According to the beliefs of believers, Seraphim of Sarov helps people even after his death. He conveys their prayers to the Lord and helps them not to go astray. In Russia, he is one of the most revered and beloved saints - you can find his icon in almost every church, and ordinary people began to pray to him long before he was canonized, almost during his lifetime. They pray to the saint for the health of relatives, a successful marriage, for help in troubles and peace of mind, for deliverance from addiction. The saint is venerated on August 1 and January 15.
Why is Sarovsky considered a miracle worker?
Saint Seraphim of Sarov was born in 1754, near Kursk. Then his name was still Prokhor and he was not a saint, but a little boy. Together with other guys, he climbed interesting places, and once fell from the height of the bell tower of a real temple, but remained alive.
When he was 10 years old, he fell ill, and his parents were afraid that the boy would die. But the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and promised to help. And when the next day a religious procession with an icon of the Mother of God passed by the village, his mother, at Prokhor’s request, took him outside, and from that day he began to recover.
When the time came to choose what to do in life, Prokhor went to the monastery. There he prepared for tonsure, and then took the name Seraphim and left the monastery to live in a separate dugout and be able to concentrate on saving his soul.
For many years the saint prayed and fasted, did not change his clothes either in winter or in summer, tortured his body and tamed his spirit. Wild animals came to him and ate from his hands, people sought his wisdom. One day, the Mother of God appeared to him again in a dream and helped him find the place where a spring came out of the ground. The water in it turned out to be healing, and soon a convent was built nearby.
Only in old age did Saint Seraphim return to the monastery. People continued to come to him and he addressed everyone “my joy” - both the poor and the rich, both men and women. Candles were always burning in his cell, and after his death the monks realized what had happened by the fact that the interior caught fire.
The saint always said that as long as he was alive, there would be no fire.
Facts about the saint
The life of the reverend was quite different from the lives of most other people from early childhood. Here are the most interesting facts known to historians about the ascetic:
- As a child, he fell from a bell tower, but remained unharmed.
- As a child, I suffered from dropsy for three years, of which I did not get out of bed for one and a half years. He was healed after communion and the appearance of the Most Pure Virgin.
- He lived as a hermit for 47 years.
- Spent a thousand days praying on a stone.
- Hand fed the bears.
- The cell icon of the monk is the “Tenderness” of the Most Holy Theotokos.
- He was glorified 70 years after his earthly death - in 1903.
The earthly life of an ascetic is worthy of the attention of every Orthodox believer. The exploits of the righteous man do not lose their relevance even almost two centuries after their commission. Therefore, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the life of the saint in more detail, if you have not already done so.
Days of remembrance - January 15, August 1. However, you can pray to the monk on any day of the year. It’s just that on the day of celebration you should pray to Saint Seraphim strictly.
Shrines of Seraphim of Sarov
After the holy elder, shrines remained, as did most of God’s saints.
Icons of the saint, their interpretations
On icons the saint is depicted dressed in a monastic robe, hunched over and often gray-haired. His face is recognizable everywhere, even in those images that are made in the traditional manner. This is the result of the fact that a picture was painted of him during his lifetime - a couple of years before his death. His hand is usually raised in blessing or clutches a staff.
Some of the icons are painted very realistically. Some are in the traditional Russian manner.
Figure 2. One of the icons of the saint
Relics of the Saint
The relics of Saint Seraphim changed location several times. At first they were kept in the Diveyevo monastery, built over a spring that the venerable wonderworker found. Then, under Soviet rule, they were confiscated and placed in a museum.
In the nineties, they were found in the archives and transported first to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, from there to the Cathedral of the Epiphany, and from there again to the monastery, where they are kept to this day.
Types of icons of the saint
The iconography of St. Seraphim of Sarov is quite extensive. Some images depict events from the life of God's saint, some depict him as if in a portrait. In particular, there are images with the following plots:
- Praying on a stone.
- Vision of Prokhor (this was the name the saint had before taking monastic vows) of the Most Holy Theotokos.
- Feeding the bear.
- Half-length image of the venerable.
- Seraphim of Sarov in full height, standing upright.
- The miracle worker is in full height, with a bent back and a stick for support.
You can purchase an icon with any subject: the main thing is that it is canonical and you personally like it. In order not to doubt the canonicity of the shrine you have chosen, make a purchase at a church store or order an image from a trusted online store.
Miracles of the Saint
In the life of Saint Seraphim there were enough deeds that can be called miracles:
- A bear came to him from the forest and served him, although according to all the rules he should have torn it to pieces.
- One day a clerk came to him and slandered the priest. The saint drove him away, and the clerk lost his tongue, and it remained so until he repented.
- During prayer, he sometimes rose above the ground.
The Lord gave Seraphim the gift of healing and prediction, wisdom to help with instructions and prayer power. But the most impressive thing is the time when the monk did not perform a miracle, but showed true Orthodox humility.
One day, robbers came to his cell and someone whispered to them that the saint was hiding a treasure. They beat him brutally, broke his head, broke his ribs, but he not only did not resist, even though these were the days of his youth, but subsequently asked for mercy from these people.
And his wounds healed, although they were fatal, leaving only a crooked back.
Figure 3. Saint Seraphim and the bear - a very common subject in paintings and icons
Prayer for a Happy Marriage
Seraphim of Sarov is the patron saint of marriages. Lonely girls turn to this saint with a request to arrange their fate. It has long been known that in order to receive help, prayer alone is not enough. The prayer will be effective if read over water. And for this, living water - spring water - is best suited.
Taking a liter of water, read a prayer over it, while placing a lit church candle and an icon of Seraphim of Sarov near the vessel. You should drink the water prepared in this way and also sprinkle it on your bed and room.
Of course, we should not forget that the main attribute of such a request is faith in God and confidence that a miracle will happen and you will meet your destiny.
It is believed that Seraphim of Sarov is the patron of late marriages, so those who have already lost all hope of arranging their destiny often turn to him. If you are over 30 years old or more and still single, contact Father Seraphim and be sure that your sincere prayer will be fulfilled.
The prayer of a mother who wants her daughter to get married will be a very strong help, because the Lord accepts any request of the mother for his dearly beloved child.
Prayer to the miracle worker
Believers are confident that prayer helps in difficult situations. And to whom does he pray, if not the Most Holy Saint?
When to read a prayer to the saint
They pray to Seraphim at any moment when the soul asks. But traditionally the time for prayer is early morning and late evening, when the morning and evening rules are read by the laity.
What do they pray for in front of the icon?
It doesn’t matter where the miracle worker is buried and how much of the past his life can be considered. You can always pray to him for the health of your relatives, for a successful marriage, for your daughter to marry a good man. About help in troubles, about calming the soul, about getting rid of addiction.
Figure 4. Another variation of the icon
How to pray to the holy image correctly
The icon of Seraphim in itself means nothing. It's just a painted board, a symbol - about the same as a grave - a symbol of a deceased person. Therefore, when praying, you need to think not about her, but about the person to whom the prayer is addressed. About the one who never refused help to anyone, whose prophecies were always true, to whom the Mother of God appeared more than once as a sign. The main thing is to remember that the Savior always stands behind him, and that without him the saint has no power.
Don't be distracted by worldly things. Don't think about vanity.
The meaning and content of the icon
If you trace the iconographic image of Seraphim of Sarov, which appears after the 19th century, then the description of the icon is simple and concise. Almost always the monk is depicted with a blessing gesture and a rosary in his other hand.
In fact, these details reflect the general meaning of the elder’s entire life; he always prayed (often went into seclusion, stood on a stone in prayer for 1000 days and performed other feats) and gave people various benefits. In addition, there are icons of Seraphim of Sarov with marks, the meaning of which is clear - the most significant details of his life are depicted there, various exploits are described.
Miracles created through the prayer of Seraphim
It is not possible to list all the miracles that the Heavenly Father performed through the prayer of Elder Seraphim. News of miracles performed appear again and again.
- The first time such a miracle happened was when young Prokhor fell from a high church bell tower. After that, he rose to his feet and there were no injuries on him. And at the age of 10, Prokhor was healed by the Mother of God, who appeared to him in a dream, from a serious incurable illness.
- While he was married in the monastery, Prokhor suddenly fell ill with dropsy. His body was swollen. After Communion of the Holy Gifts, the Mother of God appeared to the young man, touched his leg with her staff and healed him.
- The Monk Seraphim indicated to his brother the exact day of his death 48 years before this event.
- One day a deacon arrived at the Sarov monastery, and the day before he had falsely accused another clergyman of unseemly acts. When the deacon came to the holy elder, he drove him away, seeing the deception and slander against the innocent. After this, for three years the sinner could not serve in church - his tongue began to go numb. This continued until he admitted to the slander and repented.
- Even animals listened to the Venerable Seraphim. One of the monks, who lived in the monastery at the same time as Seraphim, told how Seraphim sat on a log and fed breadcrumbs to a huge bear standing in front of him. Out of fear, the monk hid behind a tree and watched as the wild beast left the Monk Seraphim into the forest. When the animal left, Seraphim asked the monk Peter not to reveal what he had seen to anyone until Seraphim’s death.
- In 1825, the venerable elder, while on the banks of the Sarovka River, saw the Mother of God and the holy apostles John and Peter. The Most Pure Virgin struck the ground with her staff and a fountain of water began to flow from there. Then she ordered the construction of the Diveyevo monastery in this place. Father Seraphim brought the necessary tools from the monastery and dug a well with his own hands for 2 weeks. Subsequently, the water from this well began to bring people miraculous healings from various ailments.
- The Venerable Elder Seraphim possessed the great gift of clairvoyance. Very often he received letters and knew about their contents without even opening the envelope. Many such unopened letters were subsequently found from him.
- There are witnesses to how the elder ascended above the ground during prayer. However, he demanded that this be kept secret until his death.
Through Seraphim’s prayers, health was repeatedly restored even to terminally ill patients. These miracles are far from the only ones performed by the elder due to his great faith and spiritual purity. Even after the death of the saint, his icon helps people find health and courage in difficult moments, strengthens the spirit and flesh
those who offer sincere prayer.
The canonization and discovery of the relics of the Venerable Elder Seraphim of Sarov took place on August 1, 1903. He was solemnly transferred to the shrine on his birthday.
On this day, more than 300 thousand people gathered in the city of Sarov for the celebration. All-night funeral services were held at the Sarov monastery. Before the canonization, a religious procession was made to the Sarov monastery from the Diveyevo monastery. Throughout this procession, sacred chants were performed. Along the way, the procession stopped at chapels where litias were celebrated.
The second religious procession came out to meet the relics. After the meeting, the united religious procession moved towards Sarov. In the evening of the same day, St. Seraphim of Sarov was glorified as a saint.
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After this, the coffin with the relics of the holy elder was opened
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At this time, everyone knelt down, including the emperor himself. According to historians, this holiday was one of the most solemn in Rus'. The instructions of the reverend elder were voiced. Some of them were written down with his own hand, while others were heard and written down from the saint by other people. The relics of the saint rest in the Sarov desert
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, A Discourse on the Purposes of Christian Life was printed and published.
. This conversation took place shortly before the saint’s dormition.
Sarovsky's path to God
His life was unusual from the very beginning. His father passed away early, the family was led by his mother, Agafya. As a little boy, Prokhor tagged along with her to look at the construction of a new temple. It was started by his late father. A curious child climbed to the very top of the bell tower, from where he fell, looking at the domes.
But it turned out that the boy did not receive a single scratch. Many view this as a sign of God’s special mercy. Then Prokhor was only 7. He showed zeal in his studies, loved to read the Bible, pray, and go to services. At the age of 10, he became seriously ill. In a vision I saw the Mother of God herself. The Queen of Heaven promised that he would soon recover.
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The image of the Queen of Heaven “The Sign” was carried past the house in a religious procession; the mother came out and placed the boy next to the icon. Immediately the patient's condition began to improve. This event influenced his entire future fate - the boy decided to devote himself to serving God. The mother, being a deeply religious person herself, did not object.
At the age of 17, he made a pilgrimage to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. There he met a monk who advised him to also visit the Sarov monastery, in the Tambov region. There the young man began his monastic exploits - he followed all the rules, and really loved going into the forest to communicate with God.
Other interesting facts from the life of a monk:
- 1780 - the novice suffered a serious illness, which he endured with great patience. Prokhor suffered for three years, but never once blasphemed the Lord. Then the Mother of God appeared to him. In general, during his life the monk was honored with several of her visits (according to legend, the Mother of God visited him 12 times).
- 1786 - tonsure into the monastic order (minor schema), during the tonsure he was given the name Seraphim. Ordained to the rank of deacon.
- 1793 - ordination as hieromonk.
This is how Seraphim of Sarov began serving God and people.
Where is the miraculous icon located?
The Holy Trinity, Seraphim-Diveyevo Church houses unfading relics.
In the capital.
The Patriarchal Church of the Deveyevsky Metochion preserves a fragment of the relics of the Most Holy One.
Novospassky, Sretensky, Donskoy and other churches.
The Danilovsky Monastery has preserved not only a fragment of the relics, but also several copies of the image of the Immaculate One.
The main Elokhovsky Epiphany Cathedral Church preserves the miraculous image together with particles of the stone in which the Blessed One ascended during his thousand-day stand, and also part of the clothing.
Kuntsevo Church, named part of the Noble One, you can offer a prayer to the image.
The cathedral also has a shrine in honor of the image of the Mother of God.
Seraphim's place of eternal rest in Old Peterhof is the Temple of the Wonderworker;
Narva Cathedral in honor of Christ can be worshiped before the sacred composition.
Where to pray to Father Seraphim
The veneration of the saint is so great that his image is in almost every Orthodox church. But there are especially famous places where pilgrims flock.
- Seraphim-Diveevo Convent, where the relics of the saint rest.
- Danilov Monastery - here is an image with parts of a mantle, a piece of stone on which the saint prayed for a thousand days.
- Near the Expocentre (Krasnopresnenskaya embankment in Moscow), a temple in the name of the saint was recently consecrated, where you can venerate the icon with relics.
- Temple of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” (Pereyaslavskaya Sloboda) - an image with a piece of the saint’s coffin.
- Elokhovsky Epiphany Cathedral - icon of Seraphim of Sarov.
But sometimes, if prayers are not answered, people wonder - why did God leave me? Then you should think about whether what you are asking will really do any good? If the answer does not come, or something else is given instead of what was expected, we must remember that the Lord does everything for good.
