Christians have fought and suffered for their faith for many centuries. Many of them endured pain and torment. The pagans, especially those gifted with power, tortured and executed preachers. But those who believed in Christ did not give up and, turning to God for help, died in His name. One example of selfless service to the Lord is the story of the three Edessa saints.
Samon and Guria lived in the 3rd century in the city of Edessa. They were Christians and preached the true faith to their fellow countrymen. By order of the ruler, they were arrested and sentenced to death and torture. Salvation was possible in case of renunciation of Christ and sacrifice to the pagan gods. Friends refused to change their faith.
They were brutally and sophisticatedly tortured for several days. Having achieved nothing, the young men were beheaded. The townspeople took the bodies of the great martyrs and buried them on the outskirts of the city in one grave.
A few decades later, another ruler began to persecute Christians and promised to brutally deal with those who hide them. Then preacher Aviva himself came to surrender so that people would not suffer because of him.
The governor ordered the cleric to be burned at the stake in the presence of the townspeople. Aviva’s mother also came to the execution and supported her son.
The fire flared up instantly and went out very quickly. Everyone present in the square was amazed. The preacher was dead, but not a single stain appeared on his body or clothes from the touch of fire. Aviva was buried in the same grave where Guria and Samon already lay.
Prayer 1
Oh, glory to the martyr Guria, Samona and Aviva! To you, as a quick helper and a warm prayer book, we, weak and unworthy, come running, earnestly begging: do not despise us, who have fallen into many iniquities and are sinning all the days and hours: guide us on the path of righteousness. You who are lost, heal the afflicted and the sorrowing; Observe us in an immaculate and chaste life, and as in ancient times, so also today, remain the patronage of marriages, in love and like-mindedness, this is radiantly affirming and delivers from all evil and calamitous circumstances. Protect, about the great power of the confessor, all Orthodox Christians from misfortunes, evil people and the machinations of demons: protect me from accidental death, begging the All-Good Lord, may you be great and rich in us He will add kindness to us, His humble servants. We are not worthy to call on the magnificent name of our Creator with unclean lips, unless you, holy martyrs, will intercede for us: for this reason we resort to you and ask for your representation before the Lord for us. So deliver us from hail, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners, internecine warfare, deadly plagues and every soul-destroying situation. Hey, Passion-Bearers of Christ, through your prayers arrange for us all that is good and useful, so that a pious life, having passed the time, and having acquired a shameless death, we will be rewarded with your warm intercession with all the saints I am at the right hand of the just God, the Judge, and Him to unceasingly glorify with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Help from Guria Samon and Aviva
We pray to the holy martyrs and confessors of Guria, Samon and Aviva for the preservation of the family and the protection of women. History knows a case when German Gothic warriors served in Edessa. One of them, very rich, had his eye on a local beautiful girl and wanted to marry her.
At the grave of the great martyrs, he confessed his love to her and offered to become his wife. To the girl’s questions about the seriousness and sincerity of her intentions, the warrior swore that he would never offend or deceive her.
After a while, the service in these places ended, the rich man went home with the girl. It turned out that he had a wife at home. The foreigner became a slave. Everyone tried to offend and humiliate her. The girl endured, because she had no support, even only her mother at home.
When the sufferer had a child, the warrior's wife poisoned him. Then the unfortunate woman began to ask the saints for help. The prayer of the martyrs Guria and Samon was heard. After all, at their grave the warrior swore his love that he would protect and protect his chosen one. And then they returned the poor beauty to her mother and took her to her house.
After a while, the deceitful warrior reappeared in Edessa and tried to win back the girl. Mother and daughter told the truth about his deceitful and cruel nature. When the ruler of the city heard this, he ordered the execution of the perjurer and deceiver.
Prayer 2**
Audio:
2:24
Oh, holy martyrs and confessors of Christ Guria, Samona and Aviva! Warm intercessors and prayer books for us before God, in the tenderness of our hearts, looking at your most pure image, we humbly pray to you: hear us, your sinful and unworthy servants ( names), those who are in troubles, sorrows and misfortunes, and having looked upon our heavy and countless sins, show us your great mercy, raise us from the depths of sin, enlighten our minds, soften the evil and damned heart, stop envy, enmity and strife, I live in us people. Overshadow us with peace, love and fear of God, beg the merciful Lord to cover the multitude of our sins with His ineffable mercy. May He keep His Holy Church from unbelief, heresies and schisms. May He give our country peace, prosperity, and fertility of the land; love and harmony as a spouse; obedience to children; patience to those who are offended; the fear of God to those who offend; Compassion for those who mourn; to those who rejoice, abstinence. May He cover us all with His all-powerful right hand, and may He deliver us from famine, destruction, cowardice, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and civil strife, and vain deaths. May He protect us with the militia of His holy angels, so that after our departure from this life He will deliver us from the wiles of the evil one and his secret aerial ordeals, and present ourselves uncondemned to the Presto To the Lord of Glory, where the faces of the saints, Angels and all the saints, glorify the most holy and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Strong prayers to the martyrs Gury Samon and Aviv
The most powerful prayers to Guria, Samon and Aviv for family are most often read by women. They are the guardians of the hearth and are under the patronage of the saints. When trouble happens, the spouse turns to God through his intermediaries, the saints. Her request is:
- for a successful and quick marriage (here is another strong prayer for marriage and love);
- for preserving the family;
- about the fidelity of a God-given spouse;
- about protecting family and relatives from accidents (there are other prayers for family protection);
- to avoid sudden death.
Holy preachers will always come to the rescue, save and help.
Prayer to save the family
Prayer for Marriage
Fortitude and martyrdom of Guria and Samon
Gury and Samon were laymen from the city of Edessa who professed the Christian faith. When terrible persecution of Christians began under Emperor Diocletian, they had to flee their hometown, but they were captured and persuaded to offer a pagan sacrifice. However, persuasion did not help, Guri and Samon firmly adhered to their faith, so they were sent to trial before the ruler of the city.
At the trial, the saints again renounced the pagan cult, for which they were subjected to painful torture: after tying them together and tying a stone to their feet, the executioners hanged them for several hours. But the saints here did not deny the true God, and then they were thrown into prison.
After several months in a terrible prison, Guria and Samon were tried again, Samon was tortured again, but both he and Guria remained adamant in their faith, and then their heads were cut off. Local Christians managed to bury their bodies.
Particularly revered images in Moscow
Mchch. Gury, Samon and Aviv
- A particularly revered image of the holy martyrs Guria, Samon and Aviv is kept in the Church of John the Warrior on Yakimanka and there is also a chapel in honor of these saints. Address: Moscow, B. Yakimanka, 46; nearest metro station: Oktyabrskaya (radial).
- There is an icon of the holy martyrs in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khoroshev. Address: Moscow, Karamyshevskaya embankment, 15. Directions: from the station. metro station "Polezhaevskaya", then bus. 48, 155, troll. 20, 21, 35, 65, 86 to the stop st. Picturesque, crossing to the opposite side of the highway via an underground passage. Or from Art. metro station "Shchukinskaya", then tram. 28, 30 to the final stop; and also from Art. metro station "Oktyabrskoe Pole", metro station. Sokol metro station, troll. 59 to the final stop.
Icons of saints in other cities
- The revered temple icon of the holy martyrs is kept in Tver in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (“Three Confessors”), this is an 18th-century temple. Address: Tver, Af embankment. Nikitina, 38.
- There is a chapel and an icon of the martyrs in the Elias Church in the city of Yaroslavl, and on the walls there is an ancient painting with hagiographic paintings of the holy confessors (17th century). Address: Yaroslavl, pl. Sovetskaya, 7.
- An ancient tablet icon (15th century) of the martyrs Guria, Samon and Aviv is kept in the State Historical and Art Museum in Sergiev Posad. Address: Moscow region, Sergiev Posad, Red Army Avenue, 144.
- You can pray at the icon of Saints Guria, Samon and Aviv in Washington, USA. The icon is located near the western wall on the southern choir in St. John the Baptist Cathedral. (4001 17th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20011).
What do martyrs pray for?
They pray to the holy martyrs Guria, Samon and Aviv, as the patrons of marriage, for marriage, for the preservation of the family, for the resolution of all kinds of family troubles.
Offended wives pray to these saints “ if the husband innocently hates his wife.”
Alas, this happens when, having lived a life and already raised children, spouses begin to move away from each other. Let’s not talk about the reasons, let’s just say that if you want to save your family, you should fervently call on the holy martyrs for help, read them an akathist, a prayer, come to church for confession and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Just be sure to add in prayer: thy will be done, Lord.
Who knows what is good for us? Only He. Perhaps this family crisis was allowed by God so that both spouses would change, take a fresh look at their lives and at each other. “To me,” “mine,” “for me” is not love. Love is a sacrifice. Bearing the infirmities of another in family life, we join in the martyrdom of the saints who endured suffering for Christ, but did not cease to thank the Lord for everything.
Brief Lives of the Saints
Mchch. Gury, Samon and Aviv
These saints lived at the end of the third and at the very beginning of the fourth century in the city of Edessa in Macedonia in northern Greece (some sources write about another city of Edessa in Antioch, but this difference does not affect the essence of the story).
Gury and Samon suffered under Diocletian, who ruled from 284. 305g each During the reign of Diocletian and then under Maximian (305 - 311), Christians were persecuted and executed with particular cruelty. Gury and Samon suffered in 306 (sometimes the year of death is indicated a little earlier - in the period from 293 to 306).
In the lives of the holy martyrs, compiled on the basis of tradition and acts of martyrdom by Saint Demetrius of Rostov (1651-1709), it is said that Gury and Samon were Christians and, burdened by their pagan surroundings, often left the city for solitary prayers. Having learned about the secret Christians, probably through a denunciation, the imperial governor of Edessa ordered the capture of Guria and Samon and forced them to sacrifice to idols. But the saints were not afraid of the pagan judgment seat and firmly confessed Christ.
For this they were sentenced to torture. The chief Muzonius, who arrived from the capital, personally headed the merciless process. The friends did not give in to persuasion, they endured the beatings steadfastly, then they were hung up, tied together, hand to hand, and a weight tied to their feet, and then they were thrown into a dark pit, their feet were driven into wooden stocks, and they were kept there without food in the dark for three months. , forcing the prisoners to lick water from the walls and collect snails.
Remembering the martyrs, Musonius again ordered them to be brought, but they could barely stand on their feet from hunger. Gury was completely weak, but Samon still held on, both did not stop praying and praising Christ. Then Guria, beaten, was again thrown into prison, and Samon was hung upside down by one leg, with a weight tied to the other. Even the guards tried to persuade him to submit, looking at the torment, but the saint prayed like this:
“O Lord my God, without whose will not a single bird will fall into the net (cf. Matt. 10:29), You have enlarged David’s heart in sorrow (Ps. 4:2), and made the prophet Daniel stronger than lions (Dan. 6: 6-18, 14:32). Knowing the weakness of our nature, see the battle rising against us; for the enemy strives to tear away Your inheritance from You; but You, having looked upon us with Your merciful eye, keep in us the unquenchable lamp of Your commandments, correct our feet with Your light and make us worthy to enjoy heavenly bliss, for blessed are You forever and ever.”
Samon's words were recorded by the secretary of the Roman court. After the torture, Samon was again thrown into the same prison with Guria. The torment of the saints ended on November 15, on that day they were again brought to Musonius.
“Who delivered these crowns to the holy martyrs if not their tormentors?”
- says Reverend Zosima. With court records and descriptions of massacres of Christians, the pedantic Roman Empire provided the Orthodox Church with a documentary basis for the canonization of martyrs - acta martyrum - acts of martyrdom.
The martyrs could no longer walk on their own; Samon was dragged under the arms of two soldiers, and Guria was brought in on a stretcher. To the new demands of the ruler to abandon the faith, Gury and Samon responded:
“Whatever you want to do, do it urgently, for we will not cease to affirm that we are slaves of our Lord Jesus Christ, we worship Him alone and reject idolatry.”
Then, in impotent rage, the torturer ordered the execution of the faithful Christians Guria and Samon. On the same day they were beheaded outside the city, their bodies thrown to be devoured by wild beasts. But the townspeople, having learned about the death of the saints, buried their remains with honor.
After several years, under another ruler of Licinia (311 - 324), who ruled the western part of the empire at the same time as the pious Constantine, the martyr Aviv suffered. Liknios trampled on the agreement on the freedom of the Christian faith and brutally dealt with Christians in his cities.
15
November
322 years
On this day the martyr Aviv suffered. This happened in the same city of Edessa, only years after the death of Guria and Samon.
Aviv was a deacon in the church that the townspeople built over the burial place of the holy remains of Guria and Samon. He brought the Gospel word to people, courageously confessing the faith of Christ and calling everyone to turn their lives to Christ.
When it was ordered to seize him, Aviv, without hiding, himself appeared at the trial. When asked to bring incense to the Roman gods, he renounced idolatry, without hesitation confessed Jesus Christ as God and spoke to everyone present about the Resurrection. Fearing the conversion of others to the faith of Christ through his ardent preaching, the ruler ordered the execution of Aviv by setting him on fire.
The martyr himself entered the flame and gave up his soul into the hands of the Lord. When the fire burned down, it turned out that the flames did not damage Aviv's body at all. His own mother, who saw her son’s suffering and strengthened him with prayer, accepted the honorable remains and, anointing him with incense, buried him along with Gury and Samon in their now common temple.
Reverence
The martyrs, having become witnesses (in Greek martyr - μάρτῠρος - witness) confirmed and testified with their blood the Truth of faith in Christ and became partakers of His Redemptive Sacrifice. “You celebrated the Eucharist in your bodies,” writes St. Cyprian of Carthage. The Orthodox Church highly honors the feat of the martyrs who became accomplices in the suffering of Christ; it is not for nothing that the Eucharist is celebrated on their relics. Every church has icons of holy martyrs. The veneration of the holy martyrs is expressed in the Church in the performance of divine services and special services on the days of their memory, in the reading of special prayers dedicated to them - canons, akathists, in the veneration of their holy icons.
Day of Remembrance
According to the Orthodox calendar, the memory of the martyrs Guria, Samon and Aviv takes place on November 28 (November 15, old style). The date is not difficult to remember - the Nativity Fast begins with the celebration of these saints.
The story of Aviv, who did not betray his faith
Young Aviv was a deacon in the church of Edessa, the same city where Guri and Samon lived. Although he lived shortly after this, he also suffered from persecution of Christians by another emperor: Licinius. The ruler was informed that Aviv professes Christianity.
According to legend, Aviv voluntarily went to the city governor Fetekne so that other people would not be harmed during his search, which earned Fetekne respect. He even invited him to run away, but the saint refused. He also refused to make sacrifices to the pagan gods, for whom he was burned alive and, according to legend, went to the stake himself. When the fire went out, the saint's body was not damaged.
The mother buried Aviv not far from Guria and the eternal resting place of Samon. Later, a temple dedicated to these three saints was built on this site, and their relics were placed in a tomb. Although they were tortured at different times, they have the same day of execution. On November 28, the memory of the saints is celebrated.
Questions for the priest
Which prayer is better to choose or is it necessary to read both texts?
It is enough to read one appeal to the Lord. You should choose a text that is closer to the problem. For example, a prayer for marriage is usually read by girls who want to meet a loved one or marry a loved one, and so that he is happy. This prayer is also read by young spouses in the event that a romantic and beautifully courting guy after the wedding turned into a domestic despot, stopped paying attention to his wife or oppressed her as a slave.
Prayer for the preservation of the family helps in case of misunderstanding that arose between spouses, when the husband began to cheat or wants to get a divorce or go to someone else.
How to read prayers to Guria, Samon and Aviva?
The main condition is sincerity. When words come from the heart, they reach their goal more quickly. Sins accumulated inside a person hinder the flight of prayer to Heaven. Repentance and communion contribute to purification and strengthen prayer words. A candle lit in front of the images of the holy great martyrs will help each word quickly reach its goal and be heard.
During their lifetime, Saints Gury, Samon and Aviva suffered for their faith and, having accepted torture, died for it. In those days, women had absolutely no rights and were completely subordinate to the head of the family or the ruler of the city. Understanding their difficult situation, the educators tried their best to protect them during their lifetime. And having become saints, they take care of women and punish their offenders.
