January 1, 2021 (December 19, 2021 according to the “old style” - the church Julian calendar). Monday of the 31st week of Pentecost (thirty-first week after the feast of the Holy Trinity, Pentecost). Christmas (Filippov) fast.
According to the church monastic Charter, despite the secular New Year's holiday, today only boiled food without vegetable oil is blessed at the meal. It is important for all believers to remember this and limit themselves in “New Year’s” amusements (we also remind you that relaxations in fasting are possible, but it is important for churchgoers to coordinate them with their confessor). In the Russian Orthodox Church today the memory of 9 well-known saints is celebrated. Next we will briefly talk about them.
Life of St. Ilya Muromets
The hero was born between 1150 and 1165 in Murom, and apparently died in 1204. The epics say that until the age of 33, Ilya was paralyzed (paralyzed), and then he was healed by Kaliki passers-by (wandering beggars); they predicted that he would not die in battle. Literature published before the revolution claims that Christ himself and his two apostles appeared in the form of kaliks. Having received a blessing from his parents, Ilya began to serve in the squad of the Kyiv prince Vladimir Monomakh and became famous throughout Kyiv for his strength and invincibility.
Surprisingly, science confirms this legend. When the Interdepartmental Commission of the Ministry of Health of the Ukrainian SSR undertook an examination of the relics of St. Elijah of Muromets (Pechersky) in 1988, it was discovered that his height was 177 cm, which is almost a head taller than a medieval man, he had outstanding strength and received many serious injuries. In addition, signs of a disease that causes paralysis of the limbs were found on his spine. He died, apparently, from a blow to the chest with a spear or sword, which pierced the left hand with which he covered his chest.
Even the icon of Ilya Muromets amazes with its heroic build and huge hands, which are fit to hold a sword, not a rosary, and he has a stern look, like a real warrior.
Ilya Muromets became famous not only for his heroic strength, but also for his feats accomplished in battles with enemies. In one of the battles with the Polovtsians, he was seriously wounded and had to leave the military field. Like many other warriors who could no longer fight, he became a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Dormition Monastery, but apparently did not live in this rank for long.
The canonization of Elijah of Murom took place in 1643. To this day, his relics are kept in the Anthony Caves in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In the 18th century, one pilgrim named Leonty saw them and noted their high growth and left hand, pierced through with a spear. The fingers on the right hand are folded with two fingers, and for opponents of the Nikonian church reform, when the three-fingered fold was adopted, this serves as an argument in favor of the old custom.
The story of the birth of St. Elijah
The Russian hero, according to legend, was born around 1143. This happened near the ancient city of Murom, in the village of Karacharovo. To this day, the name of the hero’s native village is preserved. In addition, many of its residents bear the surname of the Gushchins, from whose family Ilya came. The people also preserved the names of the hero’s parents: Efrosinia Yakovlevna and Ivan Timofeevich.
Unlike other heroes of noble origin, Ilya Muromets is the only one who came from a peasant family. Perhaps that is why it was he who was endowed by the people with the greatest physical and spiritual strength.
Historian and literary critic D.S. Likhachev believed that in those days there were no invented heroes, and all the stories reflected historical events with the participation of real people. And even if there were fantastic moments in the stories, they cannot be considered fiction, since the author himself sincerely believed in what he wrote about.
What do they pray for in front of the icon of Ilya Muromets?
In front of the icon of Ilya the Wonderworker of Murom, they pray for the healing of children, especially those who are immobile and those with cerebral palsy; about help in difficult life situations, about protection, as he protected the weak.
Those who serve in the army turn to the Ilya of Muromets icon for support in order to perform their service flawlessly
Reverend Ilya Muromets is the patron saint of the strategic missile forces and the Russian border service, because he always defended his native land.
Every boy of the same name, whose heavenly patron is the saint, should have an icon of “St. Elijah of Murom”, so that he grows up as strong, courageous and fair.
The legend of the miraculous healing of a hero
The most amazing thing is that Ilya was sick from birth and could not walk until he was thirty years old. But, apparently, it was precisely thanks to his illness that he cultivated in his soul great patience, meekness and humility, for which he received from God a great destiny to stand at the head of the army to defend the Russian land.
Together with him, Rus' was defended by other heroes who actually lived at that time, but it was Ilya, despite his peasant origins, who managed to lead them. Other heroes were young and ardent, passions boiled in their souls, which resulted in open confrontation. And they needed just such a leader, significantly superior to them in physical strength and wisdom, ready to unite and try on.
The artist Vasnetsov, in his famous painting “Three Heroes,” captured the images of three Russian heroes.
“Under the glorious city near Kiev... there was a heroic outpost. At the outpost the ataman was Ilya Muromets, the ataman was Dobrynya Nikitich, the captain was the priest’s son Alyosha.”
It is these words that are reflected on the canvas, symbolizing the significance of each character.
It is obvious that Ilya Muromets was chosen by God. He acquires his strength in a miraculous way: from the holy elders. One day, “walking men” came to Ilya’s house, where he was lying, as usual, and demanded that he get up and bring them water to drink. Ilya could not walk, but, not daring to disobey the elders, he tried to get up. And for his meekness he was healed by God.
In this plot, the fact of testing Elijah’s faith is very important. It is not for nothing that the Lord God says that everyone will receive according to their faith. If a person is determined and has a strong will, then God's grace will certainly descend on him. And Ilya proved to the Creator that he was worthy of being chosen. Because you need to have truly great faith in order to try to get up at the request of the wanderers, knowing that this is impossible.
Ilya not only gets up, but also brings them a bucket of water filled to the top. But instead of taking the water, the elders tell Ilya to drink it. Then they ask how he feels. To which Ilya replies that he hears such strength within himself that he is ready to tear a tree out of the ground by its roots.
Then the elders ask him to bring another bucket of water and also give him to drink it. Ilya drinks, and the saints again ask him what he hears in himself. To which the hero replies that he could turn the earth.
The elders believe that this power will be too much for Ilya and ask him to bring and drink a third bucket of water. Ilya obeys, his strength becomes less, and the saints, deciding that his strength will be enough, leave.
Having received great power miraculously, Ilya did not become proud, but treated it as a gift that was sent to him to protect the Russian people from adversity. He selflessly served people until his old age, becoming a model of spiritual and physical strength.
Canons and Akathists
Akathist to the Holy Venerable Elijah of Murom, Kiev-Pechersk Wonderworker
Kontakion 1
To the commander of the forces of the Russian land, the warrior of the King Christ and the intercessor of Holy Russia, glorious in battle and invincible in battle, to the wondrous hero Elijah of Murom, let us sing a song of praise, may he now intercede for us who call:
Rejoice, reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Ikos 1
The Creator of Angels, when He descended to the earth in the form of a slave, did not reveal Himself to the world until the age of thirty, so you too, Saint Elijah, were granted until that age to be unknown to anyone and bodily immovable, and after that serve the Lord and His people with all zeal and zeal. , we praise:
Rejoice, thou wisely preserved for thirty years by the providence of God; Rejoice, chosen from birth, may the works of the Lord appear on you.
Rejoice, having escaped many temptations of youth through your illness; Rejoice, you who kept your soul pure through suffering.
Rejoice, you who have prepared these for the reception of grace; Rejoice, sickness, as a gift of God, endured with humility.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Ikos 2
Having understood that Elijah had suddenly been healed of his illness, first put the cross on himself as written, then gave the strangers something to drink, they also gave him a cup of honey to drink, asking him to drink it to the bottom, obeying the same, do this, we, sins, we call in wonder:
Rejoice, for in the form of three strangers the Lord has come to visit you; Rejoice, for the Holy Trinity has appeared to you.
Rejoice, you who were healed by the word of the Lord; Rejoice, raised from your bed by the will of God.
Rejoice, having drunk the cup from the hand of the Savior; Rejoice, filled with the grace of Christ.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 3
Sensing the great power within himself, Elijah, having drunk the miraculous cup, as if he had removed the relics of the mountains and plucked up oak trees from the ground, spoke about this to a stranger asking about the manifestation of your power, and in joy he sang to the Savior: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
If you now have a heroic strength, then live, Elijah, so that you will be a warrior, and in battles death will not be written upon you, - the wanderer’s rekos and, having blessed you, disappeared as if he had appeared, but we, having recognized the hand of the Lord on you, sing:
Rejoice, thou who walkest on the right foot, and may thou go on the right path; Rejoice, you who have received the possession of your hands, may you do works pleasing to God.
Rejoice, you have received good health, may you labor for God by the sweat of your brow; Rejoice, you who have received healing, may you work for Him who healed you.
Rejoice, received blessing, may you guard your soul in piety; Rejoice, you who have received great power, and glorify with it the name of the Almighty.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 4
Your parents were overcome with a storm of bewilderment and greatly amazed with great horror, seeing you come, and your feet and hands were healed, and cried out joyfully: Glory, glory to the Lord, praise to the Most High: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Hearing the blessing of the Lord, you cannot stay at home any longer, since the time has come for your feat, ask your father and mother for permission to go to a distant land, the father says: I will give you a blessing for good deeds, but for bad deeds there are no blessings for you, you bow to the ground as you set out on your journey, as we sing:
Rejoice, having fulfilled the words of Christ with your life; Rejoice, beloved of God and neighbors more than father and mother.
Rejoice, you who preferred the love of God to the love of parenthood; Rejoice, you who left your father’s house and serve the entire Fatherland.
Rejoice, hero of Holy Russia, restored by the spirit of Christ; Rejoice, you have been appointed guardian of the church and Rus' by Him.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 5
God-filled was your journey to the city of Kyiv. As if you first wanted to pray to the Lord in the churches of God and venerate the Mother of God of the Pechers in the Lavra of the Assumptions, thank you for your healing and sing the song: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Seeing the great sorrow that befell the land of Kyiv from the presence of the filthy, you laid the beginning with your feat, freeing the city of Chernigov and the path to the city of Kiev and destroying the enemies of the Christian faith, so that the people, liberated by you, cry out:
Rejoice, shield of salvation, who received the word of God; Rejoice, you who penetrated the copy of faith of the wicked.
Rejoice, having overcome the infidels with the club of piety; Rejoice, having saved us from the arrows of the enemy with the cloak of chastity.
Rejoice, having dressed yourself in the armor of virtues; Rejoice, thou who fought against the spiritual enemy fully armed.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 6
The preacher of the power of the Christian God appeared, Elijah, to the foreign armies with all the power to overcome because Jesus strengthened you, and Christians, who have been liberated by you, never cease to call: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
Then a shining star appeared in the city of Kyiv - the bright brave hero Ilya of Muromets, to intimidate the wicked, the hard-hearted to trample, the Russian land given by God for glorification, where your relatives still call you:
Rejoice, Russian army leader; Rejoice, guardian of orphans and widows.
Rejoice, faithful help to the capital prince; Rejoice, hail and weight of the reliable mediastinum.
Rejoice, grace-filled victory over the forces of the enemy; Rejoice, rise of the Orthodox people.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 7
Wanting with all your soul and heart to serve God and Holy Rus', you rejected the vainglorious thought, when you were trying to be installed as a governor of the city of Chernigov, you humbly entered into the service of the prince of Kiev, and not just to a certain city, but to serve the whole people, as if it were not forbidden sing to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
Having appeared on earth as a new Sampson, having served the new Israel - the Russian Orthodox Fatherland with faith and righteousness, Elijah of everlasting memory, is now a companion with your relatives who call:
Rejoice, for David fought in the name of the Lord of Hosts; Rejoice, for as Galiath is the same, so you too have defeated the foreign giant.
Rejoice, as Sampson, endowed with great strength from God; Rejoice, the namesake prophet Elijah through zeal for God.
Rejoice, for Daniel blocked the gaping lions of unfaithful foreigners; Rejoice, guardian angel of the former borders of the Russian principality.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 8
Wandering along the side of Kiev and protecting it from dashing robbers, you did not seek wealth and honor for yourself, but I am going to serve for the Christian faith, and for the Russian land, and for the capital Kiev-grad, - you answered as a man, not seeking glory from them , Singing glory to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
Trying to fulfill the entire law of the Gospel on yourself, laying down your soul every hour for your neighbor, thinking that the Lord is my helper and I will look at my enemies, you defended the borders of the Fatherland, but the Russian people will not stop calling you like this:
Rejoice, having heard the call of the Lord with all your heart; Rejoice, you are not merciful for your neighbors.
Rejoice, thou who conquered the infidels by right faith; Rejoice, you who drove out foreigners with the Russian spirit.
Rejoice, you who called upon the Lord for help on the battlefield; Rejoice, having cut through the darkness of the enemy together with the Heavenly forces.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 9
Every nature of men and angels was greatly amazed, when you betrayed your only begotten son, who betrayed the Russian Fatherland, without giving mercy, you slain with a spear, so that you do not harm Orthodox people, but we, trembling with the strength of your faith and your trust in God, sing: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
Veti praised your exploits with many words, but whoever is able to express all the providence of God over you, as in your name all the power and strength of the spirit of the Russian hero embodied, crushed all the obstacles of the enemy, for which your descendants still magnify you:
Rejoice, brave warrior of the militant Church; Rejoice, glorified victor in the triumphant Church.
Rejoice, fearless and conqueror of all enemies, visible and invisible; Rejoice, beloved, beloved of the Lord and His people.
Rejoice, righteous man, who did not hide the talent of his Master; Rejoice, reverend father, increasing the glory of our God.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 10
To save your dear side not only from foreign enemies, but also from invisible ones, and also your soul, the gold and silver given by princes, wasting it on the poor and using it to build churches, you retired to a monastic monastery, there from the depths of your heart singing to God: Alleluia .
Ikos 10
The walls of the holy monastery sheltered you, Reverend Father Elijah, where in the cloister with unceasing tears and all-night prayers, for your sins and human blood, shed voluntarily and involuntarily, you propitiated God. The same, seeing your humility and contrition, soon bestowed upon you great grace , as if all the brethren were amazed, calling:
Rejoice, you have been transformed from a physical warrior into a spiritual warrior; Rejoice, having put aside the physical sword and spear and armed yourself with the spiritual sword.
Rejoice, you who left behind perishable weapons and cut off the enemy with unceasing prayer; Rejoice, and in spiritual battle the winner has appeared.
Rejoice, thou who was vouchsafed the gift of clairvoyance before the end; Rejoice, you who have also received the grace of miracles.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 11
Sing, accept meager words and pray for your poor relatives, and be our intercessor with God and our deliverer on earth, as before, and do not stop, we pray, to pray to God for Rus' with the Holy Song: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
Lamp lit by the oil of grace, Father Elijah, now illuminate us, who vegetate in darkness and gloom, and be the commander of the Russian army, liberating the Fatherland from full of wickedness and strengthening the soldiers in the army, and ask for their reason and piety from God, and we call to you:
Rejoice, you who have rested serenely with all the righteous since the ages; Rejoice, you who peacefully departed to the Lady of life and death.
Rejoice, having taken much boldness from Him; Rejoice, you who continually intercede for your fellow tribesmen.
Rejoice, thou who has hitherto guarded the Russian land from the presence of the fierce ones; Rejoice, reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 12
By grace, growing the Russian state, the Lord, at the beginning of this messenger of you, Elijah, his warrior, the new people - God's acquisition - the Russian people are invincible from the slander of Satan, as the Orthodox are accustomed to, trusting in God, to sing: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing the deeds of your life, we give praise to the Almighty God, the Wise One who organizes the world, for He Himself is Triune, so also Rus' was made Triune, and the Orthodox people, with this in mind, chose three heroes as their guardians, as they represent the Trinity of God, and their commander, They cry out in glorification to Elijah Muromets:
Rejoice, thou who appeared to the servant of the Trinity in life and after thy repose; Rejoice, for the three fingers of your hand, folded for the sign of the cross, remain so to this day.
Rejoice, for through this unprecedented miracle, many who doubted have found the right faith; Rejoice, and do not cease to perform miracles according to your imagination.
Rejoice, even after your death, in your death body, glorifying the Lord; Rejoice, you who have hitherto rested in the incorruption of your relics.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Elijah, glorious intercessor of the Russian land.
Kontakion 13
O holy Father Elijah, warrior and monk, spiritual and physical hero, warrior against enemies visible and invisible, now defend our Fatherland - Holy Rus', which is the footstool of the Throne of the Lord, and protect the Russian Orthodox Church, may people sing to your memory, and to the Lord, to the one who bestowed upon Rus' the protector Sitsevago, they bring praise with the song: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)
Prayer to the Holy Venerable Elijah of Muromets
O holy reverend Father Elijah! Holy intercessor of Rus', mighty warrior, a spiritual and physical warrior who appeared to her, who faithfully served in his life for the good of the Russian people and the glorification of the Christian God, and after his repose did not leave his intercession for us, ask, holy, from the All-Merciful Lord for the Tsar of our Fatherland, peace and prosperity, the well-being of the church, deliverance for Orthodox people from the wicked, victory for Russian soldiers in battles and victory against enemies plotting evil for the Church and the Orthodox Fatherland, intercede for us all, and we also ask you, Holy One of God, to grant us reason from God, yes let us know our sins, and spiritual strength, let us repent of our sins, and bodily strength, so that we may be able to correct our lives and revive Holy Rus', and pass from it into the Kingdom of Heaven, and there, with you and all the saints, we will be honored to continually praise the glorified God in the Trinity Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Venerable Elijah of Muromets, Pechersk (†1188)
On January 1, Orthodox Christians honor the holy warrior-monk Elijah of Murom of Pechersk. He became famous not only for his exploits on the battlefield, but also for his monastic ascetic life and angelic holiness.
Very little reliable information about the life of this saint has survived to this day. The Reverend Ilya Muromets of Pechersk, nicknamed Chebotok, was born around 1143 in the village of Karacharovo near Murom (now a microdistrict of the city of Murom) in the Vladimir region into a peasant family, and folk tradition identified him with the famous hero Ilya Muromets, about whom Russian epics were sung.
In the short life of the Monk Elijah, his nickname is indicated - “
Chebotok ”, that is, a boot. Tradition explains this name this way: enemies (probably Polovtsians) burst into the monastery at the moment when Elijah was putting on his shoes. Elijah only managed to put on one boot, and with the other he had to defend himself from the attackers. With this boot he dispersed his enemies.
Ilya Muromets in weakness Andrei Klimenko
From childhood until the age of 33, Ilya was paralyzed due to weakness in his legs. Years of illness cultivated in him great patience, humility, meekness and a character of amazing strength.
Once, when the weak young man was alone at home, the holy elders appeared to him in the form of beggar wanderers, saying: “Go and bring us something to drink.” He got up, brought water and drank it at the request of the elders, receiving “great power.” The prophetic elders also predicted that “death for him in battle is not written.”
Having received healing from his illness, Ilya devoted his life to serving the people and the state. Ilya was a member of the squad of the Kyiv prince for many years. It is known that Ilya Muromets had no defeats, but he never exalted himself and released his defeated enemies in peace.
Having received an incurable wound in the chest in one of the battles, he, obeying the call of his heart, took monastic vows at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. At that time, many warriors did this, replacing the iron sword with a spiritual sword and spending their last days fighting not for earthly values, but for heavenly ones.
Ilya Muromets died around 1188 (at the 45th year of his life).
Relics of Elijah Muromets
The monastic path of the Monk Elijah is hidden from us, but the incorruptibility of his relics convincingly confirms the holiness of the hero.
Upon his death, the Monk Elijah was awarded the honor of being buried in the chapel of the main temple of Kievan Rus - St. Sophia Cathedral, which then served as the grand ducal tomb. This is one of the convincing evidence of the veneration with which the name of the great warrior of the Russian land was surrounded. Subsequently, the tomb of the hero was moved to the Near Anthony Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra , where they remain to this day. Together with him, his brothers, spiritual heroes of Holy Rus', rest in the tombs of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
In 1926, the Lavra was closed and a museum was organized in its place; the relics of the saints were opened, examined, and studied. Atheists have spent a lot of effort and money trying to explain the phenomenon of the preservation of the bodies of monks in caves.
In 1988, an interdepartmental commission of the Ukrainian SSR Ministry of Health conducted an examination of the saint’s relics. The studies were carried out for 3 years and were comprehensive. Scientists from various specialties took part in them. There were employees of the Kyiv Medical Institute from the departments of forensic medicine, anatomy, radiology, biochemistry, and hygiene. To obtain objective data, the most modern techniques and ultra-precise Japanese equipment were used. The research results are amazing. The age of the deceased was determined to be 40–55 years; height - 177 cm (at one time he was a head taller than a person of average height); spinal defects have been identified that suggest paralysis of the limbs suffered in youth; The cause of death was established - an extensive wound in the heart area.
So, in an amazing way, modern medicine has confirmed the testimony of epics that “Elijah sat sitting and could not walk in his legs.” In Soviet times, it was believed that these relics were falsifications, but it turned out that the epics were based on real events
Using the reconstruction method of anthropologist M. M. Gerasimov, criminologist and sculptor S. Nikitin recreated a sculptural portrait of the hero Ilia Muromets.
Ilya Muromets. Reconstruction from the skull
It is known about the Monk Elijah that he died with the fingers of his right hand folded for prayer in the same way as is customary now in the Orthodox Church - the first three fingers together, and the last two bent towards the palm. During the period of struggle against the Old Believer schism (late 17th – 19th centuries), this fact from the life of the saint served as strong evidence in favor of the three-fingered constitution.
Elijah Muromets was canonized in 1643 among 69 ascetics of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
Ilya Muromets in Byliny
The Church and the Orthodox Russian people have never doubted that the Venerable Elijah of Murom of Pechersk and the epic hero Elijah are one person. Epics about Elijah Muromets developed back in the days of Kievan Rus. After all, the very name “epic” tells us: this is a song about what happened, that is, took place in life. Our people called epics “antiquities,” that is, songs about antiquity.
The genealogy of Elijah, told in epics, certainly has a real basis. The village of Karacharovo near Murom is called the birthplace of the hero (hence the name “Muromets”).
Elijah’s special choice for the feat is confirmed by the evidence that from birth he was weak and could not walk until he was thirty. Elijah’s 30 years of sitting “on the stove” are a symbol of life “in seclusion,” hidden from the world, a time of preparation for ministry.
As the epics tell, one day, Kaliki, passing by, came to the house - wonderful wanderers, messengers of God. At their word, Elijah rose to his feet after sitting for thirty years. And the Kaliki say to Elijah: “You, Elijah, will be a great hero, and death in battle is not written for you.”
With the blessing of his parents, Elijah is getting ready to set out on a journey of heroic deeds. Arriving in Kyiv, Elijah finds himself at a princely feast. The heroes gathered at the table of Prince Vladimir are not lovers of fun, but defenders of the Orthodox faith and the Russian land from enemies: Ilya Muromets is a peasant’s son, Alyosha Popovich is the son of a priest from Rostov, Dobrynya Nikitich is of a princely family, Stavr is a boyar, Ivan is a merchant’s son. The heroes who guarded the borders of Rus' were mostly knights of a noble family. Dobrynya Nikitich is even a relative of Prince Vladimir, according to the chronicles - his uncle, according to the epics - his nephew. Ilya Muromets is the only Russian hero who was a peasant by birth. And it was he who was granted the greatest strength - both spiritual and physical. Elijah is a peasant’s son, and in Rus' the word “peasant” was identical to the word “Christian.” Therefore, the prince and the heroes greet Ilya of Muromets as an equal and honor him not according to his class, but according to his deeds and exploits.
The Russian heroes, led by Ilya Muromets, not only successfully guarded the borders of Rus' from numerous enemies. Through their efforts, the struggle was transferred to enemy territory. Chronicles report how the squads of Vladimir Monomakh drove the troops of Khan Otrok Sharukanovich “beyond the iron gates” in the Caucasus, “drank the Don with golden helmets, taking all their land.” Russian heroes reached the Sea of Azov, conquered Polovtsian camps on the Northern Donets, forced their enemies to migrate beyond the Don and beyond the Volga, into the steppes of the Northern Caucasus and Southern Urals.
There are about thirteen independent stories about the glorious Ilya in the classical epic: “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber”, “Ilya Muromets and the Poganous Idol”, “Ilya Muromets’ Quarrel with Prince Vladimir”, “Ilya Muromets’ Fight with Zhidovin”, “Svyatogor and Ilya” Muromets”, “Ilya Muromets and the Robbers”, “Ilya Muromets on the Falcon Ship”, “Ilya Muromets and Son”, etc.
The most widespread and ancient are the epics about Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber: the plot about his battle with the Nightingale the Robber has more than 100 variants. The Nightingale the Robber personifies the pagan force from which, according to his Christian purpose, the hero is called upon to cleanse the Russian land.
Ilya Muromets in culture
In the 19th century, Vasnetsov painted his famous painting “Bogatyri” (Three Bogatyrs). Due to the popularity of the painting and the very theme of the three heroes among the Russian people, the painting “Bogatyrs” became the artist’s calling card. Vasnetsov and the three heroes became inseparable in the soul of the Russian people. He worked on this painting for almost twenty years, starting in 1881. After finishing this work, the work with three heroes was bought by Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov and today the masterpiece is in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Victor Vasnetsov. "Bogatyrs" (1881-1898)
The painting depicts three heroes - Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich (the main characters of Russian epics). In the middle, on a black horse, Ilya Muromets looks into the distance from under his palm, the hero has a spear in one hand, and a damask club in the other. On the left, on a white horse, Dobrynya Nikitich takes his sword out of its sheath. On the right, on a red horse, Alyosha Popovich holds a bow and arrows in his hands. Compared to his comrades, he is young and slender. Alyosha Popovich has a quiver at his side. Three heroes stand on a wide plain, turning into low hills, in the middle of withered grass and occasional small fir trees. The sky is cloudy and alarming, which means danger threatening the heroes.
In 1956, based on epics about Ilya Muromets, a feature film was made in the USSR, as well as several cartoons.
Russian people still honor the memory of the holy hero. In his homeland, on January 1, 1993, in the Church of Saints Guria, Samon and Aviv, an icon of Saint Elijah with a particle of his relics was solemnly installed.
Prayer to the Holy Reverend Elijah of Murom O holy Reverend Father Elijah! Holy intercessor of Rus', mighty warrior, spiritual and physical warrior who appeared to her, who faithfully served in his life for the good of the Russian people and the glorification of the Christian God, and after his repose did not leave his intercession for us, ask, holy, from the All-Merciful Lord for the Tsar of our Fatherland, peace and prosperity, the well-being of the church, deliverance for Orthodox people from the wicked, victory for Russian soldiers in battles and victory against enemies plotting evil for the Church and the Orthodox Fatherland, intercede for us all, and we also ask you, Holy One of God, to grant us reason from God, yes let us know our sins, and spiritual strength, let us repent of our sins, and bodily strength, so that we may be able to correct our lives and revive Holy Rus', and pass from it into the Kingdom of Heaven, and there, with you and all the saints, we will be honored to continually praise the glorified God in the Trinity Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Troparion, tone 8 With fasting you enlightened your soul, with unceasing prayers you made your heart a vessel of the Holy Spirit, O Reverend Father Elijah, with the same you powerfully put to shame all the hostile militias and, like a true victor, you received rewards from Christ God, therefore you prayed for souls ours.
Kontakion, tone 8 Having wounded your soul with Christ's love, O Reverend Father Elijah, in the darkness of the cave you found the light of salvation and, as the chosen child of the great Pechersk fathers Anthony and Theodosius, together with them you inherited the paradise abode, from which now look upon the earthly abode in it You have labored and prayed for those who honor your memory, so we call to you: Rejoice, Elijah, prayer book for our souls.
The Paths of Ilya Muromets (“Saints”, TV3)
Director : Oleg Baraev, Denis Krasilnikov Presenter : Ilya Mikhailov-Sobolevsky. Expert : Arkady Tarasov
October 2007. Several dozen motorcycles are racing along the Moscow-Yaroslavl highway at high speed. On the head bike, in a special case, they carry an icon with a particle of the relics of the most famous and at the same time the most mysterious of the Russian saints, Ilya of Muromets. His name is not in any chronicle. And his path - from warrior to saint - still remains a mystery.
Source: hram-troicy.prihod.ru
Viewed (6277) times
