People treat prayers and appeals to saints differently. If for one this is a tool for calming and maintaining strength, then for another it seems to be the only hope. Miracles and amazing deeds of saints form the basis for numerous amazing tales and legends passed on from mouth to mouth. In the bright hope of the intercession and help of saints, people have long turned to them with requests and entreaties. Many also thank the saints for the peace they have gained and the blessings that have come into their lives.
Saint Xenia the Blessed (of St. Petersburg or, according to the Orthodox spelling tradition, St. Petersburg) has been considered a miracle worker for more than 200 years. People tell a large number of stories about how the patronage of this saint brought goodness and prosperity, health and peace. It is believed that Blessed Xenia helps everyone , the main thing is to turn to her with an open heart and pure intentions.
Saint Xenia is the patroness of St. Petersburg . In this city, as well as in many other settlements of Russia, there are churches and chapels in honor of this saint, there are icons and faces of the Blessed Xenia. Faith in the power of prayer brings many parishioners to such places.
Saint's story
Tradition says that for 45 years Ksenia was a holy fool and a wanderer. Data on the exact date of her birth and death has not been preserved (there is information that the parents of the future saint were noble people). There is genuine information that she lived in the 18th century in St. Petersburg and gained recognition among the townspeople thanks to her amazing kindness. She readily healed the poor and the rich and helped those in need. All the saint’s deeds are covered with a trail of unconditional all-consuming love and humanity.
Having lived three and a half years in a happy marriage with singer Andrei Petrov, the woman lost her husband and became a widow at the age of 26. The death of my beloved spouse led to a change in my lifestyle. She began to dress in her husband’s clothes and introduced herself to them, claiming that Ksenia had died, and not Andrei. The widow distributed all the material wealth that she and her husband managed to acquire to the poor and left the house, devoting it to the needs of homeless wanderers. Posing as a holy fool, Ksenia, according to legend, remained sane until the end of her days.
The woman began to live outside of material values , thanks to which her spirituality was seriously strengthened. Ksenia became a real savior for the unfortunate and wretched, as well as for all residents of St. Petersburg in need of help. She foresaw and prophesied (for example, she predicted the death of Empress Elizabeth and the young Tsarevich Ivan Antonovich), warned and advised, healed and supported. Tradition claims that Ksenia never took the gifts that were offered to her in gratitude, and she immediately gave away any money she came across.
The holy fool also helped the church. The Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God at the Smolensk cemetery in St. Petersburg was built, among other things, with the direct participation of Ksenia. She carried stones with her own hands and helped in every possible way in the construction of the church.
You will learn about Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg from this video.
After her death (according to most legends, her death came at the age of 45), her grave became a place of constant pilgrimage, first for grateful townspeople, and then for all believers in miracles. The grave mound at the Smolensk cemetery turned into a shrine, from where everyone tried to take a handful of earth - its grains were considered healing. In the same way, the gravestone was dismantled into shrines.
Many years later, at the burial site of Xenia of St. Petersburg, a chapel with her name was erected at the expense of praying citizens. During the war, the church did not work , but since 1960 it has been reopened to the public.
Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg was canonized as a Christian saint in 1988 at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. This cathedral took place during part of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus .
Ksenia's memorial day is considered to be February 6, as well as June 6. Believers say that prayers have great power on these dates.
Prayer for the healing of Xenia
Ksenia is considered a healer of not only physical, but also mental illnesses. such miracles began to happen during her lifetime and continue to happen in our time. Although she was canonized quite recently. It is also customary to serve memorial services and dedicate prayer services to her.
She could cure any disease with just one touch. That is why many mothers ran to her with their children so that she would bless them or stroke them. Sick people walked along the street with the hope of seeing her and getting better.
There are situations in every person’s life when the help of traditional medicine is no longer of any hope. It is then that we turn in prayer to the Lord and to the saints. There is some evidence about what problems this saint can help with:
- from a cancerous tumor,
- for leg disease,
- cure unborn children while still in the womb,
- with an ulcer.
To contact her with a request for healing, you can use the following words:
“Oh, simple in your way of life, homeless on earth, but heir to the abodes of the Heavenly Father, blessed wanderer Xenia!
Just as we previously fell into your tombstone of illness and sorrow and were filled with consolations, now we (names), overwhelmed by pernicious circumstances, resort to you and ask with hope: pray, O good heavenly God, that our steps may be corrected, according to the word of the Lord, to the doing of His commandments, and may the godless atheism that has captivated your city and your country, plunging us, many sinners, into mortal hatred of our brothers, proud self-indignation and blasphemous despair, be abolished.
Oh, most blessed one of Christ, who has put to shame the vanity of this age, ask the Creator and Giver of all blessings to grant us humility, meekness and love in the treasure of our hearts, faith in strengthening prayer, hope in repentance, strength in a difficult life, merciful healing of our soul and body , chastity in marriage and caring for our neighbors and sincere ones, renewal of our entire life in the purifying bath of repentance, as we praise your memory with all praise, let us glorify in you the miracle worker, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible forever and ever. Amen".
How and what to ask Xenia the Blessed (Petersburg)
Any request, if it is sincere, comes from the depths of the soul and does not carry evil, will definitely be heard by the saint. This is generally accepted among the people and the church.
Who is patronized by the saint?
- healing for the sick and suffering;
- unmarried and single people dreaming of family happiness, as well as married couples in search of harmony;
- women who want to give birth;
- people suffering from alcoholism;
- pupils and students;
- parents raising children;
- people who are faced with a difficult situation or in trouble;
- those seeking peace, humility and prosperity, as well as salvation from evil intent and slander;
- Saint Xenia is especially supportive of the fair sex.
However, asking her for material well-being or luck in gambling would be inappropriate.
People ask for Xenia in the chapel at her grave, in named churches, at icons. Since ancient times, there has been a tradition of turning to the saint for help in writing. The notes of Xenia the Blessed are considered as a prayer ritual.
Traditions of the notes of Saint Xenia
- the letter begins with a direct appeal to the saint (Blessed Mother, Mother, Saint, Dear);
- the request is indicated, the form of presentation is arbitrary;
- the names of the people mentioned in the prayer address are accurately written down;
- the note ends with the traditional “Amen”;
- the signature remains at the discretion of the author;
- Before sending a note, it is recommended to pray;
- The main guideline for preparing notes is the Orthodox canons.
There is no prohibition on praying to St. Xenia for other people, there are no rules regarding the type and size of paper for a note, as well as ink, writing style and handwriting. The main thing is that the writers should be motivated by faith.
It is customary to bring finished notes to churches erected in honor of Blessed Xenia. The prayer in the chapel at the Smolensk cemetery in St. Petersburg, installed on the grave of the saint, has the greatest power.
Pilgrimage to the grave of Xenia of St. Petersburg
This is a serious event for which you need to prepare in advance:
- Ideally, preparation for such a trip should be comprehensive and begin a week before the event;
- It is recommended to avoid drinking alcohol, smoking and slander;
- It is advisable to go to church and pray, communicate with the priest;
- it is necessary to help the suffering, give alms;
The following rituals are performed directly near the chapel:
- walk around the building three times from left to right;
- a note with the request is placed in a special box (if there is none, you can leave the request under a candle box or against the wall of the chapel);
- prayer for forgiveness - the hand or forehead touches the wall of a holy place;
- a lit candle is placed outside the chapel;
- inside the chapel a prayer is also performed or a prayer service is ordered, a candle is lit;
- go out without haste, calmly and without looking back. There is a special atmosphere in the chapel, it is better to feel it and forget about mortal worries;
- give alms, show virtue to homeless people and animals.
You can contact Xenia the Blessed remotely - for those who find it difficult to move - using email or regular mail. Anyone who is not able to make a pilgrimage to the chapel in St. Petersburg or visit the Church of Xenia the Blessed himself can entrust a note with an appeal to the saint to another person. If your heart doesn’t belong to a person, you can’t send a note with him.
The icon of Xenia travels around the world , and those who suffer receive help and healing, including by venerating this shrine.
The blessed face can also be placed at home for constant prayer. Orthodox canons prescribe placing the icon in a large and bright room - opposite the door. It is not customary to place either the faces of other saints or decorative elements nearby.
How to send a note or letter
Residents of St. Petersburg can transfer in two ways:
- Come to the Smolensk cemetery to the Holy Chapel. It is more convenient to write a note at home on any paper. Stand against the wall. Go inside, pray in front of the icon, touch the tombstone above Ksenyushka’s grave. Buy a candle and put it outside in an iron box with sand. There is a wooden box nearby for delivering notes.
- Send a note online (Internet).
Residents of other cities can send a note to Ksenia of Petersburg by mail or online.
For example, by searching in Yandex and typing the words: “write a letter (or note) to Ksenia of Petersburg” - the search will display various Internet resources, for example, this one:
- Notes from Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg - group in VK.
And others, in which there are people who transfer letters and notes to the chapel for free, and some, perhaps, for a fee.
Source of the article: https://kseniyapeterburgskaya.ru/zapiski
A wish fulfilled by the power of prayer
If what was asked to St. Xenia was accomplished, tradition prescribes ordering a prayer service with gratitude in any church.
The Chapel of Xenia of Petersburg is regularly visited by many people. The path to it does not become overgrown or covered with snow, and the walls of the chapel remain perfectly smooth, since a huge number of parishioners touch them with their foreheads and hands every day. People also kneel before the marble tombstone of the saint’s grave and bring fresh flowers to it.
People can tell countless stories of wonderful events that followed the sincere appeal to Xenia of St. Petersburg. The great power of prayer to this saint has been confirmed many times. This is traditionally remembered on the days of her memory . Orthodox portals on the Internet are full of amazing stories shared by real people. Even more stories can be heard among the people, especially if you talk with parishioners near the chapel at the Smolensk cemetery in St. Petersburg.
Blessed Ksenia of St. Petersburg will not leave you in trouble; she will respond to all requests coming from a pure heart. Pray for yourself and for all your loved ones! Ask for help, support, intercession and patronage. Ask and you will be heard!
Examples of notes
As stated above, you can write a note to Mother Ksenia in your own words. Who knows your needs and your pain better than you.
But, if it seems to you that using prayer phrases is more reliable, closer to understanding Ksenia, then read the prayers and choose suitable requests:
- “Oh, holy saint of God, blessed Ksenia! Look mercifully with your eye on us servants of God (names) praying to your icon and asking for help and intercession..."
- “Immaculate Ksenia, I pray to you for marriage...”
- “Oh, holy all-blessed mother Ksenia! Present yourself with your holy prayers before our All-Merciful Savior for us...”
marked by God
Over time, Ksenia turned into a living talisman of simple hard-working people, especially merchants. As soon as the blessed woman went into the shop in the morning and took some trinket, asked for a cod or a “king on horseback” (a penny), trade in the shop that day went with a bang. And vice versa, if the “former” eventually received the name Nourishing: they began to feed the poor to their fill in order to gain the favor of the holy fool, marked by God’s grace. Ksenia refused to accept alms, it was better to fold the goods and go home, since trade was not expected in the near future. The same thing happened to St. Petersburg cab drivers. Everyone knew: whoever a ragged beggar woman gets in and drives even a fathom will have a lucky day. The number of cab drivers chasing the blessed one from the St. Petersburg side reached several hundred. But Ksenia did not welcome everyone. The holy fool explained her refusal with her characteristic childish straightforwardness. “Take it, Andrei Fedorovich, as a memorial,” someone offered Ksenia a penny. - No, brother, you are cheating the customers! To another she gave a different reason: “No, I won’t go with you, you, dear man, offend the poor!” The peddlers of buns, gingerbread, apples, pies and other foodstuffs, noticing the ragged beggar woman from afar, opened their trays and impatiently waited for her to take at least something from them. And the market
Examples of help
Many people have encountered miracles performed by Mother Ksenia.
So, I saved a girl who was in despair from hopelessness, and was already thinking about taking her own life. Out of nowhere came an old woman leaning on a stick, who wished her not to lose heart and further happiness. The words about happiness in her situation sounded strange, I wanted to tell the old woman about it, but she disappeared.
The girl’s circumstances changed unpredictably, everything turned out happily. Later she saw a portrait of Ksenia of Petersburg and realized who the old woman was.
Another example. My husband died. Two sons remain. The family was noble. The wife, left without a husband, did not know how to raise the boys. She prayed to Ksenia. We helped get the guys into the Cadet Corps.
More than once she appeared to people after death, providing assistance when they prayed to her.
Saint Xenia was kind to children; she would not pass by a child without caressing or stroking her. Then it turns out that the patient recovered quickly and the capricious one calmed down. Therefore, mothers, seeing Ksenia, hurried to her and asked her to take the child in her arms or caress her.
