Dmitry Prilutsky: biography of the saint, icon, life, prayer

Dmitry Prilutsky became one of the true ascetics of the Orthodox faith. This man, endowed with a rare gift and inner strength, was sent to our land during times of difficult trials. The saint did a lot to guide his people on the righteous path and cleanse them from sin. His life became an example of true spiritual achievement and self-sacrifice in the name of God.

The biography of Dmitry Prilutsky is covered in detail in the work of the monk Macarius, who became the monk’s successor as abbot. For more than one century, this ancient literary work, which has more than 200 copies and several editions, has been kept in the Vologda State Museum-Reserve.

Beginning of life's journey and becoming a monk

The future Saint was born into a wealthy merchant family at the beginning of the 14th century. His parents lived in the village of Veslevo, not far from Pereslavl-Zalessky.

The author of “Life” tells that from an early age Dmitry was distinguished by a calm disposition and extraordinary humility. The boy, who was alien to the vanity of the world, did not want to continue his parent’s work and saw his destiny in something else. Dmitry learned to read early, then began to get acquainted with church literature.

Having become a youth, he left his father's house and went to the Goritsky monastery. In this monastery, located not far from his native place, the young man took monastic vows and received the name Demetrius. From that time on, his faithful service to the Lord began, which lasted until the last day of his life.

The monk was distinguished by rare external beauty, which he considered evil and a test sent down to him. That is why he did his best to hide his face from prying eyes. Dimitri constantly wore a doll, adhered to strict fasting, and engaged in heavy physical labor. He had almost no contact with the laity and never spoke to women.

There is a story about how one parishioner, having heard about Demetrius’s beauty and chastity, tried to see his face and burst into his cell. For her sinful act, she received punishment in the form of sudden immobility. The woman was able to recover only after the Saint forgave her for her insolence and read healing prayers.

Abbess at the Nikolskaya Monastery

From the first days of his monasticism, Demetrius was distinguished by special obedience and strict observance of all God's commandments. Some time after accepting monasticism, he was ordained to the priesthood. Soon, on the initiative of the monk, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was erected, at which a male monastic community was founded.

Already at this time, Demetrius of Prilutsky began to be revered as a Saint. People came every day for his advice and blessing, many of whom decided to stay forever in the St. Nicholas monastery and devote themselves to God.

Particularly significant in the life of the Reverend was his acquaintance with Sergius of Radonezh, the founder of the Trinity Monastery, which took place in 1354. Abbot Nikolsky often came to the Trinity Monastery, where he had long, thoughtful spiritual conversations with Sergius.

News of the abbot's extraordinary holiness filled the entire Russian land and soon reached Moscow. As a sign of special respect, Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich asked the monk to become the godfather of his son Vasily. The saint fulfilled this request, but the fame, attention and honor that followed began to weigh on his soul.

Having received the blessing of Sergius of Radonezh, Demetrius went with his only student Pachomius to the Vologda land. Here the spiritual brothers hoped to find inner peace and retire for prayerful conversations with the Lord.

Prayers

Troparion to Demetrius of Prilutsky, Vologda

From Above, O Reverend, / you received spiritual grace, / and from Him you were known, O blessed one, / for this reason, you also knew in spirit the best of Him, / of the future age, / and having experienced fasting in your abodes. / And now, rejoicing with the angels, / I pray for the salvation of everyone for us, Saint Demetrius, and we all cry out: / Glory to Him who gave you strength, / glory to Him who crowned you, / glory to Him who heals you all.

Troparion Presentation of the image of St. Dimitri

Rising today, like the sun, / the most honorable image of your sacred likeness, / more than the sun, illuminating everyone with the rays of your miracles, / creating the darkness of demons without a clue, / which I joyfully greeted, spiritual faces composed of them, / we continually cry out to you: / Demetrius, our father, pray to the Savior of all / save your city and our country, / giving salvation to your flock / and great mercy.

Construction of the Spaso-Prilutsky Church in Vologda

Seeking silent solitude, Demetrius and Pachomius first decided to settle in a sparsely populated place near the Lezha River. The monks built a small church in the name of the Resurrection of Christ, but were forced to leave this territory. The reason was local residents who were afraid of losing their land plots after the organization of a new monastery.

Having come to terms with this situation, the monk and his disciple went to Vologda, next to which they subsequently built a wooden church. It is known that many local peasants shared their desire to spread the Orthodox faith and willingly gave up part of their lands for the construction of the monastery. Later it received the name of the Spaso-Prilutsky Dmitriev Monastery, and Dmitry became its abbot.

When the monk settled in the Vologda lands, the good news spread everywhere. Many of his students left the St. Nicholas Monastery and moved to the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery. All the brothers accepted by the abbot were distinguished by deep faith. The abbot himself showed rare mercy and attention to his neighbors:

distributed food free of charge to the poor and hungry;
received tired wanderers;
talked to every person in need of consolation;
blessed for good deeds, gave wise advice.

The monk always tried to pray in private, for which a special place was set aside in the church. The elder strictly abstained from food. He constantly consumed prosphora with warm water and surprised others by the fact that even on holidays he did not take wine with fish. At any time of the year, he wore the same old sheepskin coat and did the hardest work with his brothers.

Fully consistent with the canons of the Orthodox faith, Dmitry Prilutsky showed complete selflessness and did not strive for earthly goods. When Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich sent him rich gifts, and local residents donated funds for the construction of the monastery, he distributed a significant part of the money to poor people. The saint rightly believed that they needed them much more.

Miracles and prophecies of Dmitry Prilutsky

The venerable elder received from the Lord a valuable gift that allowed him to read human souls, as well as foresee many important events. The most famous miracles and prophecies of Demetrius are:

The Saint's brother, who inherited his father's wealth, acquired large debts and fell into extreme poverty. Wanting to improve his financial situation, he asked the monk to bless him to trade with pagan peoples. Having received a good profit, the merchant decided to repeat the profitable deal with the wild tribes several more times, but his brother-seer warned him of possible death. Not believing it, the merchant went on a trip again, from which he never returned alive;
One day, a man named Ilya, wanting to help the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, brought food for the brethren. The abbot did not allow them to be taken, because he saw that this Christian had a hungry family left at home. He advised Ilya to take the food home and feed his relatives, and give what was left to the temple. Realizing that he had done wrong, this man nevertheless persuaded Demetrius to accept his gifts and promised not to repeat a similar mistake in the future;
The elder was able to accurately predict the death of Prince Dmitry Donskoy even before it became known throughout the state. This happened in the spring of 1389, when the Monk Dmitry Prilutsky worked together with his brothers near the monastery. Suddenly he burst into tears and said that the noble Grand Duke was no longer bothered by his vain life. After this, the abbot began to pray for the repose of the soul of the newly deceased. The sad news of the death of the Moscow ruler came only a few days later and confirmed the rightness of the Saint.

Being spiritually enlightened, Demetrius also knew about the time of his own departure from life. Feeling the approach of his inevitable death, the abbot decided to leave behind a good successor, who became the devoted student Pachomius. When the saddened monks asked their mentor where his body should be buried, the ascetic answered them: “Throw it into the swamp and trample underfoot.”

TEMPLE OF ARCHANGEL MICHAEL

Temple of St. Dimitry Prilutsky

Life of St. Demetrius of Prilutsky

(Memory February 11, old style)

The Life of St. Demetrius of Prilutsky, Vologda Wonderworker (according to the publication of the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, Vologda, 1996)

In the glorious city of Pereslavl, from a good root a good branch grew: from glorious and wealthy parents engaged in trade, the wonderful holy youth Demetrius was born, fed by the incorruptible milk of the Divine Scripture, a zealous imitator of our holy father John Chrysostom. Without listening to empty words, without playing with children, without seeking honors and high rank, the young lad read holy books, loving God from childhood, and God loved him.

Obeying his parents in everything according to the law of God, he neglected only the trade that his father conducted, for it is customary for the rich to seek perishable, earthly wealth. He was looking for only God. Seeing the vanity of this world and the fleeting, seductive, corruptible earthly life, he recalled the words of Christ in the Holy Gospel:

“If anyone leaves father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, houses and his wealth for My name’s sake, he will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). And the Lord also said: “If you do not renounce everything that you have, you cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33), and other words similar to these are found in the Holy Scriptures.

From a young age, this youth was destined to walk a narrow and sorrowful path, to take the cross of the Lord on his shoulders, to bear a good yoke and a light yoke, and to find peace for his soul. Having rejected all the beauties of this world, for they are dust and decay, without looking back, he left them and thereby achieved the Kingdom of God.

About the tonsure of a saint

By his own will, Dimitri came to the Pereslavl Monastery of the Holy Mother of God, called Goritsky, and took monastic vows there, cutting not only the hair of his head, but also casting away all vanity, temptations, addictions and transitory joys, rushing only to the one Christ and His feet following. Abandoning his own will, he served the monastery brethren with obedience and humility, remaining in prayer day and night. And this saint became such a wonderful faster that many marveled at his patience, humility and simplicity. For his many virtues, God vouchsafed him to accept the priesthood. Demetrius, like a devoted servant who received money from his master and returned it with great profit, accepted a great gift from the Lord, multiplied it and became like a fortress on the top of a mountain, visible to everyone from afar. Immediately after this, the monk conceived the idea of founding a new communal monastery in Pereslavl on a place called “on the Swamp” by the lake, and erected a church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, not only sanctifying his fatherland by building this monastery, but also himself demonstrating the image of Christ, with love teaching everyone to live virtuously.

The monk left many monks and laymen who thirsted for the Kingdom of Heaven and came to him with the desire to be saved in the monastery and tonsured them into monasticism, receiving them with love like a loving father. The brethren of the monastery answered him in kind, obeying the blessed one as an angel of God.

It happened to the monk to be an interlocutor with the wondrous in miracles and great lamp of all Rus' - St. Sergius the Wonderworker, shepherding his spiritual flock. Demetrius came to him at the monastery of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, where they lovingly gave each other blessings and spiritual teachings - servants of the one Lord in the Holy Spirit. Returning to his monastery, the blessed one pondered for a long time what was said about himself and about the flock he grazed.

They say that for a long time there were stories among people who saw him in the world that the Monk Demetrius had a very handsome face, like the ancient Joseph the Beautiful, the son of Jacob from the righteous family of Abraham. Like Joseph, blessed Demetrius was given not only physical, but also spiritual beauty and purity, and God's grace always rested on him. That is why the saint chose an even more severe, fasting life, drying up and killing his carnal beauty and vain thoughts about it. But the more he intensified his abstinence, work and prayer, the more his face brightened, blossoming from intense fasting.

The blessed one had a custom not only in his cell and church, but also outside of them, to always cover his face with a doll according to monastic custom, almost never talking with the worldly, and never with women, except those for whom it was spiritually necessary. And all the people marveled at the saint - how he neglected physical beauty for God’s sake, preferring fasting, patience, prayer and work to it.

The Miracle of the Relaxed Wife

The saint's monastery was located not far from the city and usually during the service the laity - men, women and children - came to the church for prayer. The wife of a certain famous man in the city also came to the monastery for prayer, but she could never see the face of the monk, since, we remember, the blessed one hid him. His wife, having heard stories about his former beauty and chastity, began to look for opportunities to see him and one day found the saint in his cell when he was preparing for the Divine service. The blessed one, seeing the shameless woman, was greatly saddened. But as soon as the light from the angelic face of the saint, enlightened by fasting, blinded her, a certain horror immediately fell on his wife and she relaxed her whole body, not understanding why she wanted to see him. Barely alive, her brethren brought her to the door of the saint’s cell and begged the monk to forgive the ignorant woman who had tempted the Holy Spirit, who rested on His chosen ones. The humble and kindly man of God, seeing her repenting with tears about her sins, came out and asked: “Why did I want to see my sinful and dead body, which had rejected the world?” And he instructed her in virtue, teaching her according to the word of the Apostle that they do not come to church to adorn the corruptible body, but to enlighten the soul through prayer, almsgiving and all kinds of abstinence, keeping silence and having shame. And he made the sign of the cross over her, blessed her and gave her forgiveness. The wife immediately recovered, got up and went to her house, glorifying God and the venerable wonderworker with fear and joy, reproaching herself for everything that had happened. Everyone heard about this miracle and rejoiced, praising God, who gave the world such a saint - a doctor to the sick. The fame of him reached not only Pereslavl, but also the ruler of the Russian kingdom, the most praiseworthy and marvelous in victories, the same name as the venerable, pious and Christ-loving prince Demetrius, who through the prayers of all Russian saints won a great victory beyond the Don over the wicked Tatars for the Orthodox faith and the holy churches. And he, having heard about the Monk Demetrius, joyfully called him to himself to ask for a blessing for his home, and revered him in the same way as the other pillar of Rus' - the great Sergius. Having asked Demetrius to baptize one of his sons, the Grand Duke, as befits, honored the saint with royal gifts and gave him great honors.

But the blessed one, seeing himself in great glory, multiplied by people, loved God even more, considering all this to be vanity and not wanting the vanity of perishable light. The Lord says about this in the Gospel: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven; Blessed are those who humble themselves, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:3-9). From such praise and praise the saint fled like a bird from a net, like a chamois from a snare, and, leaving his homeland, he left Pereslavl, taking with him only one disciple - Pachomius, devoted to him in everything and similar to him in his humble life, who He told us a lot about the life and miracles of the saint, following him in virtues. He lived his life holy, patiently, simply and firmly and was the rector of the monastery after the repose of Blessed Demetrius.

But let's return to the previous one. When the saint left his monastery, he headed north, towards the Cold Sea, where he wanted to please God in silence. Having passed through impenetrable forests and wilds adjacent to the city of Vologda, he decided to stop in these sparsely populated places. As the Lord wills, so it will be; whoever he wants to save, he will save there.

The teacher and student found a place at the mouth of the Lezha River and erected a church here in the name of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. The devil, who hates the human race, incited ungrateful people from the nearby village of Avnegi to grumble against the saint. And they said: “Father, your stay here is displeasing to both you and us...” They thought to themselves: “If the great old man settles near us, he will take possession of us and our villages...” Hearing these words, filled with hatred, he did not say anything. saint, but avoided their malice, always doing only good. And just as he once left, renouncing earthly riches, so now he has withdrawn from those who did not wish blessings on these places, and thereby defeated the crafty and insidious devil.

About the arrival of the saint in Vologda

The providence of God drew the saint to Vologda to bless its inhabitants who had recently been introduced to Christianity. And the place where the arduous relics of the blessed one would later rest, seemed to be waiting for him, so that the monk would completely destroy the machinations of the devil and drive away demons not only during his life, but also after death, which was accomplished through his prayers.

O lovers of Christ! Who would not be surprised when remembering the humility of the saint? What kind of praise is worthy of a man who left all the attachments of this world for the sake of God and fled for human glory, not accepting the gifts and honor of the prince and his nobles? He himself was hated, but he had no malice or anger towards anyone, not like us, today’s hypocrites, striving for perishable glory, loving praise and considering ourselves to be honest people. The blessed one was not sinful in this, having loved Christ more than all.

But let's get back to what we were before. Having soon gathered, the saint left Avnega, wandering through a foreign land and not knowing where to lay his head. When Demetrius came to Vologda, he saw a city adorned with many churches, only there was no Church of the All-Merciful Savior Jesus Christ on the Origin of the Holy Cross and there was no communal monastery for the monks of that land from the Volga River to the edge of the sea. The monk fell in love with a place three miles from the city, on a bend in the river. The Christ-loving residents there - a husband named Ilya and his friend and neighbor Isidore, nicknamed Vypryag - gave him, at his request, as much land as was needed to build the monastery. For the sake of love for him and for the sake of blessing, they neglected even the sown field with already sprouted winter crops, allowing the field to be trampled down in order to build the Church of God. In the place that the saint blessed, a cross was installed, which is still kept in the monastery.

What joy and surprise were the townspeople and residents of nearby villages filled with when they heard about the coming of the blessed one: as if the Lord Himself had visited His people, giving them such a holy miracle worker that their faith in the Lord would increase with his blessing and prayers. Then everyone - big and small, rich and wretched, of all ages - ahead of each other, rushed to the monastery, as if to acquire priceless pearls - to take a blessing from the saint and hand over their bribe to him, bringing, if possible, some - money, some - timber, and other things necessary for the monastery. Soon a large church was erected in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, the Most Pure Mother of God and in honor of the Cross of Christ, on the first day of August for the blessing of the waters. And to this day, on this holiday, those who come with faith receive many healings through the prayers of the wonderworker Demetrius from holy water and from the relics of the blessed one.

This was the first large communal monastery in Vologda, built by the monk, here the saint began to live inseparably with his brethren. Having learned about the holiness of his life, many monks from his former monastery in Pereslavl began to come to him. The all-powerful and blessed Grand Duke Dimitri, having learned about where his venerable elder was, with a joyful heart sent him great gifts for the establishment of a monastery. Although a long distance separated them, spiritual love and faith make everything close.

The monk had a simple and ingenuous heart. When one of the brethren reminded the abbot that there were few books in the monastery, he, performing his usual incessant prayer, replied: “We, brethren, have enough ordinary books that comfort the soul. If we praise God without laziness all day and night with a pure heart, spiritual love and humility, then we cry to Him like the trumpets of God.”

By his order, a special place was built in the church on the left side of the altar, fenced with boards, where he could secretly send his prayers to God with tears and a contrite heart without fuss.

About the prophecy of the saint

It is also worth mentioning that the blessed one had the gift of prophecy. Once the brethren were busy with church affairs, and he, standing nearby, said with a heartfelt sigh: “We, brethren, arrange perishable, earthly things, and the blessed Grand Duke Dimitri Ivanovich no longer cares with us about this vain life...” And here The abbot began to ask God for his repose with the righteous. The brethren who happened to be there heard everything and did not understand, did not know what the saint was talking about, they only remembered those words and kept them in their hearts. And a few days later, news came from the reigning city of Moscow that Grand Duke Demetrius had reposed on the very day when the saint foretold that he “no longer cares with us about this vain life...” And at that very hour the brethren remembered the words of the blessed one who had prayed about all this to God.

Another prophecy of the saint is worthy of remembrance. He had a brother in Pereslavl who was engaged in trade. Having become very poor, he came to the monk and asked for a blessing to go trade with the pagans, called Yugra and Pechera, in those places where Chud and Samoyed live. Seeing his impoverishment, the reverend elder blessed him to go there. He, taking his own and someone else’s, went with the servants of the Grand Duke and returned home with a profit, healthy and unharmed, having gotten rid of debts. The next summer, his brother came to the blessed one again, asking for blessings to go there. For the sake of the needs of his family, the saint again blessed him to go, and he returned healthy again, bringing great wealth. But human eyes are always insatiable, taking gold, they do not know why they are collecting it... The brother came for the third time, asking for a blessing. The blessed one did not allow this to happen and instructed, saying: “It is enough for you, brother, to have enough food and clothing on your land to live without need, but above all to save your soul. Do not go to the beast-like pagans...” The brother, obsessed with the desire to acquire even more, went for the third time without the blessing of the saint. There, among the pagans, he died, for the Scripture says: “No one can be saved by disobeying his parents, for they teach their children to do good deeds” (Ex. 20:12; Matt. 15:4).

Let's talk further about the life of the monk. The blessed one never changed his prayer rule, but multiplied his labors, combining fasting with alms, feeding those who asked and receiving strangers passing by. His abode was at the crossroads of many roads, and from it one could even reach the Great Sea-Ocean. The monk clothed the naked, comforted the sad, helped the poor, saving them from trouble and healing them through prayer, paid off other people's debts and forgave his own debtors, in one word, delivering evil judges from oppression; he was a teacher of repentance for sinners, desiring salvation for everyone. Often the blessed one gave alms secretly from the brethren, so that they would not murmur, ruining the reward of the next century with their murmur.

The saint himself loved such wretchedness in clothing that he was like one of the beggars. In winter and summer he wore clothes made of hard sheepskin, in winter he endured the cold, and in summer he sweated profusely. Often in the same clothes he walked on foot to his wretched field two miles from the monastery to look at his worker Gregory sowing grain. The monk’s prayers were enough for the brethren in abundance. So the blessed one depressed his flesh and fasted so humbly that even if on some holiday a less strict food was allowed during the meal, he only ate the warm or hot water with a small prosphora provided to him by the cellarer in a small clay vessel. To those who saw the steam from the clay cup, it seemed that there was some kind of exquisite dish in front of the abbot.

Saint Demetrius was a true teacher of repentance for the benefit of many. One day, one of the nearby residents, a famous lover of Christ, already mentioned above, brought the necessary food and drink for God’s sake to the monastery for the brethren. The monk did not order them to be taken, not blaspheming the food, but instructing the lover of Christ to be a true merciful person to everyone. Every father who loves his children, even if he beats his son, then has mercy on him, and after punishing him again, he consoles him. So the blessed one meekly exhorted that lover of Christ, saying: “Take into your house everything that you brought us, and feed the workers and orphans in your house, so that they do not die of hunger, thirst and cold. And bring what’s left to our poverty, then you will be truly merciful, and only this will the Lord God consider true.” Ilya, having listened to the instruction, promised from now on to fulfill everything said by the abbot, so that the master would not be angry with his servant. And he barely begged the saint for the brethren to take what was now brought to the table for the glory of God, and for him as a reward and strengthening. The saint did much more good to that lover of Christ; once, with his blessing, he saved him from great trouble, for it was customary for a saint to do good to every person. Having lived for so many years, following a sorrowful and narrow path, the blessed one reached an honest and respectable old age, became adorned with gray hairs worthy of his age (a small part of his beard was not completely white), and became completely weak. When the abbot heard a prophetic voice foreshadowing the end of his life, he turned to the brethren: “I am exhausted and because of my unworthy deeds I am leaving this life, for I am the most sinful of all people (it was the blessed one’s custom to humble himself). To you, brethren, I bless my brother and spiritual son Pachomius to be abbot in my place. Obey him in good deeds as your father” (we have already mentioned about Pachomius that this humble man was a disciple of Demetrius and came with him from his first monastery in Pereslavl).

About the repose of the saint

O wise providence and incomprehensible destiny of God! One night, one of the brethren, standing at prayer, felt the smell of fragrant incense spreading throughout the monastery; when the brethren gathered, they found Saint Demetrius reposed. His cell was full of a divine, wonderful fragrance, but the saint himself seemed to have fallen asleep, and his body was illuminated by a wondrous light.

The brethren wept bitterly over their deprivation, being left without a good father and a meek shepherd. And they then remembered his sad words, spoken during his lifetime. When they asked the monk where to place his body, he answered in final humility: “Drag my sinful body into the swamp and trample it with your feet...” With tender tears and trust in the Lord, boldly praying for their abbot, the brethren took his honest body and she placed it with psalms and hymns in the church that the saint himself built and where he labored until his last days. Countless and untold miracles and healings of illnesses have emanated from the tomb of our venerable father Demetrius the Wonderworker to this day.

The Miracle of Korchete's Disease

A few years after the repose of the saint, by the providence of God, a serious illness called “corcheta” spread among people. Many sick people with crumpled arms and legs were brought to the saint’s tomb and left here, with sticks placed in their hands so that their nails would not hurt their hands from strong cramps. And they rolled so hard on the ground, screaming and asking for forgiveness of their sins, healing from illness, or at least a little relief from suffering, that it was impossible to see their suffering standing next to them. Oh woe to us for our sins! But the merciful Lord, not wishing death for sinners, only awaits our repentance. Through the prayers of the monk, the sick, who touched his tomb with faith and repentance, were soon healed and, throwing away their sticks for joy, went home healthy, glorifying God and our venerable father Demetrius the Wonderworker. And the brethren of the monastery, when the illness passed, collected a whole cart of these sticks and threw them out of the church.

A terrible miracle about the Vyatchans

In those same years, by God’s permission, the Vyatchan army came to Vologda for our sins. All this happened because they did not fulfill the commandments of the Lord, nor the law of Christ, nor the fear of God, nor love for each other. There was a lot of evil in the Russian land at that time: unrest among the princes and internecine wars, robbery and theft increased - a great misfortune for all Christians... The Vyatichi themselves separated from the Moscow state and, although they were baptized in the same faith, they accepted the custom of foreigners: they came and destroyed the city and their neighbors villages (at that time there were no walls near Vologda), they plundered the monastery of St. Demetrius. Some of the soldiers of little faith entered the church to acquire something, but they did not find good to benefit themselves, but only evil: their troops left those places along unbeaten roads to Zavolochye and few of them returned healthy to their home. But let's return to the story about the saint's church. One of the soldiers, a reckless ignoramus, began to tear off the shrouds from the holy icons, and grabbed the cover from the miraculous tomb of the saint, not fearing God’s judgment on himself. And at that same hour, by an invisible Divine force, he was hit on the church floor, became numb and lost his strength, in a word, he lay all crumpled and speechless. And great fear fell on everyone who saw and heard this, just as in Jerusalem, when there was a miracle on the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos and the angel of the Lord cut off the hand of Bishop Athos, who touched with disbelief the bed on which lay the body of the Most Pure Virgin Mary. But Athos repented and believed, receiving healing from the apostles.

The same terrible miracle happened in Surozh. A prince with an army came from Russian Novagorod and took Surozh, capturing not only people, but also sacred vessels. From the tomb of Saint Stephen, the new wonderworker, the prince himself began to pull off the precious fabrics covering him and was immediately struck in the face with an invisible force so that his face turned back. Then the prince repented, was baptized, believed in Christ and, releasing the captives, through the prayers of St. Stephen received healing and returned to his homeland healthy.

Our warrior was worse than all the previous ones: although he was baptized, he showed himself worse than a pagan in his evil deeds. They carried him out of the church, already dead; Here, in the monastery, they buried him. Their governor, having heard about the miracle and being filled with great fear of God, ordered all the monastery prisoners to be released and, without doing any harm to anyone, ordered them to leave the monastery.

Many years later, the monk Zacchaeus, a cleric of the monastery of St. Demetrius, happened to be in the land of Vyatka, and those same Vyatichi, having great faith in the wonderworker Demetrius, sent large alms to his monastery, remembering the terrible miracles of the saint.

Miracle about the wife

One day, the wife of an eminent husband named Sophia was brought from the city to the monastery, who, from demonic delusion, had gone mad in her mind and was shouting out bad things. They placed her at the tomb of the wonderworker, praying before the relics, and little by little her reason returned, and she was healed, and Sophia returned to her home, thanking God and the Monk Demetrius.

The Miracle of the Possessed

There was a certain man in the city named Simeon, who was greatly tormented by a demon and spoke senselessly. His relatives tied him up with iron rods, brought him to the monastery and with great force brought him into the church, loudly crying, swearing, scary-looking, making bestial sounds and with his tongue hanging out of his mouth more than a span. They placed him at the tomb of the wonderworker and through prayer, by the grace of God, the demon came out of him and Simeon became healthy, chaste and pious, glorifying God until the end of his life and having great faith in the wonderworker Demetrius. Only the Lord wanted him to accept the end of his life just a few days after his healing.

The Miracle of the Possessed

It so happened that the youth Khariton from a nearby village lost his mind from demonic envy. One day he was walking from his house to study book literacy and suddenly countless demons with pointed heads attacked him, frightening him, forbidding him to pray to God, make the sign of the cross and tell anyone about what had happened. He was afraid of them and fell to the ground, losing his speech. They found him barely alive, lying at an intersection, picked him up and asked what had happened to him. He began to cry and tell how he suffered from demons. Soon there was to be a patronal feast day in the monastery of the monk with the consecration of water. There were always a lot of healings in those days. That youth was also brought to the Divine feast, he venerated the miraculous coffin, and then was immersed in consecrated water and from then on was healed, having learned to read and write and read the Scriptures through the prayers of St. Demetrius.

Miracle of the Widow

The rumor about the glorious miracles of the Monk Demetrius spread throughout the entire region. A certain God-fearing wife, Antonina, who lived in a village near Vologda and often called upon the saint in prayer, also knew about them. She was poor, blind in one eye (for her face was swollen from a severe illness), and weak in one arm. One day she had a dream that she saw a magnificent old man addressing her: “If you want to be healthy, come to the Feast of the Savior, venerate the tomb of Elder Demetrius and the Lord will heal you.” She says: “Lord, I have nothing to bring as a gift.” And the elder answered: “Gather the berries, sell them for one silver coin and bring it with faith.” Waking up from the vision, Antonina ran with fear and joy to pick berries. By the Providence of God, a man walked past on the same road and bought those berries for one silver coin, for it was for this purpose that he was sent to her by God. And the woman believed even more.

The day of the holiday arrived and, as usual, many people gathered at the monastery - men, women and children - through the prayers of the monk, finding purification and healing here, some secretly, some openly. The widow we are talking about came and put a silver coin on the coffin, fell to it and prayed, saying to herself: “Oh Saint Demetrius! It seems to me as if you yourself promised to heal me. If so, then at least make my eye healthy...” And immediately she felt that she was seeing, and from that time her hand gradually recovered. Out of fear and joy, she hid the miracle, wanting the healing to be fully strengthened. She told only one monk about everything, from whom we also heard and wrote it down. She, healed, returned home, glorifying God and the wonderworker Demetrius.

Miracle about Vologda

Let us not keep silent about one more amazing miracle, but, having understood the secret of Divine Providence, we will hear how boldly the Monk Demetrius prays to God our Savior for the city of Vologda and its inhabitants.

One winter, Prince Dmitry Yuryevich Shemyaka attacked Vologda with a large army. On the very first day, the army approached the city walls so close that the townspeople were afraid: after all, there were neither military men nor a governor in the city at that time. By order of the prince, the monastery of St. Demetrius was almost not damaged: the grace of God and the prayers of the blessed one preserved both the city and the monastery.

On the following night, one of the brethren of the Lavra, Hieromonk Euthymius, after completing the evening rule, dozed off and in a subtle dream saw before him a gray-haired venerable old man, illuminated by a wonderful light and turning to him: “Let us pray, brother, to our Savior Jesus Christ for the city and its innocent inhabitants “May the Lord have mercy on them and help them.” And having said this, he disappeared. The priest joyfully marveled at himself: how he, who had never seen the monk during his life, managed to recognize him. And when he completely woke up from the vision, he immediately stood up, glorifying God and the wonderworker Demetrius, and began to pray with firm faith in his heart that everything asked in prayer would be fulfilled.

There were eyewitnesses to this vision in the city itself. That same night, a certain nun who lived on the outskirts of the city saw a bright light that illuminated the whole of Vologda, and a venerable elder walking from the direction of the Spassky monastery. Two men in dazzling white robes and with huge logs in their hands came out of the poor house to meet him. The city walls shook so much that they almost fell. The elder and the Belorizians straightened them, strengthened them, and as soon as they did this, they disappeared.

That same night, another eyewitness, a layman who lived in a suburb near the Trinity Monastery, saw in a dream that he was standing in front of the monastery gates, and a certain old man, all shining with an indescribable light, was walking with two Belorizians to the city and they were strengthening the city walls with large logs, and the old man is called Demetrius.

The next day, the townspeople, strengthened by the Lord and the prayers of the holy fathers, threw pieces of clay at the warriors who approached the walls, and they retreated again. After standing like this for many days, the princely army finally left for Galich, where everyone was beaten by the wrath of God for innocently destroying Christians, ruining their Rus'.

Miracle about the governor

Once it happened that the governor, Prince Andrei Rzhevsky, was passing through Vologda.

Many said that from excessive drunkenness he fell into a serious illness and became completely weak. Numerous servants brought the now completely clueless prince to the monastery of the saint and carried him into the church, laying him right on the bed at the saint’s tomb. The governor, deprived of speech, did not understand anything and was almost dying.

The abbot and the brethren began to sing a prayer for health and read the canon to the wonderworker Demetrius. When they began to sing the fourth hymn of the canon, he stood up and sat down, and after completing his prayers, in full health, he stood up and bowed to the tomb of the miracle worker.

Having received healing, he set off on his previous journey - to fight on the Kama and, having ravaged the Tatar land, returned home healthy through the prayers of St. Demetrius the Wonderworker.

Miracle of the Servant

A certain servant named Ivan himself told us that in mental confusion he saw up to a thousand demons entering and leaving him and lost sleep for a long time. Through the saint’s prayers at his tomb he received healing.

Miracle of the Servant

In the same year, another servant named Kondrat was tempted by demons, suffered from insomnia and paralysis of half his body, not having the strength even to make the sign of the cross. And an old man, adorned with gray hair, appeared to him, looking like Demetrius the Wonderworker, written on the icon, and said: “Pray with all your heart to our Savior Jesus Christ, stop lying and repent of what you have done, then you will be healed.” Kondrat immediately came to his senses and sobbed so much, repenting of his sins, that those who saw him were amazed at the abundance of tears. Having received excellent health, he went, glorifying God and thanking Saint Demetrius, who healed him with his appearance and prayers.

Miracle of the Saint's Church

And let us again remember the miracles worthy of praise that the Lord performs for the sake of His righteous man - we will tell about the great church in the monastery of St. Demetrius. This was already the third church built on the spot where the miraculous relics of the saint lie, for the first two burned because of our sins. When they first started building the temple, the abbot and the brethren were concerned not only about where to get timber and other things for construction, but also about how to feed all the workers. However, everything is God’s will. The One who fed the Israelites in the desert and gave them water from a stone, He also now multiplied the small loaves of bread with the prayers of His righteous man, our wonderworker, and was worthy to feed many people in the monastery during construction: there was enough food for everyone in abundance.

At this time, one of the brethren was lying sick in his cell, in the heat, and it seemed to him that he was standing with all the monks in front of the monastery gates and saw some venerable old man dragging large logs under his arm up from the river to the church. Those standing at the gate said to each other: “Look, it’s Demetrius himself who is carrying the logs!” Immediately the monk woke up from the vision, as if nothing had happened. From that day on, through the prayers of the wonderworker Demetrius, he also felt better, and the work in the monastery accelerated.

When the church was completely completed, the same monk seemed to see in reality that inside it, at the walls and all around on the ground, there were monks and elders standing, illuminated by light. The monk, looking around at them, thought: “It would be nice for Demetrius the Wonderworker to be here!” Immediately from the altar, behind where the blessed coffin stood, he heard a voice like thunder: “Are you looking for Demetrius? Now the wonderworker Demetrius is in Kazan.” Waking up from the vision, the monk felt completely healthy.

At the same time, in the summer, the Russians marched with an army to Kazan against the Tatars living along the Volga. Then the news came to the monastery that on the day when the monk had a vision through the prayers of the monk, great help appeared to Rus' in Kazan over the infidels.

Miracle for the sick

Let us not hesitate and once again honor the name of the saint with praise, always calling on him for help. A certain city dweller named Polycarp was ill for a long time and saw in his illness as if he were surrounded by many demons with pointed heads. He, frightened, prayed to himself: “Oh Saint Demetrius, help me! Great miracle worker, have mercy on me!” And suddenly the crafty demons, like countless raindrops passing through the ground, began to seep through the city walls and, running away, screaming: “Oh! He remembers the name of Demetrius and thereby drives us away from him!” The sick man, having come to his senses, ordered to be led quickly to the monastery of the saint, venerated the tomb of the miracle worker and, having prayed as much as he could, freed himself from the disease, glorifying God and glorifying the holy name of the Monk Demetrius.

The Miracle of the Numb

Let's talk about another person named Ivan, who lived in Vologda. They said that, due to his foolishness, he was possessed by the evil demon of drunkenness. On that day, when it was the feast of St. John the Theologian, he drank from morning until lunch. Suddenly, under the influence of the devil, he became numb and lost his mind, behaving indecently. His relatives, seeing and understanding that all this was because of his sins and by God’s permission, remembered the miracles of St. Demetrius, brought him to the monastery and laid him at the tomb of the blessed one. Then the mute saw the invisible Saint Demetrius, who quietly hit him with his hand on the cheek and said: “Why, man, don’t you speak?” At that very hour the mute exclaimed: “Oh Saint Demetrius, have mercy on me!” - and began to pray to God, reproach himself for his sins and repent, calling on the saint for help. The demons frightened him in every possible way, appearing to him in different forms, but in the end they went away through the prayers of the saint.

The Miracle of the Possessed

One layman named Stefan from a village called Loskomzha was so severely tormented by demons that he even broke iron chains. They brought him bound to the monastery, and he, frightening everyone, rushed around the monastery and screamed. The strongest monks could hardly hold him and, taking him by the hair, leaned him towards the tomb of the miracle worker, praying for him to the Lord. Soon, having received healing, Stefan returned home, glorifying God and the venerable wonderworker Demetrius.

The death of the saint and posthumous miracles

In 1392, in February, the brothers of the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery felt an unusual fragrance at night that spread throughout all the premises. Hastening to the cell of St. Demetrius, they found his body lifeless. At the same time, the face of the newly deceased shone with bliss and unearthly light.

Having mourned their wise mentor, the monks buried him in the Spasskaya Church. They erected a wooden tomb over the place of the saint’s last earthly resting place.

At the end of the 19th century, a cast copper canopy appeared over the elder’s grave. His relics were never transferred to another place and are still located in the lower church of the monastery.

A few years after his death, Demetrius Prilutsky began to show many posthumous miracles:

One God-fearing widow named Antonina lost the use of her arm and became blind in one eye. After praying to the monk, she saw him in a dream and found out what she needed to do for her recovery. Having followed all the instructions, the woman got rid of her tormenting ailments forever;
in 1408–1409 the Vologda land was subjected to a terrible epidemic, which was stopped only thanks to prayers to the holy ascetic;
at the beginning of the 15th century. Vologda was attacked by Vyatichi tribes, who plundered and destroyed the city. Trying to enter the Spassky Monastery and steal its valuables, they were repelled by an invisible force, after which they fled in horror and released all the monks from captivity.

One day, on the territory of the Spaso-Prilutsk monastery, two churches burned down. The brethren began building a new temple, but could not find enough funds to carry out the construction. One of the monks saw in a dream how the holy elder was carrying logs to the church, and an unearthly glow was spreading around him. After this sign, which Dimitri sent to the monk, the work went faster, all problems were successfully resolved, and after a short period of time the new church opened to parishioners.

For several centuries, the monk was considered the patron saint of merchants and traders who did not resort to making dishonest profits. Also, many people possessed by evil spirits were healed at his tomb.

Reverence

Soon after the end of the reverend husband’s earthly journey, his veneration began. The first miracles from his relics occurred around 1408. A few years after the death of St. Demetrius, an epidemic of disease, which at that time was called “korcheta,” broke out in the Vologda land.

People suffered from severe pain in their arms and legs. They came to the Prilutsk monastery, asking the holy primate for pain relief and healing. Through the prayer of the intercessor, the sufferers received healing.

At the beginning of the 15th century. A detachment of the Vyatichi tribe came to Vologda. They plundered the city and its surroundings, and also entered the Spassky Monastery. Having burst into the cathedral church, one of the soldiers tried to tear off the cover from the tomb of the abbot. But at the same moment he was thrown back by an invisible force. The villain died from hitting the floor, and the other raiders were overcome with fear and trembling. Their leader ordered to return all the valuables to the monastery and leave, releasing all the captive monks.

Hagiographic icon of St. Demetrius of Prilutsky

Many more miracles occurred through prayer to Saint Demetrius. The news about them spread throughout the Russian land. At the Moscow Church Council of 1457, the church-wide glorification of the reverend wonderworker was adopted. The Prilutsk elder was especially respected by Ivan III. The Moscow ruler came to the Vologda monastery before his campaign against Kazan.

Here he was presented with a small image of the reverend husband as a gift. And a few years later, the Grand Duke sent to the monastery an icon of St. Demetrius, with which in tsarist times an annual religious procession was held. Residents of Vologda consider the founder of the Spassky Monastery to be the heavenly patron and protector of their entire region.

Icons and temples of the holy prayer book

Iconographic images of Abbot Demetrius appeared at the beginning of the 15th century. It is known that Dionysius Glushitsky was the first to paint the image of the holy elder. This painting was located at the tombstone of the miracle worker for some time, but has not survived to this day.

In the first half of the 16th century, Dionysius Glushitsky also created a hagiographic icon of St. Demetrius of Prilutsky. Around the central face you can see 16 fragments telling about important events from the life of the Saint. They depict tonsure as a monk and the miraculous deeds of Demetrius. Today, the original of this icon is kept in the Vologda Historical and Architectural Museum. There are many lists of the saint’s face located in Orthodox churches in Russia and other countries.

On the icons, Demetrius of Prilutsky is depicted as a gray-haired old man, dressed in monastic clothes, a schema and a doll. His left hand holds a scroll with spiritual teachings, and his right hand is folded in a blessing gesture. In many paintings, in addition to the monk, there are images of Byzantine and Russian holy primates.

On the territory of Russia, 19 churches were erected in the name of the holy abbot, most of which are in the Vologda region. The oldest among them is St. Nicholas Cathedral, which adorns the central square of Vologda. Another 3 temples were built in the seer’s homeland, in the Yaroslavl region, as well as in the Kostroma lands. At the beginning of the last century, a single-altar church was erected in Moscow in honor of the holy wonderworker.

Shrines in honor of Demetrius

Since he is considered a miracle worker, it is not surprising that in many religious buildings it is considered a rule to hold a prayer service in his honor. But there are also those who bear his name. For example, the Temple of Demetrius of Prilutsky in Moscow. This is the only building in memory of him in the city, which was built with the money of the merchant Dmitry Storozhev.

The first building appeared in 1890. After the revolution it was closed, and its premises later housed a printing house and an anesthesiology laboratory. Later it was returned to the church and services began again. You can attend them and read a prayer.

“O sacred head, wonderful miracle worker, God-bearing Father Demetrius! Diligently falling to you, we pray: show us, humble and sinners, your powerful intercession. Because it is a sin for our sake, the imams do not have the boldness to ask the Lord for His gifts that are beneficial to us, but we offer and ask you, a prayer book favorable to Him: ask us from His goodness for everything that is for the benefit of our souls and bodies: faith, truth, undoubted hope , unfeigned love, courage in temptation, patience in suffering, constancy in prayer, prosperity in piety, longed-for health, fruitfulness of the earth, goodness of the air, well-timed rains, contentment for everyday needs, peace in our days and blessings from above for all our good deeds. Do not forget, miracle-working saint, to graciously visit your monastery, the cities and towns of our Orthodox country, preserving and protecting them with your prayers from all evil. Remember all those who have faith and love for you and call on your name in prayer, and graciously fulfill their good requests, overshadowing them with your patristic blessing from above. To her, Holy One of God, do not deprive us sinners of your powerful intercession, but grant us the gift of achieving a good end to our lives and inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us sing and glorify our wondrous God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen."

But in addition, there is also the opportunity to listen to the reading of the akathist to Demetrius Prilutsky. When praying to the saints, it is important to think about the words you say, and it doesn’t matter whether it is a special request or whether they come from a pure heart.

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God bless you!

You will also be interested in watching a video story about the holy abbot Demetrius:

What do Orthodox Christians ask the elder for?

St. Demetrius of Prilutsky is approached on different occasions:

during physical and mental illness;
when resolving debt disputes;
in case of financial difficulties;
in extreme poverty;
if you are dependent on alcohol or drugs;
when possessed by demons;
if you want to strengthen your faith.

The saint helps to get rid of problems at work, strengthens the human spirit in the fight against sinful temptations, and protects against attacks by robbers. People who want to work honestly and avoid obstacles on the way to their goal pray to him.

The dates when the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Demetrius of Prilutsky are February 24 and June 16. In order to be heard and receive the bright help of the reverend elder, Christians read the akathist and other special prayers to the Saint. They also address the miracle worker in their own words, which originate deep in the soul of a believer.