For the entire believing population, regardless of material and financial status, of any gender and age, the miraculous icon of Spyridon of Trimifunts, the great righteous man and intercessor of the people, is popular. Saints help all people who believe in them, everyone without exception. For saints, all people are equal.
Memorial Day: December 25
Brief life of the saint
The relics of the saint remain in Corfu, but he himself was born in Cyprus, in the village of Assia, around 270. The saint was from a simple family; from childhood he tended sheep.
Spyridon was simple, merciful to his neighbors, righteous, and for this he received from the Lord the gift of healing the sick, casting out demons and the gift of clairvoyance. Spiridon did not think about monasticism; in his youth he started a family, he had a daughter, whom he himself baptized. After the death of his wife, Spiridon did not abandon works of mercy.
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During the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, he was appointed bishop of Trimifunt, a city in Cyprus, but led a very simple life - he tended sheep, wore simple clothes, and took food only to maintain his strength.
When, at the request of the emperor, Bishop Trimifunt arrived in the capital, a servant mistook him for a beggar and hit him on the cheek. Then the saint turned the other cheek, and the servant, fulfilling the commandment of Christ, realized who was standing in front of the door, and fell to his knees before the stranger.
Interesting fact
According to legend, one day Angels concelebrated with Saint Spyridon, candles and lamps lit up, and an invisible choir responded to the bishop’s cries during the service.
The life of the saint was filled with miraculous signs, but the main miracle occurred in 325 at the First Ecumenical Council. The heresy of Arianism captured many minds, sages and famous philosophers spoke on the side of Arius, and there was no end to the controversy.
Saint Spyridon was a simple shepherd, never studied with rhetoricians, but the artless and simple speech of the Bishop of Trimifunt showed everyone that before the Truth, human wisdom is dust.
St. Spiridon Trimifuntsky
Having laid out in simple words what a Christian should believe, the saint convinced the learned debaters to abandon the false teaching.
A clear proof of the Unity in the Holy Trinity was an ordinary clay brick, the saint squeezed it in his hand, water flowed down, fire rose up, and the clay remained in his palm. The three elements showed how there can be one Divinity in Three Persons.
The Council condemned Arianism and approved the dogma that we profess in the Creed.
“I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, Who was born of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things were.
For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven, and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
And ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end.”
(The first part of the Creed, approved at the First Ecumenical (Nicene) Council)
The saint's righteous and peaceful life ended around 348.
Worship with a choir of angels
Photo: Kavkazskaya-hram.cerkov.ru
Another incredible miracle happened when the saint came to an empty church, ordered the candles and lamps to be lit and began the service. And instead of the singers in the choir, who were not there that day, the saint and the deacon suddenly heard in response to the exclamation “Peace to all!” polyphonic singing from under the dome, and at each litany invisible singers sang “Lord, have mercy.” This singing was so inexpressibly beautiful and loud that the villagers hurried to the temple. The closer they came, the clearer and more beautiful the singing became. But when people opened the doors to the temple, they saw no one there except the bishop and the ministers. And the choir's singing stopped. This great miracle made Spyridon of Trimythous even more revered and famous in the Christian world.
What do they ask the saint for and how does he help?
- Saint Spyridon of Trimythous helps non-believers to gain faith and doubters to be strengthened. They pray to him for loved ones who have left the church, especially for lost children. After all, it was this saint who stopped the debate about the unity of the Holy Trinity by showing a miracle: he took a brick in his hand and squeezed it in his palm, and it divided into water, clay and fire;
- Unjustly accused people pray to Spyridon of Trimythous. Even during his lifetime, the saint was a champion of justice: once a friend of Spyridon was sentenced to execution on an unjust charge, and the saint was in a hurry to testify to his innocence at trial. But the river on Spyridon’s path overflowed, and he could not meet the deadline. Then the Bishop of Trimifuntsky turned to God with fervent prayer, and the water in the river parted. The saint crossed to the other side and saved the unjustly accused from death;
- The saint is an assistant in solving the “housing issue,” which is extremely important in our country. If they want to sell, buy, rent or rent out housing, or build a house, they turn to the saint. And they receive help in the most seemingly hopeless situations;
- what do girls pray to Saint Spyridon of Trimythous for - of course, for a happy marriage, and they also receive what they ask for;
- Bishop Spiridon is the heavenly patron of peasants and especially shepherds, since he himself was a simple shepherd;
- in solving financial problems, Saint Spyridon is a helper to believers; they ask him: “pray to the merciful God, may He not condemn us for our sins, but may He deal with us according to His mercy.” Indeed, during his life, the Trimyphuntian saint gave away his property, everything he had;
- the saint helps in finding a job. Of course, we must remember about piety - if the work is connected with deceiving one’s neighbor, such a prayer will only condemn the person asking;
- The saint helps the sick, including those with serious illnesses and those whom doctors have declared hopeless. There are numerous cases of healing through the intercession of the saint, and the first miracle was the healing of Emperor Constantius;
- They pray to Saint Trimythous for an end to the long drought, because even during his lifetime miracles happened through his prayer;
- You can turn to the saint for a variety of needs, the most important thing is to turn to him with faith and prayer: “St. Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.”
Sometimes people ask the saint for help to win the lottery. The Orthodox Church states unequivocally on this matter: the lottery is a type of gambling, because in it everything is decided only by chance. The clergy ask parishioners to abandon such undertakings and remember the words of the Lord spoken to Adam: “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread” (Gen. 3, 19)
Lord of the Waters
Photo: Flickr.com
Once the saint hurried to the city to save his friend and like-minded person, who was sentenced to death based on a slanderous denunciation. But on the way he was stopped by a flood of water that overflowed. There was no way to cross to the other side. And the saint, having prayed to God, ordered the stream:
“Stand! This is what the Lord of the whole world commands you, so that I can cross and the husband for whose sake I am hastening may be saved.”
The stream instantly dried up, and the bishop was safely in time before the end of the trial. The judge, to whom people told about such a miracle, immediately released the innocent man, realizing that the Lord would not help the criminal.
Stories of help
The saint is famous for his numerous miracles, and all of them are aimed at helping people.
Spyridon of Trimifuntsky was even given the power to resurrect from the dead. So, in Antioch, he saw a young mother sobbing inconsolably over her dead little child. The saint resurrected the baby, and then the mother, shocked by the miracle, fell dead. Then Spiridon resurrected her too.
The saint had a daughter named Irina. According to legend, Irina died, and the saint resurrected her - but only for a while. The fact is that shortly before her death, Irina took one woman’s jewelry for safekeeping and died before she could return it.
Saint Spyridon resurrected his dead daughter, but as soon as she revealed the secret, her soul left her body again. The saint returned the valuables to the owner and continued to pray for Irina’s soul.
During his life, the saint lived by the labor of his hands; he always shared part of the harvest with the poor. He also helped with money, but did not count or take into account who borrowed how much.
One neighbor borrowed money from Spiridon several times and returned it each time. But one day he decided to cheat and just pretended to put the money in its place, and he took it with him. From that day on, his affairs went badly; soon his neighbor went bankrupt and came to Spiridon to borrow more. The saint said: “Of course, take it from where you last put it.” There is a lot of evidence about the saint’s selfless help.
One day a man asked the saint for help, but he had no money. Then the bishop took the snake and turned it into gold so that he could pledge it. When the man repaid the debt, the gold again became a snake.
During frequent droughts, the inhabitants of Cyprus turned to Saint Spyridon, from which, through his prayers, it began to rain.
The saint was merciful even to criminals. So, one day thieves broke into his barn. But before they had time to steal at least one sheep, they felt an invisible hand tie them with chains.
In the morning, the saint discovered the unlucky robbers, first prayed for them, then freed them, then gave instructions to lead an honest life, and finally gave them a sheep.
Interesting fact
The right hand of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous is kept separately from his relics, in a silver ark. The shrine “travels” around the world, and Christians in many countries have the opportunity to touch the hand of the saint.
In 1984, after many centuries of “wanderings,” the right hand of the saint returned to the island of Corfu.
15
April
2007
The right hand of the saint was brought to the capital of Russia for the first time. During the three days that she was in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, more than 300 thousand Orthodox pilgrims bowed to her.
What attractions are nearby?
In addition to visiting Orthodox shrines, guests of Kerkyra have access to beach holidays, natural beauty, architectural and cultural monuments, as well as entertainment for every taste.
Since the cathedral with the relics of Spyridon Trimifuntsky is located in the very center of Corfu, tourists and pilgrims will find many interesting attractions literally within walking distance from it. After all, this is the famous “Old Town” - the historical part of the central region of Kerkyra, which, due to its special value, is under the protection of UNESCO. Here are such iconic places as:
- Paleo Frurio (Old Venetian fortress, VIII-XVI centuries);
- Neo-Frurio (New Venetian fortress, XVI-XVII centuries);
- Liston Quarter;
- Spianada Square;
- Byzantine and Archaeological Museums.
Also in the central part of Kerkyra there are many temples and monasteries, which are listed just above. And in the suburbs of the capital, it is worth visiting the Achilleion Palace, which served as a villa for the Austrian Empress Elizabeth of Bavaria, and the excavations of the ancient Temple of Artemis.
Paleo-Frurio
Neo-Frurio
Spianada Square
Miracles these days: reviews
The relics of the saint rest on Fr. Corfu. But sometimes the clergy cannot open the ark; the key does not turn in the lock. This means that the saint is not in the ark at this moment, he walks the earth and helps everyone who asks him for help.
That is why the saint’s velvet shoes wear out so much that they have to be replaced every year. The shoes are cut into pieces and distributed to believers, who keep them as a shrine.
Shoe of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky
Residents of Corfu are sure that Saint Spyridon, who helps everyone, is a special patron of their island. So, during World War II, the Nazis bombed Corfu, and local residents hid in the temple. They saw with their own eyes how the shells changed their trajectory as they approached the church - as if the invisible hand of the saint was protecting people.
And today, through the prayers of the saint, many miracles occur. Perhaps from the outside they do not seem very significant, but for those people in whose lives they happened, the help of the saint and wonderworker Spyridon of Trimifuntsky was vital.
Here is what Evgenia writes: “Having lost my job, I began to pray to St. Spyridon. I asked that, if possible, they call me back to my previous place. And suddenly I was invited to work at a well-known large company, and at the same time my former boss called.”
“I couldn’t give birth for a long time. A relative went to Corfu, prayed for me there, and brought an icon. Now I have a daughter."
“I dreamed and prayed to Saint Spyridon about my home; we could no longer live with our parents and wander around rented apartments. Suddenly a seller appeared, he was moving to another city and selling a house inexpensively near my parents and the school where my children study. This is just a miracle".
“I divorced my husband, he insisted that I have an abortion. But I left, was left without money and without a job with a teenage son. I prayed to Saint Spyridon. With his help, I soon found a way out of the situation, work and housing.”
“I lost important documents. I didn’t know who to turn to and what would have happened to me if Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, the miracle worker, had not helped.”
And here are some very “fresh” miracles: “Due to quarantine, my husband lost his job, we couldn’t pay our mortgage payments, we were afraid to end up on the street and without money, because we had no reason to defer. We prayed to Saint Spyridon. Unexpectedly, the bank allowed deferred payments. And soon my husband found a new job.”
The mature years of Spiridon Trimifuntsky
For his life full of righteousness and sincerity, Spiridon was blessed by the Lord with the opportunity to heal people from various ailments.
With just one word, Spyridon of Trimifuntsky healed the sick and raised the dead. For these merits, he was appointed bishop of the city of Trimifunt. Having received a high rank, Spiridon did not become proud, vanity did not overcome him, and he continued to live as before, shepherding, cultivating the fields and sharing his belongings with the poor. Today, in the home of almost every person in need there is an icon of Spyridon of Trimythous.
Its significance is difficult to exaggerate. After all, if there is an icon of the saint in a home, it means that in it we protect not only the hearth, but also each member of the family individually.
The icon of St. Spyridon is an indispensable assistant in everyday troublesome matters
Every modern person faces many everyday problems every day. Acquisitions, debts, losses, birth, illness, death - there are a million situations in which St. Spyridon the Wonderworker is able to help.
In order to count on his help, you need to always have the icon of Spyridon of Trimifunt with you. Photos of images with his image can also be effective. In the absence of a real icon, you can turn for help to an icon in a photograph or even one depicted on a computer monitor, tablet or phone.
A prayerful appeal for help to the image of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky will invariably entail a change in any existing situation for the better. The saint does not remain indifferent to any request if it is made from the bottom of his heart with the best intentions. So, for many modern people, the icon of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky in Moscow is a guide and assistant in any life situation.
