Lives of the saints in brief for children. Class hour "The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious" class hour (1st grade) on the topic The Story of St. George the Victorious for children
Great Martyr
St. George the Victorious
His memory is celebrated on April 23/May 6
During the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian, a cruel persecutor of Christians, there lived a young man named George. He was born in Cappadocia, in Asia Minor, into a rich and noble family and was raised in the Christian faith. When George was still a child, his father accepted martyrdom for Christ, and George and his mother moved to Palestine.
He grew up to be a handsome, stately young man, entered the Roman army and fought so bravely that he was soon made a military leader, although he was not even twenty years old. The emperor did not know that George was a Christian; he loved the young warrior and kept him with him.
Hearing that a new persecution of faith was beginning and that Diocletian had decided to exterminate Christians from the face of the earth, George distributed all his property, gold, silver and clothes to the poor, set the slaves free and went to the emperor.
- How long will you continue torturing innocent people? - he asked the amazed Diocletian, standing in the middle of the hall where the state council was taking place. - You force the people to bow to idols, but they are not gods at all; There is only one God, this is the Lord Jesus Christ, worshiped in the Holy Trinity. Find out the truth, or at least don’t confuse pious people with your madness!
At first, the emperor tried to kindly convert the young man to the worship of idols and persuaded him to make a sacrifice, and then he became angry and ordered his squires to drive George into prison with spears.
There his feet were driven into a block, and a large stone was placed on his chest; the next day, George was tied to a wheel with sharp blades that cut his body, but the Lord healed His faithful servant from his wounds. The young man endured many cruel torments, thanking God and asking him to strengthen him in his suffering.
Seeing how courageously he endured torture and how the Lord miraculously saved him from imminent death and healed him from his wounds - after all, the martyr did not bleed to death on a torture wheel, did not burn in a ditch with quicklime and did not die from poison - many believed in Christ. The wife of Diocletian himself, Queen Alexandra, also knew the true God and confessed herself as a Christian before everyone.
People began to come to George in prison, and he instructed everyone in the faith and performed miracles: he raised the dead and healed the sick.
One peasant, named Glycerius, had his only ox fall into a ravine and die. The poor fellow also came to George and complained with tears about his fate. The saint smiled quietly and said to him:
- Go, brother, rejoice, my Christ has revived your ox.
Glycerius, without any doubt, went home and found his cattle alive. He immediately went back to prison to George, and on the way he shouted loudly:
- Truly great is the Christian God! - He was captured by the royal soldiers, reported to Diocletian, and he ordered his head to be cut off - so Glycerius accepted martyrdom for Christ.
When the Great Martyr George crushed the idols in a pagan temple with his prayer, Diocletian ordered his head to be cut off. Together with him they led Queen Alexandra to death. After walking a little, she became very tired, asked permission to sit down and gave up her spirit to the Lord. And the Great Martyr George, having reached the place of execution, prayed to God and joyfully bowed his head under the sword. The Church, honoring his great suffering and patience, canonized Saint George as a Great Martyr.
After his glorious death, Saint George performed even more miracles than during his lifetime. He soon comes to the aid of all who call upon him in prayer.
The Great Martyr George is called the “liberator of captives” because he rescued Christians from captivity many times.
One day, a priest who served in the Church of the Great Martyr George on the island of Cyprus had a son named Philotheus who was captured by the Saracens. The young man lived in captivity for three whole years.
One day the owner ordered him to carry his linen with him to the bathhouse; Having washed himself, he demanded a drink, and Filofey forgot the jug with the drink at home. The Saracen had already swung his hand to hit him, but the young man ran away and, taking the drink, hurried back. Passing christian church, Philotheus heard singing: it was the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr George, they served Divine Liturgy and at that moment they sang the kontakion of the saint: “Thou hast been crafted by God, a most honest worker of piety...” The young man began to cry and prayed:
- Holy Great Martyr George! Can't you hear my father praying for me before the holy altar in your church? Won't you free me from captivity?
Returning to the owner, Filofey poured him a drink and was about to add boiling water, when suddenly everything blurred before his eyes. He shouted:
- I can not see anything! - and immediately found himself in the altar of his native church; at this time the choir sang: “One is holy, one is the Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, amen,” and his father held the chalice and waited for boiling water to be served to him. Seeing that the young man, dressed in Saracen style, was about to pour warmth into the chalice, the priest was amazed and asked the altar boys who it was.
- It's me, your son! - exclaimed Filofey. “I was just now with my master in Jerusalem - and now I’m standing in front of you!”
The father placed the chalice on the throne and, raising his hands, glorified God and the holy Great Martyr George, and when he finished the service, he hugged and kissed his son, and they went home and there they rejoiced and had fun with their family and friends.
The Great Martyr George performed another miracle in the temple dedicated to him in Asia Minor in the city of Amastris. The temple was small and very dilapidated, so that it was in danger of collapsing: the people living there were poor, and they did not have money to repair it. Children often ran not far from him, and here was one a little boy, who never won a single game and who was often beaten and offended by his comrades, once said:
- Saint George, help me win, I’ll bring you a delicious pie! - And he began to gain the upper hand in all games.
That same day, when he came home, he told his mother about his promise. She baked a cake and the boy placed it in front of the altar.
At that time, merchants were passing by; They decided to go into the church to venerate the Great Martyr George and saw the pie - it was still warm and gave off a very tasty smell.
- Why does the saint need it? Let's eat it and leave the incense in the temple! - the merchants decided.
But when they finished the pie and got ready to leave, they could not find the doors - there were only walls all around. The merchants placed a silver coin in front of the altar, then a gold one, and fervently prayed to the saint - and only then did they find the doors and go outside. This miracle became known throughout the country, and many pious people began to send money for the new church. So they collected a lot of gold and silver and built a large stone temple.
Abba George spoke about another miracle of the holy great martyr. One day he met an old monk on the road who walked ahead of him. Climbing up the mountain, they saw a flock of sheep. A shepherd boy was lying on the ground nearby; he was bitten by a poisonous snake and was writhing in pain. Having collected water from the source, the monks poured it over the holy cross and gave it to him to drink.
“In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, the Holy Great Martyr George heals you,” said the elder.
The boy spat out the poison and stood up healthy. Then the elder asked:
- Tell me, what did you say to the poor widow yesterday when you sold her sheep for three silver coins? Did you swear and swear that a wolf ate her?
“Yes, father, that’s how it happened,” admitted the shepherd boy. “How do you know?”
“I was sitting in my cell,” said the elder, “when suddenly a rider on a white horse galloped up and ordered me to quickly come here, give you holy water and tell you not to swear, swear or lie in the future.” And be sure to give that poor woman the sheep, otherwise something even worse will happen to you.
The boy fell at his feet and asked for forgiveness.
- The widow told me that God Himself and Saint George would ask me for this lamb, because she promised to donate it on the day of the saint’s feast to treat the poor. I have sinned, Father, pray for me so that God and His saint will forgive me! “And I will give that woman three sheep for the holiday, and every year on this day I will give the poor a tenth of what I earn,” the shepherd boy promised.
Having received permission from his sin, he thanked God and the Great Martyr George.
Saint George performed the most amazing miracle in the city of Beirut on the Mediterranean Sea. Not far from the city there was a lake in which lived a huge man-eating snake. The residents were very afraid of him. They were pagans, they worshiped idols, and the demons who lived in the idols taught them to sacrifice their children to the monster every day. Those townspeople who were drawn by lot brought their son or daughter to the lake, and the snake crawled ashore and devoured them.
It was the turn of the only royal daughter; but when she was already standing near the lake and awaiting death, Saint George the Victorious appeared in the form of a beautiful young man, on horseback, with a spear at the ready, and, making the sign of the cross, pierced the snake’s throat. He ordered the girl to tie the monster around the neck with her belt and lead it along like a dog. So they came to the city. Seeing them, those they met began to run away in horror, but the saint exclaimed:
- Do not be afraid, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him. It was He who sent me to you to deliver you from the serpent. - And he killed the monster with a sword in the city square, and all the inhabitants believed in Christ and received holy baptism.
Holy Great MartyrOn that place they built a large beautiful church in the name of Holy Mother of God and in honor of the holy great martyr and Victorious George, and miracles were also performed in it for the glory of God and His great saint.
The Holy Great Martyr George lived in 284-305. during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. He was the son of rich and noble parents who professed the Christian faith. When George was still a child, his father was tortured for confessing Christ. Having received an excellent education and being distinguished by his strong physique, beauty and courage, the young man already at the age of 20 became one of the people closest to the emperor. But, having honored George for his outstanding courage with the title of governor, Diocletian still did not know what faith he had.
But how did this brilliant young man behave when the emperor decided to exterminate all Christians and at the same time replaced the practiced types of torture with more severe, more cruel torments.
Having learned that this inhumane decision could not be reversed, Saint George realized that the time had come that would serve to save his soul. As a Christian, he could not feel happy under a pagan emperor. Having distributed all the property to the poor and freed the slaves, George arrived at the last meeting of the emperor with like-minded people and boldly stepped forward:
How long will it be for you, king, and you, princes and advisers, to commit evil deeds and persecute the innocent? You are mistaken in worshiping idols. The true God is Jesus Christ.
Everyone was surprised by George's bold speech. The king ordered the nobleman Magnentius to ask the young man what kind of truth it was that prompted George to such daring words.
“This truth is Jesus Christ himself, persecuted by you,” answered the saint, “I am a servant of Christ My God, and I came here to testify to the truth.”
The enraged king ordered his squires to imprison Saint George, hammer his feet into stocks, and place a heavy stone on his chest. Having endured torture with God's help, George answered the king when he began to convince him to repent: “Do you really think, king, that suffering will distract me from the faith? You will sooner tire of torturing me than I will tire of enduring torture.”
After these words, Diocletian ordered to bring a newly invented instrument of torture - a wheel riddled with iron points. After the wheeling, when everyone recognized the righteous man as dead, suddenly a thunderclap was heard and the words were heard: “Don’t be afraid, George! I am with you." George, healed by the Angel, himself came off the wheel, glorifying God.
The royal dignitaries Anatoly and Protoleon, as well as Queen Alexandra, who observed the suffering of the great martyr, saw a miraculous salvation and wanted to accept Christianity. The king ordered both nobles to be executed for confessing Christ, Queen Alexandra to be locked up in the palace, and St. George to be covered with quicklime for three days. On the third day, the emperor ordered the bones of the martyr to be dug up, thinking that he had burned in the ditch. But the servants, raking the lime, found Saint George unharmed and brought him to the king.
Tell me, George,” Diocletian began, “where do you get such strength and what magics do you use?” I think you are pretending to be a Christian in order to surprise everyone with your magic and show yourself to be great. Icon: St. George the Victorious.
“Tsar,” answered George, you are only blaspheming God. Seduced by the devil, you are so deeply mired in the errors of paganism that you call the miracles of my God, performed before your eyes, sorceries and enchantments.
Diocletian ordered boots with hot nails inside to be put on Saint George’s feet. In these shoes the martyr was driven all the way to prison with beatings and abuse. The emperor's friend Magnetius advised Diocletian to turn to the famous sorcerer Athanasius. When the sorcerer appeared at the palace, the emperor said to him: “Either defeat and destroy George’s magic and make him submissive to us, or immediately take his life with magical herbs, and let him thus die from the same trick that he learned.”
Athanasius promised to fulfill the king's wishes. In the morning in court, he showed those present two vessels and ordered: “Bring the condemned man here, and he will see the power of our gods and my spells. If a madman drinks from the first vessel,” said the sorcerer, “he will be submissive to the royal will in everything.” he will die."
But, having drunk from both vessels, George remained unharmed. The sorcerer Athanasius, seeing the grace of God protecting Saint George, himself believed and confessed Christ before everyone as the omnipotent God. For this, the emperor ordered his execution. Icon: Great Martyr George the Victorious on the throne.
Saint George was then again imprisoned. People who saw his miracles and turned to Christianity began to come to him here. Gold opened prison doors for them, and for those who came, the dark prison became the torch of Truth, the source of the Word of God. Many accepted martyrdom for confessing Christ. Among them are the holy martyrs Valery, Donatus, and Ferinus.
After this, the king’s advisers asked to condemn Saint George, saying that he was attracting a lot of people to his prison and was turning them away with his witchcraft. pagan gods to the Crucified One.
Then Diocletian ordered Saint George to be brought to the temple of Apollo and for the last time began to convince him to make sacrifices to idols. The saint once again proved the powerlessness of the pagan gods, and then a crowd of angry pagans attacked him, demanding from the emperor the death of the condemned man. Hearing the noise and screams, Queen Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, hurried to the Temple and threw herself at the feet of George with the words: “God of George, have mercy on me, for You are the true and almighty God!” The emperor, seeing his wife at the feet of the condemned man, asked in amazement: “What happened to you, Alexandra, and why are you joining the sorcerer and sorcerer, shamelessly renouncing our gods?” Alexandra did not answer the king and turned away from him. The enraged Diocletian immediately pronounced the death sentence on both.
The soldiers grabbed Saint George and Alexandra and took them outside the city. Saint Alexandra, on the way to the place of execution, gave up her spirit to the Lord. George, arriving at the place of execution, prayed and joyfully bowed his head under the sword on April 23 (May 6), 305. Icon: Great Martyr George the Victorious. The miracle of the serpent.
According to legend, Saint George performed many feats. Of these, the following is noted as the most glorious.
In the saint’s homeland, near the city of Beirut, there was a lake in which lived a huge and terrible snake. Coming out of the lake, he devoured people and devastated the surrounding area. In order to appease the formidable monster, the inhabitants, on the advice of the priests, began to cast lots to give their children as sacrifices to the snake.
Finally, it was the turn of the king’s only daughter. The girl, distinguished by her unprecedented beauty, was led to the lake and left in her usual place. While the people looked at the princess from afar, expecting her death, St. suddenly appeared. George on a white horse and with a spear in his hand. Seeing the snake, he made the sign of the cross and with the words “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” he rushed at the monster and struck it in the larynx with a spear. After which he ordered the girl to tie the snake with a belt and lead it to the city. People, seeing the monster, began to run away in horror. But Saint George restrained them:
“Do not be afraid, but believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ: it is he who sent me to save you from the serpent.” After these words, the saint killed the snake, and the residents burned the monster.
Seeing this miracle, 25,000 idolaters converted to Christianity.
3a victory over the serpent and for courage in suffering, Saint George began to be called the Victorious. The Holy Great Martyr George is considered the patron and protector of warriors. On icons he is usually depicted sitting on a white horse and striking a snake in the mouth with a spear.
From "The Lives of the Saints"
Troparion to St. George the Victorious
As a liberator of captives and a protector of the poor, / a physician of the infirm,
Champion of kings, / victorious, great martyr George, /
pray to Christ God / for our souls to be saved. Cartoon "Yegory the Brave"
Saint George is one of the great martyrs of the Orthodox Church. He was called the Victorious for his courage, strength and will in the fight against the enemy army. The saint also became famous for his help and love for people. The life of St. George the Victorious has become famous for many facts, and the story of his posthumous appearance to humanity is generally similar to a fairy tale.
Life of Saint George the Victorious
The saint's parents were believers and God-fearing Christians. My father suffered for his faith and died a martyr. His mother, remaining a widow, moved with the young George to Palestine and began raising her child as a Christian.
Great Martyr George the Victorious
George grew up to be a brave young man, and having enlisted in the Roman army, he was noticed by the pagan emperor Diocletian. He accepted the warrior into his guard.
The ruler clearly understood the danger that the Christian faith posed to the civilization of the pagans, so he intensified the persecution of Christianity. Diocletian gave the military leaders freedom in relation to reprisals against the Orthodox. George, having learned about the ruler’s unjust decision, distributed to the poor all the property inherited after the death of his parents, granted freedom to the slaves who worked on the estate, and appeared before the emperor.
Without fear, he courageously denounced Diocletian and his cruel plan, and then confessed his faith in Christ before him. The powerful pagan tried to force the warrior to renounce the Savior and sacrifice to idols, to which he received a decisive refusal from the Orthodox warrior. By order of Diocletian, the squires pushed the Victorious out of the room with spears and tried to take him to prison.
But the steel weapon miraculously became soft and easily bent when in contact with the saint’s body.
Having placed the Orthodox warrior in prison, his legs were put in stocks, and his chest was pressed with a large stone. The next morning, the unshakable warrior again confessed his faith in Christ. The angry Diocletian tortured him. Naked George was tied to a chariot, over which boards with iron points were arranged. As the wheels turned, the iron cut his body. But instead of groans and the expected renunciation of the Creator, the saint only called on the Lord’s Help.
When the sufferer fell silent, the pagan thought that he had given up the ghost and ordered the cut and torn body to be removed. But suddenly the sky turned black, great thunder struck and the majestic Voice of God was heard: “Do not be afraid, warrior. I'm with you". Immediately a bright glow appeared and a blond young man, the Angel of the Lord, appeared next to the Victorious. He laid his hand on George’s body and he instantly rose up healed.
St. George the Victorious (Lydda)
The imperial soldiers took him to the temple where Diocletian was. He couldn’t believe his eyes - standing before him was a completely healthy and full of strength man. Many pagans who watched the miracle believed in Christ. Even two noble dignitaries immediately publicly confessed the faith of Christ, for which their heads were cut off.
Queen Alexandra also tried to glorify the Almighty, but the imperial servants quickly took her to the palace.
The pagan king, in an attempt to break the unshakable George, betrayed him to even more terrible torment. The martyr was thrown into a deep ditch, and his body was covered with quicklime. They dug up George only on the third day. Surprisingly, his body was not damaged, and the man himself was in a joyful and calm mood. Diocletian did not calm down and ordered the martyr to be put on iron boots with hot nails inside them and put under arrest. In the morning, the warrior showed off his healthy legs and joked that he really liked the boots. Then the enraged ruler ordered to beat the holy body with ox sinews and mix his blood and body with the ground.
Deciding that George was using magic spells, the ruler summoned a sorcerer to the court in order to deprive the former warrior of magic and poison him. He presented the martyr with a potion, but it had no effect, and the saint again glorified God.
Monasteries in honor of St. George the Victorious:
Miracles of God
The emperor wanted to know what helps the former warrior survive after terrible torment? George replied that with God everything is possible. Then the pagan wished that the martyr would raise the dead in his presence. When the Victorious was brought to the tomb, he began to beg the Heavenly Father to show everyone present that He is the God of the whole world. And then the earth shook, the coffin opened and the dead man came to life. Immediately those present at the miracle believed in God and glorified Him.
The miraculous image of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious
Once again George found himself in prison. Suffering people tried to get to the prisoner in various ways and received healing from ailments and help with petitions. Among them was the farmer Glycerius. The other day his ox died and the man came with a prayer to resurrect the animal. The saint promised to bring the cattle back to life. Returning home, the man found a revived ox in the stall and began glorifying the name of the Lord throughout the city.
The end of the earthly journey
On the last night of his earthly life, George prayed fervently. He had a vision that the Lord Himself approached Him and kissed Him and placed a martyr’s crown on His head. In the morning, Diocletian invited the great martyr to become a co-ruler and rule the country together. To which George invited him to immediately go to the temple of Apollo.
The victorious man crossed himself and turned to one of the idols with a question: would he like to accept the sacrifice as God? But the demon sitting in the idol shouted that God is the one whom George preaches, and he is an apostate who deceives people. The priests attacked the saint and beat him furiously.
St. George's Day May 6
Queen Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, made her way through a large gathering of pagans, fell at the feet of the saint and prayed to the Creator for help, glorifying Him. The Victorious and Alexandra were sentenced to death by the bloodthirsty Diocletian. They followed together to the place of massacre, but along the way the queen fell exhausted. The warrior of Christ forgave all his tormentors and put his holy head under a sharp sword.
Thus ended the era of paganism.
Miracles
The life of Saint George the Victorious is filled with many miracles.
About miracles in Orthodoxy:
Legend has it that not far from a lake in Syria there lived a huge dragon-like serpent. He devoured people and animals, and then released poisonous breath into the air. Many brave men tried to kill the monster, but not a single attempt was successful and all the people died.
The Holy Great Martyr is especially revered in Georgia.
The city governor issued an order according to which a girl or boy had to be given a snake to be eaten every day. Moreover, he himself had a daughter. He promised that if the lot falls on her, then the girl will share the fate of other death row prisoners. And so it happened. The girl was brought to the shore of the lake and tied to a tree. In a frenzy, she awaited the appearance of the serpent and her hour of death. When the monster came out of the water and began to approach the beauty, a blond young man suddenly appeared on a white horse. He thrust a sharp spear into the snake’s body and saved the unfortunate woman.
This was Saint George the Victorious, who put an end to the deaths of young people in the country.
The inhabitants of the country, having learned about the miracle that had occurred, believed in Christ, a healing spring flowed at the site of the battle between the warrior and the serpent, and later a temple was erected in honor of the Victorious. This plot was the basis for the St. George image.
After the Arabs captured Palestine, another miracle happened. Arab who came into Orthodox church, I saw a clergyman praying at one of the icons. In an attempt to show disdain for the holy faces, the Arab shot an arrow at one of the images. But the arrow did not harm the icon, but returned and pierced the shooter’s hand. In a fit of unbearable pain, the Arab turned to the cleric, to which he advised him to hang the icon of St. George the Victorious over the head of his bed and anoint the wound with oil from the lamp that was lit in front of his face. Upon recovery, the cleric presented the Arab with a book that described the life of the saint. The holy life of the Orthodox warrior and his torment made the greatest impression on the Arab. Soon he accepted Holy Baptism, became a preacher of Christianity, for which he suffered a martyr's death.
1. The saint, in addition to his usual name, is known by the names George of Lydda and Cappadocia.
2. On the day of remembrance of the saint, May 6, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of Queen Anna, who heartily accepted the torment of the saint, believed in Christ and died for the confession of Orthodoxy.
3. The Holy Great Martyr is especially revered in Georgia. The first of the temples erected in his honor was built in the 1st century.
4. Most Georgian babies are named after George. It is believed that a person named George will never experience failure and will be a winner in life.
The great Orthodox warrior endured all the suffering for the faith of Christ, which he did not betray and did not exchange for the power and wealth offered to him by the pagan Diocletian. The Holy Great Martyr of Christ helps everyone who turns to his intercession. According to the sincere and heartfelt faith of the petitioner, his request will always be fulfilled.
Watch a video about the life of St. George the Victorious
In this article you can find short lives of saints that will be interesting even to children, thanks to their brief summary.
Lives of the Saints
- The sufferings of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious;
- Life of St. Theodosius, Abbot of Pechersk;
- Life righteous Job Long-suffering;
- Life Venerable Arseny Great;
- Life of the Holy Prophet Isaiah;
- The life and works of Saints Methodius and Cyril, equal to the apostles, teachers of Slovenia.
The Suffering of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious
Saint George was a Roman military leader close to the king.
His father was martyred for confessing Christ, his mother was also a Christian, and George himself was a Christian from childhood, but until time he hid it from the infidels
When the wicked king Diocletian began to persecute and kill believers in Christ, Saint George, rejecting all human fear and having in himself only the fear of God, appeared to the king, sitting with his advisers, and boldly convicted them all of wickedness, saying: “...Jesus Christ is one God, one Lord in the glory of God the Father, by whom all things were created, and all things exist by His Holy Spirit. Either you yourself know the truth and learn piety, or do not confuse with your madness those who know true piety.”
Then the king began to persuade George to renounce Christ, but the saint said:
“Those who are deceived by temporary pleasures receive no benefit; your temptations will not weaken my piety, and no torments will frighten my soul or shake my mind.”
These words of Saint George infuriated the king, and he ordered his squires to stab George with spears. But as soon as the spear touched the saint’s body, the iron immediately became soft and bent. The martyr’s lips were filled with praises of God.
Having brought Saint George into prison, the soldiers stretched him out on the ground and placed a heavy stone on his chest. The saint endured all this and continually gave thanks to God. The next day the king asked him if he would renounce Christ. Saint George, oppressed by the heavy stone, could barely speak:
“O king, do you really think that after such a small torment I will turn away from my faith? It is more likely that you will become exhausted, tormenting me, than I, tormented by you.”
Then King Diocletian ordered a great wheel to be brought, under which were placed boards pierced with iron points. On that wheel, the king ordered to tie the naked martyr and, turning the wheel, cut off his entire body. Saint George, cut and torn into pieces, valiantly endured his torment. At first he prayed to God in a loud voice, then quietly, silently thanked God, not uttering a single groan, but remaining as if asleep or insensitive.
Then the king decided that George had died, and ordered him to be untied from the wheel. But suddenly the air darkened, terrible thunder roared, and many heard a voice from above:
“Don’t be afraid, George, I’m with you.”
A radiance appeared, great and unusual, and the Angel of the Lord in the form of a beautiful and clear-faced youth, illuminated by light, appeared standing at the wheel and, laying his hand on the martyr, said “Rejoice.” And no one dared to approach the wheel and the martyr while the vision continued. When the angel disappeared, George stepped off the wheel, freed by the angel and healed by him from his wounds, and thanked the Lord.
But the evil king did not understand the miracle of God and ordered to further torture Saint George. But George was unshakable, and only prayed to God: “Show, Lord, Thy mercy on me and preserve my path in Thy faith, so that it may be glorified everywhere.” your name most holy."
When the king was surprised that no torment harmed George, Saint George said to him: “Know, king, that I do not feel torment, because I am saved by the calling of Christ and His power.”
And the king commanded the martyr to raise the dead to demonstrate the power of his God. And the saint said to him: “My God, who created everything from nothing, has the power to raise the dead through me.” - And, bending his knees, he prayed to God for a long time with tears and at the end exclaimed: - O Master, show the assembled people that You are One God for the whole earth, so that they know You, the Almighty Lord, to Whom everything obeys and Whose glory is forever. Amen".
And suddenly thunder roared and the earth shook, so that everyone was horrified, the coffin opened, and the dead man emerged from it alive. Then many who saw this believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the king, although surprised, remained in his wickedness and ordered Saint George to be imprisoned. There people came to him, who believed in Christ because of his miracles, and were instructed in the holy faith. By invoking the name of Christ and the sign of the cross, the saint also healed the sick, who came to him in large numbers in prison.
One day, when Saint George was praying, he dozed off and saw the Lord appear in a dream, who lifted him with his hand, hugged him, kissed him and placed a crown on his head, encouraging George and foretelling his reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The unfaithful king Diocletian, convinced of his powerlessness, ordered the head of the holy martyr to be cut off. And so the holy Great Martyr George died, having worthily completed his confession and preserved his immaculate faith. That is why he is crowned with the chosen crown of righteousness from our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belongs all glory, honor and worship forever and ever. Amen.
Life of St. Theodosius
From childhood, the Monk Theodosius was distinguished by his piety and rationality. He studied the Holy Scriptures well, often visited the temple of God and always listened attentively to the reading and singing, never leaving before the end of the service. Theodosius did not like to make noise and play pranks and moved away from all worldly pleasures. He had only one desire - to save his soul, so he strove for the monastic life.
Having become an adult, Feodosia left home for the city of Kyiv. There he heard about the exploits of the Monk Anthony in the cave and went to him. Arriving at Anthony’s cave, Theodosius fell on his knees before him and with tears began to beg to accept him as his student. The Monk Anthony, having listened to him, answered him like this:
“Young man, you see how dark and cramped this cave is; You won’t be able to stand the discomfort here.”
To this Feodosia responded with emotion:
“God brought me to your holy cave, clearly foretelling that I should be saved through you. I will do whatever you order me.”
Then the Monk Anthony lovingly accepted him to himself, and Theodosius devoted himself entirely to serving God, diligently observing obedience to his elder Anthony. Overcoming drowsiness, he stayed awake all night, praising God; During the day he performed various heavy tasks. Such good behavior, humility, cheerfulness and hard work aroused surprise even in the Monk Anthony; Seeing the righteous life of Theodosius, he glorified God for this.
After some time, at the desire and request of all the brethren, the Monk Anthony blessed Saint Theodosius to become hegumen. And through the godly prayers of St. Theodosius, the Pechersk monastery began to bloom and grow rich from that time on. Little by little he gathered about a hundred brethren and with God's help built for them not far from the cave a monastery with big church in honor of the Assumption Mother of God. He introduced strict monastic rules there, which were later adopted by all Russian monasteries.
For his righteous life, Theodosius was glorified by God before people during his lifetime: a visible radiance emanated from him. This radiance was a reflection of the holy life of the venerable elder. So great was his trust in God that more than once, when supplies in the monastery were running low, the Lord miraculously replenished them.
Monks and laity, rich and poor, good and evil - everyone respected and revered the Monk Theodosius, but he was not at all proud of this, and, clothed in even greater humility, continued to work, teaching his disciples not only in word, but also in deed. His clothes were the simplest; Despite his rank as abbot, the monk performed the most difficult and dirty work in the monastery.
He was very merciful to the poor and built a courtyard with a church near the monastery and settled the poor and sick there, and supplied everything they needed from the monastery.
The Monk Theodosius acquired such grace from God that the demons, not tolerating his fervent prayers, did not even dare to approach him.
God glorified blessed Theodosius with many miracles, and at the moment of his death a pillar of fire was visible above the monastery, stretching from earth to heaven.
Through the prayers of St. Theodosius, may we also be worthy of eternal life with Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
The Life of Righteous Job the Long-Suffering
There lived a man in the land of Uz, his name was Job. And this man was blameless, just and God-fearing and shunned evil.
He had seven sons and three daughters - also pious, and he was very rich, famous and respected throughout the East.
But then the Lord allowed it - and terrible misfortunes befell Job: first, all of Job’s wealth perished, and then all his children died at once. Then Job stood up and tore outerwear, shaved his head, and fell to the ground, and bowed, and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I will return. The Lord gave, the Lord also took away; Blessed be the name of the Lord!” In all this, Job did not sin and did not say anything unreasonable about God.
Then the Lord allowed it, and Satan struck Job with fierce leprosy from the sole of his foot to the very top of his head. And Job took himself a tile to scrape himself with it, and sat down in the ashes. And his wife said to him:
“You still stand firm in your integrity! Blaspheme God and die.”
But he told her:
“You sound like one of the crazy ones. Will we really accept good from God, but not evil?”
In all this Job did not sin with his lips. However, he, knowing that he was righteous before God, wondered why the Lord struck him with such misfortunes. Then God appeared to him in a stormy whirlwind and reproached him, because the very desire to penetrate into the secrets of God’s destinies and explain why He treats people this way and not otherwise is insolence. And the vision of the Lord fully enlightened Job. And Job said to the Lord:
“I know that You can do everything and that Your intention cannot be stopped. I spoke about things that I did not understand, about things that were wonderful to me, which I did not know. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; now my eyes see You; therefore I renounce and repent in dust and ashes.”
And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. And God blessed last days Job more than the previous ones. And he had seven sons and three daughters. And Job died in old age, full of days.
Life of St. Arseny the Great
The Monk Arseny was a deacon in the city of Rome and lived a chaste life, devoting himself entirely to serving the Church and the altar.
When the Emperor Theodosius the Great began to look for a teacher for his sons, there was no more educated and virtuous man in all of Rome than Arsenius the Deacon, and the king placed his children under his leadership. At the same time, he surrounded Arseny with great honor and even ordered everyone to call Arseny: “father of the sovereign and his children.”
But the greater the glory that surrounded Arseny, the more he grieved in spirit, because his heart lay neither towards fame, nor towards wealth, nor towards vain worldly praise; in the depths of his soul he strongly desired to serve God in the humble monastic life, in silence and poverty; therefore, Arseny began to earnestly pray to the Lord, asking to free him from his stay in the royal chambers and to grant him a deserted monastic life. And the Lord fulfilled his desire. One night while praying, Arseny heard a voice from above saying:
“Arseny! Run away from people and you will be saved.”
Arseny immediately ran away from the royal palace, boarded a ship and went to Egypt, and there he became a monk in the desert of Skete. He accepted him as a student Rev. John Kolov, who greatly loved Arseny for his humility and soon, having taught him the ascetic life, gave him a cell not far from himself.
Arseny labored in fasting, prayer and monastic labors and was so successful in all virtues that he surpassed many elders in his exploits. One day he prayed: “Lord, teach me to be saved!”
In response to this there was a voice from heaven, saying:
“Arseny! Hide from people and remain silent; it is the root of virtue.”
Hearing this voice, Arseny went deep into the desert and built a small cell there for himself, in which he always stayed alone, trying to remain silent. He constantly directed his mind to heaven; While he was on earth in body, he flew to the angels in spirit. Every Sunday and holiday he came to Church and after the service returned silently to his cell; at the same time, he never spoke to anyone, but only briefly answered a question if anyone asked him. All the ascetics who lived in the monastery desert were greatly amazed at the virtuous life of the Monk Arseny.
One day the Monk Mark asked him:
“Why are you, honest father, moving away from us?” Arseny answered him:
“God knows how much I love you; but I cannot be with God and with you at the same time.”
The Monk Arseny burned with such intense love for God that he was constantly as if on fire because of his fiery prayers.
One day a brother asked Arseny what is good for the soul? The monk answered him:
“Take every care to ensure that what you think in your mind pleases God.”
Another time the monk said:
“If we really seek God with all our hearts, then He Himself will come to us and we will see Him; and if we keep Him close to us with a pure life, then He will remain with us.”
The Monk Arseny often said:
“Many times have I regretted the words that my mouth has uttered, but I have never regretted silence.”
When the very hour of the saint’s death began to approach, he began to cry a lot and fell into great fear. The disciples, seeing him crying, asked him:
“Are you, honest father, really afraid of death?”
He answered them:
“Indeed, I always felt the fear of death in all the days of my monastic life, starting from the day on which I put on the monastic image.”
Then the monk fell asleep in the blissful sleep of death, betraying honest soul his into the hands of his Lord, whom he served so diligently throughout his life.
When Abba Pimen heard about the peaceful death of the saint, he shed tears and said:
“Blessed are you, Father Arseny, because you cried throughout your entire life; for this you will have fun forever. The one who does not cry here of his own free will will involuntarily cry after death in the midst of torment, but this crying will not benefit anyone.”
May the Lord grant us, through the prayers of Saint Arseny, forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Christ, our Lord, to whom glory is given with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Life of the Holy Prophet Isaiah
In the book of the prophet Isaiah it is written:
“I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the borders of His robe filled the whole temple. Seraphim stood around Him; each of them has six wings; With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And they called to each other and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the tops of the gates shook at the voice of those shouting, and the house was filled with incense. And I said: “Woe is me! I'm dead! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people also of unclean lips,” and my eyes saw the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched your mouth, and your iniquity is taken away from you, and your sin is cleansed.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” And I said, “Here I am, send me.”
And the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to preach the will of God to the Jewish people. And he, disregarding all dangers, began to zealously call people to repentance and showed them the path to the salvation of the kingdom of Judah. In addition, Isaiah gathered around him many disciples, who, in turn, became educators of the people.
The great prophet of God Isaiah prophesied a lot about our Lord Jesus Christ.
“He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our diseases; and we thought that He was smitten, punished and humiliated by God. But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. We have all gone astray, like sheep, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”
And many other great prophecies are found in the book of the prophet Isaiah.
“Let the wicked forsake his way and the wicked his thoughts, and let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He is abundant in mercy. My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways, says the Lord. But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. Just as rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth and make it capable of giving birth and growing, so that it gives seed to the one who sows, and bread to the one who eats: so is My Word, which proceeds from My mouth, “It does not return to Me empty, but fulfills what I please, and accomplishes what I sent It for.”
The life and works of Saints Methodius and Cyril, equal to the apostles, teachers of Slovenia
Saints Equal to the Apostles Methodius and Constantine were brothers.
The eldest, Methodius, was at first a warrior, but, having served for more than ten years and having experienced the vanity of life, he became a monk on Mount Olympus, where with great humility and meekness he tried to fulfill monastic vows while studying the holy books.
The younger brother, Constantine, loved wisdom from childhood, and God gave him great abilities in the sciences. He amazed his teachers with his intelligence and diligence. But he was wise not only in sciences, but also in life. He was temperate and modest, sought to communicate with the good and avoided those who could seduce into evil.
Soon Constantine became a priest and librarian at the Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople. Everyone, even the tsar, respected him, and more than once he was a defender of Orthodoxy in disputes with heretics and infidels.
But Konstantin was burdened by life in the capital city. He soon went to one quiet and remote place, where he began to care only about his salvation, and then moved to Olympus to live with his older brother Methodius, with whom he began to live together, performing monastic feats in fasting, spending time in prayer or reading books.
At this time, ambassadors from the Khazars came to the Greek king so that someone would be sent to them to explain to them true faith. Then the king, on the advice of the patriarch, decided to send Blessed Constantine to the Khazars, who was called from Mount Olympus, and the king said to him: “Go, philosopher (as Constantine was nicknamed for his wisdom and learning), to these people and, with the help of the Holy Trinity, preach to them the doctrine of Holy Trinity. No one can carry out this assignment better than you.”
Constantine agreed and persuaded his brother, Blessed Methodius, who knew the Slavic language, to go with him to apostolic service, to enlighten the infidels with the light of the Christian faith. And they set off together.
Having planted the Christian faith in the Khazar kingdom, the holy teachers Constantine and Methodius left the priests who had come with them there and returned to Constantinople.
But a little time passed, and the Slavic princes sent ambassadors to the Greek king with a request:
“Our people... contain the Christian law. But we don’t have a teacher who could explain the faith of Christ to us in our language. ...In view of this, Vladyka, send such a bishop and teacher to us.”
It was decided to send Methodius and Constantine to the Slavs.
First of all, the saints fervently prayed to God, and the Slavic alphabet was revealed to them. Then they translated the Holy Scriptures and liturgical books into Slavic.
Saints Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Methodius lived among the Slavs for forty months, moving from one place to another, everywhere teaching the people in the Slavic language. By establishing schools for Slavic youths, they acquired many students who were ready to be good teachers and worthy clergy among their people. In order to ordain their disciples to the priesthood, the holy brothers went with them to Rome.
Soon after his arrival, the previously infirm Constantine, exhausted by labor and a long journey, became seriously ill and, having received notification from the Lord of his imminent death, took monasticism with the name Cyril (under which he is remembered by the universal Church). His illness lasted fifty days, after which Saint Cyril, Equal to the Apostles, reposed in the Lord.
Saint Methodius was ordained a bishop and served as an apostle for many more years, enlightening the Slavs with the light of the Christian faith.
Holy people... did they really live, and why were they elevated to the rank of holiness? I have always been interested in these questions. As I grew older, I read in the encyclopedia about the Baptism of Rus', about hagiography, about Christians who sought to become like Christ not only in life, but also in death, accepting without complaint all the torments that befell them for their faith in Christ. The memory of these victims was preserved thanks to written monuments of early Christianity - lists of martyrs indicating the suffering they endured.
A harsh fate befell St. George the Victorious, who lived in the 4th-5th century.
A great martyr and victorious, he is one of the most popular Christian saints, the hero of numerous legends and songs among all Christian peoples and Muslims. Nothing historically reliable can be established about his personality.
Great Martyr George was the son of rich and pious parents who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut (in ancient times - Belit), at the foot of the Lebanese mountains.
Having entered military service, George stood out among other soldiers for his intelligence, courage, physical strength, military posture and beauty. Soon reaching the rank of commander, he became the favorite of Emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was a talented ruler, but a fanatical supporter of the Roman gods. Having set himself the goal of reviving dying paganism in the Roman Empire, he went down in history as one of the most cruel persecutors of Christians.
Having once heard at trial an inhuman sentence about the extermination of Christians, St. George was inflamed with compassion for them. Anticipating that suffering also awaited him, George distributed his property to the poor, set his slaves free, appeared to Diocletian and, declaring himself a Christian, accused him of cruelty and injustice. Speech of St. George was full of strong and convincing objections to the imperial order to persecute Christians.
The angry emperor ordered George to be imprisoned. But when, after torture, George was brought before Emperor Diolectian, George exclaimed: “You would sooner tire of tormenting me than I would renounce my faith!”
No matter how terrible the warrior was subjected to, he, continuing to pray fervently, remained unharmed. Many residents of Rome, seeing these miracles, believed in Christ. It so happened that the persecution of Christians only strengthened and spread Christianity.
George dies three times and is resurrected three times, and when he finally dies, pierced by a sword for the 4th time, heavenly wrath strikes his tormentors.
After his martyrdom, George began to appear to people and help them overcome troubles and misfortunes, and help soldiers win. After unsuccessful persuasion, the saint was subjected to various tortures. St. George was imprisoned, where he was laid on his back on the ground, his feet were put in stocks, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest, hoping that the young man would not endure the torment. But St. George bravely endured suffering and glorified the Lord. Then George’s tormentors began to become more sophisticated in their cruelty. They beat the saint with ox sinews, wheeled him around, threw him into quicklime, and forced him to run in boots with sharp nails inside. The holy martyr endured everything patiently. In the end, the emperor ordered the saint's head to be cut off with a sword. Thus the holy sufferer departed to Christ in Nicomedia in 303.
The Great Martyr George is also called the Victorious for his courage and spiritual victory over his tormentors who could not force him to renounce Christianity, as well as for his miraculous help to people in danger. The relics of Saint George the Victorious were placed in the Palestinian city of Lida, in a temple bearing his name, and his head was kept in Rome in a temple also dedicated to him.
On the icons of St. George is depicted sitting on a white horse and slaying a serpent with a spear. This image is based on legend and refers to the posthumous miracles of the Holy Great Martyr George. They say that not far from the place where St. George in the city of Beirut, there lived a snake in the lake, which often devoured the people of that area. What kind of animal it was - a boa constrictor, a crocodile or a large lizard - is unknown.
To quench the fury of the serpent, the superstitious people of that area began to regularly give him a young man or a girl by lot to be devoured. One day the lot fell on the daughter of the ruler of that area. She was taken to the shore of the lake and tied, where she waited in horror for the snake to appear.
When the beast began to approach her, a bright young man suddenly appeared on a white horse, struck the snake with a spear and saved the girl. This young man was the Holy Great Martyr George. With such a miraculous phenomenon, he stopped the destruction of young men and women within Beirut and converted the inhabitants of that country, who had previously been pagans, to Christ.
Of course, the appearance of St. George on horseback to protect the inhabitants from the serpent, as well as the miraculous revival of the farmer’s only ox described in the life, served as a reason for the veneration of St. George as the patron of cattle breeding and protector from predatory animals.
In pre-revolutionary times, on the day of remembrance of St. George the Victorious, residents of Russian villages for the first time after a cold winter drove their cattle out to pasture, performing a prayer service to the holy great martyr and sprinkling houses and animals with holy water. The Day of the Great Martyr George is also popularly called “Yuriev Day”; on this day, before the reign of Boris Godunov, peasants could move to another landowner.
Having studied the material about St. George the Victorious, I realized that George has long become “the people’s name.” Since the 19th century, lives of St. George the Victorious, based on Byzantine apocrypha, have been spreading. In spiritual verses the saint appears as the organizer of the Russian land, in folk legends Yegor the Brave is the patron saint of livestock. Since the end of the 14th century, St. George the Victorious has been revered as the patron saint of Moscow. His image appears on the city and, since 1965, on the state emblem - the double-headed eagle. Under Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich (1580s), they began to mint a medal with the image of a saint, who was awarded for bravery.
In 1769, a military award was established - the Cross of St. George. The image of St. George the Victorious is depicted in many symbols and coins of Russia. And it was not for nothing that Muscovites especially revered St. George and recognized him as their patron, and the icon depicting this plot became the coat of arms of the capital.