Many people in the world name their children not after their close relatives, but after other people. Some of them give the name of a saint born on the same day. In the USA, for example, the name Tiffany is very popular. But not many of them know who this name is associated with. People say that Tiffany is "pretty" and associate this idea with the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." But this name has deeper roots.
Tiffany is a very old name. It originated in France and is pronounced Tiefen in French. But the British have their own cunning associations with this pronunciation, associated with the legend. Lord Bertrand du Guesclin had a cunning wife, Tiphaine. She was considered a witch or fairy. But even more ancient roots of the origin of this name date back to Ancient Greece.
“Theophany” is the appearance or manifestation of God. For example, God appeared to Abraham in the form of a burning bush and so on. In the Eastern Church, the name Teofaniya (Feofaniya) is usually given to girls born on the feast of Epiphany. On this day, Jesus revealed Himself as God and man before the Magi. He appeared before all the pagans. Today, the relics of the Byzantine Empress Saint Theophany (Tiffany) are kept in the Church of the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Life of Saint Theovania
Blessed Feofania was born into the family of a wealthy nobleman, Constantine Martinakia. Her mother, Anna, could not get pregnant and give birth to a child for a long time, so she turned to the Lord with fervent prayers. The Almighty blessed the couple with the birth of a daughter, who was named Feofania. The parents gave the girl a brilliant upbringing and did not deny her anything.
When Emperor Basil the Macedonian was looking for a wife for his son Leo, his choice fell on Feofania, as a well-bred and educated girl, who was also of a meek disposition. During the wedding, two crowns were placed on the future saint at once - the matrimonial and the royal. However, the prosperity in the young family did not last long. On the advice of an insidious man, Feofania’s husband began to wear a sword under his clothes to protect his father, the emperor. But the slanderer told Vasily that his son dreams of quickly inheriting the throne and is plotting murder. Leo and his wife were sent to prison; the couple spent 3 years in prison.
The nobles constantly interceded for the heir to the throne and vouched for his innocence, and finally, on the day of the celebration of the memory of the Prophet Elijah, the emperor decided to release his son and daughter-in-law from custody. However, the years spent in captivity had a detrimental effect on Feofania’s health, and she was released weak and sick.
During the time spent in marriage, the blessed queen gave birth to her only daughter, who died when she was very young. No longer wanting to rejoice in earthly blessings, Feofania devoted herself to prayer and fasting, as well as to godly deeds.
She distributed all the income that was due to her as an empress to the poor, ate vegetables and bread, and wore a hair shirt under her luxurious royal dress. Thanks to Saint Theophania, many churches and monasteries received generous donations, and the queen took special care of widows and orphans. None of those serving the empress ever heard a rude word or shout from her; she treated her servants meekly and with love.
Feofania died in 892, having been married for 12 years. After the death of his wife, Emperor Leo built a temple named in honor of All Saints, where a nunnery was subsequently founded.
Blessed Theophania of Byzantium, Empress
The Life of Blessed Theophany of Byzantium as presented by St. Demetrius of Rostov.
Blessed Feofania was born in Constantinople and came from a royal family. Her parents, Konstantin, who had the rank of illustrator, and her mother Anna, living in an honest marriage, were infertile for a long time, which is why they always mourned the fact that they did not have children. Strongly desiring to have the fruit of their marriage, they prayed to our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and, often coming to Her all-honorable temple, which was in Forakia, they poured out their hearts before Her in diligent prayer.
“May our infertility be resolved,” they prayed, “Oh, Lady of the world, by Your mercy, and may we, through Your intercession, receive childbearing from the Creator!”
And since they asked with faith, they received what they asked for by the grace of the One to Whom they fervently turned in prayer: they accepted permission for their infertility and gave birth to a female child, who was named Theophany.
From the age of six, Feofania began to be taught to read and write and instructed in every good deed. Even in her childhood, one could see clear signs of her future great virtues and holiness. Seeing her good behavior and intelligence, Feofania’s parents were very happy and hoped to subsequently be consoled by her good fortune. Therefore, they were looking for a young man similar to her in family nobility, good morals and intelligence, in order to marry her according to the law, since she was already coming of age and was more decorated with all the talents than her peers.
At this time, King Basil the Macedonian was looking for a beautiful and virtuous girl to marry his son Leo the Wise. Finding Feofania better than all the other girls, he married her to his son, already declared heir to the throne. The royal marriage was celebrated with general joy and rejoicing.
After some time, the crafty enemy sowed tares in the royal house between father and son, and the father rose up with great anger against his son. Taking him and his wife Feofania, he locked them up in prison and assigned a strong guard. This happened through the secret malice and cunning deceit of Theodore Santavarin, Bishop of Euchait, a sorcerer whom King Leo did not love.
The matter began like this: when the first-born of Tsar Vasily and the elder brother of Tsar Leo, Constantine, died, Tsar Vasily grieved for him and cried inconsolably, for he loved him very much. Then the above-mentioned sorcerer, seeing the king in great sadness and wanting to console him, through his sorcery, showed the king his deceased son Constantine alive, sitting on a horse and riding towards him. Having embraced his son with his arms and kissed him lovingly, the king again lost sight of him, for the magical ghost and dream had disappeared. The king was surprised and horrified and, considering the vision to be reality, began to greatly respect Santavarin and, considering him his sincere friend, obeyed him in everything. Young Leo, being prudent and God-fearing, abhorred that sorcerer and, hating him as the enemy of God, despised him. Theodore, thinking about how to take revenge on King Leo for such contempt, came up with the following insidious trick. Having chosen a convenient time, he approached King Leo in private and, pretending to be friendly and disposed towards him, said:
“You’re young and you go hunting with your father.” Just in case, you need to secretly carry a small sword in order to be able to sometimes use it on the beast, sometimes give it to your father at the right time, or, in case some domestic enemy, of which your father has many, suddenly and suddenly attacked your father - then you, having immediately taken out the secretly carried sword, could have struck the enemy and saved the life of your father.
Having listened to this insidious advice of his enemy and not suspecting his cunning, Leo began to secretly carry a small sword in his boot when he went hunting with his father, or somewhere else.
After this, the crafty Santavarin secretly said to King Vasily:
“Your son Leo wants to suddenly kill you so that he can reign alone. The following will serve as proof of his evil intent: when you go hunting and he is with you, he carries a sword hidden in his boot, prepared to suddenly strike you and kill you at a convenient time. If you want to be convinced of this, try it in practice - go hunting, taking him with you and, when you come to the field, have him look at what he has in his boot.
Soon Tsar Vasily, taking the young Tsar, his son, went hunting and, being in the field, ordered to examine what Tsar Leo had in his boot, and a small double-edged sword was found hidden there. And Vasily immediately flared up with a flame of indescribable rage and anger at his son, considering as truth what Santavarin told him, that his son wanted to kill him.
“That’s why he prepared the sword,” he said.
Leo, being innocent of anything, insisted that he wore the sword not to kill his father, but to preserve his life. But the very angry father, not wanting to listen to a single word of his, immediately imprisoned him, as well as his wife, blessed Theofania, in a certain secret room that was in the royal chambers, and assigned a strong guard to them. So the crafty sorcerer Santavarin took revenge on King Leo; The most terrible thing about this was that, at the suggestion of the same Santavarin, the father wanted to gouge out and take out his son’s eyes. And this thing would certainly have been accomplished if the patriarch and the entire synclite had not restrained the king.
For more than three years, the innocent Tsar Leo and blessed Feofania, who had not done any harm, remained in prison. There they practiced nothing else but prayer and fasting, grieving over their imprisonment and calling on the All-Seeing God as a witness of their innocence. Several times the synclite wanted to ask the king for his son, but did not find a convenient time. Finally, the opportunity arose when it was possible to make such a request. It happened like this. In the royal chamber there was a bird, a parrot, that was taught to pronounce certain words in a human voice and with its pronunciation amused the king and others who heard the parrot. One day, the king, celebrating the holiday of the holy prophet Elijah, called all his courtiers to his royal dinner and, having arranged a feast, invited everyone to rejoice and have fun with him. That bird, often speaking humanly, repeated, whether taught by someone unknown or by accident, the following words:
- Alas, alas, Mr. Lev!
Hearing this, all the courtiers who were dining sat in confusion, leaving food and drink. Seeing the courtiers in confusion, neither eating nor drinking, the king asked why they were so sad. Then they, finding the time opportune, stood up in tears and said:
- If a bird without reason grieves for its innocently suffering master, - and sobbing and looking for him, says: alas, alas, Mr. Lion! - How can we, rational and verbal creatures, who undoubtedly know that your son, our master, suffers innocently through malice, and endures your fatherly wrath through slander - how can we have fun, eat and drink?! Shouldn't we grieve even more? O king! If your son has sinned in any way against you, his father, and is planning to raise his hand against you, give him here to us - we will cut him into pieces. If he is innocent of anything, as we undoubtedly know, then why are you torturing your blood?
From such words, the king became touched and, moved by his heart and natural pity, immediately ordered that King Leo be taken out of prison, his hair that had grown during his imprisonment be cut off and, dressed in royal clothes, he would be brought to him with honor. When this was done, the king rose in tears, embraced his son, began to kiss him and returned him to his former royal rank.
After living for a short time, Tsar Vasily fell ill and died, leaving royal power to his son. After the death of his father, Leo seized the sorcerer Santavarin, ordered him to be beaten, gouge out his eyes, and sent him into captivity in the city of Athens.
Thus the sorcerer’s anger turned on his own head. This Santavarin was a Manichaean by faith, a sorcerer by doctrine, a Christian by appearance, a bishop by rank, and was considered a saint by Tsar Basil - for the sake of his miracles performed by magic.
Meanwhile, blessed Theophania, who after her imprisonment entered into royal life, diligently took care of her spiritual salvation, considering royal glory as nothing and despising, like rubbish and sleep, the sweetness and vanity of life. She constantly, day and night, had psalms, spiritual songs and prayers on her lips and spent her whole life pleasing God and seeking Him with works of mercy. She did not care about the royal decoration of her body, and if on the outside she was dressed with some splendor, then, on the other hand, under her clothes, on her body, she wore a coarse hair shirt, with which her flesh was mortified. Her life was fasting - she ate simple bread and dried herbs; the rich dishes of the meal were completely banished by her.
The wealth and jewelry that came into her hands were distributed by her to the needy, poor and wretched, orphans and widows, and precious clothes and things were given to them. The poor cells of monastics and monasteries were renewed by her and enriched with estates and everything necessary. Such were the zeal and care for everyone of that Christ-loving queen! She looked at her servants and slaves as brothers and sisters, and did not simply call anyone by name, but she respected everyone by their title in the Lord, respecting the name, rank and position of everyone. And she did not utter an oath with her tongue, and no rotten word came out of her mouth—neither lies, nor slander, nor any indecent word at all. She treated everyone with love - she cried with those who wept, she rejoiced with those who rejoiced. Although her bed was covered with fine linen and adorned with gold ornaments, she did not sleep on it, but, placing clean matting on the floor, which covered the sharp bones and teeth of animals, she went to sleep on it and her bed every night, according to the saying of the prophet David, wet her with tears (Ps. 6:7) and after a very short sleep she immediately got up to praise God. From such a harsh life, full of all sorts of hardships, Feofania fell into a great physical illness, but her soul did not faint from incessant prayer, she did not cease to study the Divine law, reading the sacred books and doing what she read. All her cares were aimed at helping the offended, interceding for widows, caring for orphans, comforting the mourning, wiping away the tears of those crying - and she was a mother for everyone without shelter and help. Living in the world, she rejected everything worldly; While in marriage, she loved the good yoke of Christ and, taking the cross on her shoulder, carried it and thus pleased God.
Anticipating the departure of her soul from her body, blessed Theophania commanded that everyone come to her to say goodbye. Then, having given everyone the final and final kiss, she moved from the earthly kingdom to the heavenly one and appeared before the King of Glory, adorned, like a royal scarlet, with many of her virtues. Therefore, she was counted among the saints who pleased God with virtues, and her honest body was honorably buried8445.
Theophania's husband, King Leo the Wise, even during her lifetime, seeing her great holiness and honoring her not as a wife, but as his mistress and intercessor before God, planned to build a temple in her name in advance. The saint, having learned about this, not only did not deign to do this, but also strictly forbade doing it. Therefore, the temple, which had already begun to be built in her name, was renamed in the name of all saints and by the same king, on the advice of the entire church, the feast of all saints was established in the first week after Pentecost. The king said:
– If Feofania is a saint, then let her memory be celebrated together with all the saints, to the glory of all the saints to the glorified God!
To him and from us be glory forever. Amen.
- Select and buy the icon of Blessed Theophania of Byzantium
Texts of prayers
When asking for help and intercession from the saint, use the following texts of prayers.
To enhance the effect of the ritual, it is recommended to purchase an image of the blessed one and consecrate it in an Orthodox church. The texts are pronounced while looking at the icon.
Troparion, tone 1
We glorify the Epiphany Queen and praise her venerable life, we please patience and humility, we constantly cry out to love: remember us too, blessed Theophanie, in your incessant prayers to Christ.
Canon
Song 1
Irmos: Your victorious right hand / was gloriously glorified in the fortress: / that, Immortal, / like the omnipotent, / erased the enemy, / the Israelites // making a new way of depth.
Let us worthily praise Theophania, / the God-wise queen, / as she truly reveals God / and is a partaker of the Heavenly Kingdom, / in whom, as a faithful servant of Christ, she has come / and bring her glory as a crowned queen. / We also call to her: / Rejoice, for you have received an unfading crown.
Even though you knew the only thing you needed, / you despised the beauty and glory of this world, / and your spirit was constantly on fire, / you loved labors and exploits more than the sweets of a vain life, / and you remained in the patience of adamantium to the end. / We also call you: / Rejoice, for you have received an unfading crown.
Ask for remission of our sins, / through your care you leave no one else behind us / and accept our prayers, / so that we all cry out in spiritual joy: / Rejoice, for you have received an unfading crown.
Theotokos: The pastures of carnal passions now surround me and insult me fiercely: / visit Thy servant soon, O Virgin, and save me from those who embitter me.
Song 3
Irmos: Only the one who knows the weakness of the human being / and mercifully did not imagine, / girded me with strength from on high, / to cry out to You, Holy One: / animated in the temple // of Your ineffable glory, O Lover of Mankind.
Fleeing the hypocrisy of the Pharisee, / turning away from worldly glory, / and striving in secret, / you sought the same praise from God, / which you have gained, / and you have been made worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Adam’s sin of arrogance, O blessed one, is not struck by the humility of Christ, like a wall enclosed by it, / for you loved the slavery of Christ / more than earthly dominion, / for this reason you were vouchsafed the Kingdom of Heaven.
No one knows, / like a glorious queen, / clothed in scarlet and fine linen, / covering sackcloth with those / and courageously enduring wounds, / comfortably conquering passions and calling on the Lord: / do not deprive me of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Theotokos: Groaning, O Pure One, and grant me a tear of soul, / and my ever-present tenderness, O Young Lady, / as I weep for the passions that overwhelm me from inattention, O God-Blessed One.
Sedalen, voice 7th
Today rises the all-celebratory memory / of the blessed queen of Constantinople, / come, people, let us flock together, lovers of leisure, / with that honorable relic we worship, / and with that holy face we cry out kissingly: / oh, wise Feofania, / faithful partaker of the bliss of paradise, / pray for that sweetness to inherit / to you those who diligently resort // and honor your deeds faithfully.
Glory, even now, to the Mother of God
Unfaithful intercessor, Mother of God, / and ready prayer book for those who come to You, / deliver me from troubles: / do not despise me, the Intercessor of all.
Song 4
Irmos: Habakkuk saw Thee, the clairvoyant Habakkuk, overshadowed by the grace of God, / from You proclaimed to the Holy One Israel to come forth, // for our salvation and renewal.
You were jealous of Job’s patience, / accepting bitterness and persecution / and being imprisoned, / constantly remaining in prayer, / for this reason you acquired the grace of the Spirit / and you lit your lamp, // like a wise virgin.
Youth and beauty, / wealth and earthly dominion / you completely despised, Feofania, / and you abided in the royal chambers, / you settled in the desert in spirit, / and you remained constantly vigilant on the guard of your heart, / as if you were in the Heavenly Palace // with you will appear as wise virgins.
You poured out the alms of the oil on every ide, / you made a blessed purchase in your life / and you approached the gates of Heaven, / opening to you with joy, / and you ascended into the Hall of the Bridegroom // to taste the immortal meal.
Theotokos: Always show purgatory to my heart, O Most Pure One, / the remembrance of saints, and the cleansing of sins.
Song 5
Irmos: Enlightening with the radiance of Your coming, O Christ, / and sanctifying the ends of the world with Your Cross, / enlighten the hearts with the light of Your God-understanding, // those who sing Orthodoxy to You.
With intelligent eyes constantly gazing at the Sun of Truth, / you were enlightened by His radiance, / having shone with the rays of virtues in your life, / in the same way enlighten us, // pleading with the Giver of Light for us.
Sovereign crown-bearer, / make wise and enlighten the Orthodox people, / so that in righteousness you will follow, / their vestments whiter than snow, / they will enter into the Heavenly Jerusalem, // where the light of the evening has risen.
You have clothed yourself with a cruel robe on earth, O all-blessed one, / constantly praying, / that the Lord will give you a robe of light, / Dress yourself in light like a robe, / and He will lead you into the adorned Palace, // from which all those who do not have the wedding robe will be cast out.
Theotokos: I condemn myself before the trial, God-rejoiced, / I bear the burden of the cold case alone, condemned, / but appear to me as the representative of existence for all, / and deliver me from the fierce condemnation.
Song 6
Irmos: The last abyss has passed us by, / there is no deliverance, we are counted as sheep of the slaughter, / save Thy people, our God: // Thou art the strength of the weak and the correction.
You have pleased God, / and you have escaped the destruction of the mountain, / and you have ascended the Mountain of the Lord, / you have always raised your mind to grief, / you have bowed your heart down in humility, / and you have passed through the abyss of life comfortably.
The deplorable vale of earthly life / you passed through the royal path, God-wise, / and you reached the City of God, / in which you are now glorified. / But look down from above on those who honor you, / even if you are in the depths of your falls, // and deliver us from defilements and raise us to God.
The churches of the ship / can never be drowned by the waves of the worldly sea, / in the same way, everything on it / comfortably reaches the shores of this blessed one / and they do not tolerate the sinking of the ship of faith. / Having learned this, the wise Feofania, / did not leave the ship of the church, // you swam through the depths unabashedly.
Theotokos: Sanctify my mind and enlighten my heart, Holy Mother of God, / and change the evils that hold me: / so I glorify You, my steadfast Intercessor.
Kontakion, tone 3
Crowned with a royal crown on earth, / blessed Theophanie, / you desired the heavenly crown, / you also embittered your flesh with vigils and fasting, / covering your hair with purple royal sackcloth, / and offering warm prayers to God at every hour, / doing your deeds in secret . / In the same way, the hero Christ our God glorified you, / and now we all cry out to you: / Rejoice, blessed queen, // for you have been honored with the Kingdom of Heaven.
Ikos
Come, kings and nobles, / let us honor the queen, who was jealous of the venerables in her life, worthily; / come, you poor and wretched, / let us glorify the merciful imitator of the Heavenly Father in mercy; / come, priests and all people, / let us faithfully praise our newly revealed intercessor / and Bringing this prayer to God, let us cry out to him: / Rejoice, blessed queen, // for you have been vouchsafed the Kingdom of Heaven.
Song 7
Irmos: To You, the intelligent Mother of God, we consider the cave, faithful;/ as you saved three youths, O Exalted One, / renew the world in Your womb entirely, // God praised by the fathers and glorified.
Honest Anna, to your grief-stricken mother, / like Samuil’s mother of old, / your tearful prayer was quickly heard, / comforted by the gift of a child, - / to you, the revealed youth, - // God, praised by the fathers, is glorified.
Rachel, Sarah and Rebekah / and all the righteous wives / who followed in your life, / you appeared more glorious than these, / for you were honored by earthly glory, / seated on a throne, / you were not exalted in heart and mind. / In the same way, you now stand before the Throne of the All-Tsar, / and your prayers are accepted // God, praised by the fathers, is Glorified.
From ancient times, who lived righteously in their walk before God, imitating / an angel in purity and chastity, / a venerable one in fasting and psalmody, / and a passion-bearer in enduring all evils, / to the Almighty Himself in mercy, / you appeared truly worthy to be numbered among His saints , / in the same way and crowning you in His Kingdom, / who crowned you on earth, // God is praised by the fathers and glorified.
Theotokos: Blessed Virgin, refuge of the sorrowing of all the faithful, / take away from all temptation, and sorrow, and malice those who see me, / and deliver from sin and various ailments.
Song 8
Irmos: In the cave, the children of Israel, / as in the crucible of the kindness of piety, purer than gold, sparkled, saying: / bless, all the works of the Lord, the Lord, // sing and exalt to all ages.
With chastity like a robe, / and humility, like linen, / and other virtues, more than a royal crown, / but with the grace of God, like with dew in the cave of temptations, / you have joined the ranks of those who are being saved, / with them now eat: / bless, all the works of the Lord, Lord, // sing and exalt Him forever.
Your lips are truly guardian, / you have never spoken a word that is rotten, / you have ceaselessly sung to the Lord, / and spoken to your servants as to your brethren, / and those who honor you strive with your heart and sing with your lips: / bless all the works of the Lord, the Lord, // sing and exalt Him forever.
You are mercilessly exhausting your flesh / and remain in your prayers as if bodiless, / you water your soul with tears, / you have extinguished the flame of passions, / even now, with the fiery faces of the Heavenly Powers / chanting the All-Holy Trinity, / do not stop praying for us, / that we may be delivered from the eternal fire / and in a cool place we will sing: / bless all the works of the Lord, the Lord, // sing and exalt Him forever.
Theotokos: Most Holy Theotokos, praise to the apostles, glory to the martyrs, / make me partaker of eternal glory, crying: // bless the Most Holy Spirit forever.
Song 9
Irmos: The image of Your pure Nativity, / the burning bush of display, unburnt; / and now the misfortunes are upon us / we pray to extinguish the furious furnace, // and we unceasingly magnify You, Mother of God.
Your bed was decorated with gold and fine linen, / you despised, God-wise, / and you humbly reclined on the ground / on bones and sharp shirts, / and of course you conquered the passions, / even so you now at the Supper of Christ / with the saints who reclined on the non-evening day / / we magnify with love.
By nature a weak wife, / but stronger in spirit than husbands, / the queen of glory and honor, / and the humility of Christ’s servant, / blessed Theophanie, / you were a saint in the face of God, / for your alms and your labors were remembered before God, / and now you, Christ and His glorified Church, // we constantly magnify with all our hearts and lips.
My meager prayers and praises / brought to you from unclean lips, / accept the blessed queen, / and just as in your earthly wanderings / you forsaken not a single thing with your love, / having merciful care for everyone, / here and for us, singing to you / to Christ God pray unceasingly / and protect everyone from troubles and misfortunes, / so that you, like a holy intercessor, // are magnified with all our hearts.
Akathist
Kontakion 1
To the chosen and most devoted servant of God, Blessed Queen Theophania, we offer songs of praise in her eternal memory, and, as one who has boldness in the Lord, we cry: ask the King for the Those who feast on Christ, may we be partakers of the Council of All Saints through your prayers, tenderly singing: Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania , who strives for us to live holy and blameless on earth.
Ikos 1
The God-loving illustrator Constantine and his pious wife Anna called upon the angels as their assistants, diligently begging God for the gift of a child, the Mother of God and the Mother of Light for permission to petition for infertility. behold, in the temple of Her all-honorable One in Phorakia: “May our infertility be resolved, O Lady of the world, by Your mercy, and may we receive childbearing from the Creator at Your intercession!” The gift of Divine mercy was blessed daughter Theophania, prayer book for Orthodox Christians, to whom we joyfully sing:
Rejoice, fruit of prayer bestowed by God.
Rejoice, as God rejoiced your parents at your birth.
Rejoice, for the wise Lord baptized you in infancy.
Rejoice, for you who followed Christ as a maiden.
Rejoice, for you have been adorned with Christian piety and have excelled in your studies.
Rejoice, for the olive tree is beautiful in character and fruitful in mind, grown.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 2
Seeing your talents, intelligence and great beauty, blessed Theophania, the emperor chose you for marriage to a pure maiden worthy of his son Leo, with whom he lived righteously and holy on earth, eat Christ Bo gu: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
You are rich in intelligence, you are abundant in your parents’ labors of piety, O beautiful wife Theophanie, who in the days of your life in the royal chambers suffered hardships without complaint for her righteous life, renowned by all people. We sing with holy tenderness to you on the living land:
Rejoice, you who remain in obedience to God.
Rejoice, O Lord, still laboring with humility.
Rejoice, rejoicing in Christ with reverence and trembling.
Rejoice, thou who walked gracefully in the days of thy earthly life.
Rejoice, wife of the king, clothed in the armor of light.
Rejoice, you who bestow enlightenment on those who know your life through the Light of Christ.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 3
You are strengthened by the power of God, blessed Queen Theophania, as through the joy of marriage, the Hand of the Lord herself has given you consolation, holy wife, and the sorrow of the imprisonment of an innocent person with the young king’s husband With the help of your faithful one you bore the light burden without complaint. People who are faithful to Christ sing to Him about you: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Have in your heart unfeigned love, known hope and unashamed faith in God, blessed queen, you endured innocent imprisonment with your beloved husband in the Lord. For three summers in the fortress you enriched your soul with fasting and prayer, decorating your heart with virtues. In the same way, we sanctify and enlighten your mind with the Light of Christ. We, amazed by your feat, sing your praises, Feofanie:
Rejoice, you who fulfill the word of the apostle about marriage.
Rejoice, you who show ardent love and devotion to your spouse.
Rejoice, thou in the form of humility, exalted by Christ Himself.
Rejoice, after the cry of the bird denouncing the king, you and your husband were freed.
Rejoice, you who took care of the salvation of souls in the royal palaces.
Rejoice, husband, as an intercessor revered before God.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 4
Avoiding the storms of passions, you lived ascetically in the royal palaces, blessed queen Theophanie, and through a narrow path you entered the villages of paradise, where you sang to Christ God: Hallelu ́iya.
Ikos 4
You have heard, Feofanie, Savior’s verbs: “If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Moreover, holy queen, you followed Christ. We, looking at your exploits and labors, call you:
Rejoice, thou who conquered carnal passions with holiness.
Rejoice, thou who has loved a virtuous life.
Rejoice, thou who hast created thy power as an instrument of the Truth of God.
Rejoice, you who directed your feet towards the commandments of Christ.
Rejoice, thou who adornest the royal family with righteousness.
Rejoice, thou who art abiding queen and ascetic.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 5
Your life, blessed Theophania, is like a light to the courtiers than the star flowing towards the Kingdom of Heaven. Having given good edification to their souls, you taught them to sing favorably to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
King Leo, your husband, has seen you, rich in humility, Saint Theophany, as if you looked upon your servants and slaves as if you were brothers and sisters of equal honor, honoring them all with the title of the Lord. Christian love was in your midst. We sing about this with tenderness:
Rejoice, you who loved everyone in the Lord.
Rejoice, who was a child-loving matter under your control.
Rejoice, you who comfort those who are sick at heart.
Rejoice, you who kept your lips pure.
Rejoice, thou who hast dropped no more oaths.
Rejoice, you who help everyone who calls to you.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 6
You appeared as a preacher of your ascetic life, blessed Queen Theophanie, neither in the deserts, nor in the mountains or in dens, but in the royal palaces, you lived wonderfully holy and immaculately, through exploits and labor We glorify God and cry out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
The light of your virtuous and ascetic life shone in the royal palaces, O blessed mother, and all Byzantium, seeing your humble deeds and labors performed for salvation, was amazed. We diligently honor your love and honor you with these praises:
Rejoice, you who took good care of the salvation of the soul.
Rejoice, you who wore a coarse hair shirt under the royal purple.
Rejoice, you who gave up your laborious body on the mat to a short sleep.
Rejoice, you who ate bread and vegetables instead of the royal food.
Rejoice, you who consoled your soul by reading the Holy Scriptures.
Rejoice, you who neglected the pleasures of a vain life.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 7
Although King Leo, seeing the holiness of your life, erected a temple in your name, blessed Theophanie. But you, queen, not only did not deign to your spouse, but you zealously forbade this matter. We marvel at your deep humility and call to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
Your faithful husband, the queen, began to build a new temple in your name, having listened to your word, without contradicting your will. The Wise King said: “If Theophania is holy, let her memory be in the host of all saints, to the glory of all saints to the Glorified God! To him and from us be glory forever. Amen." The Temple of All Saints was named, and the Church of Christ was enriched by such celebrations. Filled with joy, we sing to you, Feofanie, these praises:
Rejoice, you who flowed into the palace of the Savior in the face of the wise virgins.
Rejoice, thou who bestows utmost respect upon the holy saints of the Lord.
Rejoice, queen, chosen servant of the King of Kings.
Rejoice, crowned with the crown of the Glory of God.
Rejoice, joyfully welcomed by the host of saints.
Rejoice, decorating the cathedral of the righteous.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 8
Your life is strange to the infidels and praised by the faithful, blessed Queen Theophanie, for your spirit is not captivated by the royal palaces, but rushes to the heavenly places, seeking the bliss of heaven. We, praising your exploits and labors, cry out to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
Having devoted your entire life to the ascetic life, flaming with love for God and your neighbors, glorious queen! Your heart is diligent in fasting and serving God. Behold, to the abode of the holy apostles, which you loved with all your soul, you often went away, doing prayer pleasing to God. We, wanting to praise you, sing this:
Rejoice, illuminated by the radiance of heavenly beauty.
Rejoice, thou art established in the Kingdom of God.
Rejoice, enriched with the gift of Eternal Glory through the hope in Christ God.
Rejoice, thou art worthy of everlasting joy.
Rejoice, you who received the promise, for you have done the Truth.
Rejoice, thou who in the holiness of the saints receives the sweetness of communion with God.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 9
Every angelic nature was amazed at your life, blessed Theophanie, who was a queen by election, and by calling you shone as a venerable. For this reason, in the Cathedral of Holy Women, sing to Christ God, Who strengthened you for this feat: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
Victors who have spoken many things will not be able to speak about your humility. They are perplexed as to how you were a queen, but you ascended into the Kingdom of Heaven by a narrow, laborious and sorrowful path, according to the commandment of Christ your Lord, Theophanie, despising and rejecting the broad path. In reverence for the image of your life, we cry out to you:
Rejoice, you who through fasting and prayer whitened your soul.
Rejoice, you were jealous of the desert dwellers for your feat.
Rejoice, you have gained justification from God by fulfilling the commandments.
Rejoice, you who overshadow those who pray to you with the Mercy of Christ.
Rejoice, you who humbly placed your trust in the Savior.
Rejoice, surprising people and angels with your great abstinence.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 10
Even if we escape from the storm of life, we resort to you, O our mother, blessed Queen Theophania, as to a kind mentor. For in the devils of the kings, having neglected the flesh, you saved your soul through fasting, vigil and prayer, and you became a lamp of piety for the people. Let us cry out to Christ with you: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
You were a wall, a cover and a refuge for all the poor and wretched who came to you, blessed queen, you did good to temples and monasteries, distributing corruptible things and acquiring incorruptible things. In the same way we cry out to you like this:
Rejoice, thou who hast many times received comfort from caring for the poor.
Rejoice, you who did good to widows and orphans.
Rejoice, thou who doest good to churches and monasteries.
Rejoice, monks, for you have loved your brothers.
Rejoice, you who always listened to the instructions of your spiritual father.
Rejoice, you who have become a prayer book for all Orthodox Christians.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 11
You render ceaseless singing before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, blessed Queen Theophania, your prayer to the Lord, as incense is acceptable. You have sacrificed your entire life to your Creator. We sing about you to God, wondrous in the saints: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
Your life is luminous, rich in many miracles, as with rays it enlightens the hearts of those on earth and instructs them to the Divine mind. Thus, the incorruption of your relics strengthens our faith and the abundance of grace teaches us to joyfully cry out to you:
Rejoice, like a multi-bright star, illuminated by the brightness of virtues.
Rejoice, for you have entered into unapproachable glory.
Rejoice, for you have received true and eternal life.
Rejoice, for having exhausted yourself with fasting, you have shown yourself the food of heaven as your heir.
Rejoice, for having killed your flesh with many diseases, you have reached the future life.
Rejoice, for having been united by a servant of heaven, praying for us.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
Kontakion 12
You received grace from the hero of Christ, blessed Queen Theophania, to heal mental and physical ailments, and at the reliquary of your relics many miracles abound to this day. Falling to them with faith, we pray to you, deliver us, who honor your holy memory, from all evils and misfortunes, and grant us with your prayers in the villages of paradise to sing to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing your life, your exploits are exceedingly fulfilling, and your migration into the Kingdom of Heaven is glorifying, where you sing with the saints, Theophany, the all-holy name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we bless you Your life, crying out to you like this:
Rejoice, you who received an unfading crown of glory from the Chief Shepherd Christ.
Rejoice, for you have glorified the name of the Lord Jesus in your life.
Rejoice, having lived meekly on earth, filled with mercy and goodness.
Rejoice, thou art worthy to dwell in the Kingdom of Christ.
Rejoice, having gained great joy through tears of repentance and tenderness before God.
Rejoice, wise virgin who kept the lamp shining for the Bridegroom Christ.
Rejoice, blessed Queen Theophania, who strives for us to live holy and immaculately on earth.
How can you tell a person's life on just a few sheets of paper? How to describe the war and death of beloved sisters, what words are needed (and are there any?) when the soul rejoices, uniting with Christ? How to describe dreams and feelings, joy and sadness? It is not yet 40 days since we, as a whole church, escorted our sister in Christ Praskova Ilyinichna Shepeleva on the “path of the whole earth.” Nun Feofania was very friendly with her, a couple of days before Praskovya Ilyinichna was taken to the hospital, they all got together for her birthday. “Girls 80+,” as father Alexy Batanogov, smiling, calls this company, sang songs and remembered their youth. Praskovya was the first to leave this company.
“When we celebrated her funeral, my candle quickly burned out, very quickly,” said nun Feofania, somewhat saddened, at the funeral meal.
“This is because of your fervent prayer, mother,” we objected to her. “She just smiled and added: I’ll leave soon, I feel it, but there will be no memory of me left.” Write about my life?!
“I took monastic vows in 1959 at the Pochaev Lavra, which is now on the territory of independent Ukraine; now I can’t get there. But for me this is one of the best places on earth. We were tonsured together with my friend, she is now nun Athanasia, and I received a name in honor of Queen Feofaniya, just on December 29, her feast day. I remember this day well, how we waited for it, how we prepared, how we worried. I remember everything, every second. And then, after we became nuns, we prayed all night in the Lavra. How the Lord arranged my life!
Valentina Vasilyevna Nekislaya (that was the name of nun Feofaniya in the world, before her tonsure) was born in the small town of Osipovichi, in the Mogilev region in 1936. What is surprising in these days, when women set the tone for everything, in her family her father had a stronger faith. He used to reproach my mother when she went to church for the Liturgy after having breakfast. He said that you need to go to church without eating bread or water, even if you don’t take communion. Mother Olga and her three daughters, the eldest Nadezhda, the middle Valentina and the youngest Veronica, learned the rule for the rest of their lives. They even wanted to put the parents in prison because they themselves went to church and took their children.
“I’ve been herding goats since the first grade, my younger sister helped. At first we only had our own four goats, then the neighbors asked us to look after their animals, and at some point our herd grew to 70 animals. We met a wolf three times. One day he dragged the goat away. And another time my sister had lunch and dozed off on a stump, and then a wolf came out into the clearing. The goats rather hid behind Veronica. Things in the forest were dense. The wolf looks at her, and she looks at him. He turned and left. She no longer grazed in the forest, only in the clearing, and only we walked with her. And the third time the young wolf grabbed the goat by the throat. We started screaming, trampling with our feet, we were scared ourselves, but the gray one let her go. We tied a scarf around the goat’s neck and gave it to the owners. The Lord controls everything.
I really loved to sing and dance, and then one day, it was around Easter, we decided to go to a club to dance. Then they did everything on purpose to prevent people from going to church. I promised my mother that I would dance a little and come to the All-Night Vigil. I kept my promise and came to our church. And everything is as cut off. I was no longer interested in any dancing. They wanted to put mom and dad in prison, they even came from Minsk, they thought that we were being forced to pray to God, but no one forced us, we wanted to do it ourselves. I always wore a cross and never took it off.
And when I came to church, the choir began to sing “Cherubimskaya”, and I suddenly felt so bad - the devil doesn’t sleep. Look, what did you think, go to church, and not to dance, apparently, he didn’t want to let me go. But the priest came out of the altar and began reading the Gospel above me. Feel better. I sang all my life - in the choir. The most amazing thing is that I had a good voice and hearing, but I had no musical education. How my sister and I entered the church, bowed three times to the ground at each icon, and bowed again three times when we left. I had the fear of God, but the Jesus Prayer flowed like a stream.
When the war began, dad wanted to transport us from Belarus to Ukraine, to the Odessa region, where he was from, but we only managed to go halfway, we stopped at the Vesely farm, my mother and sisters and I spent all the years of the war there, in labor and in prayer.
Pope Vasily went to the front in the first days of the war. For four years he beat the fascists: from the first day to the last. He returned alive and well, only his palm was slightly damaged, and even then only slightly. He said that their battalion was going into battle, the Germans were fierce, our losses were colossal, and it was as if he was invisible to death, she passed him by. The Lord protected the father and the Mother of God. Sometimes I woke up at night, and my mother stood on her knees in tears in front of the Images, asking for help from the saints. And we prayed, but what kind of prayer is a child’s? The Lord hears her immediately.
The only time it was scary was when the Germans set the hut on fire, but our men quickly put it out. The Lord was merciful: I did not see the horrors of war, I did not starve.
I wasn’t a very good student, I had a hard time with math, I could solve the simplest examples, but what was more difficult, my friends helped me solve them, and sometimes I just copied from them. But she wrote beautifully, her handwriting was good. I only finished five classes, then I transferred to evening school. And there was no time for studying anymore, the suitors went and wrote letters to me. But the boy I liked didn’t pay attention to me. At first I wanted to marry an officer; I liked men in uniform. And then, when I got to Kyiv, I saw the seminarians, I decided that I would go to the seminary. But this is only at the beginning. I went into the monastery, saw the monastic vestments, saw the sisters and understood: I want to come here, to the monastery, I want to be a nun.
But one day I almost got married. The seminarian looked after me, his name was Stefan, he was from the city of Rovno. He loved me very much, we even submitted an application... But I wasn’t in the mood for marriage, I understood that this was not my path.
I went to Kuksha of Odessa for advice; he is now glorified among the saints with the rank of venerable confessor. I lived with him for three days, went to liturgy every day, then to the sea, as he blessed, and the priest prayed, apparently, for me. And then one day he gave me communion and said: “You will be a mother, you will be.” And then he raised his hands, and I heard the most desired words: “You will be the Bride of Christ.” Now I’m telling you this and crying... This is such happiness. The monk gave me a rosary and taught me to pray with it. I sleep at night, and I myself pull the rosary and repeat the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Could I really do this myself? It was the priest who prayed for me.
And when my seminarian Stefan found out that we weren’t getting married, he fell ill and lay in bed for three days. Later I came to the Lavra, saw him with a girl, and when he saw me in the crowd, he immediately ran up to me. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I just wanted to be with the Lord. And then he married that girl Vera and had children. His brother John became Bishop Irenaeus.
From 1958 to 1962 I lived in the Pochaev Lavra, where we looked after pilgrims. I’ve been on my feet all day, but I’m not tired, I haven’t missed a single midnight vigil that started around 5 am. The monastery is both sweet and difficult. Every evening I read an akathist at the relics of Job Pochaevsky, kissed his arms and legs, and put a cap on his head. And then one day I saw a dream that Job Pochaevsky rose from the shrine, crossed me and said: “I am praying for you there.”
And at the beginning of 1961, the persecution of the Church began, we were given 24 hours to leave the monastery. They offered me three options: get married - the policeman there kept trying to look after me, leave Pochaev, and the third option - prison.
When I lived in the Lavra, I baptized a little girl there, Alexandra. We became very good friends with her mother Olympiada, they are Muscovites. So I remembered about them and decided to go to the capital. That's how I ended up in Moscow. And my sister is buried in Pochaev, she died there: she hit her head and developed a tumor... My mother came to us, but my daughter could not leave.
At first I went to the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Veshnyaki, then I served there for 8 years. She herself sang, and directed, and the psalm-reader, and the guide, I know the service well. Father Pavel Maksimov, the rector, taught me everything. Father said about me: “You are like a candle on a candlestick.” I wanted to go to the monastery in Pyukhtitsy and live there. They took me to Elder Valentina, but she did not give her blessing to go to the monastery, I don’t know why... There is a lot of sorrow there. So she said: “The abbess does as she wants, but I don’t accept you into the monastery.” It was a blessing from the Lord for me to be saved in the world. So I remained a nun in the world.
I gave 40 years to the All Saints Church near the Sokol metro station; it is one of the few that never closed, even in socialist times. There, too, I sang in the choir, cleaned candlesticks, in general, I did everything that needed to be done. For 16 years out of 40 she still served in the Intercession Church, which was assigned to All Saints.
Do you know how you got a job? I came to, they tell me that there are jobs for workers in the workshop, but I have to go every day, and I don’t have time - I need to go to church. I ask, is there a way to work a day and rest for three days? They answer: yes, but as a watchman. So I worked in security for 15 years. I stand for a day and run to the temple to sing.
For 4 years she sang in the choir at the Spassky Church. When I saw him for the first time, it was, of course, a terrible sight. There is no floor, the walls are black, there is no normal road. And now it’s so snow-white and warm. But there weren’t services here every day; I went to the Church of All Who Sorrow, Joy of All Who Sorrow on Ordynka. I went to the All-Night Vigil on Saturdays at the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhov. They sang so wonderfully there, I could never stand without tears.
There, at the entrance, there is a full-length icon of the holy healers Cosmas and Damian, and my teeth hurt so badly that the pain reached my heart. I bought a candle, went up to this icon and began to pray. You need to pray so that you hear yourself, and the saints hear you. But how do we sometimes pray? We don’t hear ourselves, and we don’t remember what we just read. I leaned one cheek against Cosma, and the other against Damian. And the pain gradually began to subside and completely subsided. And I haven’t gone to the dentist for 15 years...
I’ve been to Jerusalem three times, thank you, kind people helped. She prayed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I visited all the holy places, but I realized that no matter where we pray, the Lord hears us everywhere! You just need to pray, and that’s hard. Oh, how the evil one fights against us. I heard from the fathers that from 4 to 5 in the morning the prayer is “golden”, and from 5 to 6 - “silver”. But getting up at night is very difficult. The eyelids cannot be lifted, the eyes are stuck together. But I get up and pray. The Lord strengthens. I read a chapter from the Gospel and the Apostle, an epistle, an akathist to the Dormition of the Mother of God.
And sometimes I’m lying at night, and suddenly I feel that someone is jumping on the bed. But I don’t have a cat... The evil one has come... and begins to choke me, I can’t say a word. I begin to pray silently, and use my rosary to drive away uninvited guests. I'm already used to it.
Sometimes I dream about my older sister; she seemed to go to church and take communion when I asked her to get ready, but her faith was weak. She’s already died and I can see her by the throat, she’s standing in the water, and I’m on the shore, I can’t help her. Horrible dream…
But my mother had the death of a righteous woman; she was in church until her last day, singing in the choir. She was returning home after the All-Night Vigil. She sang the service and got hit by a train, she was 82 years old...
Now I’m praying for all my relatives, I’m the only one left in Moscow, only my sister’s daughter lives in Osipovichi, and that’s all my relatives. But I have the Lord. I had a long life, but I understood one thing, but the most important thing: I must pray and hope in the Mother of God and in the Lord. He will manage everything and never leave!
