An amazing story of fidelity is hidden behind the bright image of St. Natalia, who is often depicted on icons together with her husband. Hadrian was a great leader in the city of Nicomedia (modern Türkiye). There lived a couple during the last great persecution of Christians carried out by the Roman Empire. Their initiator was Emperor Galerius.
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History of the icon
When the new ruler arrived in Nicomedia, he decided to fight an incomprehensible religion. Christians were obliged to make sacrifices to idols, or they were sentenced to death. Temples and holy books were burned throughout the country. In such a situation, it is not surprising that many hid their faith. Natalya, who was a secret Christian, did the same. Even her husband, Adrian, did not know that she had renounced the pagan gods.
Because Hadrian held a high position, he witnessed the torture of Jesus' followers. He was surprised by the patience with which they endured the torment. After communicating with Christians, he himself believed, which he announced to everyone around him. He was immediately thrown into prison. So, in an instant, a wealthy official became a powerless prisoner, sentenced to torture. Of course, Adrian's wife knew about everything.
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The icon of Saint Natalia shows the close spiritual connection of a young woman with her husband. She was very happy when she learned that her husband had also accepted Christ. This may seem a little strange to some under the circumstances, but this is a vain worldly view. The saints thought about how to please God. Their sacrifices were needed to establish faith throughout the land. So many years have passed, but people still remember the Nicomedia martyrs, their relics are incorruptible, their souls are in heaven.
Torture
They began to be tortured, tortured and forced to sacrifice to the pagan gods, but they refused. Then they were taken to the Trial Chamber to formalize the interrogation. The head of the court chamber was Andrian, Natalia's husband. He watched in horror with what courage and bravery Christians endured all the suffering for their faith. Then he asked them what reward they expected from their God for such torment? They replied that it was impossible to describe this reward, and the human mind could not comprehend it. And suddenly the Holy Spirit seemed to come upon Adrian, and then he ordered his subordinates to write him down as a Christian who was also ready to joyfully die for Christ.
This was immediately reported to the emperor, who immediately summoned him to his place and asked him if he had gone mad. Andrian replied that he was not mad, but turned to common sense.
How does the icon of St. help? Natalia
Natalya immediately came to her husband, she told him what she had previously hidden - they had a common faith. She began to support her husband. The saint herself was not tortured, but watching a loved one suffer is also a difficult ordeal. His wife was with Adrian until the very end.
Such a union of spouses is very pleasing to the Lord. The icon of Saint Natalia helps:
- newlyweds to build a strong union;
- maintain happiness in marriage;
- survive difficulties in your career;
- to maintain faith in times of trial, during unjust accusations.
Giving comfort and support to your spouse is a very worthy task for a woman; many have forgotten about it today. Do not look down on those who adhere to the old family principles - nothing has changed for God. Those who have managed to remain faithful in marriage show respect not only for their partner, they pay tribute to God.
The meaning of the icon of Adrian and Natalia is to remind you that starting a family is not to “legally” go to bed with someone. This is, first of all, a small Church, of which the universal Church, that is, the body of Christ on this earth, consists. We must live in respect and support each other. When Adrian had to endure torture for several days, his faithful wife was constantly nearby. She consoled and supported.
Both knew that a painful end would soon come. But Natalya, as best she could, kept her husband’s spirits up. She reminded them that everything on earth passes away, but the main treasure for them is Christ. She also looked after other prisoners, washed their wounds, brought food, and constantly prayed.
Unexpected joy
Then the emperor ordered him to be chained and sent to prison. Having learned about all this, Saint Natalya was filled with deep joy that Adrian had come to know Christ, and now the crown of martyrdom awaited him. She immediately ran to him in prison and began to kiss his chains and strengthen him with words about eternal bliss and that soon, finding himself before God, he would beg Him to make her worthy of the same fate.
When Saint Natalya was at home, with the guarantee of other Christian martyrs, Adrian was released home from prison so that he could inform her about the day of execution.
Holy Alliance
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In eternity, people will have no traces of earthly suffering. Therefore, the Great Martyrs Natalia and Adrian have a perfect appearance on the icons. These are two young men with beautiful faces. They were in the prime of their youth and beauty when they died for their faith, but in the kingdom of God they will all be young and healthy.
There are not only joint icons of the holy couple, but also single ones - they can be given as a gift for Angel Day, or for the christening of a newborn. However, the church celebration of the saints is established on the same day, and they are mentioned together in prayers.
Saint Natalya was very worried that after the death of her husband she would be forced to remarry. She was still a young, beautiful and very rich woman. Therefore, she asked her husband to pray to the Lord for her when he was in heaven. There are two versions of the death of the saint:
- died on the third day after her husband’s execution, sitting on his grave;
- Natalya fled from persecution to Byzantium, where she soon died.
In any case, the Lord heard her prayer and took her to him unscathed. Since Saint Natalia showed a lot of courage, her icon helps those who lack patience and faith.
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Life
Saint Natalia lived in the 4th century in Asia Minor in the large and populous city of Nicomedia, located on the shores of the Sea of Marmara. She married a very wealthy young man, who held a respectable position at the Court of Justice, whose name was Adrian. He was 28 years old and a pagan - he went to the temple and made sacrifices to his gods. Natalya was a secret Christian.
They lived together for about a year, when persecution of Christians began in Nicodemus and Emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311), who vehemently hated the Church of Christ, came to the city. Then the real hunt for Christians began. Even a reward was given to the one who pointed out the non-believer. Christians were denounced, caught, and entire trials were held against them. According to one of these denunciations, the executioners caught 23 Christians hiding in the cave of Nicodemus.
Types of icons
Icons of Natalia and her husband appeared first in Byzantium, then veneration moved to Russia. The Church carefully preserves the lives of the saints; their full version can be found in a special book - the Chetyi-Minea. Reading about the lives of saints is very beneficial for the soul.
Modern artists also do not forget the ancient saints - new icons of the martyr Natalia appear. She is usually depicted wearing a red cloak and a white scarf.
- The style of the image can change, but there will always be a cross in the right hand;
- The left one may contain a scarf. This is a symbol of the fact that the saint was caring for her husband - his bones were broken and he could not walk;
- The scroll is a symbol of knowledge, a personal revelation of God, which the saint comprehended.
The image of the saint can be in any room of the house. The main thing is that this place is clean and it is convenient to stand near it during prayer.
- Icon of Saint Helena
- Icon of Saint Alexandra - here
- Icon of Saint Tatiana -
Execution
Natalya was frightened and thought that Adrian could not stand it and renounced Christ, and therefore he was released from prison. Because of this, she did not want to let him home, but he convinced her that he had come to inform her of his imminent execution.
When this day came, the Christians were taken out of prison. They were to be subjected to terrible mortal torment - their arms and legs would be broken on an anvil. Natalya herself asked that her husband be executed first. She was afraid that he would be afraid when he saw the torture of other martyrs. But Saint Andrian did not flinch, and then Saint Natalya herself put his hands and feet on the anvil. After the execution, the mutilated bodies of the holy martyrs were supposed to be burned, but suddenly a thunderstorm began, the lit oven for Christians suddenly went out, and the executioners who were nearby were killed by lightning.
Prayers to the holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia
Biblical history contains many stories when Christians had to undergo martyrdom and suffering in the name of the tenets of their faith.
For many years, Christian communities throughout the Roman Empire were forced to hide from the authorities, preserving the Biblical commandments. The young couple, Natalia and Adrian, who lived at the beginning of the 4th century after Christ in Asia Minor, did not escape the sad fate. A year after the wedding, a sad fate befell them. Reading a prayer to the martyrs Adrian and Natalia, we should all remember the story of their strong love and death in the name of faith.
Saint Natalia: exploits and glorification
Nicomedia (modern name – Izmit) is one of the oldest settlements in Asia Minor. Thanks to its favorable location - on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, near Constantinople - the city flourished, attracting merchants, scientists and artists. In 74 BC. e. it became the center of the province of Bithynia, and in 286 - the eastern capital of the Roman Empire. Just there, in a family of virtuous Christians, at the end of the 3rd century. and the future holy martyr Natalya was born. The girl’s name, derived from the Latin word “natalis” (“native, blessed”), seemed to anticipate her amazing fate.
The girl could not openly profess her faith , because Galerius Maximian (250-311), who ruled at that time, persecuted everyone who worshiped Jesus.
She hid even from her own pagan husband, the head of the court chamber Adrian. Nevertheless, the young beauty tried to at least somehow help the righteous, bringing them medicine and food. However, one day the mercy of the Creator shone upon Adrian too. This happened when he interrogated 23 righteous people captured by order of the emperor. Amazed by their courage, the man believed in the true Lord and declared himself a Christian. Hearing about this, the ruler ordered his subject to be shackled and put in prison.
Adrian's spiritual insight was a real miracle, but he owes his resistance to torture to Natalia. Her life says that the woman tirelessly accompanied her husband. As soon as the man went to prison, the righteous woman immediately went to him, comforting her beloved with stories about the reward that awaits every associate of Jesus Christ. And when the executioners sent the martyr home, wanting him to be tempted by regrets about his former life, his wife closed the door in front of him and did not open it until he convinced her of the firmness of his intentions.
Convinced that Adrian’s resolve was not shaken by either imprisonment or verbal admonitions, Galerius ordered him to be tortured. The noble official was beaten with stakes, tied up and dragged along the ground. But Natalia was constantly with him, treating wounds and caring for her husband - for this she had to cut her hair and dress in men's clothes to look like a young man.
Even when the day of execution finally arrived, the girl did not leave her beloved. While the execution lasted - Adrian’s limbs were broken with a heavy hammer - she held her husband’s hand, encouraging him and distracting him from the pain.
As soon as all the ascetics gave up the ghost, the emperor ordered their bodies to be burned, depriving the relatives of their last consolation. Having learned about this, Natalia secretly took away her husband’s right hand and hid it in her house as a relic. And then the woman, suffering from separation from her beloved, almost threw herself into the fire on which the holy relics were placed. But suddenly clouds thickened in the sky, lightning flashed, striking the pagans, and rain poured down, extinguishing the fire. Frightened, the executioners left the execution site, and the believers were able to take the remains. One of the Christians volunteered to transport them to Byzantium, protecting them from further desecration.
Having been widowed, Natalia lived alone in Nicomedia. She was bitterly sad about her husband, and only earnest prayer saved the girl from melancholy and despair. But the righteous woman failed to observe mourning - soon a commander from Rome wooed her. Fleeing from an unwanted groom, the ascetic fled to Constantinople. The entire journey was accompanied by good omens - the fleet that rushed in pursuit was scattered by a storm, and the devil, who was knocking the ship off course, was driven out by Adrian, appearing before the believers in a shining halo.
Arriving in Constantinople, Natalia immediately went to the cathedral where the bodies of the martyrs were located. She placed her husband’s hand, which she had still kept next to her, to the shrines, and praised the Creator. And falling asleep after a difficult journey, the woman saw her husband. He announced: “Come to the rest prepared by the Lord, and accept the reward due to you!” Having awakened, the righteous woman told other Christians about the miraculous vision, and then quietly passed away into another world.
In memory of her bloodless asceticism, the icon of Saint Natalia can be equipped with a special attribute - a scroll with the words: “Let all things that are worldly, corruptible and harmful to the soul disappear from your mind.” This saying symbolizes zeal in faith and renunciation of earthly values for the sake of God.
Relics of the Holy Martyr Natalia. Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore in Milan
Prayers to the holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia
Biblical history contains many stories when Christians had to undergo martyrdom and suffering in the name of the tenets of their faith. For many years, Christian communities throughout the Roman Empire were forced to hide from the authorities, preserving the Biblical commandments.
The young couple, Natalia and Adrian, who lived at the beginning of the 4th century after Christ in Asia Minor, did not escape the sad fate. A year after the wedding, a sad fate befell them. Reading a prayer to the martyrs Adrian and Natalia, we should all remember the story of their strong love and death in the name of faith.
Life of Natalia and Adrian
Natalia was a secret Christian, and her husband, Adrian, was a pagan, and he served as an official under the Emperor Maximian himself. One day, Roman soldiers discovered a cave where 23 Christians were hiding. They were tortured and tortured for a long time, trying to force them to renounce the Christian faith and return to paganism. Their names were written down by the 28-year-old head of the ward, Adrian, who was amazed at the perseverance and devotion to his faith of the prisoners.
Having asked them what they expected from God for such inhuman suffering, he heard an answer that radically changed his views: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and what God has prepared for those who love Him has not entered the heart of man.” .
Holy relics
Saint Natalya was next to her husband until the end, until he gave up his soul to the Lord. Then she took her husband’s hand and then kept it at home. The widow asked that Adrian say his first prayer before God so that no one would force her to marry a pagan.
However, soon the army commander began to ask the emperor to marry the rich and beautiful Natalia to him, but she fled to Byzantium. There Andrian appeared to her and warned her that she would soon be with the Lord.
And God really had mercy - after enduring such severe mental suffering, on the estate of Byzantium, she died in her sleep on the coffin of her husband, whose body was transported by believers. Saint Natalia received a bloodless crown of martyrdom and followed her husband into the Kingdom of Heaven. Her relics are now in Milan in the Cathedral of St. Lawrence, and the relics of St. Adrian in Rome, in the temple named in honor of his memory.
This concludes the topic “Saint Natalia: Life and Prayer.” And let the saints pray for us before the Throne of God, and we can only trust in the mercy of God.
Prayer to Natalia
The memory of the holy martyrs Natalia and Adrian is celebrated on September 8 (NS). These saints are Christian patrons of marriage and family. St. Natalia is prayed to by wives whose husbands endure certain oppressions throughout life, especially litigation.
Saint Natalia is the patroness of women with the sweet name Natasha.
Holy Martyr Natalia
Holy Martyr Natalia
Prayer to Natalya listen
Prayer to Natalia and Adrian
O sacred duo, holy martyrs of Christ Adrian and Natalia, blessed spouses and good sufferers! Hear us praying to you with tears, and send down upon us all that is good for our souls and bodies, and pray to Christ God to have mercy on us and to deal with us in His mercy, so that we do not perish in our sins.
Hey, holy martyrs! Receive the voice of our prayer, and deliver us with your prayers from famine, destruction, cowardice, flood, fire, hail, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare, from sudden death and from all troubles, sorrows and illnesses, so that we may be forever strengthened by your prayers and intercession Let us glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
To Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, together with His Beginning Father and the Most Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to the holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia
About the holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia! Hear us, servant of God (names), praying to you at this hour: pray for us to the Master Christ God, for you have naturally gained much boldness towards Him, sincere prayers for us exist.
Veneration and commemoration of the martyr
After Natalia's death, her body was placed next to Adrian's remains. And in Art. IV. a separate church in Constantinople was dedicated to the spouses. However, now the relics of the righteous woman are kept in the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore. This building in Milan (Italy) was erected for meetings of the Roman Senate, but in the 7th century. Pope Honorius I ordered the building to be converted into a church. Around the same time, the shrine containing the bones of the martyr was also transported there.
St. Natalia's Day is celebrated on September 8 (August 26, old style). According to folk wisdom, if the morning of the holiday is cold and sunny, early frosts should be expected. In addition, by this date, the harvesting of oats was completed - the grain was brought into barns to dry before wintering, simultaneously preparing jelly, pancakes and delicacies from it for children.
Icon of Saint Natalia from amber from
Prayer to the martyrs Adrian and Natalia
O sacred duo, holy martyrs of Christ Adrian and Natalia, blessed spouses and good sufferers! Hear us praying to you with tears, and send down upon us all that is good for our souls and bodies, and pray to Christ God to have mercy on us and to deal with us in His mercy, so that we do not perish in our sins. Hey, holy martyrs! Receive the voice of our prayer, and deliver us with your prayers from famine, destruction, cowardice, flood, fire, hail, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare, from sudden death and from all troubles, sorrows and illnesses, so that we may be forever strengthened by your prayers and intercession Let us glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, with His beginningless Father and the Most Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Troparion and Kontakion to Martyrs Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia
Troparion, tone 4
Thy martyrs, Lord,/ in their suffering received incorruptible crowns from Thee, our God:/ having Thy strength,/ the tormentors,/ crushing the demons of weak insolence./ Those prayers. tvami // save our souls.
Troparion, tone 3
You imputed infinite wealth/ to your saved, blessed faith,/ forsaking the wickedness of your fathers/ and walking in the footsteps of the Lords,/ you were enriched with divine gifts,/ more glorious than Hadrian;/ Christ Bo Pray // for our souls to be saved.
Kontakion, tone 4
The martyr rises to the Divine memory/ and illuminates all ends of the earth with light, calling with joy // You are the martyrs, O Christ, joy.
Kontakion, tone 4
God-wise women, having placed the Divine words in your heart,/ Hadrian, martyr of Christ, you zealously strived towards torment, // receive the crown with your wife.
