Hello everyone, dear readers of the Moscow-Russia.rf blog. Today I want to continue the review of the churches of Moscow and today we will visit the temple in which there are the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, for those who do not know, this is a saint who helps all those who suffer, helping with material petitions. The most interesting thing is that the saint died a long time ago, his relics are kept in Greece, and every year the monks put on him new shoes, which wear out. They say that this is Saint Spyridon, he walks around the world and works for the good of people.
And so earlier I told how I visited the Church of the Matrona on Taganka, describing in detail the method of how best to get to the Intercession Monastery. This article will also be a similar atlas for guests and pilgrims.
St. Spyridon of Trimythous
St. Spyridon of Trimythous
And so let's find out a little about the saint, about what miracles he performed. Spyridon was born at the end of the 3rd century in Cyprus, from childhood he helped herd sheep, he lived a sinless and God-pleasing life. His kindness and responsiveness to people, no matter who they were, greatly attracted people. Spiridon gave shelter to those who did not have their own shelter, fed them and helped in every possible way. For his veneration of the Lord, the saint had the ability to heal incurable patients and cast out demons.
During the reign of Constantine (324-337), Saint Spyridon was elected bishop of the city of Trimifunt, from where he received the additional word Trimifunt. Being a bishop, he still continued to remain pure in soul and serve the Lord, and continued to do good deeds. As history tells, the saint took part in the first Ecumenical Council in 325. At the ecumenical council, the saint conducted a polemic with a Greek who defended the Aryan heresy (the priest Arius rejected the Divinity and the pre-eternal birth from God the Father of the Son of God and taught that Christ is only the highest creation). As a result of Spyridon's speech, the priest Arius accepted Christianity and became a defender of the faith, everyone saw the weakness of human wisdom before the Wisdom of God. On the same day, the saint proved the trinity of God, he took a simple brick in his hand and squeezed it so that fire flared up from the brick, water poured down, and only clay remained in his hand
“Behold, there are three elements, and there is one plinth (brick),” said St. Spyridon then, “so in the Most Holy Trinity there are Three Persons, but the Divinity is One.”
Miracles of Saint Spyridon
Miracles of Saint Spyridon
During his wonderful life, Saint Spyridon performed many miracles, but more, of course, after it. There was a case when there was a service in the temple, and the oil in one of the lamps was almost burnt out, and the lamp began to go out, the saint was very upset, but the Lord saw this and filled the lamp with oil. The miracles of Saint Spyridon were just beginning; an amazing incident was recorded when he entered an empty church and ordered the lamps to be lit there, and the divine service began.
At some point, the saint shouted
"Peace to all"
and suddenly, out of nowhere, he and the deacons heard many voices coming from above, with the words
"And to your spirit"
The number of voices was so great and sweet that people passing by hurried to the church to hear them better. The closer they walked, the more wonderful the singing became, but as soon as they entered it, they discovered that it was completely empty, and there was no one there except a few ministers and Saint Spyridon.
The saint also healed the seriously ill Emperor Constantine, and he had the gift of speaking with the dead. This is how he talked to his recently deceased daughter Irina, who was being prepared for burial. There was a case when a woman approached him with a dead baby in her arms and begged him for help and intercession, Spiridon prayed and the baby came back to life.
St. Spyridon of Trimythous
In general, he was a very unusual miracle worker, he was very simple, but with great miraculous power that came from God. At his word, the elements subsided, idols collapsed, and the dead awakened.
In the year 48 of the twentieth century, a family came to Kerkyra, where his relics lie, with their son George, who had not spoken since childhood, the mother had a dream that the boy was healed by the saint, the woman prayed to the saint for three days, when at the end of the celebration the relics were carried over the child Saint,” George spoke at that very moment. And there are a lot of such miracles, I advise you to read about the life of the saint, believe me, it’s very interesting. Believe me, the miracles of St. Spyridon do not end there; not even a thick book is enough to describe them all.
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In terms of popularity and responsiveness to the needs of his neighbor, he could be compared with Nicholas the Wonderworker, and in terms of hospitality - with the Old Testament forefather Abraham. He was born on the island of Cyprus, from childhood he humbly tended sheep, but the Lord prepared a different path for him: to become a shepherd of human souls. This saint is Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. On the day of remembrance of the saint on December 25, we will tell you what the life of this righteous man was like, why people turn to him for help in the most difficult life situations and what this modern miracle is - the shoes on the relics of the saint are changed once a year, as they... get trampled.
Shepherd and Shepherd
The future saint was born approximately in 270. He was a shepherd - since childhood he tended flocks of sheep and spent a lot of time among nature. On the icons the saint is depicted wearing an interesting headdress. It turns out that this is a shepherd's cap, woven from wicker twigs or sewn from sheep's wool.
When the time came, Spiridon started a family, his daughter Irina was born. Then the saint’s wife died, and he devoted his entire life to serving the Lord and people. Soon he was even elected bishop of the city of Trimifunt.
What made Spyridon of Trimifuntsky famous?
Both during the life of the saint and in our time, Saint Spyridon is very much loved by believers. For what? Read about this in the next six points.
1. Helping others
Saint Spyridon was an extremely responsive and hospitable person. He divided the harvest into two parts: he distributed one to the poor, and kept the second in a chamber, but not under lock and key. Anyone in need could come and take as much grain as they needed, and return it to their place from the harvest. Saint Spyridon never checked anyone. But people always took and returned according to their conscience. Of course, there was one dishonest person: he took the grain, but did not want to return it to its place. But the Lord and the saint “gently” rebuked him.
2. Generosity
Spiridon Trimifuntsky was ready to share the latter. And even when people acted dishonestly. Love for people was the main method of his conviction. How is that? - the reader will ask. Let's explain with an example.
One day, the saint's flock was attacked by robbers. But at that moment, when they wanted to steal the sheep, the angels unknowingly tied them up. The attackers could not even move. When Saint Spyridon saw this in the morning, he prayed to God for help. Think about it: he tearfully asked the Lord to let go and bring the thieves to reason. After this, the saint persuaded the robbers to leave their dishonest work and gave each one a lamb.
3. Faith
In the Gospel, the Savior says that if our faith were even the size of a mustard seed, then our words could move mountains from place to place. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky actually fulfilled this commandment.
One day, a bishop hurried to the aid of a friend: evil people had slandered a fellow saint and were preparing him for the death penalty. A stream of water blocked the path of the saint. Saint Spyridon, in the name of the Lord, ordered the water to disperse and walked further on dry land.
The life of the saint also describes the fact of an amazing Liturgy, during which an angelic choir sang along with the saint. Many people heard amazing singing from the street, and when they entered the church, they were perplexed that only a bishop and a deacon served in it.
4. Miracles
It was for his quick help and numerous miracles that Spyridon of Trimifuntsky gained such popularity among believers. He is even often depicted on the same icon together with St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Bishop Spyridon, if it was necessary to save the harvest from drought or heavy rain, controlled the elements. The saint healed the sick and even raised the dead.
One day, a woman who had previously worshiped pagan gods came to him with a dead child in her arms. And the saint healed the baby. When the surprised mother saw this miracle, she fell dead from the excitement she experienced. But Saint Spyridon “awakened” her too. After this she became a Christian.
One of the saint’s miracles was associated with his daughter Irina. Some noble woman entrusted Irina with keeping her valuables, but after some time the daughter of St. Spyridon died. To find out where the jewelry was located and to give it to the lady, Spiridon of Trimifuntsky resurrected his daughter and received all the necessary information from her.
5. Simplicity and wisdom
As bishop of Trimifunt, Saint Spyridon was a participant in the First Ecumenical Council in 325 in Nicaea. Many prominent religious thinkers of the time were present here. But Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, an ordinary shepherd and shepherd of God, in a certain sense was above these minds. He had sincere faith, simplicity and wisdom. And this is precisely what was not enough to expose the heresy of Arius - the heretical movement argued that Christ was not equal to God the Father in divinity.
According to legend, Saint Spyridon discussed with a certain Greek philosopher who defended the idea of Arianism. The saint said: “We believe that the Lord created everything out of nothing by His Word and Spirit. And this word - the Son of God - became incarnate and came into the world through the Virgin Mary. Christ came to earth to redeem every person, suffered on the cross, died and was resurrected. We believe that Jesus Christ is one in essence with the Father. We simply believe, without any crafty thoughts, for this is a divine secret. But the human mind cannot comprehend such a secret.”
After this, the philosopher rejected Arianism, and Spyridon of Trimifuntsky figuratively showed the meaning of veneration of the Holy Trinity. He took the brick and squeezed it in his hand. A miracle happened: a flame broke out at the top, water flowed down, and the clay remained in the hands of the saint. The Trimifuntian bishop simply commented: “Even though you saw three elements, the brick was one. So is the Most Holy Trinity: there are three Persons, but the Divinity is triune.”
6. Imperishable relics and trampled shoes
Spyridon of Trimifuntsky departed to God somewhere in 348. He knew the date of his death and died while praying. His last words concerned love for the Lord and neighbor.
The reliquary with the relics of the saint resides on the island of Corfu, in its main city, Kerkyra. The righteous remains, sixteen centuries later, remain incorruptible. Moreover: their temperature remains the same as that of a living person. But this is not all miracles.
Every year the incorruptible remains of the saint are dressed in new vestments. And surprisingly, the shoes on your feet turn out to be worn out after some time. Sometimes you can even find sea sand on them.
People believe that their beloved saint physically walks the earth and helps everyone in need. Many come to pray in front of his righteous remains - a shrine is opened twice a day in the Church of St. Spyridon in Kerkyra.
But there are times when the key does not obey. Believers believe that at this time the saint is not in the temple, he is helping one of the people. Of course, all this is reminiscent of pious fairy tales, but there is one “but” - eyewitness accounts. In particular, one sailor testified that during a storm he was saved by Spiridon of Trimifuntsky. Traces of sand also sometimes remain on the saint’s shoes. To believe or not to believe, to pray to the saint in difficult situations or not - decide for yourself. While one doubts, the other receives help.
We invite you to watch an interesting film about the life of the saint:
How to get to the Temple of Spyridon in Moscow
All of you can now imagine what kind of miracle this saint is, and that he helps everyone who asks him, without sparing his shoes he walks around the world. In this instruction, I will show you the easiest way to get to him and pray, and even ask the icon with his piece for the most cherished thing.
We will get there by metro, but if you have a car and can get there from another city, then you can easily use the navigator, the address will be below. The Temple of Spiridon itself is located in the center of Moscow, the closest way to it is from the Okhotny Ryad station, this is the red line.
If you are coming from the bottom (south), then at the Okhotny Ryad station you need to get out of the car and turn left, the signs will be towards Red Square, if from the north, then to the right after exiting the car. Take the medium sized escalators. Next, exit the metro doors and turn right. Get to the end and turn right again and go up the stairs.
You go out onto one of the main streets of Moscow, Tverskaya Street. You need to walk forward a couple of hundred meters . By the way, the Kremlin will be behind you :)
The relics of Spyridon Trimifuntsky in Moscow Tverskaya Street itself is entirely historical buildings, in each of which someone necessarily lived. I will not talk about everything, since this is not the topic of this article, I will only mention those that I meet along the way.
The first one will be the Yermolova Theater, if you saw it, go right.
road to the Relics of Spyridon Trimifuntsky in Moscow
Next you will see a beautiful building in which a lot of famous poets and scientists lived, there is also a McDonald's in it, I say this if you suddenly feel the urge due to human need, we are all people, and there you can do it for free and in comfortable conditions, I don’t know that everyone scolds them, but there is a positive side here.
road to the Relics of Spyridon Trimifuntsky in Moscow We continue to move forward, then there will be a lot of memorial plaques with famous people who lived on Tverskaya, you can highlight this entrance.
But the benches look so funny, be careful sitting on them in winter, you never know.
as a result, you should soon reach a giant arch, it will be on our left hand. You will see a sign for Bryusov Lane . Not named after Bruce Willis :).
We turn into it, that is, left.
And so we all got to Bryusov Lane, here is the temple with the relics of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky in Moscow. Bryusov Lane itself also consists of houses where a lot of famous people lived; you can find a lot of memorial plaques. Let's go forward, and you are almost visiting St. Spyridon.
Temple of Spyridon in Moscow
We’re getting even closer, unfortunately, I was here in the winter, it’s a little gloomy in Moscow, but in the spring I think it will be awesome here, I’ll definitely take you there with me in the spring.
Temple of Spyridon in Moscow
Next to the temple there will be a children's park, there will be such a wonderful monument in it, look for yourself.
The Temple of Spyridon itself has a more or less common form for Moscow.
Relics of Spyridon Trimifuntsky in Moscow
We go into the main entrance of the church.
Temple of Spyridon in Moscow
Address of the Temple of Spyridon in Moscow
And so here is the actual address of the Church of the Resurrection on the Assumption Enemy
Bryusov lane house 15/2 BUILDING 3
Temple of Spyridon in Moscow
And here is the date of foundation of the Church of the Resurrection on the Assumption Enemy. As you can see, it was built already in 1629, it will soon be 400 years old, it’s simply unthinkable.
Church of the Resurrection on the Assumption Enemy Walk forward into the depths of the temple. This is what the iconostasis looks like. I would like to note right away that I took all the photographs solely for the purpose of introducing you to the temple and maybe someone will find the photograph of the icon of Spyridon useful; not everyone has the opportunity to come. On the left there is a very powerful icon of the Mother of God, from whom many ask for their secret.
Here on the right are two icons, the one on the right with Christ, and on the left with a piece of the relics of Spyridon of Trimythous.
Temple of Spyridon in Moscow
There is a piece, right here
Temple of Spyridon in Moscow
prayers to Saint Spyridon of Trimythous
- prayer to Saint Spyridon of Trimythous for well-being
O blessed Saint Spyridon! Beg the mercy of God, the Lover of Mankind, not to judge us for our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His mercy. Ask us, God's servants (names), from Christ and God for our peaceful, serene life, mental and physical health. Deliver us from all spiritual and physical troubles, from all yearnings and the devil’s slander.
Remember us at the throne of the Almighty and beg the Lord to grant us forgiveness for many of our sins, grant us a comfortable and peaceful life, and grant us a shameless and peaceful death and eternal bliss in the future, so that we may continually send glory and thanksgiving to the Father and the Son and the Spirit Holy, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
How to pray correctly > It is best to read the akathist to the saint for 40 days in a row, but not everyone can do this. But if you want something with all your heart and soul, then the whole universe will help you with it
You can also ask and pray, in your own words, most importantly from a pure heart, and ask and it will be given to you
Coming out of the Church of St. Spyridon, you will see on the opposite side a square where you can see a monument to an angel
And nearby is a monument to Rostropovich
This is how I had an interesting trip to the relics of Spyridon Trimifuntsky in Moscow, if you have any questions, please write in the comments.
From the story of Igor Pochapsky:
“Two years ago I had the opportunity to climb Mount Athos. One of my companions told me about Saint Spyridon, about the ceremony of his reveiling and about the slippers, which, as has long been noted, wear out within a year, because the saint tirelessly walks around helping people in need. This story interested me extremely, but there was no opportunity to go to Corfu. Nevertheless, I did not stop thinking about St. Spyridon and how to visit the island and the temple where his incorruptible relics rest, I prayed about it. And then Father Vladimir said that there was an opportunity to bring the relic to Moscow.
The preparation process for the “expedition” began in September. Many difficulties awaited us along this path. Not all agreements were carefully observed. But through the prayers of Saint Spyridon everything, thank God, took place. In 2021, the memory of the saint was celebrated especially solemnly. This is due to the 300th anniversary of one of the many miracles he performed on Corfu - saving the island from the Turkish invasion in 1716.”
The trip, organized with the participation of the Chairman of the Russian Society in Corfu, Alexander Sosnin, was timed to coincide with the solemn celebration of the memory of St. Spyridon on the day of his death on December 12, according to Art. Art. (In Russia, where the Orthodox Church lives according to the Julian calendar, this holiday falls on December 25. According to tradition, on this day the relics of the saint are re-veiled. The old vestments are cut into tiny pieces and distributed to believers who have come to venerate St. Spyridon. Slippers, like a great shrine, are distributed to churches. There are only a few churches in Russia that house this priceless relic. Now among them is the Church of St. Andrei Rublev on Verkhnyaya Maslovka.
From the story of Mlada Troitskaya:
“At the end of September 2021, I went on a long-awaited vacation to Corfu. And since I help the Church of Elijah the Prophet in the Rostov region, the idea arose to receive and transfer there a piece of the vestment of St. Spyridon of Trimythous. I remembered that my friend Hierodeacon Roman, who works in the department of external church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, often travels to Corfu on duty. I decided to ask him for help. The very next day, Father Roman called back and said that it was possible to receive not a piece of vestment, but a saint’s slipper. Arriving in Kerkyra, I met with the chairman of the Russian Society in Corfu, Alexander Sosnin, who undertook to work for us, and I realized that this was really possible. But at the same time the understanding came that it was impossible to take such a shrine to a temple that was still being restored and did not even have a basic alarm system. And then I remembered about the Andrei Rublev temple under construction. I called Zhenya Pavlova, the spiritual daughter of Fr. Vladimir, and asked if there was security at the Rublevsky Temple. There is security, and it turns out that Fr. Vladimir often prayed to Saint Spyridon and asked for his help in building the temple.”
The painstaking bureaucratic work of preparing the trip began.
Bishop Paramon turned to Metropolitan Nektarios of Kerkyra, Paxia and the Diapontine Islands with a request to transfer the slipper of St. Spyridon of Trimythous to the young church of Andrei Rublev on Upper Maslovka. Metropolitan Nektary responded to the request. And now a representative delegation flies to Corfu.
From the story of Evgenia Pavlova:
“The plane is gaining altitude, holding an akathist to St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. In four hours we will be in Athens, so that from there we can fly to the island of Corfu to visit St. Spyridonius of Trimythous.
Our team: Archpriest Vladimir Leonov, having learned about the opportunity to accept the shrine into his church, immediately remembers how in the summer in Montenegro he offered prayers for the construction of the Church of St. Andrei Rublev in front of the shrine, a slipper from the saint’s foot.
R.B. Igor, who worshiped this shrine with his priest in Montenegro, is now flying to Corfu to cover all the costs of the trip and the safety of the shrine. A surprisingly taciturn and reliable person.
O. Roman, on whose shoulders all the negotiations with the Greek side about the transfer of the shrine fell, also ended up with us. For all of us, he is a guarantee that things will work out. He completed his part of the mission brilliantly.
R.B. Maria (Mlada) – it all started with her. She negotiated to obtain the shrine while in Corfu in the fall.
St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky was one of the first saints discovered by me at the beginning of my churching. After reading the life of the saint, I glanced out the window and saw a clearly outlined Orthodox cross the color of dawn. And on the day of remembrance of St. Spyridon, December 25, my beloved dad, the servant of God Alexander, was born. And he also died in December. That’s why I especially honor Spyridon of Trimifuntsky – it seems that he is always nearby.
Early in the morning of December 12, our small delegation, led by Father Vladimir, came to the Church of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky to attend the Divine Liturgy. Believers filled the temple long before the service began.
On this day the relics of the saint are removed. They are carried around the temple, after which the believers kiss its feet, which are shod with new red slippers after the annual re-dressing. I was very surprised by the presence and participation of a brass band in the ceremony of removing the relics.
We waited with great trepidation for the rector of the Church of St. Spyridon, Archimandrite Justin, to hand over to the rector of the Church of St. Andrei Rublev on Verkhnyaya Maslovka, Archpriest Vladimir Leonov, part of the old vestment - one of the saint’s slippers.
When approaching Moscow, our plane circled over the airfield for about half an hour - it could not land in the impenetrable snow darkness. How I managed to read the akathist to Spyridon of Trimifunt three times during this time - I still can’t understand. When I told the priest about this, he was very surprised, not at the speed of my reading, but at the fact that, it turns out, there was some kind of hitch. He was carrying a great shrine, and everyday little things did not exist for him at that moment.”
During their three days in Corfu, representatives of the Church of St. Andrei Rublev was spent in the Church of St. Spyridon for about twenty hours. They also visited the Cathedral of Kerkyra, where they venerated the relics of Queen Theodora located there. Here, too, the connection with Andrei Rublev’s temple was surprisingly revealed. After all, the holy Queen Theodora is revered as having preserved the veneration of icons. This means that she can be considered the heavenly patron of the Monk Andrei Rublev, who in turn became the heavenly patron of icon painters. And Father Roman (Kiselev) showed the place where the relics of St. Nicholas remained for 24 hours when they were transported from Myra in Lycia to Bari.
Surprisingly, the history of the Church of St. Andrei Rublev on Verkhnyaya Maslovka, which is being built in Moscow, turned out to be connected with the name of St. Spyridon, who has been revered in Rus' since ancient times.
One of the parishioners of the temple, even before the start of construction, painted an icon - the image of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. The icon was donated to the dean of the All Saints District of the Northern Vicariate of Moscow, Archpriest Sergius the Dikiy, who is building a temple in the name of this saint on Bolshaya Academicheskaya Street.
Another parishioner brought an icon of St. Spyridon with a piece of his mantle from the island of Corfu and presented it to our church. And the chairman of the Russian Society in Corfu, Alexander Sosnin, who greatly helped the representatives of our church during their mission to Corfu, said that for almost thirty years he crossed a small wasteland along the path every day, on the site of which the temple of St. Andrei Rublev was erected.
And here is new, visible evidence of the invisible presence of St. Spyridon in the life of our young church.
From now on, every Thursday at 18.00 you can come to the temple and read the akathist and pray at this shrine in the church of St. Andrey Rublev.
