The life of Saints Florus and Laurus and what the martyrs ask for, texts of prayers

The Life of the Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus

Florus and Laurus (who were siblings) converted to Christianity in their youth and preached the Good News to their compatriots. They lived in the 2nd century in Byzantium, from there they eventually came to Illyria, which was located on the territory of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Who the parents of the holy martyrs were is not indicated in the biography; it is only known that the brothers earned their living by working stone and earned the reputation of being skilled craftsmen in their craft.

Their teachers, from whom they learned their skills in stone processing, were the pious Maximus and Proclus. They also told the brothers about Christ and explained the Holy Scriptures to them. The ruler of the region where Florus and Laurus lived and worked sent them to the neighboring region where the construction of the temple of Hercules was taking place. Both brothers obeyed orders without question and worked diligently, using all their skills and craftsmanship.

Despite the fact that the saints worked on the construction of a pagan temple, they did not hide the fact that they professed Christianity, and at every opportunity they testified to the pagans about the Savior. During the day they devoted all their strength to work, and at night they fervently prayed to the Lord. One day, the son of the supreme oracle came to the construction site of the temple of Hercules, who wanted to observe the work of Florus and Laurus. However, the young man came too close to the place where the stone was being processed, and one flying piece hit him in the eye, causing severe pain. The oracle's son screamed loudly when he heard this, his father immediately ran to the construction site, he was angry and even wanted to beat the brothers for negligence.

The holy martyrs calmed the oracle and promised him that they would heal their son. The brothers took the young man into their home and began to fervently pray to the Lord, calling on the young man to also believe in Christ. Having finished the prayer, Florus and Laurus made the sign of the cross over the priest’s son, and his eye was healed at that very moment. Having seen such a miracle, not only the young man accepted Christianity, but his father, a pagan oracle, also believed in the Lord.

After the construction of the pagan temple was completed, the brothers gathered about 300 Christians who worked with them on the construction, crushed the idols, and installed a cross in the eastern part.

There they performed the first prayer and began to conduct worship, and at the same moment the temple was illuminated with heavenly light. When those present saw such a sign, they went to the next room, where they took down all the idols and began to beat and break them.

When the ruler of the region found out about what had happened, he gave the order to catch everyone who helped the brothers in the destruction of the temple and burn it at the stake. Among the dead were also the oracle and his son, who was healed through the prayer of Florus and Laurus. The ruler sent the brothers themselves into custody to Illyria, after brutally beating them.

The ruler of Illyria, Lycaon, convinced that Florus and Laurus professed Christianity and it would not be possible to convince them to renounce their faith, gave the order to throw them into a deep well and bury them. Thus, the brothers accepted martyrdom for Christ and maintained their faith in the Lord to the end. After many years, the relics of the brothers were found incorrupt and transferred to Constantinople.

2nd Week of Lent (03/14/2022-03/20/2022).

3rd Week of Lent (03/21/2022-03/27/2022).

Days of Remembrance and Honor

August 18 (August 31, O.S.) is the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs Florus and Laurus. Both saints are revered in both Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

Hagiographic icon of Saints Florus and Laurus

Saints in Rus' are considered patrons of horses and livestock. According to legend preserved on Novgorod land, after the discovery of the relics of Laurus and Florus, the death of cattle stopped. Since then, the brothers began to be revered as heavenly protectors of domestic animals, especially horses.

Researchers admit that this custom came to Russian lands from the Balkan region, the homeland of the saints. There was a legend that the Archangel Michael himself taught the brothers the skill of driving horses.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, August 31 was traditionally considered a horse holiday. People drove their horses to the church, decorated their manes with beautiful ribbons, and dressed them in harness with bells. The priest sprinkled the cattle with holy water after a prayer service to the saints. Icons of martyrs could often be found in peasant huts.

❗️Sacrament of Confession❗️

Monday through Friday

:

10 minutes before the reading of the hours begins or after the end of the service (before the chalice is taken out).

On Saturdays

:

In the evening after Anointing.

On Sundays and major holidays

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During services (early and late) of the Divine Liturgy.

— Polyeleos services are the most festive service, where all the changed chants are dedicated to the Holiday.

- Everyday services - a service is performed that is not marked in the Typikon with any sign. These include most of the memorable days of the Orthodox month.

4th Week of Lent, Worship of the Cross (03/28/2022-03/31/2022).

Horse guide

However, the incorruptible relics of the holy brothers were miraculously found just a few decades later. Once upon a time, a merchant caravan passed by the well where Frol and Laurus found their deaths. The merchants stopped for the night near this place, and in the evening one thin old horse approached the former well and began to drink water from a small puddle near it. Immediately, right before the eyes of the amazed people, she began to “get better”: straighten out, gain strength, and the mare’s coat acquired a healthy shine. Realizing that such a miracle had come to them for a reason, the traders dug up the well and at the bottom found the incorruptible relics of Frol and Laurus. Initially, not far from the place of execution of the saints, a small chapel was built, where the Christians of Illyria worshiped the newfound relic, and then it was transferred to Constantinople - to the Monastery of the Pantocrator. For centuries, pilgrims from all over the world came to pray to the remains of Frol and Laurus. In 1350, Stephen of Novgorod bowed to them, which the famous Russian chronicler left a record of in his work “Walking to Constantinople.” Today the relics of Saints Frol and Laurus are considered lost - their whereabouts are unknown.

Signs on Frol and Laver - horse people

• A horse snores means bad weather, snorts means rain.
• The horse shakes its head and throws it up - towards the rain.
• If on August 31 horses gather in a school in a ravine, then this is a sign of bad weather.
• Whoever sows on this day or later will reap nothing but weeds.
• If the wormwood root is thick, the coming year will be fruitful.
• If the horses go out onto the hill, wait for the weather to change.
• If a horse often moves its legs, it means bad weather.
• Frol and Laver - stop sowing rye. Dozhinki, additional seedings.
• After August 31, sowing rye is considered late.
• If you don’t drop out before Frol, Frolks will be born (flowers).
• Frols are goals.
• We looked at the roots of wormwood: if the root shoots are thick, the next year will be fruitful.
• Pickle cucumbers.
• Frol-Laver is a horse holiday.
• Horses, as a general and unchangeable rule, are fed to their fullest extent and are not worked on under any circumstances; it is not customary to saddle horses even at races.
• Brands are not burned on Frol and Lavr.
• Frol and Laver are as good as a workhorse.
• The horses were bathed and their tails and manes were curled with ribbons.
• On Frol and Lavra, horses are sprinkled with holy water.
• Autumn matinees begin with Frol and Lavr.
• From Frolov's day the zealous ones sit (i.e. work by fire), and from Semyon (September 14) the lazy ones.