Angel Pelagia's Day
A person's Angel Day is celebrated on the day of his baptism. It is on this solemn day, after the sacrament of baptism, that the newly acquired Christian is given the Angel of God, who will accompany him on all his life paths and help him in difficult circumstances.
Previously, in Rus', our ancestors sacredly honored traditions and baptized the child immediately after birth. At the same time, they gave him a name according to Christmastide, that is, on the day of memory of which saint the baby was born, that’s what they called him. Therefore, the day of the Angel and the name day coincided according to the church calendar.
Nowadays this tradition is observed very rarely. Basically, parents call the baby the name they like best, without necessarily checking the church calendar. When baptizing a baby, they can be baptized with a different name (necessarily Orthodox). The Saint or Saint with this name will become the heavenly patron of man.
Traditions and rituals
The main traditions of May 17th are the preparation of buckeyes for making wooden spoons; a ritual of scaring away pests and evil spirits from vegetable gardens and fields.
— Among the people, Saint Pelagia (Pelageya) was considered the intercessor of innocent girls, as well as all those unjustly offended. That is why the holiday was called “Intercessor”. In addition, according to popular belief, she protects birds. Especially favors crows. He protects adults, and teaches crows to be smart. She was nicknamed “Pelageya - the crow’s protector.” Why is unknown. But they were afraid to offend the birds that day.
- On this day, women turned in prayers to Saint Pelageya, so that she would protect them in earthly life from oppressive men and unjust insults. It was believed that a woman should not even cook food on this day. Men had to do most of the housework and even the kitchen themselves.
— In the evening on Pelageya, experienced gardeners performed a ritual that was supposed to protect the plantings from evil spirits and various pests. To do this, they took a cracked pot out into the garden, put the nettles that had been pulled out by the roots into it, and placed the pot upside down in the very middle of the middle bed. It was believed that any enemy force, touching stinging nettles, would be frightened and run away from the garden, but this would only happen if the woman did not work for Pelageya, but prayed.
— Saint Pelagia’s Day was also called “Baklushnik Day.” On May 17, peasants specially cut down maple, birch or linden to prepare raw materials for making spoons - baklushi. The work was simple, but necessary - this is where the expression “Knock it off” comes from. Since ancient times, wooden spoons have been a symbol of prosperity and satiety. Therefore, they were often decorated with intricate paintings and carvings, and then presented as a gift - this was considered very prestigious.
— On May 17 we monitored the bird cherry tree. So, if flowers had already appeared on it, then it was believed that it was too late to sow wheat and the harvest would not be reaped. Meanwhile, pears, apples, and cherries began to bloom in the gardens, and they tried to plant them on this very day.
Pelageya's name day according to the church calendar
Pelagia Memorial Day is celebrated more than once a year. There are several saints with this name in the Orthodox tradition:
- February 12 is the day of remembrance of Pelageya Serebrennikova (blessed).
- On April 5, the memory of the martyr Pelageya is celebrated.
- May 17 and October 20 – Virgin Pelagia of Tarsus (martyr).
- June 26 – New Martyr Pelageya Zhidko.
- June 30 – New Martyr Pelageya Balakireva.
- October 21 is the day of remembrance of the Holy Martyr Pelagia of Antioch.
- November 3 – New Martyr Pelagia Testova (nun).
It is on these days that name days are celebrated according to the Pelageya church calendar.
The name Pelageya means “sea”. This is an analogue of another wonderful name - Marina.
People with this name are distinguished by their sharp mind and innate decency. Pelagia do not like omissions; they always find out everything down to the smallest detail. They make interesting conversationalists. But, despite their natural intelligence and high intelligence, Pelagia is not self-confident.
They prefer to be friends with interesting and extraordinary personalities; they have a lot in common with him.
Physical labor is also not a problem for Pelagia. They will work selflessly, and it is in work that they seek protection from troubles and misfortunes.
External attractiveness is in harmony with internal beauty. People with this name love to read and comprehend something new; they spend their entire lives improving and never stop there.
Signs and sayings
- Rainfall on Pelageya means a good harvest this year.
- Dim, hazy sun means prolonged bad weather.
- If the thorn has bloomed, it means it will be cold until the end of the month.
- Viburnum has bloomed flowers - it's time to plant cucumbers, pumpkins, corn and legumes.
- If cranes build nests more in lowlands, grain can also be planted in dark, damp areas.
- If their nests are located on the tops, it means that the crops in the lowlands will rot.
- Catkins have appeared on flowering maples - you can plant beets.
- Flocks of sparrows flying across the sky foreshadow windy weather.
- The cuckoo is calling - the weather will be good.
- A lot of cockchafers indicate an imminent drought.
- Those born on May 17th are endowed with the gift of understanding animals and birds. They should wear a diamond.
Life of Pelagia of Tarsus
The Orthodox tradition sacredly honors the memory of the martyr Pelagia of Tarsus. The girl had the fate of being born into a pagan family in the city of Tarsus (Asia Minor). Her family was noble, and Pelageya herself, from childhood and youth, captivated everyone with her indescribable beauty. She received the best education, and the fame of her beauty was known throughout the country.
At this time, Emperor Diocletian ruled the country. He also heard about the beauty and brilliant education of Pelageya and even wished to marry his son to the girl.
But the girl sincerely and with all her heart believed in Jesus Christ and accepted Orthodoxy. After baptism, she sincerely wanted to guide her own mother on the path of truth. But no matter how hard the young Christian woman tried, her efforts were not crowned with success. The mother persisted and did not want to give up paganism.
Moreover, the girl’s mother forcibly dragged her to her groom, whom Pelageya refused. But this young man knew that she was a Christian, he understood why she did not want to marry him, but he fell in love with her at first sight and understood perfectly well what her action would threaten his beloved. He knew that the girl would be tortured and eventually killed. Unable to bear even the thought of this, he committed suicide.
But this did not stop Pelageya’s furious mother. She took the girl to the emperor himself. He was also captivated by her beauty and wanted to marry her himself. But of course Pelageya refused him too, citing the fact that she was the bride of Jesus Christ.
The emperor could not tolerate such insolence and ordered the young beauty to be tortured for a long time. The girl was tortured and tortured. After much torment, she was taken inside a red-hot copper bull. Here the Holy Martyr gave her soul into the hands of the Lord. This event happened in 287.
The Suffering of the Holy Martyr Pelagia, Virgin of Tarsus
Memorial Day – May 17 (05 – old style)
When the wicked Roman emperor Diocletian1 initiated persecution against Christians, then many of them, fearing torture, fled to the mountains. But those Christians who were strong in faith and feared God more than people, remained with the churches to which they belonged, and fervently prayed to God to strengthen them for feat, so that they would emerge victorious from the upcoming struggle.
At this time, Klinon was the bishop in the city of Tarsus. He converted to the true God and baptized many pagans; joining them, like a good shepherd, to the flock of Christ, he exhorted each of them to courageously stand for the confession of the name of Christ and lay down his soul for Him, with the undoubted hope of receiving from Him the crown of victory in the heavenly kingdom.
Diocletian, who was then in Cilicia, heard about this courageous bishop, ordered to seize him and ordered the city gates to be closed so that he could not escape from the city by flight. But even before the order, the bishop received a revelation from God about everything that was about to happen, and secretly from everyone he left the city, since his hour had not yet come. He, along with other Christians, hid in the mountains and deserts. Diocletian, irritated by the fact that he could not find the bishop, turned his rage on those whom the bishop had led to Christ; Having ordered the capture of many of the newly converted Christians, he imprisoned them.
At this time, in the city of Tarsus lived a girl named Pelagia, of noble birth, famous for her wealth and beauty, filled with the fear of God and chastity. When she heard from Christians about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, her heart was inflamed with love for Him, she believed in Him and vowed not to unite in marriage with any mortal people, deciding to marry the heavenly, immortal, incorruptible Bridegroom; Having believed in Christ, she desired to be worthy of holy baptism.
But when she learned that the Christian bishop had left the city, she was greatly saddened, because she wanted to see him and receive holy baptism at his hands. Until then, she had not yet seen the bishop and had only heard about him. Since Pelagia’s mother, a widow, was devoted to idolatry, Pelagia hid from her both her faith in Christ and her intentions.
At this time, the king's son3 heard about the amazing beauty of the maiden Pelagia; he had the opportunity to see her. He sent honorable men to her, who were instructed to convey to Pelagia the intention of the king’s son to marry her.
Pelagia's mother was very happy with this turn of events, but the holy maiden decided otherwise. Having made the sign of the cross, she answered the messengers without fear: “I have already become engaged to the Son of God, the Immortal King.”
With this answer, the messengers returned to the king's son.
Hearing the answer of Saint Pelagia, the royal son became very angry; He planned to take cruel revenge on the holy maiden, but not now, because he hoped that the maiden would come to her senses and fulfill his wish.
Meanwhile, Pelagia told her mother that she wanted to visit her nurse, whom she had not seen for a long time. Her nurse lived outside the city, and Pelagia was about to leave home with the goal of finding a Christian bishop, about whose place of secret refuge she had heard from some Christians. The mother of Saint Pelagia, at the devil’s instigation, did not agree to fulfill her daughter’s request and resolutely opposed her, saying: “You cannot go there now; You’ll go another time.”
This greatly saddened Pelagia.
That same night the Lord appeared to her in the form of Bishop Klinon, without telling her anything. She was surprised at this vision, because the honest face of the one who appeared to her shone with light and his attire was marvelous.
Having woken up, she secretly sent two of her most faithful eunuchs4 into prison to the Christians imprisoned there, in order to question them about the bishop’s appearance. They carried out the assignment and returned with a detailed description of the bishop's appearance. The honest girl was amazed that the appearance of the bishop, according to them, was in every way consistent with what she had seen in her dream, and she realized that she had seen the bishop in her dream. Filled with joy, she longed with all her heart to see him in reality and earnestly prayed to God in these words: “Give me, Lord, to see Your servant, the messenger of Your good things, and do not deprive me of Your holy sacraments.”
After that, she again began to ask her mother to let her go to the nurse, saying that she missed her, having not seen her for so long. Her mother didn’t want to let her go. But fearing that she would get sick from sadness, her mother fulfilled her request and ordered chariots, horses and servants to be prepared for the journey. Then, having dressed Pelagia, as the bride of the king’s son, in royal purple and adorned her with gold attire and precious stones, she sent her away, accompanied by her most trusted servants and eunuchs in a luxurious chariot with the parting words: “Go, be healthy, my daughter, and convey greetings from me to my nurse."
Pelagia went joyfully, surrounded by many servants. Having driven away from the city about ten miles away, they approached a mountain covered with dense forest. At this time, one of her servants, named Longinus, saw an honest husband coming down from the mountain. It was Bishop Klinon, who, at God’s discretion, happened to meet his companions here. Longinus, who was a secret Christian, recognized this man as Bishop Clinon and said to another servant, a secret Christian:
- Brother Julian! Do you recognize the husband walking towards us? This is the man of God, Bishop Klinon, whose fame spreads throughout the east because of the miracles he performed; The king, having learned about him, searched for him for a long time, but could not find him, and for this he initiated a persecution against Christians.
This conversation between Longinus and Julian was heard by those two eunuchs whom Pelagia sent to the Christians’ prison to find out about the bishop’s appearance. They told what they heard to Pelagia.
The holy maiden stopped the chariot and, getting off it, headed towards the man of God. She ordered her servants to stay away and sit down to rest in the shade of the trees, since she did not want the pagans to hear about the mysteries of the holy Christian faith. Approaching the man of God, she greeted him with these words:
- Rejoice, servant of Christ!
The bishop answered her:
- May the peace of my Christ be with you, young lady.
Pelagia continued:
“Blessed be God, who showed me in a vision the likeness of your face and sent you to me to save my soul from destruction.” I pray to you in the name of God, Whom you serve, reveal to me whether you are Klinon, a Christian bishop?
Klinon answered her:
“I am the shepherd of Christ’s verbal sheep, who hope to receive eternal life.”
“What do you command your sheep to do so that they can receive eternal life?” - Pelagia asked the bishop.
“I teach them to know the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and instruct them to lead a godly life in the fear of God and love for Christ.”
“Tell me, my father, what should those who want to unite with your God first of all do?”
“I proclaim to you,” was the bishop’s answer, “baptism for the remission of sins and eternal life; nothing could be more needed than this.
Falling at the feet of the bishop, Pelagia said with a prayer:
- Have pity on me, lord, and give me your gift! Since I have been talking with you, the light of God has shone in my heart, I have renounced Satan, his servants, and his wiles, and the soulless idols, which I have long hated, in which there is not life, but death and eternal destruction. Now I pray to the Heavenly God that He will notify me, unworthy, to His Son, Who enlightened my heart, for He is the Sun of righteousness.
Hearing this, the bishop was amazed at this girl’s great love for God and rejoiced in her spirit. Then, raising his hands to the sky, he began to pray with these words: “God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! You, who are in heaven and have called this maiden to know You, send her the holy baptism of Your beloved Son.”
This is how the bishop prayed.
Suddenly a fountain of living water suddenly flowed out of the ground before them. Seeing such a miracle, the bishop glorified God, saying:
“Great are You, our God, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, who has given people an inheritance of baptism into eternal life.” Lord Knower of Hearts! The humility of Your servant is open before You. You see that I am ashamed to baptize this girl. So You, O Almighty, arrange everything by Your guidance, and teach me what to do.
“Sir, my father,” Pelagia exclaimed at this time, “your prayer has been heard; Here I see two luminous young men standing at the source and holding light veils in their hands. You can baptize me without embarrassment.
Having thanked God, the bishop approached the source and saw two angels of God, who, as Pelagia said, were holding a blanket whiter than snow to cover the girl’s body. Then the bishop blessed the water, saying the following prayer over it:
- King of all creation, “ You make Your angels spirits, Your servants a blazing fire ” (Ps. 103:4), make me worthy to offer You this maiden whom You sent to me as a spiritual sacrifice. Number her among Thy chosen ones, so that on the day of Thy Kingdom she, too, with the five wise virgins, may enter the chamber of Thy Christ, with a lighted lamp.
Having completed the prayer, the bishop granted holy baptism to blessed Pelagia in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and communed her with a part of the body of Christ, which he carried with him.
After the sacrament had been completed, Saint Pelagia bowed to the bishop and, kissing his feet, said to him:
“My lord, honest father, pray to the Lord for me, so that He might strengthen me with His Holy Spirit.”
The bishop told her:
- God, to whom you have given yourself, “ may He send you help from the sanctuary ” (Ps. 19:3) of His dwelling and may He grant you victory over your enemies.
Filled with great joy from the Holy Spirit, Pelagia said to the bishop:
- Father, I pray to you in the name of God, who granted me salvation through you: do not refuse me my request: from your holy hands I received the incorruptible purple of the Eternal King; therefore, I should not now wear this earthly, perishable purple and these vain jewelry. Take them from me, sell them and distribute the money received for them to those in need, since all these jewels arouse in me only one disgust.
The bishop answered her:
- It is indecent for me to take this into my hands; however, I will take this from you, so as not to offend you, since you ask me in the name of God. Okay, I'll grant your wish.
“I heard,” Pelagia said to this, “that our Lord says in His Holy Gospel: “ No one can serve two masters.” You cannot serve God and mammon ” (Matthew 6:24). Therefore, I, wanting to serve the One God, reject mammon7.
The bishop was surprised at the intelligence of Saint Pelagia. Having prayed to God for her, he blessed her and left her.
Saint Pelagia, greatly rejoicing in the Holy Spirit, glorified and thanked God with all her heart for having made her worthy to receive heavenly gifts.
When she reached the servants who were waiting for her, she saw that their eyes were darkened by demonic obsession: they saw nothing and did not know where they needed to go. The saint, realizing that this happened due to the action of the enemy of our salvation, made the sign of the cross over each of the servants and thereby delivered them from blindness; they began to see well again, as before.
Having regained their sight, the servants began to question Saint Pelagia:
- Madam! Where is the person you were talking to? In your absence, we saw the Blessed Woman standing between you and us with two virgins; on her head were two diadems; above the diadems a cross shone.
Saint Pelagia ordered the servants to be silent; then she began to teach them faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The servants answered her:
“How can we not believe, our lady, in the One who, after death, will deliver us from eternal torment and who alone has the power to give us eternal life in heaven!”
The saint rejoiced when she saw the conversion of her servants, and advised them to immediately begin holy baptism. Then, getting into the chariot, she continued on her way to her nurse.
The nurse came out to meet her pet and said that she had become even more beautiful than she was before, but was surprised that she was dressed so simply and without any decoration.
After the first joy of the meeting, the nurse noticed a great change in the character of Saint Pelagia: before she was proud and arrogant, but now she became humble and meek; formerly she was talkative, but now she is silent; before she loved various delicate dishes, but now she was in fasting and abstinence, taking very little food; formerly she spent her days in idleness and pleasure, and at night she rested her body on a soft bed; Now she spent most of the day in prayer, resting on a hard bed, and at night she also got up to pray. From all these signs, the nurse realized that Pelagia had accepted the Christian faith. Then she told her:
- My dear daughter! Just as you previously surprised the royal son and everyone who met you with your great physical beauty, so now try to please the Son of God, the Eternal King, to whom you have betrothed yourself as a bride, with your true spiritual beauty. I see that you have believed in the true God of heaven. May He strengthen you for the feat of suffering for Him, may He give you victory over the enemy, and may He crown you in His glory with a crown of triumph. And now, my daughter, quickly leave me in peace; I don’t want you to linger in my house, I don’t dare keep you, because I’m afraid of the wrath of the king’s son, who considers you his bride. However, do not think that I am afraid for myself: if I had suffered with you, then with you I would have accepted a reward from God; but I am afraid for my whole family and for all my relatives. If the royal son, who is thinking of becoming your husband, finds out that you are a Christian, and also that you are staying in my house, then he will destroy me and my entire family.
Having heard these words of her nurse, Saint Pelagia, with her face downcast, went back to her mother.
When Pelagia approached her house, her mother came out to meet her. Seeing her daughter not in royal purple and without precious jewelry, but in simple clothes, she was horrified and bewildered.
One of the servants told her about everything that happened on the way, told her how Pelagia received holy baptism from a Christian bishop. Hearing about this, her mother seemed to be deadened in body and, due to great sorrow, lay for a long time on her bed as if dead. Then, having come to her senses, she, without telling her daughter anything, hurried to the king and asked to give her soldiers to find and capture the bishop who converted her daughter to Christianity and bring him to trial. The king gave her many warriors, horse and foot.
Meanwhile, blessed Pelagia, seeing her mother in great anger, took with her several servants who believed in Christ, secretly left the house with them and, having crossed the river named Kidn9, decided to hide here.
Her mother, returning home with the soldiers and not finding Pelagia at home, became even more saddened and sent soldiers everywhere, ordering them to look for Pelagia and Bishop Klinon.
The soldiers dispersed throughout the surrounding area, asking about Pelagia along the roads and looking for her throughout the mountains and deserts, but they could not find her, because she was miraculously protected by God Himself. Saint Pelagia, sitting on the bank of the river, saw warriors on the opposite bank looking for her; but the soldiers, whose bodily eyes were closed at this time by God’s dispensation, did not see either her or her companions. Then the saint said to her servants:
- Do you see how our Lord loves and covers His servants who trust in Him?
After an intensified fruitless search, the soldiers returned without finding either the bishop or Pelagia. This plunged Pelagia's mother into the greatest grief and sadness, so that she seemed barely alive.
Then Pelagia, feeling in her heart the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and inflamed with love for her Heavenly Bridegroom to such an extent that she was ready to give herself up to torture for the name of Christ, went to her mother’s house and began to exhort her to leave her false sorrow:
“Why,” Pelagia said to her mother, “are you so angry?” Why don't you want to know the truth? You were not ashamed to summon soldiers to search for the holy man who honors the Most High God, the Creator of all creation. Aren't you ashamed to raise a fight against the God of heaven! Don’t you know that His servant, the bishop, could by prayer beg Him to send one of His angels to him, who would destroy all the military regiments in the blink of an eye?
Saint Pelagia spoke this and much more about the Lord Jesus Christ, exhorting her mother to know the true God, but without any success, since her mother was blinded by madness and hardened by malice. She, not heeding her daughter’s divinely inspired words, sent the following message to the king’s son: “Your betrothed has dedicated herself to the Christian God.”
Hearing this, the young man was very upset. His hopes were dashed. He remembered how many Christians his father had tortured, without convincing any of them to submit to him. In confusion and sadness, he sat alone in his room and reasoned with himself like this: “If Pelagia believed in the Christian God and became engaged to Him, then she would never agree to leave Him and become my wife. What should I do? Should I hand her over to torment, it will lead to nothing, since I know with what great joy Christians give themselves up to torment and the cruelest death for their God. Pelagia will do the same; Of course, she would rather die than become my wife; All that remains for me is shame and even greater grief. I will feel shame and disgrace from this mockery of me from Christians, and sadness and grief from her death, since I love her immensely and am all burning with the fire of love for her. I know my fate! In order not to look at her torment and to no longer suffer the torments of a heart wounded by love, I will kill myself, since it is better for me to die once than to experience the pangs of death every day, despised and hated because of the love with which I burn.”
Having said this, the young man took out his sword, exposed his chest and, putting the tip of the sword to his chest, said with tears:
- Let that hour be cursed in which my eyes saw great beauty, which I can neither enjoy nor get enough of. But now, at once, I will be freed from all my suffering!
After these words, the young man struck himself hard in the chest with a sword and, piercing it, fell on the sword and died.
Pelagia's mother, having learned about this, was horrified, fearing that King Diocletian would execute her and her entire family out of revenge for her son. Therefore, she herself tied up her daughter and brought her to the king, placing the blame for the death of his son on her alone and handing her over to death and execution. Diocletian, looking at the mother and daughter, said to them with great sadness in his heart:
- What did you do? You killed my son.
His mother answered him like this:
“So I brought to you the person responsible for the death of your son.” Execute her and avenge this death.
Meanwhile, Diocletian gazed at the great beauty of Pelagia, who was more beautiful than all his wives and concubines, so that he had never seen such a beautiful woman. He was no longer thinking about execution or revenge, but about satisfying the passion that had flared up in him. He began to figure out how to turn Pelagia away from Christ and take him as his wife. He ordered that a lot of gold and precious stones be brought and placed in front of the girl, wanting to seduce the bride of Christ with this, and he gave her mother a hundred talents10 of gold and sent her away. She returned to her home, rejoicing with demonic joy. Saint Pelagia was left in the royal chamber in the care of the royal maids.
The next day, the king ordered the holy maiden to be brought to him with honor, and he himself sat on the throne in all his splendor, with all his advisers. Many warriors surrounded him. Before such a great gathering, he addressed the holy maiden with these words:
“I ask one thing from you, Pelagia, that you reject Christ; I will take you into marriage, and you will be the first in my palace; I will place a royal crown on you, and you will possess all my kingdom together with me. If I have a son from you, then after me he will sit on my throne.
Saint Pelagia, filled with divine jealousy, answered him without fear:
“You are going crazy, king, telling me such things!” Know that I will not fulfill your desire, for I abhor your vile marriage, since I have a Bridegroom - Christ, the King of Heaven; I do not desire your royal, vain and short-lived crown, for my Lord has three incorruptible crowns prepared for me in the kingdom of heaven. The first is for faith, since I believed with all my heart in the true God; the second - for purity, since I handed over my virginity to Him; the third is for martyrdom, since I want to accept every torment for Him and lay down my soul for the sake of my love for Him.
Hearing such words, Diocletian became very angry and ordered the copper ox to be set on fire, hoping to frighten the holy maiden. When the ox was red-hot, so that sparks flew from it, like from a burning coal, they brought the holy maiden to it. Among the people gathered for this spectacle there were many secret Christians. Seeing the girl preparing for torment, they secretly prayed to God for her, so that He would strengthen her from above with His unknown power. The king and nobles, both with caresses and threats, convinced her to fulfill the royal desire, but she was unshakable in her decision.
Then the king ordered to take off all her clothes. Seeing that they wanted to expose her, the saint loudly said to Diocletian:
“It would be better if you remembered, king, about your wives and concubines, since I have the same body as them.”
But the king, inflamed with lust and wanting to satiate his gaze with the spectacle of maiden nudity, ordered her to be exposed as soon as possible. But the martyr, without waiting for the hands of the wicked to touch her, made the sign of the cross, quickly took off all her clothes, threw them to the face of the king and stood naked before the eyes of angels and people, flaunting herself, like a royal scarlet, with a single girlish shame . And she began to reproach the king in these words:
“I consider you, king, like that serpent who deceived Eve (Gen. 3:1-6) and incited Cain to kill Abel (Gen. 4: 2-16), and that demon who asked God for permission to tempt the righteous Job (Job 1:6-12). But soon, enemy of Christ, you will perish along with all your like-minded people.
Having said this, she again made the sign of the cross on herself and went to the red-hot ox herself, without waiting to be thrown there. When she took hold of this ox with her hands, her hands melted like wax from a fierce fire. But she, as if feeling no pain, put her head into the hole of the ox and, going inside it, began to loudly glorify God, saying:
- Glory to You, Lord, Only Begotten Son of the Most High God, for strengthening me, weak, for this feat and helping me defeat the devil and his wiles. For that be glory and worship to You and Your Beginning Father with the Holy Spirit forever.
Having said this, the saint betrayed her soul into the hands of her Most Pure and Immortal Bridegroom and entered with him into the heavenly palace amid the rejoicing and singing of the angelic powers11. Her venerable body melted like butter in the copper willow and spread out like fragrant ointment, so that the whole city was filled with an indescribable fragrance. The wicked king ordered her honest bones to be thrown out of the city, and they were taken to a mountain called Litaton. Four lions, coming from the desert, sat down near them, protecting them from other animals and carnivorous birds.
Bishop Klinon had a revelation from God about the death of Saint Pelagia and about the place where the bones were located. And the bishop went to that mountain and found here the honest bones of Saint Pelagia and the lions guarding them. The lions, seeing the man of God, approached him and, bowing before him, returned to the desert. The bishop, taking the bones of the holy martyr, carried them to the highest hill of that mountain and laid a stone. Subsequently, during the reign of Emperor Constantine,12 when piety shone everywhere, he erected a church there over the honorable relics of the bride of Christ. On the tombstone, Bishop Klinon made the following inscription: “The holy maiden Pelagia, who dedicated herself to God and fought for the truth to the end, rests here with her relics, and her soul reigns in heaven with the angels in the glory of Christ.”
This is how the holy martyr Pelagia completed her feat for Christ our Lord, to whom belongs glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages.
Troparion of the Martyr Pelagia, tone 4
Your Lamb, Jesus, Pelagia/ calls with a great voice:/ I love You, my Bridegroom,/ and, seeking You, I suffer,/ and I am crucified, and I am buried in Your Baptism,/ and I suffer for Your sake,/ for I reign in You, and I die for You, / yes, and I live with You, / but as an immaculate sacrifice, accept me, sacrificed to You with love. / By those prayers, / as you are merciful, save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 3
Having despised time, and having been a partaker of heavenly blessings, having accepted the crown of suffering for the sake of it, the all-honorable Pelagie, as if you brought a gift of blood streams to the Master Christ. Pray to save us, who honor your memory, from troubles.
Greatness
We magnify you, passion-bearer of Christ Pelagia, and honor your honest suffering, which you endured for Christ.
Prayer
O long-suffering and wise martyr of Christ Pelagia! With your soul you stand in heaven at the Throne of the Lord, and on earth, by the grace given to you, you perform various healings: look mercifully at the people who stand before you and those praying before your image, asking for your help. Extend your holy prayers to the Lord for us, and ask us for forgiveness of our sins, healing for the sick, quick help for the grieving and needy; pray to the Lord to give us all a Christian death and a good answer at His Last Judgment, so that together with you we may be able to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Buy an icon of the holy martyr Pelageya
In the Radonezh icon painting workshop you can buy or order a handwritten icon of the holy martyr Pelageya. Call us and we will help you choose a plot, a compositional solution for the icon, its optimal size and design, or we will write an icon according to your sample.
Free delivery throughout Russia. If desired, the icon can be consecrated in the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.
The icon of Saint Pelageya presented above was made by icon painters from our workshop. To the extent of his spiritual state, each of our artists brings his own unique, inimitable features to the holy image, and at the same time tries not to go beyond the recognition of the saint depicted.
When ordering an icon from us, you can be sure that the image is painted in strict accordance with the canon of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In the church canon we draw our strength, giving us inspiration and steadfastness of hand. Like thousands of our predecessors, we put our whole soul and special, individual style of writing into the creation of an icon. Faith, prayer, knowledge of the iconographic canon and a good level of skill help us in this.
We hope that on our website you will find an image to which your heart will respond.
Peace and goodness to you, dear brothers and sisters, and may the holy servant of God, Pelageya, accompany you throughout your entire life’s journey.
Similar icons:
Natalia Nikomidiyskaya 16000 ₽
Sergius of Radonezh – dimensional icon 20,000 ₽
Maxim Adrianopolsky 20000 ₽
Sergius of Radonezh 20000 ₽
How does the icon of the holy martyr Pelageya help?
Through His saintly icons, the Lord sends us what we ask for, useful for our souls. The saints, just like us, who have walked the earthly path, know our needs. They experienced the same experiences, overcame similar earthly difficulties. When we ask a saint for intercession, we ask that he convey our prayer to God and that the saint’s prayers will be heard faster than our sincere appeal to them. The icon of the holy martyr Pelageya helps to establish a prayer connection with the holy intercessor. Having in front of us the visual image of Saint Pelageya, our prayer does not dissipate into empty ideas and dreams. And according to the faith of the one who asks, the Lord, through His saints, gives us what we ask. Pelageya is revered in the Christian world as a saint and martyr.
They pray to Saint Pelageya:
— About strengthening faith — About help in organizing earthly affairs — About healing of bodily and spiritual infirmities.
The meaning of the icon of Saint Pelagia
The meaning of the icon of Saint Pelageya lies in the indestructible strength of spirit represented in the image of the saint. She personifies the power of faith, martyrdom, and a firm determination to defend Christian ideals, even at the cost of her own life. The image of Saint Pelageya, the story of her life’s path, inspire us, encourage us to fervent prayer and pious deeds. Truly wonderful is God in His saints! Dear believers, brothers and sisters! Do not doubt the help of Saint Pelageya! Open your heart to her in sincere prayer and she will hear us, heal spiritual and physical infirmities, and help in the successful arrangement of earthly affairs.
Do not forget that in order for a miracle to happen, we ourselves must take care: regularly, with attention, read the prayer, do deeds of faith and love. And don’t forget to give thanks: to thank all the people sent to us by the grace of God to solve our life’s troubles, who shared our joy and sorrow. To thank the Saint, whose prayerful support our heart yearned for, because how many people pray to him for help, but he heard and helped us too. And most importantly, thank the Lord for His boundless love for mankind. He gave the world His saints and every second helps us, people who hope for His great mercies.
Everything in the world happens according to the wise providence of God. Difficulties and sorrows, success and joys. Through earthly trials the Lord strengthens us. By helping each other, praying to the heavenly saints, we are more firmly united in the One Church of Christ. And we believe that the holy martyr Pelageya will hear all our prayers and show us the boundless mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for everything!
