David of Gareji - assistant for infertility and women's diseases

David of Gareji
(Georgian: დავით გარეჯელი; + 604), monk, reverend Commemorated on Ascension Thursday and May 7

He was among the Syrian fathers who came to Georgia in the middle of the century with his teacher, the Monk John, who became the educator of the eastern part of the country - Kartli. According to legend, the Mother of God Herself sent the hermit John to the land of Iberia to continue the work of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino. Having received in a dream the order of the Most Holy Theotokos to choose twelve disciples as his companions, he decided to rely entirely on the Providence of God and chose them by lot. All of them subsequently received their middle names from the places where they founded holy monasteries or occupied episcopal sees.

Leaving his native Antioch and going to Georgia, their teacher brought his children to Simeon the Stylite the Younger (Divnogorets), and he gave them a blessing.

The life of St. John of Zedazni tells how travelers approaching the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta, were greeted with great honor by the clergy and people, led by Catholicos of Kartli Eulalius; how they bowed to the shrines of the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, among which was the Robe of the Lord, kept in secret; how they went around Eastern Georgia, preaching and, by the grace of God, performing miracles and healings. After some time, Abba John chose Mount Zadeni near Mtskheta as their place of residence, where there had previously been a pagan temple, and the monks had to work hard to cleanse it of evil spirits through prayer and fasting and turn it into a lot of peaceful monastic deeds. Pilgrims began to flock to this first monastery on this land, many of them joined the monastic brethren - the monastery grew, taking on the form of a monastery, with life under the leadership of one abbot and spiritual father, with obediences distributed among the brethren. One day, the Monk John received a message from above that it was time for him to let his spiritual children go - they were to disperse throughout Georgia to found their own monasteries and increase the preaching of Christianity.

David and his disciple Lucian first settled on Mount Mtatsminda (“holy mountain”) near Tbilisi, building in it, following the example of St. John, a small cave and a chapel. Every Thursday they went down to the city and preached. Once, the pagan fire-worshippers bribed a fallen maiden so that she would point to David as her seducer. Having been summoned by the residents to court, the monk approached the woman and, touching her womb with his staff, asked: “Am I your father?” A voice was heard from the womb: “No,” and the true culprit of her fall was named. After this, in front of the surprised people, she gave birth to a stone in pain. In memory of such wondrous heavenly intercession, the Monk David offered a prayer, and a healing spring bubbled up in three places on Mount Mtatsminda. The main one of the three streams collects its waters in a grotto, where the cell of St. David used to be, and now a small temple has been built in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Soon after this, the monks decided that they should completely withdraw from the world.
They found a desert area in Kakheti, on the slope of the Gareji mountain range, about 70 kilometers southeast of Tbilisi. From this moment begins the history of the great shrine of Georgia - the David-Gareji Lavra, until the 20th century, the largest spiritual and cultural center in the Caucasus. The Gareji desert is dry, harsh, in summer it burns with heat of fifty degrees, in winter the frost reaches minus thirty, precipitation occurs only a few times a year. The life of the Monk David tells that, having come to Gareji, the ascetics each carved out a stone bed for themselves in small natural caves of the mountain, prayed in the open air, ate grass, roots and milk, which was given by the wild deer with their cubs who came to them, drank rainwater water, collecting it in depressions carved into the rock. Through the prayers of the Monk David, a holy spring arose here, which later received the poetic name “Tears of David” - of extremely ascetic properties: in fact, it is water oozing little by little through the thickness of the rocks in one of the caves.

Soon the hermits had their first church, carved into the rock and consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The patron of this small temple was the Rustavi nobleman Bubacar, who believed in Christ after the miraculous healing of the monk and was baptized by him along with all his household.

The ascetics could not remain in their solitude for long. People seeking salvation began to come to them and settle nearby in caves. The first monastery was formed - the one that is now called the Lavra of St. David: many cells carved into the mountain slope.

Nearby, David's followers began to build new monasteries. Dodo of Gareji, with the blessing of his teacher, founded the monastery “Dodos-Rka” (in Georgian - “branch of Dodo”) in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. Lucian, according to legend, is the Natlismtsemeli (“Baptist”) monastery in the name of the Holy Prophet John the Baptist. The monasteries were organized according to the Syrian cenobitic charter; Anchorites, who shunned all communication, labored alongside them. By the end of the saint's life, about two thousand disciples had gathered around him.

Shortly before his death, the Monk David went to the Holy Land to worship. Having ascended the mountain, from which there was already a view of the Holy City, the monk told his companions that he was not worthy to trample with his feet the places where the Savior’s foot had trodden. He asked to pray for him at the Holy Sepulcher, and with prayer he took three stones from the ground, put them in a knapsack and turned them back. At this time, an Angel appeared to the Patriarch of Jerusalem and said that one of the pilgrims “by his faith took away all the grace from Jerusalem,” and ordered to equip a walker who would take two of the three stones from the monk. David listened to the messengers and returned the requested stones, but he took the third stone to his monastery, and it has been preserved to this day. Now it is kept in the treasury of the new Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi.

When the hour of his death was revealed to the elder, he gathered all the inhabitants of Gareja and said goodbye to them. The Monk David died after receiving Holy Communion on May 7, 604, Thursday after the Ascension. Therefore, his passing memory is celebrated on this day (Mamadavitoba, Georgian მამადავითობა), and on May 7 - together with the other twelve Syrian fathers. He was buried in the Transfiguration Church of the David-Gareji Lavra. The Monk Lucian later rested there as well. For centuries, their graves were especially revered and were a place of pilgrimage. There is no tradition of finding relics in Georgia; in 2000, they opened the tomb of St. David of Gareji, made sure that the relics were in place, washed them, took a small particle and left everything intact. The Monk David rests peacefully under a bushel near the altar of the ancient Church of the Transfiguration of his monastery.

Prayers

Troparion, tone 4

Your labors were then dissolved by streams of tears, / now you stand before our Lord in prayer, / as with tears you sowed and with joy reaped the fruits, revived in the desert. / Oh, David, my radiance ra // and the representative of our souls

Kontakion, tone 8

From the Syrian sources you ascended, O bright star, / and you illuminated the Gareji desert with the radiance of the Spirit: / as with your coming you created a monastic paradise, / having grown words in the desert great vertograd./ For this reason, do not leave to keep it,// Beloved David.

Kontakion, tone 4

From Mesopotamia you ascended, an all-bright star,/ and went into the desert of Gareji,/ and from there, with your appearance, like paradise,/ from the plantings of the saints, the plantings of words vegetate,// about them there is no end Pray, blessed David.

Life of St. David of Gareji

Traditions do not say when and where the saint was born, only mentioning that he lived in the 6th century. Theologians explain the absence of these facts by the fact that, while still very young, the young man left his parents' home, devoting himself to God.

The Path to Holiness

The beginning of the path of David of Gareji is spoken of in his life. It describes the incident when John received a revelation from the Blessed Virgin Mary. She called on the monk to gather disciples and go around the world, spreading the teachings of Christ. Relying on the will of the Almighty, the abbot chose 13 monks with whom he began his journey. Having reached the capital of Georgia, the city of Mtskheta, from Syria, John dispersed his disciples to other cities so that they would carry God’s Word further.

The Georgian saint is usually depicted as a long-bearded old man

Preaching activities

Having received instructions from the teacher, David of Gareji, together with his student Lucian, decided to settle in Tiflis. Having climbed Mount Mtatsminda, the monk found a secluded cave, where he settled.

Every Thursday the monk visited the city to read the Holy Scripture to its residents. However, such preaching activities were very disliked by the followers of fire worship. One day one of the priests persuaded a pregnant woman to commit a libel against David. The court accused the monk of vicious relationships, saying that he was the father of the unborn child. Then the monk touched the girl’s womb with his staff and asked if it was true. The answer was the word “No” coming from the womb, as well as the name of the true father. According to legend, at that very moment the woman gave birth to a stone, which served as an excuse for the saint.

After this incident, David turned to the Almighty with a request that He would grant him a spring next to his cell. So, for almost fifteen centuries this source has been healing women’s diseases, including infertility.

Soon the monks left Mtatsminda, moving away from the human settlement to the uninhabited mountains of Gareji. There they built their own cells with their own hands, where they continued their ascetic existence, constantly praying and humbly enduring all difficulties. There was no drinking source nearby, and therefore the monks drank water collected after the rain. The teacher and student ate various roots or herbs.

One day, after a prolonged drought, the monks had no food left at all. Then, when Lucian asked what they would eat, David replied that the Lord would take care of everything, if He so pleased. After a short time, deer galloped up to their cell and gave the ascetics milk. Since then, animals regularly visited the monastery of the monks to prevent them from starving to death.

A few years later, like-minded people began to join the two hermits, cutting their own cells next to them. This marked the beginning of the formation of the David-Gareji Lavra.

The end of the earthly journey

The Georgian saint had a presentiment that his days were numbered. Shortly before his death, he decided to visit the Holy Land. Taking two disciples, David reached the border, but refused to go further, arguing that he did not want to desecrate the land on which the Savior walked. The monk sent away his companions, ordering them to pray for him, and he himself stayed for a short time. Kneeling down, the monk picked up three stones and turned back. At the same time, the Patriarch of Jerusalem had a vision. An angel appeared to him, warning him that a certain David had taken away all the Lord’s grace from the land of Israel. The messenger sent returned two stones, and left the third to the monk. Today this shrine is located in the Tbilisi Trinity Cathedral.

The monk left this world on May 20, 604, having said goodbye in advance to all the inhabitants of Gareja. The saint was buried in the Transfiguration Church of the David-Gareji Lavra. His student Lucian was also buried there a little later.

Used materials

• “Multiplying love. Venerable David of Gareji” (assisted by Elena Volodina) // Monastic Bulletin
  , website of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Russian Orthodox Church:
• Golovko Oksana. Saint David of Gareji - how children are begged // Orthodoxy and World
  :
• Manelashvili Tamara. “Consecrating the Iveron land.” Venerable David of Gareji and his miracles // Portal Pravoslavie.RU
  :
• ABC of Faith
  (Prayers) portal page

Basal temperature from A to Z

Hello girls, I haven’t been here for a long time, but today I came across a useful article that I wanted to share with you... It turns out that in Moscow there are the relics of the patron saint and healer for women’s ailments and infertility - St. David (by the way, today is his Memorial Day!). Every Monday at 17:00 a prayer service with consecrated water is sent to him. So, if any of the Muscovites or nearby regions decide to go, I kindly ask you to bring a note from me, or give me a prayer service for a while. Sometimes you need money for this - I would send you a Western. There’s no way to just come now. I would be very grateful if anyone agrees (write in a personal message), and I’m glad if someone finds the article useful:

During a difficult third pregnancy, I accidentally went to the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh, on Pokrovka in Moscow. Here there is a revered icon of St. David of Gareji. It helps with women's diseases, infertility, and childbirth. The Monk David of Gareji came to Georgia from Syria in the middle of the 6th century. He settled in the vicinity of Tbilisi on Mt. The monk instructed the residents in the basics of the Christian faith. For this, the fire-worshipping priests took up arms against him. They taught one seduced girl to say that the Monk David was the father of her unborn child. Arriving at the trial, the monk approached her and, touching her womb with his staff, asked: “Am I your father? “A voice came from the womb: “No.” And the real father was named. After this, in front of the surprised people, the woman gave birth to a stone. In memory of heavenly intercession, the monk asked the Lord for a healing spring on that mountain. Georgians still resort to him for their feminine infirmities. Today, not only Georgians turn to St. David for help, but also Muscovites. This is what Father John Kaleda, rector of the capital’s Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh, said. “I used to wonder why prayer services were so often ordered for this saint. And somehow I heard a story. One priest did not have children for 18 years after the birth of his first child. One day, an acquaintance brought him from Georgia and gave him a jar of water from the Monk David. Soon the father and mother had a child. About three years later, my mother was clearing out the cupboard, found some leftover water and drank it. Nine months later, the third child was born. Another priest told how his mother lay in storage for a long time. He served prayers to St. David and gave water to mother in the hospital. She gave everyone this water to drink, and the women in her ward quickly recovered. One day a woman came to me; she was being sent to the hospital for surgery. I advised her to read a book about Saint David, pray to him and drink water from the prayer service. When she arrived at the hospital, there was nothing to operate on. There were five similar cases in less than six months. When I began to serve in this church, we ordered an icon of St. David. It is taken out for a prayer service and contains a particle of the relics. Later, a large icon with a life was painted - all the offerings to St. David hang in front of it. We also had such a case. A woman worked at the bank where we are serviced. She had no children for 11 years. They performed operations on her, examined her husband, but all to no avail. Our accountant began to bring her water from the prayer service every time she went to the bank. Once I came to the bank, and the management greeted me with the words: “Who carried the water? Who will work now? »

The woman became pregnant. Then we baptized her daughter in our church. Here the miracle happened not even because of the faith of the woman herself, but because of the faith of those who brought her water. One doctor from the antenatal clinic told me that from the medical history she can tell which of the women goes to prayer services with the Monk David and which does not. The diagnosis is the same, the treatment is the same, but recovery occurs differently. From the latest cases: “I couldn’t get pregnant for three and a half years, doctors couldn’t find any obvious reasons. My husband and I turned to the Monk David, drank some water, and anointed ourselves with oil. After some time, the long-awaited pregnancy came. I'm currently 20 weeks pregnant." They handed over a chain with a note: “This chain is a sign of gratitude to the Monk David, through whose prayers and intercession the Lord gave our family a baby. My nephew and his wife had no children for three years. At the beginning of February 2006, a prayer service was served for St. David, and already in November of the same year a boy was born. The Monk David helped me quickly and radically - severe and prolonged bleeding stopped, I didn’t have to resort to doctors or medications.” I would like to say that personal prayer is very important. Not just mechanical drinking of water, but a feat of faith.”

The memory of St. David is celebrated on Ascension Thursday (in 2007 - May 24) and May 20. Every Monday, at 5 p.m., a prayer service to St. David is served in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity with the blessing of water. Temple address: st. Pokrovka, 13. Metro “Chistye Prudy” or “Turgenevskaya”, exit to the Griboyedov monument, then two stops on any tram. Or metro station “Kitay-Gorod”, exit to the street. Maroseyka, 10 minutes walk on the left side.

How to get there[edit]

Address:

Mount Gareji, Kakheti, Georgia

Directions:

The monastery is located 45 kilometers south of Sagarejo, 30 kilometers in a straight line or 45 along a winding road. It is 30 kilometers from Gardabani by road, but it is rarely used. At one time there were buses from Tbilisi to Gareji, but this was an irregular form of transport. You can take a minibus to Sagarejo and look for a taxi there. Some taxi drivers take you there directly from Tbilisi. 13 kilometers in front of the monastery is the village of Udabno (desert), from there you can also get there by private transport. The entire road is asphalted.

In Sagarejo you can find a taxi driver for modest money, about 35 GEL (round trip and 2 hours of waiting).

In 2014, a new delivery method appeared: a daily bus from Tbilisi. It leaves at 11:00 from Pushkin Street (near Freedom Square) and costs 25 GEL. For this money they will take you to David Gareji, wait there for 3 hours and then drive you back, with a food stop at the Oasis Club cafe. Contact phone number: 551 951 447 (flight valid until October 15).

Prayer for women's illnesses will help a woman cope with bodily illness

What to do when you are overcome by illnesses? Who should you turn your prayers to for women's illnesses? Is there a generally accepted church prayer for women's diseases? Indeed, judging by medical statistics, today many women are seen by doctors with female problems. There are many factors for the occurrence of such illnesses, ranging from poor ecology to heredity or the wrong lifestyle of the woman herself.

Any illness is a difficult ordeal for a person. Since when it appears, the usual way of life is disrupted, pain and suffering appear. Diseases have many causes. The Monk Macarius said that bodily ailments are aimed at healing the human soul, at purifying it. The Lord enlightens us through our suffering. The Monk Anatoly spoke about bodily illness like this: “It’s not a problem that you’re sick, it’s cleansing for sinful people; Just as rust from fire cleanses iron, so illness heals the soul..."

Lifetime miracles

Saint David had great humility, and during his life he performed many miracles, although little information about him has come down. It is known that, having become stranded in the desert, where there was nothing to eat, he trusted in the mercy of God. And his faith never failed him:

• Fallow deer came to the hermits, giving them the opportunity to milk themselves.
• David turned milk into cheese through prayer and the cross.
• He expelled a serpent (dragon) from the cave, which was feeding on young fawns.
• Turned the bitter water from the source into sweet.
• He healed the crippled son of a pagan who was going to kill the ascetic.

Note: Become a saint and thousands around you will be saved. This applies to the saint, since, thanks to his humility and faith, many people were saved and, following his example, came to the desert.

Strong prayers to David of Gareji

Knowing what to ask for, a woman can turn to the monk for help with prayer. Along with it, the troparion and akathist are also read to the Georgian saint.

Oh, all-bright, God-praised Abba David, holy of God! You, by the power of the good Law-giver, have appeared to us, bound and overcome by the snares of the evil one, as a mentor in repentance and a helper in prayer. For this reason, you have been given many gifts of grace and miracles, the resolution of our sins and the remission of sins, the healing of illnesses and the driving away of the devil’s slander. Also, by your fatherly mercy in the divine understanding, by your many laborious prayers and supplications, and especially by your unceasing intercession for us, may the Lord God raise us, who have fallen into sin, with His invincible power against every visible and invisible enemy, so that by giving thanks to your holy memory, with desire We desired to worship the Eternal God in the One Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer for infertility

Oh, all-bright, God-praised Abba David, holy of God! You, by the power of the good Law-giver, have appeared to us, bound and overcome by the snares of the evil one, as a mentor in repentance and a helper in prayer. For this reason, you have been given many gifts of grace and miracles, the resolution of our sins and the remission of sins, the healing of illnesses and the driving away of the devil’s slander. Also, by your fatherly mercy in the divine understanding, by your many laborious prayers and supplications, and especially by your unceasing intercession for us, may the Lord God raise us, who have fallen into sin, with His invincible power against every visible and invisible enemy, so that by giving thanks to your holy memory, with desire We desired to worship the Eternal God in the One Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer for women's diseases

O reverend and God-bearing Father David, fellow angel and imitator of the Apostle, martyr companion, captor of monastic life, helmsman of the desert, helper of those who pray to you, enlightened by miracles, the lightning of your brilliance invisibly drives away the dark forces. Oh, blessed father, through your prayers deliver us from all evils and evil snares, earthly and airy, from fiery hell. Beg your beloved God to arm us with His Angels, with invincible power. Oh, most bright star, of Divine splendor, be an intercessor before the Holy Trinity, before which you stand, and save us from internecine warfare, and give us a peaceful and serene life, mental and physical health, earth fertility, goodness of the air, enlightenment with Divine light and righteous rest forever and ever, as befitting You, Most Holy Trinity, all glory, honor and worship forever and ever. Amen.

It is not for nothing that the founder of Georgian monasticism is deeply revered in Russian Orthodoxy. With his help, many women have experienced the happiness of motherhood, and the number of those who venerate the saint is constantly growing.

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