Song 1
Irmos: In the depths of the post, sometimes the Pharaoh's all-army is a pre-armed force, but the incarnate Word consumed all-evil sin: the glorified Lord is gloriously glorified.
Chorus: Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
I have reached the meek earth, my father, who is meek, and merciful, and pure, who has calmed the storm of my heart, as if I had been in the Divine silence, I will sing songs to you.
Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
By the Divine works of the soul, father, having purified, God-like, Spyridon, you were and enriched with the Divine Spirit by the radiance; thus you illuminate your purely blissful self.
Glory: From the flock, like David, we will receive you, Creator of words, set you as the flock of the most graceful shepherd, shining with simplicity and meekness, and adorned with innocence, reverend shepherd.
And now: Most Holy Pure Virgin, enlighten and sanctify my thoughts and soul, I pray, clouds destroying my ignorance and taking away the darkness of sin, as if I please You according to duty.
How to pray correctly
You can pray to Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky both in the temple and at home at any time of the day. However, it is recommended to conduct a daily prayer ritual in front of the image of the saint (icon) in the evening. You need to pray for 40 days or until the prayer request is completely fulfilled.
It would be better to buy an icon of St. Spyridon of Trimifunt and prayer candles in the church, and also ask the priest for a blessing for a long reading of prayers in front of the icon of the saint. It is the long reading of prayers that gives the expected results, as it helps to cleanse the heart of negativity and strengthen the connection with higher powers. You can read three prayers or only selected ones.
A prayer will be heard and bring results if it is not just pronounced like a poem, but is created with the heart and mind, and comes from the depths of the soul. You need to not only ask for a miracle to happen, but also give thanks for the good things that already exist, repent and ask for forgiveness of your sins.
The saint helps those who do not have bad intentions in their thoughts, who really need help and support, striving for a righteous and Christian life. And those who pray only to have their own material gain for the sake of elevation above other people should not expect help by turning to Spyridon of Trimythous.
You can also order a prayer service in the church indicating the names of those who ask the saint for help. During the service, the clergyman reads out the names of the petitioners.
Song 3
Irmos: Having established me on the rock of faith, you have enlarged my mouth against my enemies, for my spirit has rejoiced, always singing: there is nothing holy like our God, and nothing is righteous than Thee, O Lord.
Chorus: Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
Having enlightened your mind with dispassion and adorned yourself with Divine humility, you accepted the gifts of the Spirit to drive away spirits and solve the ailments of those who truly honor you, most sacredly.
Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
Having killed the beginning of the evil serpent, trampled down the money-loving disposition, having mercy on the one who demanded it, O holy saint, you turned the serpent into golden utensils through your sacred prayers, Reverend Father.
Glory: Thou hast ascended the mountain of dispassion, thou hast entered the temple of the Vision of God, and in the tablet of thy heart thou hast received the saving law, as the most sacred and ever-pleaser of Thy Lord.
And now: Heal the scabs of my soul, my mind, darkened by negligence, O Bride of God, illuminate, so that I sing: there is nothing more blameless than You, Immaculate One, and nothing is pure than You, Lady.
What is Akathist?
Akathist is a special chant of praise and gratitude. Initially, this hymn was dedicated only to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is also called the Great Akathist (5-6th century). From the 13th-14th centuries, on the basis of it, other akathists began to be compiled, dedicated to the Lord, the Heavenly powers and saints. New akathists are being compiled to this day. Now the concept of “akathist” means an entire genre of Orthodox hymnography. These chants of praise have a special joyful mood.
The word “akathist” (“ἀκάθιστος”) from Greek is translated as “unsaddled”, “a hymn during the singing of which one does not sit.” During its reading, believers stand, with the exception of elderly people and those weakened by illness. By standing during the akathist, Orthodox Christians express respect to the recipient of the chants of praise. The reading of the akathist can be performed by both the clergy and every believer. It can be read not only conciliarly (together) in an Orthodox church, but also at home.
Sedalen, voice 8
Having entrusted yourself from the flock of sheep to represent the Church of Christ, you are a God-made shepherd, Spyridon, you have shone, you have driven away the slander of the wolves with your words, raising this pasture to piety. Moreover, among the God-bearing fathers, you established the faith through the wisdom of the spirit, blessed hierarch, pray to Christ the God of sins to grant your holy memory to those who celebrate love.
Glory even now: Like the All-Immaculate Bride of the Creator, like the Unskilled Mother of the Deliverer, a friend like the essence of the Comforter, All-Singing, who is the vile abode of iniquity and the playground of demons in the mind, trying to deliver me from those atrocities and complete the bright dwelling of virtues, luminous, incorruptible. Throw away the cloud of passions and the Divine Communion and grant the unevening light through Your prayers.
Song 4
Irmos: You came from the Virgin, not an intercessor, nor an Angel, but the Lord Himself, who became incarnate, and you saved all of me, a man. Thus I call to Thee: glory to Thy power, O Lord.
Chorus: Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
With the coals of Honest One the Spirit was kindled, a thing easily consumed by passions, O all-blessed, thou didst burn, and thou didst enlighten the world with the fires of thy virtues, O Spiridon.
Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
Having mortified your carnal movements, God-inspired, you raised the dead with your life-giving invitation. I also pray to you: revive my mortified soul, Father.
Glory: Obeying, dead voice to you, father, given and river aspirations of yours, holding fast to the command: you have appeared, blessed one, a miracle worker, receive Divine grace.
And now: The prophets of Your sacrament have proclaimed an inconceivable depth: You alone gave birth, Pure, to the misunderstood, embodied for the inscrutable mercy.
Song 5
Irmos: Enlightenment of those lying in darkness, salvation of the desperate, Christ, my Savior, to You in the morning, King of the world, enlighten me with Your radiance, for I know no other god than You.
Chorus: Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
The river of the gifts that exist in you will water every heart, reverent one, grant rich health to everyone, raise up all God to glory, who has glorified you and honored you with all sorts of miracles.
Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
You, the king of the earth, blessed, the King of Heaven, who has known a sincere servant and is filled with Divine gifts, always come to you to him, proclaiming the great doctor to God.
Glory: You became like Abraham’s strange-loving disposition, you opened the entrances of everyone in your house, and you were everyone, and providing for those who exist in the situation, blessed Spyridon.
And now: Thou hast given birth to a new Child to us, before the ages, O Young Lady, born of the Father who is without beginning. Beseech Him, as Thy Son and God, to show mercy to the Theotokos, O Most Pure One, who proclaims with a pure soul.
Life of a Saint
Saint Spyridon of Trimifunt (Salamin) - a saint of the Christian Church, is revered as a miracle worker who comes to the aid of those who ask him for help in their prayers. He is considered one of the main patrons of Greece. His relics rest on the island of Corfu.
Spyridon was born at the end of the 3rd century AD. on the island of Cyprus in the village of Askia. His parents were engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding. Since childhood, the future saint tended goats and sheep. His good nature and meekness attracted the disadvantaged. Spiridon led a godly life, never refused those in need of his help, gave shelter to wanderers and the homeless, and fed the poor. He loved God, prayer and compassion for those in need so much that he became a priest.
In his mature years, Spiridon married and a daughter was born into the family. The family life of the future saint did not last long. His wife died soon after. After such a loss, Spyridon began to serve God even more diligently with his good deeds. He forgave the debts of everyone who borrowed from him, distributed to the poor everything he had earned through his labor, and set off to wander the world.
For the purity of his soul and good deeds, God endowed Spiridon with divine power. During his wanderings, the future clergyman performed many miracles. He healed incurable diseases of the soul and body, cast out demons with one word, controlled the natural elements, and revived the dead. The gift of clairvoyance helped him see the hidden vices of people and convince them to repent of their sins before the Holy Scriptures.
Many residents of Byzantium recognized Spyridon as a miracle worker. The fame of his ability to perform miracles through prayer reached Constantinople. The episcopate decided to elect the elder as bishop of the Cypriot city of Trimifunt.
Song 6
Irmos: Lying in the abyss of sin, I call upon the abyss of Thy unfathomable mercy: from aphids, O God, lift me up.
Chorus: Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
Gold, like feces, is imputed to you, more than gold, I shine with dispassion and have been enriched, reverend, by the gift of the Spirit to all the gold.
Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
Purely serving Your Master, You had a multitude, O Reverend One, who listened to Thee of angelic powers with invisible voices, most sacred.
Glory: Glorious, to all wisdom, you have made your life glorious to the world, Father. In the same way, we celebrate your Divine memory, rejoicing, singing to you.
And now: Heaven widened Thy womb, Unartful, containing God, containing nowhere, the All-Holy Virgin, Bride of God.
Relics and churches of the saint
Saint Spyridon lived a long life and died at the moment of a conversation with God, when he prayed, having come to the field after a long day of work. His relics are located on the island of Corfu and local residents carry out processions with the relics of the saint 5 days a week in memory of his miraculous help to the inhabitants of the island. The Orthodox Church annually honors the memory of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky on December 12 (25).
Amazing facts indicate that the saint is still among people. He walks the Earth and helps the suffering:
- body temperature is constant and equal to the temperature of a living person;
- his shoes are worn out, although they are replaced annually with new ones, the old ones are cut into many pieces and distributed to believers;
- hair and nails continue to grow;
- many times the key could not open the shrine with the relics - this indicated that the saint was not there, at that moment he was walking around the world, among people.
You can touch the shrine in Moscow. In the Church of the Resurrection of the Word, a particle of his relics and 2 ancient icons are kept. Temples of St. Spyridon of Trimifunt were built in Moscow and St. Petersburg. On Vasilyevsky Island there is a chapel named after the saint, in which prayer services with an akathist to the saint are regularly held.
Song 7
Irmos: The ungodly command of the lawless tormentor rose high in flames. Christ spread spiritual dew to the godly youth, He is blessed and glorified.
Chorus: Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
Moses' kindness, David's meekness, Job of Absitida's immaculate acquisition, Thou art the dwelling of the Spirit, singing, most sacred: Blessed and glorified is He.
Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
Irrigation on your head during the harvest has plowed the heavens, foreshadowing the future: God, as He said, glorified your Divine memory, sanctifying the faithful with your intercession.
Glory: In the council of the fathers, God glorifies you, having preserved your words at the trial, blessed one, which you offered by faith, the most wordless Aria, who takes possession of reality and abolishes this opposition.
And now: Thou hast grown the grape with an ineffable word, like a vine, a Virgin, the only uncultivated one, pouring out wine, all joyful things, all sanctifying things on earth, and taking away all the drunkenness of the fierce.
Akathist structure
All Akathists have the same structure: 12 ikos and 13 kontakia. They alternate with each other. The text of the kontakion reveals the theme of the holiday being celebrated. The kontakion ends with the chorus “Hallelujah.” The theme of the kontakion is revealed in the ikos. It consists of a short introductory part and 12 hayretisms (greetings) “Rejoice.”
Akathists dedicated to saints, as a rule, begin with the words: “Chosen wonderworker / commander / servant of Christ.” Next comes the name of the praised saint of God. After the words “we will honor you with songs of praise” comes the Hayretism “Rejoice!”
“Akathists, in their internal structure and most often in language, are simpler than most other hymns from among the Byzantine examples. They are much easier to hear. Thanks to the clear and simple structure, when reading the akathist there is no need to constantly keep biblical stories in mind. Most of them are not written in high Church Slavonic, but in a language already diluted with Russianisms and a Russified grammatical structure” (priest Maxim Plyakin).
Song 8
Irmos: Sometimes the fiery furnace in Babylon separates the action, scorching the Chaldeans by God's command, and watering the faithful, singing: bless all the works of the Lord, the Lord.
Chorus: Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
The furnace of passions, with the Divine attire of the Divine Spirit, you extinguished the dew of ailments, O Father, the heat that takes away those who faithfully always come to you, O blessed Spyridon the rich.
Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
You were good-natured, right, meek and merciful, and unforgiving, loving, hospitable, most sacred hierarch, adorned with wisdom, O Reverend of Orthodoxy. We honor you with the same faith.
Glory: An ancient voice to you, as if the dead one is alive, I asked you, father, father. Oh, quite a miracle! Oh, glorious sacrament! Oh, the grace that you have received, we are adorned with an angelic life, most wonderful!
And now: Heal the passions of my heart by Thy mercy, O All-Singing One, calm my mind and enlighten my soul, and guide me on the path of salvation, as I sing to Thee, O All-Singing One.
Song 9
Irmos: The Beginningless Parent, the Son, God and Lord, incarnated from the Virgin, appeared to us, darkened to enlighten, fellow squandered. Thus we magnify the All-Sung Mother of God.
Chorus: Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
You clearly preached the Beginning of the Parent of the Son, Consubstantial with the Father and Co-essential, exalted in the midst of the God-bearing fathers, and You stopped the lips of the lawless, O all-blessed saint.
Holy Hierarch Father Spyridon, pray to God for us.
The many-bright sun, the adornment of the fathers, the glory of the priests, the celestial angels, your luminous memory joyfully now fulfilling the Light of the uneven with your prayers.
Glory: The Divine village, the Heavenly City, celebrating the red face of your sanctified soul and adorned with virtues, all-blessed, is received in a voice of joy.
And now: the Great Sacrament, more than the mind of Thy Nativity, astonishes the Angels, God-rejoicing, delights the venerable cathedral, and the sacred fathers rejoice, Divinely singing Thee, the hope of our souls.
First prayer
O great and wonderful saint of Christ and miracle worker Spyridon, Kerkyra praise, bright luminary of the whole universe, warm prayer book to God and quick intercessor to all who come running to you and pray with faith! You gloriously expounded the Orthodox faith at the Nicene Council among the Fathers, you showed the unity of the Holy Trinity with miraculous power, and you completely put the heretics to shame. Hear us sinners, the saint of Christ, praying to you and through your strong intercession with the Lord, deliver us from every evil situation: from famine, flood, fire and deadly plagues. For in your temporal life you delivered your people from all these disasters: you saved your country from the invasion of the Hagarians and from famine, you delivered the king from an incurable illness and brought many sinners to repentance, you gloriously raised the dead, and for the holiness of your life the angels invisibly in the church you had those singing and serving with you. Sitsa, therefore, glorify you, His faithful servant, Lord Christ, for you are given the gift of understanding all the secret human deeds and convicting those who live unrighteously. You diligently helped many living in poverty and lack, you nourished the poor people abundantly during famine, and you created many other signs by the power of the living Spirit of God in you. Do not forsake us either, Saint of Christ, remember us, your children, at the Throne of the Almighty and beg the Lord to grant 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. us, may we always send glory and thanksgiving to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Life of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous
Saint Spyridon of Trimythous was born around 270 on the island of Cyprus. He was known as a simple-minded, kind, meek and merciful person. Spiridon was a shepherd and a family man. He always hospitably greeted strangers and sought to help the poor and needy people. The saint's prayer stopped the drought, healed the sick, and raised the dead. During his earthly life, Spyridon of Trimifuntsky became famous as a philanthropist. He gave away everything he had to those in need free of charge. Even when lending, he did not check who took how much and whether he paid it back.
One day Saint Spyridon learned that his friend had been innocently sentenced to death. The saint immediately hurried to the court. His path was blocked by a flooded river, through which it was impossible to cross. When the saint prayed to God, the water parted. So the saint and his companions managed to appear on time for the trial. The testimony of Saint Spyridon saved an innocent man from inevitable death.
In the city of Trimifunt (Cyprus), Saint Spyridon was elected bishop, which is why he is called Trimifuntsky. In 325, the saint took part in the First Ecumenical Council (city of Nicaea, modern Turkey). The reason for convening the Council was the heresy of the Alexandrian priest Arius, which became widespread at the beginning of the 4th century. Arius argued that Jesus Christ was created by God the Father and was not equal to Him. This teaching destroyed the dogma of the Holy Trinity.
To visually refute the Arian heresy, Saint Spyridon squeezed a brick during the disputes at the Council. At that moment, a flame appeared from the brick, water flowed, and clay appeared in the palms. This miracle testified to the truth of the doctrine of the Unity of the Holy Trinity. The saint showed: the brick, combining three elements, was a single whole. So the Most Holy Trinity has Three Persons, but the Divinity is One.
Around 348, the saint peacefully departed to the Lord.
Second prayer
O all-blessed Saint Spyridon, great servant of Christ and glorious miracle worker! Stand in Heaven before the Throne of God with the face of an Angel, look with your merciful eye on the people standing here and asking for your mighty help. Pray to the compassion of God, the Lover of Mankind, not to judge us according to our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His mercy! Ask us from Christ and our God for a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health, earthly prosperity and all abundance and prosperity in everything, and may we not turn the good things given to us from the generous God into evil, but into His glory and the glorification of your intercession ! Deliver all who come to God through undoubted faith from all spiritual and physical troubles, from all yearnings and the devil’s slander! Be a comforter to the sad, a doctor to the sick, a helper in times of adversity, a protector to the naked, a protector to widows, a protector to the orphans, a nourisher to babies, a strengthener to the old, a guide to wanderers, a helmsman to sailors, and intercede for everyone who needs your strong help, even if it is useful for salvation! For yes, by your prayers we are instructed and observed, we will reach eternal rest and together with you we will glorify God, glorified in the Trinity of Saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Patronage of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous
The help of St. Spyridon of Trimythous in various everyday matters, his patronage is felt and confirmed by many Christians. Most residents of the city of Kerkyra (Corfu island, Greece) begin every day with prayer before the relics of the saint. To this day, you can hear stories about miraculous cases of recovery, help in solving housing problems, and improving your material and financial situation. In gratitude, believers read an akathist to Spyridon of Trimythous.
Cathedral of St. Spyridon, where the relics of Spyridon of Trimythous are kept (Kerkyra)
