| Holy Passion-Bearers, Great Princes Boris and Gleb Last Sunday I explained that among the ranks of saints there is a category known as “Passion-bearers.” As a reminder, these are saints who did not specifically die for their confession of Christ, but who imitated Him in their sufferings and death. Today we celebrate the memory of the first glorified saints of Russia, the Right-believing Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb (Roman and David in Holy Baptism). Their father was the Great Prince St. Vladimir of Kiev, who brought the illumination of Holy Orthodox Christian Baptism to the entire Russian land. St.Vladimir had twelve sons. His youngest were Boris and Gleb, who were known for their piety and meekness. However, when Boris was called upon by his father to lead an army to defend Rus against the Pechenegs 1, St. Boris valiantly and obediently answered the call. Having accomplished his military mission, he was informed while traveling home, that his beloved father had reposed. Vladimir had an older son, Svyatopolk, nicknamed ‘the Accursed’, who had an evil and wicked disposition. It was Svyatopolk’s intention to seize the throne after the death of his father. St. Boris, well aware of his brother’s intentions, made known to him that he would do nothing to resist him and would fully support his succession to the throne. Boris only wanted peace and mutual brotherly love. Seeing the Christian faith and forbearance of the holy young prince, the devil worked on Svyatopolk and inflamed his ambition, ruthless disposition, insecurities and paranoia. Ultimately, the devil inspired Svyatopolk to arrange to have his holy younger brother murdered. St. Boris, having become aware of his brother’s evil intentions, despite his assurances that he would not resist him, resigned himself to God’s will. For the sake of Christ, he decided that he would not try to fight in any way against his brother. Having informed his army 2 that he would not raise his hand against Svyatopolk, the military dispersed, and the saintly Christian prince was now virtually alone and defenseless against his brother’s murderous intentions. Boris was encamped close to the River Alta, near southern Pereyslav. In the morning Boris requested that matins be served by the priest. Afterwards, he prayed for strength to endure his sufferings, as well as for the forgiveness of his brother. He then lay down on his coach in his tent and awaited his fate. Svyatopolk’s army arrived and murdered the holy saint with their lances. They then proceeded to massacre his entire entourage. As his body was being taken to the Church of St. Basil at Vishegorod, the saint bowed his head and it appeared that he was still alive. On Svyatopolk’s orders, the saint’s heart was then pierced, upon which St. Boris surrendered his soul to the Lord. This occurred on July 24 in the year 1015. Having reached St. Basil’s Church, St, Boris’ body was laid to rest and he was buried. |
| Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda Commemorated on February 11 Saint Demetrius of Priluki, Wonderworker, was born into a rich merchant’s family in Pereyaslavl-Zalessk. From his youth the saint was uncommonly handsome. Receiving monastic tonsure at one of the Pereyaslavl monasteries, the saint later founded the Saint Nicholas cenobitic monastery on the Saints Boris and Gleb Hill at the shore of Lake Plescheevo near the city, and became its igumen. In 1334 Saint Demetrius first met with Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who had come to Pereyaslavl to see Metropolitan Athanasius. From that time, he frequently conversed with Saint Sergius and became close with him. The fame of the Pereyaslavl igumen was so widespread that he became godfather to the children of Great Prince Demetrius Ioannovich. Under the influence of the Radonezh wonderworker, Saint Demetrius decided to withdraw to a remote place, and went north with his disciple Pachomius. In the Vologda forests, at the River Velika, near the Avnezh settlement, they built a church of the Resurrection of Christ and they prepared to lay the foundations for a monastery. The local inhabitants were fearful that if a monastery were built there, their village would become monastery property. They demanded that the monks leave their territory, and wishing to be a burden to no one, they moved farther away. Not far from Vologda, at the bend of a river in an isolated spot, Saint Demetrius decided to form the first of the cenobitic monasteries of the Russian North. The people of Vologda and the surrounding gladly consented to help the saint. The owners of the land intended for the monastery, Elias and Isidore, even trampled down a grain field, so that a temple might be built immediately. In 1371 the wooden Savior cathedral was built, and brethren began to gather. Many disciples of the monk came there from Pereyaslavl. Saint Demetrius combined prayer and strict asceticism with kindliness. He fed the poor and hungry, he took in strangers, he conversed with those in need of consolation, and he gave counsel. He loved to pray in solitude. His Lenten food consisted of prosphora with warm water. Even on feastdays, he would not partake of the wine and fish permitted by the Rule. Both winter and summer he wore an old sheepskin coat, and even in his old age he went with the brethren on common tasks. The saint accepted contributions to the monastery cautiously, so that the welfare of the monastery would not be detrimental to those living nearby. |
| Patriarch Kirill performs a prayer service at the site of martyrdom of Holy Passion-Bearer Prince Gleb Smolensk, August 30, 2015 In the evening of August 29, 2015, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, after his visit to the St. Vladimir’s Monastery in the Sychevka district of the Russia’s Smolensk region at the mouth of the river Dnieper, arrived to the city of Smolensk, reports Patriarchia.ru . Near the commemorative sign installed in the area called Smyadyn in the western part of Smolensk where, according to tradition, the Holy Prince Gleb, son of Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, was killed in 1015, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church performed a prayer service to the Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk, secretary of the administration of the Smolensk Diocese; Rector of the Church of Sts. Boris and Gleb in Smolensk Archpriest Pavel (Paul) Petrovsky, and clergy of the Diocese of Smolensk concelebrated with the Patriarch. The hierarchical choir of the Smolensk Dormition Cathedral under direction of Elena Frolova and the choir of students of the inter-diocesan theological school of the Smolensk Diocese sang at the prayer service. Acting Governor of the Smolensk region A.V. Ostrovsky, head of the city of Smolensk E.A. Pavlov, head of the administration of the city of Smolensk N.A. Alasheyev, professors and students of the Smolensk Theological Seminary and the Smolensk theological school, the military school of Smolensk, representatives of the government bodies and public organizations as well as Smolensk residents were present at the service. After the prayer Patriarch Kirill delivered his archpastoral speech to those gathered at the event. Head of the Russian Orthodox Church gave the Icon of the Mother of God, “Consolation of All Who Sorrow”, to the Church of Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb in Smolensk. The faithful received small icons of the Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, with the patriarchal blessing. |
| In Ryazan, the First Citywide Paschal Procession Will Be Held The faithful will proceed from six of the city’s churches. Natalya Mihailova 18 April 2014 April 16, 2014. PRAVMIR. In the city of Ryazan, the first citywide Paschal procession will be held, at the completion on which the Holy Fire will be met. The event will begin on the evening of April 20. The procession will begin after the evening service from the Sts. Boris and Gleb Cathedral, the Ascension Church, the St. Catherine Church, the Annunciation Church, the Monastery of Christ’s Entrance into Jerusalem, and the Kazan Monastery, the press service of the Ryazan Diocese relates. Participants with banners and Paschal chants will proceed to the Ryazan Kremlin, where at 5PM (local time) Paschal Great Vespers will be held, along with the meeting of the Holy Fire, on the cathedral square in front of the Dormition Cathedral. Metropolitan Benjamin of Ryazan and Mikhailov will lead the service. Bishop Dionysius of Kasimov and Sasov, Bishop Vladimir of Skopinsk and Shatsk, as well as clergy of the Ryazan Diocese, will accompany him. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog In Ryazan, the First Citywide Paschal Procession Will Be Held Natalya Mihailova The faithful will proceed from six of the city’s churches Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. |
| Bishop John of Caracas and South America: “My Chief Goal is to Heal Schism and Return the Flock to Our Churches” SOURCE: The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Interviewed by Alexey Reutsky Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate South America first began receiving Orthodox Christians—Greeks, Slavs, Serbs—in the second half of the 19th century. In the 20th century, those who rejected Bolshevik rule in Russia emigrated here, especially Russian officers of the White Army. Bishop John of Caracas and South America talks to us about why our ancestors merited this praise, how Orthodox parish life will change in the next twenty years and what problems Orthodox Christians now face in Latin America. — Your Grace, over the thirty years that you have served the Russian Orthodox Church, many great changes have taken place, which hardly could have been predicted. How do you envision the future of Orthodoxy in Russia and in South America in the next twenty years? — Twenty seems to me like a long time. On the other hand, if we look some twenty years into the past, when we celebrated the 1000-year anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, no one thought that the Iron Curtain would collapse so suddenly, that communion would be reestablished between the two branches of the Russian Orthodox Church, and that they would unite. That is why what is happening in Russia now gives me great hope; in this regard I am an optimist. The rebirth of Orthodoxy in Russia can be compared to the times of Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, since today in fact there is a second baptism of Russia. If one looks at what happened after the first baptism: people simply followed the Prince, understanding nothing, they were illiterate, but accepted Christianity with a pure heart, they received baptism and opened themselves up to the influence of the Holy Spirit. Several generations later, it already became known as Holy Russia. The sons of Prince Vladimir, Boris and Gleb, became saints. St Anthony of the Caves went to Mt Athos and returned, bringing back the concept of monasticism. If this were possible then, when people were illiterate, then today, when Holy Russia already exists in our collective memory, and there is a great deal of easily-accessible literature, Orthodoxy can flourish once again much more easily than at that time. I hope that this happens in the next twenty years. |
| Ruins of an Orthodox church and remains of a Russian priest are offered for sale in Sweden This recent news from Gotland, Sweden tells us several things. First, that there definitely was an Orthodox presence on this Scandinavian island; second, that there may have been a particularly revered Russian clergyman serving there; and third, that more investigation by Orthodox people in Sweden should be carried out in this area. There could be much more to find! The ruins of an Orthodox church and remains of a Russian priest are offered for sale on the Sweden island of Gotland. “The Russian yard” (“Russky dvor”) in Gotland If a would-be buyer of the “Russian yard” house pays 8.1 million Swedish krona, he or she will obtain two apartments, a restaurant decorated with ancient frescoes as well as ruins (the foundation, nave and apse) of an Orthodox church on which the house is built. The remains of a Russian priest who lived 900 years ago can be found among the ruins. The Swedish website, My home , has published material on this theme, entitled “A house in Gotland is offered for sale: with a skeleton in the basement.” Remains of a Russian priest who presumably lived 900 years ago. Once in the town of Visby—Gotland’s capital—Russian merchants had their own abode with a thirteenth century church dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker adjacent to it. The house was constructed on the church ruins in Visby’s central square in 1680. Today the building, known as “the Russian yard”, is an architectural monument under the state protection, but any private individual can be in possession of it. “The skeleton of an ancient Russian priest passes into ownership as well, so a purchaser will have access to it,” relates real estate agent Leif Bertwig who is in charge of selling “the Russian yard.” The church ruins were discovered by archaeologists in the 1970s. “During the excavation work around thirty graves were discovered on this site, and this enabled the Swedish archaeologists to surmise that a settlement of Russian merchants may have been located precisely in this part of Visby. The church building itself is either a parish church or a chapel. Undoubtedly, Orthodox culture left its mark on Gotland which can be seen, for example, in frescoes in the Byzantine style depicting Sts. Boris and Gleb inside one of the oldest churches of the island, known as ‘Garde Kyrka’,” recounts expert in Scandinavian studies, Candidate of Historical Sciences from Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University Arkady Ryabichenko in his interview with Pravoslavie.ru . |
| Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David The Holy Prince Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, was one of the first Russian martyrs called “Passion-Bearers.” He suffered together with his brother Prince Boris (Roman in Holy Baptism). After the murder of St Boris, Svyatopolk the Accursed sent to his younger brother Prince Gleb a messenger with false information about their father, Great Prince Vladimir, who had died from illness, thereby using deceit to murder another possible claimant to the Kievan throne. The deceived Prince Gleb hastened off to Kiev with a small company. His apprehensive brother Yaroslav, having caught up with him at Smolensk, was unable to delay the saint, who did not suspect such wickedness on the part of his brother Svyatopolk. Not far from Smolensk the assassins came upon the boat of St Gleb, who made no resistance, but asked meekly that they should spare him because of his young age. At the command of the murderers Gleb’s cook slit his throat. The body of the prince was buried in a desolate place not far from Smolensk, “between two tree-trunks,” i.e., in a simple wooden coffin (+1015). In the year 1019-1020 his brother Yaroslav found the grave of St Gleb. The body, being incorrupt, was transferred to Vyshgorod near Kiev and buried beside holy Prince Boris. Later on, the relics of the brothers were transferred (May 2) into the church of St Basil the Great, and there at the crypts of these holy Passion-Bearers many miracles were worked. Metropolitan John of Kiev compiled a service to the Passion-Bearer princes and also established a feastday for them together on July 24, which dates from the first half of the eleventh century. The Russian Church from of old has venerated these brothers, who unceasingly have rendered prayerful assistance to their native land, particularly in years of grievous tribulation. Thus, just before the Battle of the Neva in 1240, the Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb appeared in a vision to one of the soldiers of holy Prince Alexander Nevsky (November 23, August 30, and May 23), and they aided the Russians during the combat. The chronicles are filled with the accounts of the various manifestations of mercy, witnessed at their tombs, and of the victories gained through their help. Many churches and monasteries were built throughout Russia in honor of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. The Orthodox Church in America 16 сентября 2016 г. Подпишитесь на рассылку Православие.Ru Рассылка выходит два раза в неделю: Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| 19th Century Church is to be Recreated in St. Petersburg Photo by Sergei Milov At the beginning of November 2022, preliminary excavations may begin on Sinopskaya Embankment in St. Petersburg, where a 19th-century church in honor of Saints Boris and Gleb will be recreated. “As of today, exploration work has been completed. Excavations will begin in about a month, a month and a half tops, that is, already in early November,” the Petersburg Diary was told at the Foundation for Assistance in the Restoration of Historical and Cultural Objects in St. Petersburg. The Church of Sts. Boris and Gleb will be recreated a little farther from the historical place where it stood before its destruction in 1975. The new church will take only 30% of its former territory, because today there is a roadway there. The historic temple on the Sinopskaya embankment in St. Petersburg was constructed in gratitude to God for the salvation of Tsar Alexander II during the assassination attempt on April 4, 1866. Fundraising for the construction was organized by coastal merchants. The temple was dedicated to the martyr princes Boris and Gleb at the insistence of Tsar Alexander III. The temple was consecrated in 1882. In the late XIX – early XX centuries, this temple was the main architectural dominant of the Sinopskaya embankment. In 1975 it was blown up. Only a small part of the foundation has survived to this day. You can follow Pravmir.com on Twitter , Facebook Instagram , or Telegram . we are experiencing some issue with adding posts on our official page on Facebook. Our IT specialists are working on solving this issue at the moment. Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
| Photo: Jumbuk73/pixabay.com Archaeologists recently unearthed the foundation of a 12th-century church in the Veliky Novgorod Kremlin. The remains are in excellent condition, the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences told Interfax-Religion yesterday. “We were excavating an area of about 385 square feet this year, and, fortunately, a significant fragment of the foundation of the Church of Sts. Boris and Gleb was within the area of the dig,” a representative of the Institute reported, emphasizing the “high building culture of the early 12th century.” According to chronicle sources, the monumental Church of Sts. Boris and Gleb was built on the site of the oldest wooden Church of St. Sophia from 1167 to 1173. It was built at the expense of a rich Novgorod merchant. In the 17th century, the church fell into disrepair and collapsed. “Research has shown that the temple was built on the site where at the end of the 10th century there was arable land, and in the 11th century people first settled. This was a residential area of the city, which was later chosen for the construction of a Church,” the Institute told Interfax. According to the size of the foundation and other indicators, scholars have suggested that the church was about 130 feet high. “The dominant feature of the Kremlin was still its main church—St. Sophia Cathedral, built in 1045-1050, although the heights of these churches were probably comparable,” the representative added. “There are no remains of the wooden St. Sophia Cathedral in our excavation. We could still find them, but maybe not. Perhaps the story of the wooden St. Sophia was just a legend,” the archaeologist suggested. Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
| Archive Conference on “Russia. Georgia. Christian East. Religious and Cultural Ties” is held in Moscow 18 November 2021 year 11:31 On November 17, 2021, the 9th annual academic readings on “Russia. Georgia. Christian East. Religious and Cultural Ties” opened at the Central Andrei Rublev Museum of Old Russian Culture and Art dedicated to the memory of David I. Arsenishvili, the organizer and first director of the Museum. The participants and guests of the conference included Metropolitan Nicholas of Akhalkalaki, Kumurdo and Kars (Georgian Orthodox Church); Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR); Gennady V. Popov, research deputy director of the Museum; Archimandrite Kirakos (Davtyan), head of the diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia; Archpriest Kakhaber Gogotishvili, a cleric of the Georgian Orthodox Church; Archimandrite Dionisy (Kolesnik), rector of the Patriarchal Representation at the Andronikov Monastery; Archpriest Alexander Saltykov, dean of the Department of Church Art at Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox University for the Humanities; Archpriest Fedor Krechetov, rector of the church of St. George the Victorious in Gruziny, Moscow; sister Iuliania (Zakharova) of the Ss. Boris and Gleb convent in Anosino, head of the DECR chancery; staff workers of the Museum and representatives of the academic community. The choir of the church of St. George the Victorious offered their performance to the participants in the readings. The performance was followed by greetings of Gennady V. Popov to the participants. The first to address the conference with a report was Metropolitan Nicholas of Akhalkalaki, Kumurdo and Kars. He spoke “On some implications underlying Shota Rustaveli’s poem ‘The Knight in the Panther’s Skin.’” The subjects of the conference reports include church art and architecture of Georgia; history of the Georgian Orthodox Church; veneration of Georgian saints in Russia; works by David I. Arsenishvili and other topics. Some reports were presented via videoconference. The conference concludes its work on November 18. DECR Communication Service /Patriarchia.ru Календарь ← 7 December 2023 year |
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