Names of Russian saints, lives of Russian saints.

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The history of the formation of Orthodoxy in Rus' is inextricably linked with a number of individuals who devoted their lives to the true worship of God and the fulfillment of all divine laws. Strictly following the requirements of their religion, these people deserved Divine Grace and the title of Orthodox saints for their selfless service to the Almighty and intercession for the entire human race before him.

The list of godly personalities who became famous for righteous deeds or who suffered for the faith of Christ is truly inexhaustible. Nowadays, it is also replenished with new names of pious Christians canonized by the church. The acquisition of holiness by ascetics of spiritual improvement can be called a great work, coupled with the burden of overcoming base feelings and vicious desires. Creating a divine image in oneself requires enormous effort and painstaking work, and the feat of Orthodox saints awakens admiration in the souls of true believers.

On icons depicting the righteous, their heads are crowned with a halo. It symbolizes the Grace of God, enlightening the face of a person who has become a saint. This is God's gift, warming the soul with the warmth of spirituality, delighting the heart with divine radiance.

• Through prayers in churches and prayer chants, clergy, together with believers, glorify the image of the earthly life of the righteous according to their rank or title. Taking into account the feats accomplished during life or the reasons for leaving for another world, on the pages of the Orthodox calendar compiled by the Russian Orthodox Church, lists of pious persons by rank are presented.
• Prophets. This is the name given to the Old Testament saints, endowed with the gift of foreseeing future events. The Prophets were chosen by the Almighty; they were called upon to prepare the people for the acceptance of Christianity.
• The best followers of the Lord are called apostles. Of these, 12 saints are called close, the ranks of the disciples of the Heavenly King number 70 righteous.
• The Forefathers include the pious men mentioned in the Old Testament, who were distantly related to our Savior.
• Righteous men or women who have accepted monastic rank (monasticism) are called venerables.
• Among the Blessed are the pious who have become insane for Christ's sake, as well as travelers without a permanent home. For their obedience, such people were gifted with God's mercy.
• Enlighteners (equal to the apostles) are called righteous people whose actions contributed to the conversion of peoples to the Christian faith.
• Passion-bearers or confessors are the name given to pious believers who were subjected to persecution and imprisonment for their devotion to the Savior. In the world, such Christians died in great pain.

Prayers to the holy saints are associated not only with the veneration of God’s companions, but with turning to them for their own help. Showing divine honors and worshiping anyone other than the true and one God is prohibited according to the Holy Scriptures.

List of the most revered saints of the Orthodox Church by year of their life

• The First-Called Apostle is one of the 12 disciples of Christ, chosen by him to preach the Gospel. The disciple of John the Baptist received the status of the First Called for being the first to respond to the call of Jesus and also calling Christ the Savior. According to legend, he was crucified around the year 67 on a cross of a special shape, later called St. Andrew's. December 13 is the day of veneration by the Orthodox Church.
• Saint Spyridon of Trimifunt (207-348) became famous as a miracle worker. The life of Spyridon, elected bishop of the city of Trimifunt (Cyprus), was spent in humility and calls to repentance. The saint became famous for many miracles, including the revival of the dead. An adherent of strict observance of the words of the Gospel passed away while reading a prayer. Believers keep the icon of the miracle worker at home to receive God’s grace, and on December 25 they honor his memory.
• Of the female images, the most revered in Russia is the Blessed Matrona (1881-1952). The Orthodox saint was chosen by the Almighty for good deeds even before her birth. The difficult life of the righteous woman was permeated with patience and humility, with miracles of healing documented in writing. Believers venerate the relics of the passion-bearer, preserved within the walls of the Intercession Church, for healing and salvation. The day of veneration by the church is March 8.
• The most famous of the righteous saints (270-345) is listed as Nicholas of Myra in the list of great saints. As a bishop, a native of Lycia (Roman province), devoted his entire life to Christianity, pacified the warring, defended the innocently convicted, and performed miracles of salvation. Believers turn to the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant for mental and physical healing, and protection for travelers. The Church honors the memory of the miracle worker with prayers on December 19 according to the new (Gregorian) style.

Prayer to Nicholas the Ugodnik for help:

After the desired is realized, it is important to offer a prayer of gratitude to the saint:

Touching the myrrh-streaming relics of the Wonderworker, kept in the Catholic monastery of Bari (Italy), blesses believers with healing. You can pray to Nicholas the Pleasant anywhere.

The emphasis of Orthodox teaching is based on the spiritual principle of purposeful movement towards achieving holiness throughout a sinless life. An important advantage of holiness according to Orthodox teaching is the constant communication with God of the apostles who are in the Kingdom of Heaven.

List of Russian Orthodox saints canonized in the 19th century

The act of canonization of righteous Christians can be either church-wide or local. The basis is holiness during life, the performance of miracles (intravital or posthumous), incorruptible relics. The result of the church's recognition of the saint is expressed by a call to the flock to honor the righteous man with prayers during public services, and not by commemoration. The ancient Christian church did not carry out the canonization procedure.

List of pious righteous people who received the rank of sainthood in the 20th century

In Orthodox literature there is a special genre that describes the life and exploits of people who lived in holiness. The lives of saints are not secular chronicles, but life stories written in accordance with church canons and rules. The first records of events in the lives of holy ascetics were kept at the dawn of Christianity, then they were formed into calendar collections, lists of days of veneration of the blessed memory of saints.

According to the instructions of the Apostle Paul, preachers of the word of God should be remembered and their faith should be imitated. Despite the departure to another world of the holy righteous, whom the holy church reveres.

For high morality and holiness, throughout the history of Orthodox Rus', people with a pure heart and a radiant soul were gifted with God's grace. They received the heavenly gift of holiness for their righteous deeds, their help to people living on earth is invaluable. Therefore, even in the most hopeless situation, go to church, pray to the saints, and you will receive help if the prayer is sincere.

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Most often, the day of remembrance of a saint is the day of his earthly death, i.e. transition to eternity, meeting with God, to join Whom the ascetic sought.

How to determine the name day

In the church calendar there are several days of commemoration of the same saint, and many saints also bear the same name. Therefore, it is necessary to find in the church calendar the day of remembrance of the saint of the same name as you, closest to your birthday. These will be your name days, and the saint whose memory is remembered on this day will be your heavenly patron. If he has other days of memory, then for you these dates will become “small name days”.

If we want to name a child strictly according to church tradition, then it will be the name of a saint, whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day after the child’s birth. Cm.

When determining a name day, the date of canonization of a saint does not matter, because it only records a fait accompli. In addition, as a rule, it is performed dozens of years after the saint’s transition to the heavenly abodes.

The name received by a person at baptism not only remains unchanged throughout his life (the only exception is the case of accepting monasticism), but also remains after death and passes with him into eternity. In prayers for the deceased, he also remembers their names given in baptism.

Name day and Angel Day

Sometimes name days are called Angel Day. This name day name recalls the fact that in the old days heavenly patrons were sometimes called the Angels of their earthly namesakes; It is incorrect, however, to confuse saints with angels. Name day is the day of remembrance of the saint after whom a person is named, and Angel Day is the day of baptism, when a person is assigned by God. Each baptized person has his own Guardian Angel, but we do not know his name.

Veneration and imitation of one's patron saint

The saint wrote about the prayerful help of the saints: “The saints, in the Holy Spirit, see our lives and our deeds. They know our sorrows and hear our fervent prayers... The saints do not forget us and pray for us... They also see the suffering of people on earth. The Lord gave them such great grace that they embrace the whole world with love. They see and know how exhausted we are from sorrows, how our souls have dried up, how despondency has bound them, and, without ceasing, they intercede for us before God.”

Veneration of a saint consists not only of praying to him, but also of imitating his feat and his faith. “Let your life be according to your name,” said the monk. After all, the saint whose name a person bears is not just his patron and prayer book, he is also a role model.

But how can we imitate our saint, how can we at least follow his example in some way? To do this you need:

• First, know about his life and exploits. Without this, we cannot truly love our saint.
• Secondly, we need to turn to them in prayer more often, know the troparion for him and always remember that we have a protector and helper in heaven.
• Thirdly, of course, we must always think about how we could follow the example of our saint in one case or another.

According to the nature of Christian deeds, saints are traditionally divided into faces (categories): prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, saints, righteous, holy fools, saints, etc. (see).
The person named confessor or martyr, may well fearlessly profess his faith, act as a Christian always and in everything, without looking back at dangers or inconveniences, in everything he pleases, first of all, God, and not people, regardless of ridicule, threats and even oppression.
Those named after saints, can try to imitate them, exposing errors and vices, spreading the light of Orthodoxy, helping their neighbors find the path to salvation both by word and by their own example.
Reverend(i.e. monks) can be imitated in detachment, independence from worldly pleasures, maintaining purity of thoughts, feelings and actions.
Imitate holy fool- means, first of all, to humble yourself, cultivate selflessness, and not get carried away by acquiring earthly riches. The continuation should be the education of will and patience, the ability to endure the difficulties of life, the fight against pride and vanity. You also need the habit of meekly enduring all insults, but at the same time not being shy about exposing obvious vices, telling the truth to everyone who needs admonition.

Names in honor of Angels

A person can also be named in honor of (Michael, Gabriel, etc.). People named after the archangels celebrate their name day on November 21 (November 8, Old Style), on the day of the Celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers.

If the name is not in the calendar

If the name you were given is not in the calendar, then at baptism the name that is closest in sound is chosen. For example, Dina - Evdokia, Lilia - Leah, Angelica - Angelina, Zhanna - Joanna, Milana - Militsa. According to tradition, Alice receives the name Alexandra in baptism, in honor of St. passion-bearer Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, who before accepting Orthodoxy bore the name Alice. Some names in the church tradition have a different sound, for example, Svetlana is Photinia (from the Greek photos - light), and Victoria is Nike, both names mean “victory” in Latin and Greek.
Only the names given at baptism are written.

How to celebrate a name day

Orthodox Christians on their name days visit the temple and, having prepared in advance, visit the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
The days of “small name days” are not so solemn for the birthday person, but it is advisable to visit the temple on this day.
After communion, you need to keep yourself from all fuss so as not to lose your festive joy. In the evening, you can invite your loved ones for a meal. It should be remembered that if the name day falls on a fast day, then the holiday treat should be fast. During Lent, name days that occur on a weekday are moved to the next Saturday or Sunday.
Cm. Natalya Sukhinina

What to give for name day

In celebration of the memory of the patron saint, the best gift will be something that contributes to his spiritual growth: an icon, a vessel for prayer, beautiful candles for prayer, books, audio and video CDs with spiritual content.

Prayer to your saint

We should remember the saint in whose honor we receive a name not only on name day. There is a prayer to the saint in our daily morning and evening prayers, and we can also turn to him at any time and in any need. The simplest prayer to the saint:
Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.
Your saint also needs to know.

In addition to the icons of the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Mother of God, it is advisable to have your own saint. It may happen that you have some rare name, and the icon of your heavenly patron will be difficult to find. In this case, you can buy an icon of All Saints, which symbolically depicts all the saints glorified by the Orthodox Church.
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Patristic sayings about name days

“We began to choose names not according to God. In God's way, this is how it should be. Choose a name according to the calendar: either on what day the child will be born, or on what day he will be baptized, or within three days after baptism. Here the matter will be without any human considerations, but as God wills, for birthdays are in the hands of God.
saint

History and symbolism of the name day celebration

Like many other religious traditions, the celebration of name days was forgotten in Soviet times, moreover, in the 20-30s of the twentieth century it was subject to official persecution. True, it turned out to be difficult to eradicate age-old folk habits: they still congratulate the birthday boy on his birthday, and if the hero of the occasion is very young, they sing a song: “how on ... the name day we baked a loaf.” Meanwhile, name day is a special holiday, which could be called a day of spiritual birth, since it is associated primarily with the sacrament of Baptism and with the names that our heavenly patrons bear.

The tradition of celebrating name days has been known in Rus' since the 17th century. Usually on the eve of the holiday, the birthday boy’s family brewed beer and baked birthday rolls, pies and loaves. On the day of the holiday itself, the birthday boy and his family went to church for mass, ordered a prayer service for health, lit candles and venerated the icon with the face of his heavenly patron. During the day, birthday pies were distributed to friends and relatives, and often the filling and size of the pie had a special meaning, determined by the nature of the relationship between the birthday person and his loved ones. In the evening a festive dinner was held.

The royal name day (Name Day), which was considered a public holiday, was celebrated especially magnificently. On this day, boyars and courtiers came to the royal court to present gifts and take part in a festive feast, during which they sang for many years. Sometimes the king himself distributed the pies. Huge birthday rolls were distributed to the people. Later, other traditions appeared: military parades, fireworks, illuminations, shields with imperial monograms.

After the revolution, a serious and systematic ideological struggle began with name days: the rite of baptism was recognized as counter-revolutionary, and they tried to replace it with “Oktyabriny” and “Zvezdiny”. A ritual was developed in detail, in which the newborn was congratulated in strict sequence by an October child, a pioneer, a Komsomol member, a communist, “honorary parents”, sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in a trade union, etc. The fight against “remnants” reached anecdotal extremes: for example, in the 20s, censorship banned K. Chukovsky’s “Tsokotukha Fly” for “name day propaganda.”

Traditionally, name days are attributed to the day of remembrance of the named (namesake) saint, which immediately follows the birthday, although there is also a tradition of celebrating name days on the day of memory of the most famous named saint, for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Apostle Peter, St. Alexander Nevsky, etc. d. In the past, name days were considered a more important holiday than the day of “physical” birth, in addition, in many cases these holidays practically coincided, since traditionally a child was baptized on the eighth day after birth: the eighth day is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. , to which the baptized person joins, while the number seven is an ancient symbolic number denoting the created earthly world. Baptismal names were chosen according to the church calendar (saints). According to the old custom, the choice of name was limited to the names of the saints whose memory was celebrated on the day of baptism. Later (especially in urban society) they moved away from this strict custom and began to choose names based on personal taste and other considerations - in honor of relatives, for example.
Name days turn us to one of our hypostases - to our personal name.

Perhaps to the ancient motto “Know thyself” we should add: “Know thy name.” Of course, a name primarily serves to distinguish people. In the past, a name could be a social sign, indicating a place in society - now, perhaps, only monastic (monastic) names stand out sharply from the Russian name book. But there is also a now almost forgotten, mystical meaning of the name.
In ancient times, people attached much more importance to a name than it does now. The name was considered a significant part of a person. The content of the name was correlated with the inner meaning of a person; it was, as it were, put inside him. The name controlled fate (“a good name is a good sign”). A well-chosen name became a source of strength and prosperity. Naming was considered a high act of creation, guessing the human essence, invoking grace.
In primitive society, a name was treated as a part of the body, like eyes, teeth, etc. The unity of the soul and the name seemed undeniable; moreover, it was sometimes believed that as many names as there were, there were as many souls, so in some tribes before to kill an enemy, it was supposed to find out his name in order to use him in his native tribe. Often names were hidden to prevent weapons from being given to the enemy. Harm and trouble were expected from mistreatment of the name. In some tribes it was strictly forbidden to pronounce (taboo) the name of the leader. In others, the custom was practiced of assigning new names to elders, which gave new strength. It was believed that a sick child was given strength by the name of his father, who was shouted in his ear or even called by his father’s (mother’s) name, believing that part of the parents’ vital energy would help defeat the disease. If the child cried especially a lot, it means the name was chosen incorrectly. Different nationalities have long maintained the tradition of naming “deceptive”, false names: the true name was not pronounced in the hope that death and evil spirits, perhaps, would not find the baby. There was another version of protective names - unattractive, ugly, frightening names (for example, Nekras, Nelyuba and even Dead), which averted adversity and misfortune.

In Ancient Egypt, the personal name was carefully guarded. The Egyptians had a “small” name, known to everyone, and a “big” one, which was considered true: it was kept secret and pronounced only during important rituals. The names of the pharaohs were especially respected - in the texts they were highlighted with a special cartouche. The Egyptians treated the names of the dead with great respect - mishandling them caused irreparable harm to the otherworldly existence. The name and its bearer were one whole: an Egyptian myth is typical, according to which the god Ra hid his name, but the goddess Isis managed to find him out by opening his chest - the name literally turned out to be inside the body!

For a long time, a change in name corresponded to a change in human essence. New names were given to adolescents upon initiation, that is, upon joining adult members of the community. In China, there are still children's "milk" names, which are abandoned with maturity. In ancient Greece, newly-minted priests, renouncing their old names, carved them on metal tablets and drowned them in the sea. Echoes of these ideas can be seen in the Christian tradition of giving monastic names, when someone who has taken monastic vows leaves the world and his worldly name.

Among many peoples, the names of pagan gods and spirits were taboo. It was especially dangerous to call evil spirits (“cursing”): in this way one could call out the “evil force.” The ancient Jews did not dare to name the Name of God: Yahweh (in the Old Testament - this is the “unspeakable Name”, a sacred tetragram, which can be translated as “I am who am.” According to the Bible, the act of naming often becomes God’s work: the Lord gave names to Abraham, Sarah , Isaac, Ishmael, Solomon, renamed Jacob Israel. The special religious gift of the Jewish people was manifested in a variety of names, which are called theophoric - they contain God’s “ineffable Name”: thus, through his personal name, a person connected with God.

Christianity, as the highest religious experience of mankind, takes personal names very seriously. A person’s name reflects the mystery of a unique, precious personality; it presupposes personal communication with God. During the sacrament of Baptism, the Christian Church, accepting a new soul into its bosom, binds it through a personal name with the name of God. As Fr. wrote. Sergius Bulgakov, “human naming and name-incarnation exists in the image and likeness of divine incarnation and naming... every person is an embodied word, a realized name, for the Lord himself is the incarnate Name and Word.”

The purpose of Christians is considered to be holiness. By naming a baby the name of a canonized saint, the Church tries to guide him on the true path: after all, this name has already been “realized” in life as a saint. The one who bears the holy name always keeps within himself the exalting image of his heavenly patron, “helper”, “prayer book”. On the other hand, the commonality of names unites Christians into one body of the Church, into one “chosen people.”

Reverence for the names of the Savior and the Mother of God has long been expressed in the fact that in the Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give names in memory of the Mother of God and Christ. Previously, the name of the Mother of God was even distinguished by a different emphasis - Mary, while other holy wives had the name Maria (Marya). The rare monastic (schema) name Jesus was assigned in memory not of Jesus Christ, but of the righteous Joshua.

The Russian Christian name book has evolved over centuries. The first extensive layer of Russian names arose in the pre-Christian era. The reasons for the emergence of a particular name could be very different: in addition to religious motives, the circumstances of birth, appearance, character, etc. played a role. Later, after the Baptism of Rus', these names, sometimes difficult to distinguish from nicknames, coexisted with Christian calendar names ( up to the 17th century). Even priests sometimes had nicknames. It happened that one person could have as many as three personal names: a “nickname” name and two baptismal names (one obvious, the other hidden, known only to the confessor). When the Christian name book completely replaced the pre-Christian “nickname” names, they did not leave us forever, moving into another class of names - in surnames (for example, Nekrasov, Zhdanov, Naydenov). Some pre-Christian names of canonized Russian saints subsequently became calendar ones (for example, Yaroslav, Vyacheslav, Vladimir).
With the adoption of Christianity, Rus' was enriched with the names of the entire human civilization: with the Byzantine calendar, Greek, Jewish, Roman and other names came to us. Sometimes images of more ancient religions and cultures were hidden under the Christian name. Over time, these names became Russified, so much so that the Hebrew names themselves became Russian - Ivan and Marya. At the same time, one should keep in mind the lofty thought of Fr. Pavel Florensky: “there are no names, neither Jewish, nor Greek, nor Latin, nor Russian - there are only universal names, the common heritage of mankind.”

The post-revolutionary history of Russian names developed dramatically: a massive campaign of “de-Christianization” of the name book was carried out. The revolutionary obscurantism of some sections of society, combined with tough government policies, was aimed at restructuring, and therefore at renaming the world. Along with the renaming of the country, its cities and streets, the people were renamed. “Red calendars” were compiled, new, “revolutionary” names were invented, many of which now sound simply like curiosities (for example, Malentro, i.e. Marx, Lenin, Trotsky; Dazdraperma, i.e. Long live May Day, etc. .). The process of revolutionary name-making, characteristic of ideological revolutions in general (it was known in France at the end of the 18th century, and in Republican Spain, and in the countries of the former “socialist camp”) did not last long in Soviet Russia, about a decade (20-30s ). Soon these names became part of history - here it is appropriate to recall another thought about. Pavel Florensky: “you can’t think of names,” in the sense that they are “the most stable fact of culture and the most important of its foundations.”

The change in the Russian name also went along the line of borrowing from other cultures - Western European (for example, Albert, Victoria, Zhanna) and common Slavic Christian names (for example, Stanislav, Bronislava), names from Greek and Roman mythology and history (for example, Aurelius, Aphrodite , Venus), etc. Over time, Russian society again returned to calendar names, but “de-Christianization” and a break in tradition led to an extraordinary impoverishment of the modern naming book, which now consists of only a few dozen names (the general property of “mass cultures” also played a role - the desire for averaging, standardization ).

Hieromonk Macarius (Markish):
Since ancient times, the custom has been established to give a newly accepted member of the Church the name of a saint. Thus, a special, new connection arises between earth and Heaven, between a person living in this world and one of those who have worthily walked their life’s path, whose holiness the Church has witnessed and glorified with its collective wisdom. Therefore, every Orthodox Christian must remember the saint in whose honor he is named, know the basic facts of his life, and, if possible, remember at least some elements of the service in his honor.
But the same name, especially the common ones (Peter, Nicholas, Mary, Helen), was borne by many saints of different times and peoples; therefore, we have to find out in honor of which saint who bore this name the baby will be named. This can be done using a detailed church calendar, which contains an alphabetical list of saints revered by our Church with the dates of celebration of their memory. The choice is made taking into account the date of birth or baptism of the child, the circumstances of the saints’ life feats, family traditions, and your personal sympathies.
In addition, many famous saints have several days of remembrance throughout the year: this could be the day of death, the day of the discovery or transfer of relics, the day of glorification - canonization. You have to choose which of these days will become the holiday (name day, name day) of your child. It is often called Angel Day. In fact, we ask the Lord to give the newly baptized his Guardian Angel; but this Angel must under no circumstances be confused with the saint after whom the child is named.
Sometimes some difficulties arise when naming a name. There are many Orthodox saints known in history, but not included in our calendars. Among them are the saints of Western Europe, who lived and were glorified even before the fall of Rome from Orthodoxy (until 1054, the Roman Church was not severed from Orthodoxy, and we also recognize the saints revered in it by that time as saints), whose names were acquired from us popularity in recent decades (Victoria, Edward, etc.), but are sometimes listed as “non-Orthodox”. There are also the opposite situations, when the usual Slavic name does not belong to any of the Orthodox saints (for example, Stanislav). Finally, there are also frequent formal misunderstandings related to the spelling of the name (Elena - Alena, Ksenia - Oksana, John - Ivan) or its sound in different languages ​​(in Slavic - Svetlana and Zlata, in Greek - Photinia and Chrysa).
If necessary, the child can be given a baptismal name different from the one recorded on the birth certificate, choosing it, for example, according to consonance (Stanislav - Stakhy, Carolina - Kaleria, Elina - Elena). There is nothing flawed in this: among the Serbs, for example, almost everyone has one name in everyday life and another in baptism. Let us note that in the Russian Church, unlike some other Orthodox Churches, the beloved name Maria is never given in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, but only in honor of other saints who bore this name. You should also know that since 2000, our Church has canonized many of our countrymen and fellow citizens - new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century - and calls on believers to name their children in their honor and memory.

Apostles(ap.) - these are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, whom He sent to preach during His earthly life; and after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, they preached the Christian faith throughout all countries. There were first twelve of them, and then seventy more.

• Two of the apostles, Peter and Paul, are called Supreme, since they worked more than others in preaching the faith of Christ.
• The four Apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Theologian, who wrote the Gospel, are called Evangelists.

Unmercenary (unsr.) served as free healing of illnesses for neighbors, that is, they healed illnesses, both physical and mental, without any payment, such as: Cosmas and Damian, the great martyr and healer Panteleimon and others.

The faithful (blgv.). In the celebration of the memory of holy monarchs and princes, their feat, embodied in piety, mercy and concern for strengthening the Christian faith, is glorified, and not the powers they had in earthly life or their noble origin. For example, the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, the Holy Blessed Grand Duchess Anna Kashinskaya.

Blessed (foolish) (blzh., bliss) (gr. σαλός slav.: stupid, insane) - representatives of the host of holy ascetics who chose a special feat - foolishness, the feat of depicting the external, i.e. visible madness, in order to achieve inner humility.

Great Martyrs (martyr, Vlkmch.).Those who died for the holy faith after especially difficult (great) suffering, to which not all martyrs were subjected, are called great martyrs, such as: St. Great Martyr George; Holy Great Martyrs Barbara and Catherine and others.

Confessors (Spanish, confession). Martyrs who, after the torture they endured, died peacefully are called confessors.

Martyrs(martyr) - those Christians who accepted cruel torment and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ. For example, St. martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia.

• The first to suffer for the faith of Christ were: Archdeacon Stephen and St. Thekla, and that’s why they are called first martyrs.

Inscribed . Confessors whose torturers wrote blasphemous words on their faces are called inscribed.

(novmch., new-much.). Christians who suffered martyrdom for confessing faith in Christ in relatively recent times. This is how the Church names all those who suffered for their faith during the period of post-revolutionary persecution.

Righteous(right) led a righteous life pleasing to God, living in the world, being family people, such as St. righteous Joachim and Anna, etc.

• The first righteous people on earth: the ancestors (patriarchs) of the human race are called forefathers, such as: Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc.

Reverend Confessors (venerable isp., prpisp.) Confessors from among the monks.

Venerable Martyrs (prmch.). Saints who suffered torment for Christ are called venerable martyrs.

Reverends (St.) - righteous people who moved away from Worldly life in society and pleased God by remaining in virginity, (i.e., not marrying), fasting and prayer, living in deserts and monasteries, such as: Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, Venerable Anastasia and others.

Prophets(proph.) - God's, who, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, predicted the future and mainly about the Savior; they lived before the Savior came to earth.

Equal to the Apostles (equal to the Apostles) - saints who, like the Apostles, spread the faith of Christ in different places, for example: Mary Magdalene, the First Martyr Thekla, the blessed kings Constantine and Helen, the noble prince of Russia Vladimir, St. Nina, educator of Georgia, etc.

Saints(St.) - bishops or bishops who pleased God with their righteous lives, such as; Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, etc.

• Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom are called universal teachers, that is, teachers of the entire Christian Church.

Priests (scratched). Confessors belonging to the priestly order.

Hieromartyrs (sschmch.). Priests who suffered torment for Christ are called holy martyrs.

Stylites(pillar) - holy ascetics who labored on a pillar - a tower or high platform of rock, inaccessible to outsiders.

Passion-bearers - who suffered martyrdom not from the persecutors of Christianity, but from their fellow believers - due to their malice, deceit, and conspiracy. The feat of passion-suffering can be defined as suffering for the fulfillment of the Commandments of God, in contrast to martyrdom - which is suffering for the testimony of faith in Jesus Christ (faith in God) during times of persecution and when the persecutors try to force them to renounce their faith. This name emphasizes the special nature of their feat - goodness and non-resistance to enemies, which are the commandments of Jesus Christ.

Miracle Workers(miracle) - an epithet of saints who are especially famous for the gift of miracles, intercessors to whom they resort in the hope of help. We can say that all saints have the gift of working miracles, because... Witnessed miracles are the main condition for canonization.

Common abbreviations

The abbreviation of the plural of a term is usually formed from the abbreviation of the singular by doubling the last letter. Example: St. - saint, sv. - the Saints.

Russian saints...The list of saints of God is inexhaustible. By their way of life they pleased the Lord and thanks to this they became closer to eternal existence. Each saint has his own face. This term denotes the category to which the Pleasant of God is classified during his canonization. These include the great martyrs, martyrs, saints, saints, unmercenaries, apostles, saints, passion-bearers, holy fools (blessed), saints and equals of the apostles.

Suffering in the name of the Lord

The first saints of the Russian Church among the saints of God are the great martyrs who suffered for the faith of Christ, dying in severe and long agony. Among the Russian saints, the first to be ranked among this rank were the brothers Boris and Gleb. That is why they are called the first martyrs - passion-bearers. In addition, the Russian saints Boris and Gleb were the first to be canonized in the history of Rus'. The brothers died in the battle for the throne that began after the death of Prince Vladimir. Yaropolk, nicknamed the Accursed, first killed Boris while he was sleeping in a tent while on one of his campaigns, and then Gleb.

The face of those like the Lord

Reverends are those saints who led through prayer, labor and fasting. Among the Russian saints of God one can single out St. Seraphim of Sarov and Sergius of Radonezh, Savva of Storozhevsky and Methodius of Peshnoshsky. The first saint in Rus' to be canonized in this guise is considered to be the monk Nikolai Svyatosha. Before accepting the rank of monasticism, he was a prince, the great-grandson of Yaroslav the Wise. Having renounced worldly goods, the monk labored as a monk in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Nikolai Svyatosha is revered as a miracle worker. It is believed that his hair shirt (a coarse woolen shirt), left behind after his death, healed one sick prince.

Sergius of Radonezh - the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit

The 14th century Russian saint Sergius of Radonezh, known in the world as Bartholomew, deserves special attention. He was born into the pious family of Mary and Cyril. It is believed that while still in the womb, Sergius showed his chosenness of God. During one of the Sunday liturgies, the not yet born Bartholomew cried out three times. At that time, his mother, like the rest of the parishioners, was overcome with horror and confusion. After his birth, the monk did not drink breast milk if Mary ate meat that day. On Wednesdays and Fridays, little Bartholomew went hungry and did not take his mother's breast. In addition to Sergius, there were two more brothers in the family - Peter and Stefan. Parents raised their children in Orthodoxy and strictness. All the brothers, except Bartholomew, studied well and knew how to read. And only the youngest in their family had a hard time reading - the letters blurred before his eyes, the boy was lost, not daring to utter a word. Sergius suffered greatly from this and fervently prayed to God in the hope of gaining the ability to read. One day, again ridiculed by his brothers for his illiteracy, he ran into the field and met an old man there. Bartholomew spoke about his sadness and asked the monk to pray to God for him. The elder gave the boy a piece of prosphora, promising that the Lord would definitely grant him a letter. In gratitude for this, Sergius invited the monk into the house. Before eating, the elder asked the boy to read the psalms. Timidly, Bartholomew took the book, afraid to even look at the letters that always blurred before his eyes... But a miracle! - the boy began to read as if he had already learned to read and write for a long time. The elder predicted to the parents that their youngest son would be great, since he was the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit. After such a fateful meeting, Bartholomew began to strictly fast and pray constantly.

The beginning of the monastic path

At the age of 20, the Russian saint Sergius of Radonezh asked his parents to give him a blessing to take monastic vows. Kirill and Maria begged their son to stay with them until their death. Not daring to disobey, Bartholomew until the Lord took their souls. Having buried his father and mother, the young man, together with his older brother Stefan, set off to take monastic vows. In the desert called Makovets, the brothers are building the Trinity Church. Stefan cannot stand the harsh ascetic lifestyle that his brother adhered to and goes to another monastery. At the same time, Bartholomew took monastic vows and became the monk Sergius.

Trinity-Sergius Lavra

The world-famous monastery of Radonezh once originated in a deep forest in which the monk once secluded himself. Sergius was in the house every day. He ate plant foods, and his guests were wild animals. But one day several monks found out about the great feat of asceticism performed by Sergius and decided to come to the monastery. There these 12 monks remained. It was they who became the founders of the Lavra, which was soon headed by the monk himself. Prince Dmitry Donskoy came to Sergius for advice, preparing for the battle with the Tatars. After the death of the monk, 30 years later, his relics were found, performing a miracle of healing to this day. This Russian saint still invisibly receives pilgrims to his monastery.

The Righteous and the Blessed

Righteous saints have earned God's favor by living godly lives. These include both lay people and clergy. The parents of Sergius of Radonezh, Cyril and Maria, who were true Christians and taught Orthodoxy to their children, are considered righteous.

The blessed are those saints who deliberately took on the image of people not of this world, becoming ascetics. Among the Russian Pleasers of God, those who lived during the time of Ivan the Terrible, Ksenia of Petersburg, who abandoned all benefits and went on long wanderings after the death of her beloved husband, and Matrona of Moscow, who became famous for the gift of clairvoyance and healing during her lifetime, are especially revered. It is believed that I. Stalin himself, who was not distinguished by religiosity, listened to the blessed Matronushka and her prophetic words.

Ksenia is a holy fool for Christ's sake

The blessed one was born in the first half of the 18th century into a family of pious parents. Having become an adult, she married the singer Alexander Fedorovich and lived with him in joy and happiness. When Ksenia turned 26 years old, her husband died. Unable to bear such grief, she gave away her property, put on her husband’s clothes and went on a long wandering. After this, the blessed one did not respond to her name, asking to be called Andrei Fedorovich. “Ksenia died,” she assured. The saint began to wander the streets of St. Petersburg, occasionally visiting her friends for lunch. Some people mocked the grief-stricken woman and made fun of her, but Ksenia endured all the humiliation without complaint. Only once did she show her anger when local boys threw stones at her. After what they saw, the local residents stopped mocking the blessed one. Ksenia of Petersburg, having no shelter, prayed at night in the field, and then came to the city again. The blessed one quietly helped the workers build a stone church at the Smolensk cemetery. At night, she tirelessly laid bricks in a row, contributing to the speedy construction of the church. For all her good deeds, patience and faith, the Lord gave Ksenia the Blessed the gift of clairvoyance. She predicted the future, and also saved many girls from unsuccessful marriages. Those people to whom Ksenia came became happier and luckier. Therefore, everyone tried to serve the saint and bring her into the house. Ksenia Petersburgskaya died at the age of 71. She was buried at the Smolensk cemetery, where the Church built by her own hands was located nearby. But even after physical death, Ksenia continues to help people. Great miracles were performed at her tomb: the sick were healed, those seeking family happiness were successfully married. It is believed that Ksenia especially patronizes unmarried women and already accomplished wives and mothers. A chapel was built over the tomb of the blessed one, to which crowds of people still come, asking the saint for intercession before God and thirsting for healing.

Holy sovereigns

The faithful include monarchs, princes and kings who have distinguished themselves

a godly lifestyle that strengthens the faith and position of the church. The first Russian saint Olga was canonized in this category. Among the faithful, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who won a victory on the Kulikovo field after the appearance of the holy image of Nicholas, stood out to him; Alexander Nevsky, who did not compromise with the Catholic Church in order to maintain his power. He was recognized as the only secular Orthodox sovereign. Among the faithful there are other famous Russian saints. Prince Vladimir is one of them. He was canonized in connection with his great activity - the baptism of all Rus' in 988.

Empresses - God's Servants

Princess Anna was also counted among the faithful saints, thanks to whose wife relative peace was observed between the Scandinavian countries and Russia. During her lifetime, she built it in honor since she received this very name at baptism. Blessed Anna revered the Lord and sacredly believed in him. Shortly before her death, she took monastic vows and died. Memorial Day is October 4 according to the Julian style, but in the modern Orthodox calendar this date, unfortunately, is not mentioned.

The first Russian holy princess Olga, baptized Elena, accepted Christianity, influencing its further spread throughout Rus'. Thanks to her activities that contributed to the strengthening of faith in the state, she was canonized.

Servants of the Lord on earth and in heaven

Saints are saints of God who were clergy and received special favor from the Lord for their way of life. One of the first saints ranked among this rank was Dionysius, Archbishop of Rostov. Arriving from Athos, he headed the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery. People were drawn to his monastery, since he knew the human soul and could always guide those in need on the true path.

Among all the canonized saints, Archbishop Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra stands out. And although the saint is not of Russian origin, he truly became the intercessor of our country, always being at the right hand of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Great Russian saints, the list of which continues to grow to this day, can patronize a person if he diligently and sincerely prays to them. You can turn to the Pleasers of God in different situations - everyday needs and illnesses, or simply wanting to thank the Higher Powers for a calm and serene life. Be sure to purchase icons of Russian saints - it is believed that prayer in front of the image is the most effective. It is also advisable that you have a personalized icon - an image of the saint in whose honor you were baptized.

Holiness is a purity of heart that seeks the uncreated divine energy manifested in the gifts of the Holy Spirit as many colored rays in the solar spectrum. Pious ascetics are the link between the earthly world and the heavenly Kingdom. Imbued with the light of divine grace, they, through God-contemplation and God-communication, learn the highest spiritual secrets. In earthly life, saints, performing the feat of self-denial for the sake of the Lord, receive the highest grace of divine Revelation. According to biblical teaching, holiness is the likening of a person to God, who is the only bearer of all-perfect life and its unique source.

The church procedure for canonizing a righteous person is called canonization. She encourages believers to honor a recognized saint in public worship. As a rule, ecclesiastical recognition of piety is preceded by popular glory and veneration, but it was the act of canonization that made it possible to glorify saints by creating icons, writing lives, and compiling prayers and church services. The reason for official canonization can be the feat of a righteous person, the incredible deeds he has performed, his entire life or martyrdom. And after death, a person can be recognized as a saint because of the incorruption of his relics, or miracles of healing occurring at his remains.

In the event that a saint is venerated within one church, city or monastery, they speak of diocesan, local canonization.

The official church also recognizes the existence of unknown saints, the confirmation of whose piety is not yet known to the entire Christian flock. They are called revered departed righteous people and requiem services are served for them, while prayer services are served for canonized saints.

That is why the names of Russian saints, who are revered in one diocese, may differ and be unknown to parishioners of another city.

Who was canonized in Rus'

Long-suffering Rus' gave birth to more than a thousand martyrs and martyrs. All the names of the holy people of the Russian land who were canonized are included in the calendar, or calendar. The right to solemnly canonize the righteous initially belonged to the Kyiv, and later Moscow, metropolitans. The first canonizations were preceded by the exhumation of the remains of the righteous so that they could perform a miracle. In the 11th-16th centuries, the burials of princes Boris and Gleb, Princess Olga, and Theodosius of Pechersk were discovered.

From the second half of the 16th century, under Metropolitan Macarius, the right to canonize saints passed to church councils under the high priest. The indisputable authority of the Orthodox Church, which had existed in Rus' for 600 years by that time, was confirmed by numerous Russian saints. The list of names of the righteous glorified by the Macarius Councils was replenished with the naming of saints by 39 pious Christians.

Byzantine rules for canonization

In the 17th century, the Russian Orthodox Church succumbed to the influence of the ancient Byzantine rules for canonization. During this period, mainly clergy were canonized because they had church rank. Missionaries carrying the faith and associates in the construction of new churches and monasteries also deserved to be counted. And the need to create miracles has lost its relevance. Thus, 150 righteous people were canonized, mainly from among the monks and high clergy, and the Saints added new names to Russian Orthodox saints.

Weakening church influence

In the 18th and 19th centuries, only the Holy Synod had the right to canonize. This period is characterized by a decrease in the activity of the church and a weakening of its influence on social processes. Before Nicholas II ascended the throne, only four canonizations took place. During the short period of the reign of the Romanovs, seven more Christians were canonized, and the calendar added new names of Russian saints.

By the beginning of the 20th century, generally recognized and locally revered Russian saints were included in the month-speaking books, the list of whose names was supplemented by the list of deceased Orthodox Christians for whom memorial services were performed.

Modern canonizations

The beginning of the modern period in the history of canonizations carried out by the Russian Orthodox Church can be considered the Local Council held in 1917-18, by which the universally revered Russian saints Sophrony of Irkutsk and Joseph of Astrakhan were canonized. Then, in the 1970s, three more clergy were canonized - Herman of Alaska, Archbishop of Japan and Metropolitan Innocent of Moscow and Kolomna.

In the year of the millennium of the baptism of Rus', new canonizations took place, where Xenia of Petersburg, Dmitry Donskoy and other, no less famous, Orthodox Russian saints were recognized as pious.

In 2000, the anniversary Council of Bishops took place, at which Emperor Nicholas II and members of the Romanov royal family were canonized “as passion-bearers.”

First canonization of the Russian Orthodox Church

The names of the first Russian saints, who were canonized by Metropolitan John in the 11th century, became a kind of symbol of the true faith of the newly baptized people, their full acceptance of Orthodox norms. Princes Boris and Gleb, sons of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, after canonization became the first heavenly protectors of Russian Christians. Boris and Gleb were killed by their brother in the internecine struggle for the throne of Kyiv in 1015. Knowing about the impending assassination attempt, they accepted death with Christian humility for the sake of autocracy and peace of their people.

The veneration of princes was widespread even before their holiness was recognized by the official church. After canonization, the relics of the brothers were found incorrupt and showed miracles of healing to the ancient Russian people. And the new princes ascending the throne made pilgrimages to the holy relics in search of blessings for a just reign and help in military exploits. The Memorial Day of Saints Boris and Gleb is celebrated on July 24.

Formation of the Russian Holy Brotherhood

Next after princes Boris and Gleb, the Monk Theodosius of Pechersk was canonized. The second solemn canonization carried out by the Russian Church took place in 1108. The Monk Theodosius is considered the father of Russian monasticism and the founder, together with his mentor Anthony, of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery. The teacher and student showed two different paths of monastic obedience: one is severe asceticism, renunciation of everything worldly, the other is humility and creativity for the glory of God.

In the caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, bearing the names of the founders, rest the relics of 118 novices of this monastery, who lived before and after the Tatar-Mongol yoke. They were all canonized in 1643, forming a common service, and in 1762 the names of Russian saints were included in the calendar.

Venerable Abraham of Smolensk

Very little is known about the righteous people of the pre-Mongol period. Abraham of Smolensk, one of the few saints of that time, about whom a detailed biography, compiled by his student, has been preserved. Abraham was revered for a long time in his hometown even before his canonization by the Makarievsky Cathedral in 1549. Having distributed to the needy all his property left after the death of his rich parents, the thirteenth child, the only son begged from the Lord after twelve daughters, Abraham lived in poverty, praying for salvation during the Last Judgment. Having become a monk, he copied church books and painted icons. The Monk Abraham is credited with saving Smolensk from a great drought.

The most famous names of saints of the Russian land

Along with the above-mentioned princes Boris and Gleb, unique symbols of Russian Orthodoxy, there are no less significant names of Russian saints who became intercessors of the entire people through their contribution to the participation of the church in public life.

After liberation from the Mongol-Tatar influence, Russian monasticism saw its goal as the enlightenment of pagan peoples, as well as the construction of new monasteries and temples in the uninhabited northeastern lands. The most prominent figure of this movement was St. Sergius of Radonezh. For godly solitude, he built a cell on Makovets Hill, where the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius was later erected. Gradually, the righteous began to join Sergius, inspired by his teaching, which led to the formation of a monastic monastery, living on the fruits of their hands, and not on the alms of believers. Sergius himself worked in the garden, setting an example for his brothers. The disciples of Sergius of Radonezh built about 40 monasteries throughout Rus'.

St. Sergius of Radonezh carried the idea of ​​godly humility not only to ordinary people, but also to the ruling elite. As a skilled politician, he contributed to the unification of the Russian principalities, convincing the rulers of the need to unite dynasties and disparate lands.

Dmitry Donskoy

Sergius of Radonezh was greatly revered by the Russian prince, canonized, Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. It was St. Sergius who blessed the army for the Battle of Kulikovo, started by Dmitry Donskoy, and sent two of his novices for God’s support.

Having become a prince in early childhood, Dmitry in state affairs listened to the advice of Metropolitan Alexy, who cared for the unification of the Russian principalities around Moscow. This process did not always go smoothly. Sometimes by force, and sometimes by marriage (to a Suzdal princess), Dmitry Ivanovich annexed the surrounding lands to Moscow, where he built the first Kremlin.

It was Dmitry Donskoy who became the founder of a political movement that aimed to unite the Russian principalities around Moscow to create a powerful state with political (from the khans of the Golden Horde) and ideological (from the Byzantine Church) independence. In 2002, in memory of Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy and St. Sergius of Radonezh, the Order “For Service to the Fatherland” was established, fully emphasizing the depth of influence of these historical figures on the formation of Russian statehood. These Russian holy people cared for the well-being, independence and tranquility of their great people.

Faces (ranks) of Russian saints

All the saints of the Universal Church are summarized into nine faces or ranks: prophets, apostles, saints, great martyrs, holy martyrs, venerable martyrs, confessors, unmercenaries, holy fools and blessed ones.

The Orthodox Church of Russia divides saints into faces differently. Russian holy people, due to historical circumstances, are divided into the following ranks:

Princes. The first righteous people recognized as saints by the Russian Church were princes Boris and Gleb. Their feat consisted of self-sacrifice for the sake of the peace of the Russian people. This behavior became an example for all rulers of the time of Yaroslav the Wise, when the power in whose name the prince made a sacrifice was recognized as true. This rank is divided into Equal-to-the-Apostles (spreaders of Christianity - Princess Olga, her grandson Vladimir, who baptized Rus'), monks (princes who became monks) and passion-bearers (victims of civil strife, assassination attempts, murders for the faith).

Reverends. This is the name given to saints who chose monastic obedience during their lifetime (Theodosius and Anthony of Pechersk, Sergius of Radonezh, Joseph of Volotsky, Seraphim of Sarov).

Saints- righteous people with church rank, who based their ministry on the defense of the purity of faith, the spread of Christian teaching, and the founding of churches (Niphon of Novgorod, Stefan of Perm).

Fools (blessed)- saints who wore the appearance of madness during their lives, rejecting worldly values. A very numerous rank of Russian righteous people, replenished mainly by monks who considered monastic obedience insufficient. They left the monastery, going out in rags onto the streets of cities and enduring all the hardships (St. Basil, St. Isaac the Recluse, Simeon of Palestine, Xenia of Petersburg).

Holy laymen and women. This rank unites murdered babies recognized as saints, laymen who renounced wealth, righteous people who were distinguished by their boundless love for people (Yuliania Lazarevskaya, Artemy Verkolsky).

Lives of Russian saints

The Lives of Saints is a literary work containing historical, biographical and everyday information about a righteous person canonized by the church. Lives are one of the oldest literary genres. Depending on the time and country of writing, these treatises were created in the form of biography, encomium (praise), martyrium (testimony), and patericon. The style of writing lives in the Byzantine, Roman and Western church cultures differed significantly. Back in the 4th century, the Church began to unite saints and their biographies into vaults that looked like a calendar indicating the day of remembrance of the pious.

In Rus', lives appear along with the adoption of Christianity from Byzantium in Bulgarian and Serbian translations, combined into collections for reading by month - monthly books and menaions.

Already in the 11th century, a laudatory biography of princes Boris and Gleb appeared, where the unknown author of the life was Russian. The names of saints are recognized by the church and added to the calendar. In the 12th and 13th centuries, along with the monastic desire to enlighten the northeast of Rus', the number of biographical works also grew. Russian authors wrote the lives of Russian saints for reading during the Divine Liturgy. The names, the list of which was recognized by the church for glorification, now received a historical figure, and holy deeds and miracles were enshrined in a literary monument.

In the 15th century there was a change in the style of writing lives. The authors began to pay the main attention not to factual data, but to skillful mastery of artistic expression, the beauty of literary language, and the ability to select many impressive comparisons. Skillful scribes of that period became known. For example, Epiphanius the Wise, who wrote vivid lives of Russian saints, whose names were most famous among the people - Stephen of Perm and Sergius of Radonezh.

Many hagiographies are considered a source of information about important historical events. From the biography of Alexander Nevsky you can learn about political relations with the Horde. The lives of Boris and Gleb tell of princely civil strife before the unification of Rus'. The creation of a literary and church biographical work largely determined which names of Russian saints, their exploits and virtues, would become best known to a wide circle of believers.