The governor became very angry and ordered Uar to be seized and hanged on a tree for further torture. The saints began to pray for Uar, and at this time they beat him all over his body with sticks.
Then his tormentors began to whittle his body with iron knives, and then nailed him to a tree upside down. They tore the skin off his back and then beat him until all his insides fell out to the ground.
After much torment, the holy martyr Uar gave his soul to the Lord. His body was removed and thrown to the dogs.
Saint War is an early Christian saint who is venerated by the Russian Orthodox Church as martyrs. His memory is celebrated on November 1.
Saint Huar lived during the reign of the Roman king Maximilian. Photo: dimitri.moseparh.ru
Saint Huar lived during the reign of the Roman king Maximilian
During the reign of the Roman king Maximilian, one warrior Uar lived in the city of Alexandria. He secretly served the Heavenly King. Then the persecution of all Christians intensified.
Maximilian ordered his soldiers to kill all Christians if they did not want to sacrifice to idols. This command also reached the Egyptian countries, where the blood of Christians soon began to be shed. Here people were subjected to various tortures and tortures.
The life of Saint War reports that at night he walked around the dungeons in which the believers were sitting.
He gave the gold to the guards so that they would let him through to them. He sat with the martyrs for a long time, fed them, bandaged their wounds.
One day, seven Christian teachers who had been hiding for a very long time were also captured. They were brought to the governor of Egypt, where they were interrogated and tortured for a long time.
When Saint War learned about this, he hurried to them. For a long time he offered them food, since at that time they had not eaten anything for 8 days.
Saint Uar helped all the martyrs who suffered for Christ. He consoled them, fed them, healed their wounds. Photo: afanasiy.net
The saint threw himself at their feet and began to say:
“Blessed are you, good and faithful servants of the Lord, who are able to enter into the joy of your Lord, because you stood for Him even to the point of blood (Heb. 12:4)…
Blessed are you, passion-bearers of Christ, to whom the Kingdom of Heaven has been opened, for you suffer with Christ, who suffered for us...
I ask you, holy saints of God, to pray for me to the Lord Christ, so that He will show me mercy; for I too would like to suffer for Him, but I do not have such firmness for this: I am afraid of the torment that I see you are experiencing...”
(Heb. 12:4)
But the martyrs answered him:
“No one, beloved, can achieve perfection with fear in his heart, no one reaps unless he sows, no one is crowned unless he suffers.
Remember the word of the Gospel: “Whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33); if you are afraid of temporary torment, you will not escape eternal torment; if you are afraid to confess Christ on earth, you will not be satisfied with the vision of His face in heaven.
Go, brother, and walk with us along the path of martyrdom to the Lord, who looks upon our exploits; suffer with us, for you will not find another such squad soon...”
(Matthew 10:33)
Martyr Uar was inflamed with love for God and decided to accept martyrdom
When Uar heard this, he was inflamed with strong love for God, he began to feel the strength to endure suffering for His sake.
He decided to spend the entire next night with the martyrs, listening to their instructions. In the morning, when the servants came to the prison, they found Uar sitting there with the martyrs.
The servants began to scare him that they would tell the nobles about this, and then he would lose his military rank, and possibly lose his life. But Uar answered them that if they tell, he is ready to die for Christ.
Icon of Saint War. The holy martyr Huar suffered for Christ along with other martyrs.. Photo: ikona-penza.ru
Then the servants took away six martyrs, and left the seventh in prison. He later died. When the servants brought the martyrs to the governor, he asked, where is the seventh martyr?
Then Saint Uar took his place. The governor did not want to believe this; he began to accuse the six martyrs of being the ones who set him on the Christian path.
But the holy martyrs told him: “We did not deceive Uar, but delivered him from deception; We didn’t drive him crazy, but, on the contrary, brought him to his senses...”
Saint Uar endured numerous torments. Photo: xn--80ancrr3a.xn--p1ai
The governor became very angry and ordered Uar to be seized and hanged on a tree for further torture. Saint War said to the martyr:
“Holy passion-bearers! Bless me, your servant, so that I may be worthy of your fate. Pray for me to the Lord Christ, that He may give me patience, for He knows our nature, that our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak...”
(Matt. 24:41)
War's body was removed and thrown to the dogs.
The saints began to pray for Uar, and at this time they beat him all over his body with sticks. Then his tormentors began to whittle his body with iron knives, and then nailed him to a tree upside down.
They tore the skin off his back and then beat him until all his insides fell out to the ground. After much torment, the holy martyr Uar gave his soul to the Lord.
Why do people often pray to the holy martyr Huar for the unbaptized?
Uar (in Greek Οὔαρος - Hellenization of the Latin name Var , that is, Varus ) is an early Christian saint who is revered among the martyrs.
According to his life, Uar came from a noble family and was a warrior, the head of a Roman detachment in Egypt at the beginning of the 4th century (under Emperor Diocletian). Huar's courage and valor made him one of the emperor's favorites, but these honors could not prevent him from looking with admiration at the exploits of the saints. War was a secret Christian.
Fragment of the icon “The Holy Martyr Uar and the Holy Venerable Paisius.” The image resides in the chapel of the martyr Akilina of the Church of the Resurrection of the Word at the Vagankovskoye cemetery
Around 307, Uar, having openly confessed his faith, was subjected to martyrdom and died from torture.
Huar was tied to a rack, and the judge ordered the saint to be beaten with thick leather straps. The martyr turned his gaze to the six ascetics - witnesses of this spectacle - and asked them to pray to God that He would give him strength in the test, for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). As soon as the saints raised their hands to heaven and turned to the Lord in fervent prayer, Uar felt as if some hand was supporting him and softening the blows of the rods and whips even before they hit him. His calmness was increased tenfold by the fury of his tormentors. Having tied him up, they threw the Christian to the ground, tore his womb open, so that his entrails fell out onto the ground. Finally they tied him to the post again. Uar went to the Lord only after five hours, during which he still found the strength to encourage his comrades. Six of his companions were beheaded by the sword.
Why do they pray to Saint Uar to ease the eternal torment of those who died unbaptized?
The canon of Saint War is read for those who died unbaptized, although the canonicity of such a prayer in the Orthodox Church is not considered indisputable. The basis for this is the short life of Uar in the Prologue. It tells that at the martyrdom of Saint Huar, the pious widow Cleopatra from the Palestinian village of Edre was present. When night fell, she, along with her young son and other Christians, went to take the precious remains of the saint. Then Cleopatra transported them to her homeland, Palestine, and buried them in the basement of the house, placing the remains in the tomb of her non-Christian deceased ancestors.
Some time after his death, Uar appeared to Cleopatra and told her:
“Women, or have you forgotten the glory of your goodness, first of all I prayed to God for your filthy generation, you put them in the grave, and They may be forgiven for their sin"
“Woman, have I forgotten your good deeds, first: I begged God for your non-Christian (filthy) relatives, among whom you laid my body of dead bodies, and their sins were forgiven.”
Soon, believers began to flock to the place where the honorable remains of the martyr Huar rested to receive healing of their ailments from the relics of the saint. A church was built there, and on the day of the consecration of the temple, Cleopatra and her son John served the pilgrims all day.
To the great sorrow of his mother, John died suddenly. With bitter sobs, Cleopatra turned to the relics of the holy martyr Huar, begging him for the resurrection of her son.
When Uar and her son John appeared in a dream to Cleopatra, shining in bright clothes with crowns on their heads, she realized that the Lord had accepted her son into the heavenly army, and she was comforted. After this, blessed Cleopatra began to live at the temple that she erected over the relics of the holy martyr Huar and her son John, trying to win the grace of God through good deeds. She distributed her property to the poor and spent time in prayer and fasting. After seven years of righteous life, the blessed one reposed (c. 327).
Icon "Holy Martyr Huar, Blessed Cleopatra and John." Athos
Icon "Artemy Verkolsky and Uar the Martyr"
Icon "Holy Martyr Uar and Holy Venerable Paisius." The image resides in the chapel of the martyr Akilina of the Church of the Resurrection of the Word at the Vagankovskoye cemetery
30.03.2019
A woman named Cleopatra secretly took the relics of Saint War
One woman named Cleopatra saw the torment of Huar. At night, she took several slaves with her and secretly carried away the body of Uar. She dug a grave for him in her bedroom. Then every day she began to light candles over the saint’s coffin and perform incense.
A few years later, Cleopatra decided to go to her native place, where she had previously lived. Then she began to think about how she could take the relics of the saint with her.
Then she told the governor that she wanted to take with her not the body of Uar, but the body of her husband, who was buried without honors. She said that she really wanted to bury him in her own country.
Blessed Cleopatra decided to secretly take the relics of Saint War, after which she buried them in her bedroom
She did this because she knew that if Christians found out about this, they would not allow her to take the relics of the holy martyr Huar away from the city.
The governor allowed her to do this, and the woman, taking the relics of Saint Uar in place of her husband’s body, went to Palestine. She placed his relics along with her ancestors.
Holy Martyr Uar
Memory October 19 / November 1
| Holy Martyr Uar |
(MP3 file. Duration 5:18 min. Size 3.9 Mb) Read by Hieromonk Cleopas (Danelyan)
Saint Uar came from a very pious and noble family. He served in the army in Egypt under Emperor Diocletian, around 304. The courage and valor of Huar made him one of the emperor's favorites, but these honors could not prevent him from looking with admiration at the exploits of the holy martyrs. Uar used to visit seven holy ascetics in prison who were imprisoned for the faith of Christ.
As the day of judgment approached, one of them died. Uar saw in this a Divine sign, indicating the opportunity to overcome the fear that prevented him from surrendering himself into the hands of the executioners. He decided to join the ranks of the martyrs in place of the deceased.
When Uar stepped forward and exposed himself to the judge, he could not contain his surprise. But he was seized by unbridled anger when the saint announced that nothing would force him to change his decision and prefer the joys of the transitory world to the eternal pleasures that were promised to the faithful soldiers of Christ.
Then Huar was tied to a rack, and the judge ordered the saint to be beaten with thick leather straps. The martyr turned his gaze to the six ascetics - witnesses of this spectacle - and asked them to pray to God that He would give him strength in the test, for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). As soon as the saints raised their hands to heaven and turned to the Lord in fervent prayer, Uar felt as if some hand was supporting him and softening the blows of the rods and whips even before they hit him. The pain from torture was replaced by pleasantness under the influence of the grace of the Spirit, which healed him, and henceforth Uar joyfully endured the torture.
His calm and confidence increased tenfold the fury of his tormentors. Having tied him up, they threw the Christian to the ground, tore his womb open, so that his entrails fell out onto the ground. Finally they tied him to the post again. Uar went to the Lord only after five hours, during which he still found the strength to encourage his comrades. Six of his companions were beheaded by the sword.
One pious woman named Cleopatra, originally from Palestine, was present at the martyrdom of Saint Huar. When night fell, she, along with her young son and other Christians, went to take the precious remains of the saint. Cleopatra then buried them in the basement of her house.
A few years later, wishing to return to her homeland, she took the holy relics with her, assuring everyone that they were the remains of her late husband. Cleopatra placed the shrine in a place near Mount Tabor. Soon believers began to flock there to receive healing of their ailments from the relics of the saint. A church was built there, and on the day of the consecration of the temple, Cleopatra and her son served pilgrims all day.
Suddenly the child fell ill and died. The inconsolable mother immediately brought his body to the grave of Saint Uar and turned to him with a prayer, reminding him of how she had served him earlier. Exhausted, she fell asleep and saw in a dream a saint holding a child in his arms - both were in shining clothes. The saint reproached Cleopatra for her lack of faith and said that her son was now under his protection. The child assured his mother that nothing would force him to leave eternal and blissful life in order to return to the world of suffering. Cleopatra wanted to join them, but Saint Uar instructed her to work for salvation for some more time, and they disappeared, blessing her.
Having awakened, the pious woman dressed her son’s body in festive clothes and, full of joy, began the burial. She distributed all her property to the poor and devoted her life to serving at the temple. She pleased God so much with fasting, night vigils, almsgiving and prayers that she was honored to contemplate her son every Sunday in his radiant abode. Seven years later, she gave up her soul to God and joined Uar and her son in the glory of the elect.
Healings began to occur at the tomb of the martyr Huar
A little later, other Christians began to come to the tomb of St. War. Near his tomb, many began to receive healings.
Soon many people learned about this, and even more people began to flock. When Cleopatra saw this, she decided to build a temple in his honor. By that time, her son John had already reached his seventeenth birthday.
Cleopatra tried to get him a place in the royal army. With the help of her friends, she managed to do this. Then the construction of a church in the name of Uar of Epipetius began.
Then Cleopatra said to her son:
“My son John will not serve in the royal army until the building of the house of God is completed; for I want him to carry the holy martyr’s bed with me, and then fulfill the royal command.”
After the church was built, Cleopatra called the entire priesthood. She took out the remains of Uar and placed them on a precious bed.
On top she placed her son's military clothes, which he was supposed to wear. She wanted her son's clothes to be illuminated by the relics.
In a dream, Blessed Cleopatra saw her son and Saint War. Photo: img0.liveinternet.ru
After the consecration of the temple, the relics of Uar were placed under the throne. Cleopatra prayed to Saint Huar with these words:
I pray to you, more passionate than Christ, ask for me from God what will be pleasing to Him and useful to me, as well as to my only son; I have no more to ask than what the Lord Himself wants; He Himself knows what is good for us, and may His good and perfect will be done over us!
After the service, Cleopatra invited everyone gathered for a treat. At this time her son became very ill. His mother said that she would not eat until her son’s illness was over.
When her son John died, Cleopatra began to blame the martyr Huar for this.
At midnight her son died. After which she went to the relics of the saint and began to shout:
“This is how you repaid me, saint of God, for the fact that I worked so hard for you...? You allowed my only son to die, you destroyed my hope, you took away the light of my eyes from me. Who will now feed me in my old age...?
Who will bury my body? It would be better for me to die myself than to see my son dead, like a flower withered before its time.
Give me my son, as Elisha never did to the Somanite woman (2 Kings 4), or take me from here immediately, for life has become a burden to me from my bitter sadness...”
She cried so much at the saint’s tomb that she fell asleep. Saint Uar appeared to her in a dream. He held her son by the hand, both of them were as bright as the sun.
Saint Uar took Cleopatra's son to serve the Heavenly King
The saint also suggested to her that if he returns her son, then she can send him to serve the earthly king, and so he serves the Heavenly and Eternal King. John began to say to Saint Uar:
“No, my lord! Do not listen to my mother - do not give me into a world full of untruth and all kinds of lawlessness, from where I was saved thanks to your intercession; do not deprive me, father, of communication with you and with the saints..."
After which her son turned to his mother so that she would not cry, since he was now close to God. Cleopatra began to ask to go with him, but Uar told her:
“And here, on earth, while remaining, you are still with us; Go in peace, and then, when the Lord commands, we will come to take you..."
After this, they became invisible. When she woke up, she began to feel joy and fun. At the tomb of Saint War, she also buried her son.
Afterwards she distributed all her property to the poor and began to live near the church in fasting and prayer. On Sundays her son appeared to her. After living like this for 7 years, she died. Her body was buried near the body of her son John.
In Moscow, on Pyatnitskaya in the Church of the Holy Trinity they pray for the dead and for unbaptized children
Parents' Saturday is the day of remembrance of departed Orthodox Christians
Currently in Moscow, on Pyatnitskaya there is a church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, where there is an icon of the martyr Huar. Every Saturday they pray before her for the dead, for unbaptized children.
Temple in Moscow on Pyatnitskaya. Photo: pastvu.com
Anyone can come to pray for the unbaptized to pray for those who have not accepted holy baptism for any reason.
This is also the only temple where a prayer service is read, a canon to the holy martyr Huar. At present, the akathist to Saint Uar has not been written.
It is also worth mentioning that the Archangel Cathedral in Moscow has a chapel in honor of St. War.
Used materials
- “Martyr Uar”, short life on the portal Pravoslavie.Ru
: - “Martyr Huar, Blessed Cleopatra and her son John,” life on the official website of the First Deanery District of the New York Deanery of the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia:
- Menea. October, ed. Moscow Patriarchate, p. 461, 466:
- (troparion)
- (kontakion)
[1] “Ὁ Ἅγιος Οὔαρος ὁ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ”, page of the Greek site ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ (Great Months)
, according to the book: Αγαθάγγελος (Χαραμαντίδης), Επ.
Φαναρίου, ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ
(Bishop of Phanaria Agathangel, “Synaxarion of the Orthodox Church”), Αποστολικής Διακονίας τη ? τωβρίου" (“Perhaps the same as October 19”). This memory is also present in other Greek synaxarions. In the “Complete Monthly Book of the East,” Archbishop. Sergius (Spassky), vol. II, under October 25, about.
[2] “The Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate has published another reissue of the service Menaion in 24 volumes” // Official website of the Moscow Patriarchate - . For a detailed analysis of the seized service, see: Bufeev Konstantin, prot. About the holy martyr Huar and church prayer for the non-Orthodox // Page of the portal Pravoslavie.Ru
(November 1, 2010), .
[3] See p. 162: “The army of holy passion-bearers, suffering in vain according to the law,/ you showed your masculine strength, // mixed with diverse, war, torment”
. .
A troparion and prayer were written to Saint Uar
A troparion was written to Saint War. It is also performed during his day of veneration at the temple.
Troparion, tone 4:
Through the army of the saints, the passion-bearer of those who suffered legally, in vain, you showed your strength courageously. And having rushed to the passion of your will, and to die lustfully for Christ, who have accepted the honor of the victory of your suffering, Ouare, pray for our souls to be saved.
A prayer was also written to Uar of Egypt. The prayer can be read at home in front of his icon.
Prayer to Saint War:
Oh, holy, venerable martyr Uare! We kindle with zeal for the Lord Christ, you confessed the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and you suffered zealously for Him, and now the Church honors you as glorified by the Lord Christ with the glory of Heaven,
Who has given you the grace of great boldness towards Him, and now stand before Him with the Angels, and rejoice in the Highest, and clearly see the Holy Trinity, and enjoy the light of the Beginning Radiance.
Remember also our relatives in languor, who died in wickedness, accept our petition, and just as Cleopatrin freed the unfaithful family from eternal torment with your prayers, so remember the people who were buried against God, who died unbaptized, trying to ask for deliverance from eternal darkness, so that all with one mouth and one Let us praise the Most Merciful Creator with our hearts forever and ever. Amen.
Holy Martyr Ware, pray to God for us!
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November 01, 2021.
Holy Martyr War.
Holy Martyr Uar
Prayer for someone who died unbaptized, St. Martyr Uar. O holy martyr Uare, the venerable one, we kindle with zeal for the Lord Christ, you confessed the Heavenly King before the tormentor, and now the Church honors you, as glorified by the Lord Christ with the glory of Heaven, Who has given you the grace of great boldness towards Him, and now you stand before Him with the Angels, and in the highest you rejoice, and clearly see the Holy Trinity, and enjoy the light of the Beginning Radiance: remember also our relatives in languor, who died in wickedness, accept our petition, and like Cleopatrine, you freed the unfaithful generation with your prayers from eternal torment, so remember the people buried against God, those who died unbaptized (names), trying to ask for deliverance from eternal darkness, so that we may all praise the Most Merciful Creator with one mouth and one heart forever and ever. Amen.
The Holy Martyr Uar is especially loved by the Russian people. They resort to his intercession, asking for relief from the fate of the souls of relatives and neighbors who died in unbelief, who did not accept Holy Baptism, who did not know the True God, and who deviated from God’s truth. In addition, they pray to Saint Huar for the health of infants and young children, as well as for infants who died in the womb or during childbirth.
The holy martyr Huar lived during the reign of the wicked Roman emperor Maximian in Alexandria in the 4th century and was a military leader of the Tian cohort. Believing in the True God, but fearing idolaters, he hid his faith. Not having the courage to openly confess his faith during the persecution, Uar went around the prisons at night, looked after the martyrs and asked for their prayers. One day he learned that among the prisoners were seven Christian desert teachers. They were tortured and then thrown bound into a prison cell, where they were starved for several days. Having bribed the guards, Uar entered the prison, freed the martyrs from their shackles, gave them food and drink. “Pray for me, saints of God,” he asked, “and I would like to suffer for Christ, but I’m afraid of torture.” “Remember what is said in the Gospel,” answered the martyrs. “Whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Heavenly Father.” Come with us, brother, to Christ along the martyr’s path—let’s endure together.” The next morning, one of the martyrs died from his wounds and Saint Uar, appearing before the governor in his place, said that he wanted to suffer with the Christians. They began to torture him: they tortured him, whittled him with iron knives, then nailed him to a tree upside down, tore off the skin from his back, and beat him on the stomach with gnarled sticks until his entrails fell out to the ground. When Saint War died, his body was dragged out of the city and thrown to be devoured by dogs. One pious widow named Cleopatra, whose husband was a military leader in Egypt, looked with sorrow from afar at the suffering of Saint Huar. When his body was thrown outside the city, blessed Cleopatra secretly brought him into her house at night and buried him in her bedroom. She constantly lit candles over the tomb of the holy martyr and prayed fervently, considering him a great intercessor and intercessor before God. When the persecution ended, Cleopatra left for Palestine, to the village of Edra. Under the guise of the remains of her husband, Cleopatra transferred the relics of the holy martyr Huar and placed them in the ancient tomb of her ancestors. Every day she went to the tomb, lit candles, performed incense, and following her example, other Christians began to resort to the prayers of Saint Uar and received healings at his tomb. Blessed Cleopatra, seeing that many people were gathering at the tomb of Huar, decided to build a temple in his honor. By that time, her son John had reached the age of seventeen. Cleopatra asked the king for an honorary position in the army for him and decided that he would begin his service upon completion of the temple. When the church was built, blessed Cleopatra called bishops, priests and monks, and the honorable relics of Saint Huar were transferred to a precious bed, and on top of the relics Cleopatra placed a belt and military clothing, which her son was soon to wear. She fervently prayed to Saint Huar so that he would be an assistant to her son and would ask the Lord for him what would be pleasing to Him and useful to his son. After the consecration of the temple, the relics of Saint Huar were placed under the altar, on which the Divine Liturgy was celebrated. After the service, Blessed Cleopatra prepared a meal for the guests and served them together with her son. Suddenly John fell ill with a fever and died at midnight, leaving his mother in inconsolable grief. Weeping, Cleopatra rushed to the temple and, falling to the tomb, began to reproach the holy martyr: “This is how you repaid me, saint of God, for having worked so hard for you! You gave me such help when I pinned all my hope on you! Who will bury my body? It's better for me to die myself than to see my son dead. Give it to me, or take me away from here right away, for life has become a burden to me from bitter sadness.” From extreme fatigue and great sorrow, Cleopatra fell asleep right next to the coffin. In a dream, Saint Uar appeared to her, holding her son in his arms. Both of them were as bright as the sun, and their clothes were whiter than snow; they wore golden belts and beautiful crowns on their heads. Seeing them, blessed Cleopatra threw herself at the feet of the saints, but the martyr Uar raised her and said: “Oh, woman, why are you complaining about me? Do you really think that I have forgotten the benefits that you showed me? Don’t I always listen to your prayers and pray to God for you? And first of all, I prayed to God for your relatives who were not worthy of Holy Baptism, with whom you laid me in the tomb, so that their sins would be forgiven. Then I took your son to serve the Heavenly King. Didn’t you yourself pray to ask God for him that which would be pleasing to Him and useful to you and your son? Your son now stands before the Throne of God and serves the King of Heaven, but if you want him to serve the earthly and temporary king, take him back.” But the youth, sitting in the arms of Saint Uar, hugged him and said: “No, my intercessor! Don’t listen to my mother, don’t deprive me of fellowship with the saints.” Addressing blessed Cleopatra, Saint John said: “Why are you crying, my mother? I am numbered among the Heavenly army and stand before Christ along with the Angels.” Blessed Cleopatra said: “Take me with you, so that I can be with you.” But Saint Uar replied: “And here, remaining on earth, you are still with us; Go in peace, and then, when the Lord commands, we will come to take you.” After these words, both of them became invisible. Having come to her senses, blessed Cleopatra felt unspeakable joy and told the priests about the vision. Together with them, she honorably buried her son at the tomb of Saint Uar, no longer crying, but rejoicing in the Lord. After this, Cleopatra distributed her property to the needy and, renouncing the world, began to live at the church of St. War, spending day and night in fasting and prayer. Every Sunday during prayer, Saint War appeared to her with her son. After spending seven years in such labors and pleasing God, blessed Cleopatra reposed in 327.
The holy martyr Uar is the only Christian saint who is a heavenly intercessor for the unbaptized dead and infants who died in the womb or during childbirth. In pre-revolutionary Russia there was not a single church in honor of Saint Uar, and this is no coincidence: the entire people, with the exception of those of other faiths, were baptized in the Orthodox faith, and therefore there was no need to resort to the intercession of the holy martyr. In our time, the need for the prayerful appeal of believers to this saint is extremely acute: after all, during more than 70 years of atheistic rule in our country, millions of people were forcibly excommunicated from the Church; they lived, worked, fought, and left this world without receiving Holy Baptism. And even today, not everyone who associates themselves with the traditions and culture of our people is in a hurry to accept the sacrament of Baptism. In 2008, after restoration, a chapel was opened in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin in honor of the holy martyr Huar. This chapel was built at the beginning of the 17th century. There are two reasons for this. During the Time of Troubles, many children died unbaptized. The gentry, Poles, Swedes, Lithuanians, and occupiers brought to Rus' not only the destruction of churches and monasteries, but also hunger, cold, epidemics, and in these troubles many children died who were not baptized due to circumstances, including due to destruction of churches and monasteries by the Poles. His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes blessed the commemoration and blessed the prayer to the martyr Huar for easing the lot of unbaptized children. It was from that time that the canon of the martyr Uar began. Patriarch Hermogenes blessed the creation of a border for the martyr Uar for another reason. Tsarevich Dmitry, the last son of Ivan the Terrible, who died at the end of the 16th century, like everyone else at that time, had two names: Dmitry was his baptismal name, and the second (maternity) name of Tsarevich Dmitry was Uar. And when his veneration spread among Muscovites, a chapel was built dedicated to the martyr Uar, and the appeal to Uar began to come into use among believers in Rus'. The Church does not routinely pray for the unbaptized; their names are not allowed to be remembered at the Divine Liturgy and funeral services, but you can ask for them by prayerfully turning to the holy martyr Huar. You can also pray to him for babies in the wombs of those killed. You can ask the holy martyr Uar for a son who is a drug addict, a daughter who is a prostitute, for a brother who is a sectarian... If your prayer is heard, Uar will ask for them before the Lord God. There are testimonies of believers about the fulfillment of their prayers to Saint Uar for their unbaptized relatives. So many people tell how the souls of the unbaptized come in a dream, communicate with their relatives, ask them to pray and say that the prayer is heard by God, that they feel better. And this is precisely what the canon to the martyr Uar is about, that it is possible to alleviate the lot of the unbaptized and this is confirmed by practice. There were cases when they didn’t know whether a person was baptized or not, and then the soul came and reported that baptism had taken place and it was possible to perform the funeral service according to the rules. This applied in particular to many soldiers who died and were thought to be unbaptized. But they were baptized before the war by monks who lived secretly in Soviet Russia during those years. And when they questioned distant relatives, it actually turned out that the person had been baptized. Such cases also happen repeatedly. The practice of prayers to the martyr Uar confirms that this prayer is saving both for the deceased and for the living and those who cross the threshold of the temple. And what leads them is love, love for their relatives. But God is love, which means God leads them, which means the Lord himself blesses them. A remarkable example of the effectiveness of personal prayer can be found in the life of St. Gregory the Double: when he learned that the long-dead Roman Emperor Trajan had performed a work of such great mercy that it seemed to be the work of a Christian rather than a pagan (hasily moving against the enemy at the head of the army, the emperor stopped in all his armor and interceded for the offended widow), he shed streams of tears in prayer for the soul of this man and received through Divine revelation the assurance that his prayers were heard. The soul of the pagan emperor was delivered from hell and even begged for with the tears of St. Gregory. Although this is a very rare case, it gives hope to those whose loved ones have died outside the Church.
REMEMBER!!! It is IMPOSSIBLE to leave notes for the repose and commemorate the unbaptized and suicides in the church! Only private, home prayer is and has always been allowed for the unbaptized. You can pray to Saint Uar FOR the unbaptized, but NOT for suicides. For home cell prayer for deceased non-Orthodox relatives, we can recommend the Canon of the Martyr Uar. But reading this canon in Orthodox churches and chapels during public services and services is prohibited! The Venerable Elder Leo of Optina, not allowing church prayer for those who died outside the Church (suicides, unbaptized, heretics), bequeathed to pray for them privately like this: “Seek, Lord, the lost soul of my father: if it is possible, have mercy. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin, but Thy holy will be done.”
