Vrazhek has been known since 1548. Residents called it that because of the ravine, which received its name from the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary located here. The Moscow fire of 1629 destroyed the wooden structure. Five years later, a stone church is erected on the same site.
After the expulsion of the French occupiers from Moscow, a bell tower and a refectory with oval corners, which had two side chapels, were added to the church. At the end of the 19th century, restoration work and reconstruction of the temple bell tower were carried out, caused by the installation of a large bell weighing 5357 kilograms.
This is interesting! During the period of Bolshevik persecution of Orthodoxy, the church was not closed due to numerous requests from famous figures of Soviet art.
The temple remained the closest functioning religious institution to the Kremlin. However, the church bells were removed so that the gospel would not attract people's attention and would not distract government officials from their work.
In the central part of the church, not far from the face of the Savior Not Made by Hands, there is a miraculous icon of the saint. The right side of the icon is occupied by a full-length figure of the saint. In the upper left corner is the Mother of God with the Savior. Mounted underneath is a reliquary decorated with precious stones containing the relics of the saint, which is locked with a key.
Informative! Schedule of services in the Church of St. John of Kronstadt
Other shrines are also kept in the temple:
- excerpt from the image “Recovery of the Lost”;
- list of the face of the Mother of God “Passionate”;
- image of St. Nicholas of Mozhaisky from the 16th century;
- icons of the holy prophets Elijah and Elisha, the martyr Justin, dating back to the 17th century.
Church address: Bryusov lane, house 15/2. From the Okhotny Ryad metro station, walk 500 meters towards Pushkinskaya Square along Tverskaya Street. From the Pushkinskaya or Tverskaya station to Bryusov Lane towards the Kremlin - 630 meters. From the intersection of Tverskaya Street and Bryusov Lane to the church 250 meters.
Temple on the Assumption Vrazhek
holy slipper
The oldest monastery was built by the will of Grand Duke Daniel in 1282. The founder of the monastery, consecrated in the name of St. Daniel the Stylite, found eternal rest here in 1303. Before his death, the organizer of the monastic community became a monk.
Informative! The miraculous life of the Wonderworker Mitrofan of Voronezh
In the XIV-XV centuries. the monastery is falling into disrepair. The revival began during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. At this time, the stone church of the monastery was built. Miracles happen at the grave of Prince Daniel. The Church canonized the blessed ruler, whose incorruptible relics were found on September 12, 1652.
More than once the temple became a participant in historical events. The monks repelled the invasion of the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey. The rebels of Ivan Bolotnikov were defeated at the monastery walls. The Lavra was burned in 1612 by Poles fleeing Moscow and 200 years later by the French army retreating from the Russian capital. Each time, by God's providence, the monastery was restored.
In 1930, the communists set up warehouses on the monastery territory, and then opened a colony for children whose parents were subjected to repression. The first Russian monastery was and was the first to be returned to the fold of Russian Orthodoxy after the end of the era of Bolshevism. By 1988, the restoration of all churches was completed.
Danilov Monastery is famous for its relics:
- Reliquary with the relics of Saint Prince Daniel.
- Relic guardians of Nicholas the Pleasant, Spiridon of Trimifuntsky, Alexander Nevsky.
- Icons with pieces of the relics of Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, St. Panteleimon.
- Revered images of the Mother of God “Vladimirskaya”, “Kazanskaya”, “Three-handed”.
There are three churches in the Church of the Holy Fathers. The top floor is occupied by the churches of the blessed Daniel and the martyrs princes Boris and Gleb. The ground floor is occupied by the Church of the Intercession .
This is interesting! The shoe of God's saint, which was brought from Corfu in 2007, is preserved here.
Thousands of people visited the Danilov Monastery when the relic was delivered to Moscow. A photo of a queue of many kilometers of adults and children wanting to touch the shrine testifies to faith in heavenly help. Every year on December 25, on the day of Spyridon, a religious procession is held with an icon of the saint.
In 2010, a Greek delegation of priests arrived in the Russian capital with the right hand of the saint. A crowd of parishioners and pilgrims waited for the Orthodox relic to be brought to the territory of the Danilov Monastery.
You can get to the monastery by metro to the Tulskaya station. Coming out to the Tulsky shopping and business complex, they head through the square to the chapel, from which they walk along the pedestrian path to the street. Danilovsky Val. After 200 meters the monastery wall begins. After another 140 meters there is the main entrance.
Danilov Monastery
Reliquary guardians in Moscow:
- The Novospassky Stavropegic Monastery houses the relics of ecumenical and Russian saints. In the large ark, along with dozens of fragments of the relics of God's saints, there are also particles of the incorruptible body of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. The men's monastery is located at: Peasant Square, building 10.
- The Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery on Petrovka Street, building 28/2 preserves the relics of St. Spyridon along with particles of other saints in a large shrine in the church in the name of Sergius of Radonezh. Another fragment of the relics is fixed in the icon of the Bishop of Trimifunt.
- In the main church of the Conception Convent, located at 2nd Zachatyevsky Lane, building 2, a revered icon with a particle of the incorruptible relics of St. Spyridon is preserved.
How to ask for help
For a believer there are no hopeless situations. In difficult situations, the patron saints will provide support. You should go to church more often and constantly turn to the saint in prayer: “The Wonderworker of the First Council, our Father Spyridon. You raise the dead from the grave and turn the snake into gold. Angels serve you by chanting holy prayers. Glory to Him who gave you strength, glory to Him who heals everyone.”
In case of financial difficulties or before making important decisions, a prayer service to St. Spyridon of Trimythous is ordered in the church. It is useful for a parishioner to read an akathist to the heavenly patron for forty days. At the same time, it is obligatory to confess and receive communion.
Important! Why and what is communion in church: rules of the sacrament
To understand how to ask for help from Spiridon, you need to come to the temple and consult with a priest. It will be useful to communicate in church with experienced parishioners who will talk about cases of divine help and tell you where the relics of the saint are located in Moscow.
Queue to the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky in Moscow 2018
Hundreds of pilgrims gather at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to venerate the relics of St. Spyridon, which will remain in the capital until October 15 (access to the relics is open until October 14; a solemn farewell to the shrine will take place on October 15).
All pilgrims who want to venerate the relics of the saint are allowed through the Yakimanskaya embankment and the Maly and Bolshoy Kamenny bridges. Along the movement of people there are metal fences and tents with food and water.
Sometimes the passage on Yakimanskaya embankment is closed for several minutes so as not to cause a crowd at the temple itself.
Near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge, the people who came begin to be divided into groups. Some pilgrims carry small folding chairs with them to sit while waiting to pass.
True, there is an opinion that if you venerate the relics of a chosen saint, the prayer will be heard faster and its power will become greater. That is why people rush to venerate the relics of Spyridon, and also venerate the ark with the shrine, asking for the fulfillment of their cherished aspirations.
Considering the autumn time and the possibility of a long stay in the queue, it is recommended:
dress according to the weather, taking into account weather service forecasts (take warm clothes, an umbrella, a raincoat); take with you a supply of water in a plastic bottle (0.5 liter plastic bottles); if there are medical indications, take with you the medications you regularly take.