A large number of believing parishioners will venerate the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh. After all, they have healing and miraculous effects. This saint is considered one of the main defenders of the Russian land. Moreover, during his lifetime the monk was the founder of more than a dozen monasteries and churches. His name is associated with the beginning of a great revival of spiritual culture.
Finding
16 years after the body of the reverend elder was committed to the earth, he appeared to the abbot of the monastery he created and warned of a terrible disaster approaching the holy place. Soon the monastery was plundered and burned by troops of the Tatar Khan Edigei. But the brethren managed to hide in the thicket of the forest, taking with them many church relics:
- icons;
- books;
- church utensils.
As Father Sergius promised his disciple, the trials soon ended and the holy place began to be restored. At this time, another vision of the holy elder happened. He appeared to one layman and asked him to tell the monks who were restoring the holy place that he was upset about being under the thickness of the earth and flooding his grave.
Holy Venerable Sergius of Radonezh
In 1422, preparation of the foundation for the construction of a new Holy Trinity Cathedral, made of stone, began. With the gathering of a large number of common people, noble people, monks of the monastery and Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod (godson of St. Sergius), the relics were raised to the surface and then transferred to a temporary wooden church.
A year later they were solemnly transferred to the Trinity Cathedral, where they are kept to this day.
Read about the saint:
- Icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh
- Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh on Ryazanka in Moscow
- Akathist to Saint Sergius of Radonezh
Life
The God-bearing Father was born on May 3, 1314 into the pious peasant family of Cyril and Mary (who were also canonized) in Rostov. True, his name was Bartholomew then. The Lord himself chose him to serve people. Pregnant Mary, standing at a service in the temple, suddenly heard the cry of a baby three times from her womb, heard by the people around her and by the priest himself, who immediately realized that a true servant of the Orthodox faith would soon be born.
In his youth, Bartholomew was sent to school, but his weak memory did not give him the opportunity to study well. One day, while walking through an oak grove, he saw an old monk who looked like an angel, and he blessed him for good studies. Bartholomew devoted a lot of time to reading the Holy Scriptures; he wanted to devote his life to God and become a monk, but while his parents were alive, he made a vow to himself.
Soon their whole family moved from Rostov to Radonezh, where after some time the parents reposed before the Lord. In 1337, Bartholomew gave away all his property and, together with his brother Stefan, who was already a monk of the Intercession Monastery, settled on the deserted Makovets hill. The brother soon could not stand the harsh life in the wild wilderness and returned to the brethren.
Bartholomew was left alone, then he was 23 years old. One day Hieromonk Mitrofan came to him, who blessed him to become a monk with the name Sergius.
People in the area quickly learned about the pious monk, and other monks were drawn to him. Together they began to build a small chapel in honor of the Holy Trinity. Then, with God's help, a monastery was built. Smolensk Archimandrite Simon once made a special visit to them and left precious gifts for the brethren to expand the monastery and build a large church.
Story
The relics, placed in a simple wooden shrine, became the object of worship for many believers of different classes. Since 1585, they have been resting in a silver casket, which was covered with gilding on top. Over the six-hundred-year history, the holy remains were seriously endangered several times.
The story of the appearance of the Church of All Saints in Sergiev Posad is connected with one of these events. In 1746, a strong fire broke out in the southern part of the Lavra, threatening the Trinity Cathedral and the relics stored in it. She was taken out of the territory of the monastery through the northern gate and placed in a vacant lot, which at that time was located northwest of the monastery.
Reliquary with the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra
After the fire was over, the relics were brought to their original location. And at the place of their temporary residence a church was founded.
Read about the relics of other Orthodox saints:
- Relics of Saint John the Baptist
- Relics of St. Gabriel Urgebadze
- Relics of St. Elijah of Muromets
The birthplace of the nesting doll.
Sergiev Posad is considered the birthplace of the nesting doll. According to theory, it was here that the toy craft of Rus' originated. On this occasion, in Sergiev Posad there is the only Toy Institute . And in the toy museum you can see exhibits and get acquainted with the history.
At the intersection of Voznesenskaya and Sergievskaya streets, on the best observation deck in the city, I finish my story about Sergiev Posad.
RESULTS OF THE TRIP: I combined my trip to Sergiev Posad with a trip to Alexandrov. Fortunately, for a more thorough inspection of Sergiev Posad, you need to set aside a whole day: in the city there is also a beautiful Chernigov Monastery of the 19th century, and 11 kilometers from the city in the village of Khotkovo there is an old Intercession Monastery, from where it’s just a stone’s throw from the Abramtsevo Museum-Reserve - Aksakov’s patrimony , who wrote “The Scarlet Flower.” So I found a reason to come to this wonderful place again.
Tests in Soviet times
Until 1916, the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh remained incorrupt. They were covered with cotton fibers, which were then distributed to parishioners and pilgrims as a blessing. Due to the negligence of the monk assigned to the relic, a spark from a candle got into the shrine. The fire quickly consumed the clothes and flesh of the holy elder. Only bones and remnants of clothes remained in the casket.
The young Soviet government, in the wake of the fight against a religious cult, decided to open the ark with the relics. On April 11, the Lavra was surrounded by military and mounted police, who did not let in the many gathered believers demanding not to desecrate the remains of the holy man. But their voices were not heard. The ark was opened, and the relics were exhibited as an exhibit in an atheistic museum organized on the territory of the monastery. To save the holy remains, priest Pavel Florensky and Count Yuri Olsufiev secretly separated the head from them, which was replaced with the skull of one of the princes of the Trubetskoy family, resting on the territory of the cathedral.
The head of Holy Father Sergius was passed from guardian to guardian for more than 20 years. During the war years, it was hidden in the altar of the church in the village of Vinogradovo, located not far from the capital. In 1945, monastic life in the holy monastery, located in Sergiev Posad, resumed. The holy relics were clothed in robes and returned to the shrine in the Trinity Cathedral. But they and the Assumption Church were officially transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church only a year later. But neither the monks nor the parishioners had any idea about the substitution that had once taken place.
The relic was handed over to Father Hilarion, who participated in its rescue. During the re-dressing of the relics in the new schema, the head was secretly returned to its original place.
Interesting: there is a version that the separation of the head of St. Sergius occurred before the desecration of the relics. But whatever the date of this event, its basic facts remain unchanged.
Miracles past and present
The monastery chronicles contain many records of miracles that occurred through prayer at the relics of the Venerable Father Sergius and sincere faith in the power of the Lord.
Healing of the youth Leonty
The son of one of the elders of the city of Vyshgorod endured severe pain for many years in his diseased hand, which was withered and twisted. The young man visited many holy places in the hope of healing from his illness. And so, in one village belonging to the Trinity Monastery, the Monk Sergius appeared to him and ordered him to go to his monastery for healing.
Ark with a particle of the relics of Sergius of Radonezh
Arriving at the monastery, Leonty approached the shrine with the honorable relics and began a prayer, which was accompanied by prostrations to the ground. After the third, the young man venerated the ark and announced to the people around him that his hand had been healed of its disease.
This miracle strengthened the young man’s Faith, and he went to tell the laity about the miracles of the reverend elder.
Love and care for children
The history of the modern miracle took place in the middle of the 20th century.
At this time, two small children lived on one of the streets of the city of Sergiev Posad - Sofia and Mikhail - and their mother, who worked in a clinic. One day, seeing the approach of a thunderstorm, which the children were terrified of, the woman took time off from work and hurried home, silently asking for help from St. Sergius.
Having run home, she opened the door and entered the room where the kids were sitting calmly and joyfully. They told her that in the first minutes of bad weather, an old man in a monastic robe came to them and calmed them down. He said that mom would come soon and there was no need to be afraid. Sonya became a deeply religious woman and worked at the holy monastery into old age.
Help for a blind pilgrim
One autumn evening, a guide accompanying a tourist group from Germany around the Lavra saw an elderly woman on the steps of the Trinity Church. The grandmother, whose name was Anna, came from Kyiv to venerate the holy relics, and since she had nowhere to go, she was going to spend the night on the street. The eighty-year-old woman was completely blind.
Going on a long journey, she offered prayers to St. Sergius and asked for help. And the holy man helped her by sending good people who bore his name. They accompanied the grandmother to the right train and helped her get to the holy place.
Return of a lost child and fulfillment of wishes
Reverend Father Sergius of Radonezh hears the sincere request of any person, regardless of his appearance and knowledge of temple traditions. This is proven by a miracle that happened to a woman from the town of Krasnoznamensk near Moscow. A misfortune occurred in the family of her husband’s acquaintances - their infant daughter disappeared. The search for the girl did not yield results and Lyudmila decided to go to the Trinity Lavra to offer prayer at the relics of the reverend wonderworker.
Prayer service at the shrine with the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh
The young woman could not help but ask for herself - she had long dreamed of the happiness of motherhood.
It should be noted that the woman was not officially married, was not married to her companion, and arrived at the monastery in trousers and bright makeup on her face. But the holy father heard her fervent prayer. The next day after the trip, the baby was found on the threshold of her own home, and after some time Lyudmila found out about her pregnancy.
Appearing to her in a dream, the Monk Sergius smiled at her with great love and asked if she was satisfied. Since then, Lyudmila regularly attends church and raises her son in love for God.
Sergiev Posad.
The continuation of my one-day foray from Moscow begins at the Sergiev Posad railway station, where the train took me from Aleksandrov. You can read about the beginning of my journey, what prompted me to take it, about the city of Alexandrov and Alexandrovskaya Sloboda in the article “By train to Alexandrov, Alexandrovskaya Sloboda.” Approaching Sergiev Posad, I noticed that not far from the station there was a very beautiful view of the Holy Trinity Lavra and decided to walk to this place. But first, to my amazement, at the exit from the platform I had to pass a solid cordon of police with dogs and military personnel. To be honest, I was afraid to take out my camera, everyone’s faces were too serious. There are many cafes on the station square, including McDonald's and Burger King, where you can have a snack. Having replenished my supply with the necessary calories, I went to look for the observation deck. It didn't take long to walk; it was located 400 meters from the station. I just warn you that it’s not worth repeating my hike in the rain and with children, you need to walk along a dirt path and along the railway track.
How they help
St. Sergius of Radonezh is one of the most revered Orthodox holy fathers. Thousands of prayers are offered to him every day by people in need of advice, help and intercession. It helps in a wide variety of cases.
For example:
- Father Sergius is the patron of all people receiving education.
- He is asked for help in raising teenage children.
- It protects in life-threatening situations and protects from enemy attacks.
- Through prayer to Saint Sergius, people get rid of pride and vanity, opening their souls to love and humility.
- They pray to him for people subject to addictions and bad influences.
- They pray to the venerable elder before starting important matters and ask for help in difficult everyday situations.
- They ask him for healing from physical and mental illnesses.
Strong walls of the monastery
The heirs to the royal throne, Vasily III and Ivan the Terrible, were baptized in the famous Holy Trinity Monastery. Soon this monastery turned into a defensive fortress, which was surrounded by stone walls with 12 towers. Ivan the Terrible personally supervised the construction. All this later came in handy when defending against the troops of False Dmitry II.
In 1608-1609, the Sergiev Posad land repulsed a powerful army of thousands of Poles led by governors Sapieha and Lisovsky. Then the Russian governors were Prince G.B. Roshcha-Dolgoruky and nobleman Alexei Golokhvastov. They prayed incessantly and knew that Saint Sergius of Radonezh was always helping them. They kept his relics like the apple of their eye. At the tomb of the holy elder, everyone kissed the cross and swore that they would never leave their monastery alive.
