Canon to Saint Blessed Andrew, Fool for Christ's Sake.

The word “foolishness” means “abnormality,” but those who chose the path of “foolish fools for Christ’s sake” abandoned worldly goods and comforts for a reason, but for the glory of the Lord. Behind their outward madness there is often insight and even foresight. The most famous is Andrei Yurodivy. The prayers of Andrew, Christ for the sake of the holy fool in the middle of the 5th century helped protect Constantinople from enemies. In honor of this event, the Feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established.

The story of blessed Andrew, Christ for the sake of the holy fool

The youth Andrei was a slave in Constantinople. After one day he was visited by a vision, he became a holy fool and was expelled by his master. Pretending to be insane, he began to wander around the city. If he took alms, he gave it to the poor. Blessed Andrei the Fool received from God the ability to see, which allowed him to see demons and angels.

One of these visions once saved Constantinople. During the service, where he was with his disciple, the Mother of God appeared to him, spreading a veil. This was a sign of salvation from the enemy troops, and they soon retreated.

Blessed Andrei Simbirsk (Ogorodnikov)

In the world, Andrei Ilyich Ogorodnikov, born on July 17, 1763 in Simbirsk, in a family of burghers, from the age of 7 he began to act like a fool, took upon himself the feat of fasting (for food throughout his life he ate only bread and boiled dry berries, and on holidays - tea with honey) and the feat of silence (“spoke” using gestures and individual sounds, although he was not speechless).

He was orphaned early, until 1813 he lived with his brother, and after his death - with his widowed sister, who left the monastery for his sake. Landowner E.A. Milgunov built for St. Andrei's house and assigned him a lifelong allowance of 60 rubles. in year.

All his life, Andrei was a parishioner of the Ascension Cathedral, where he received the Body and Blood of Christ weekly. The blessed one treated this temple with special tenderness: he could pray all night (even in winter), standing under the walls of the cathedral or on its bell tower, and sometimes he was even seen crawling near the temple fence and kissing its low posts.

The blessed one gave all the alms he received to the poor, was very meek, tamed his flesh, moving only by running, and if he stood still, he would swing like a pendulum. He always slept very little, on boards or the bare floor, without putting anything under his head, so that his head would not touch anything during sleep.

The blessed one possessed the gift of clairvoyance and healing, and pacified the possessed. To the residents of Simbirsk who came to Sarov, St. Seraphim of Sarov said: “Why do you bother to come to me, wretched one? You have better food than I do, your Andrei Ilyich.”

Some of the blessed man’s actions seemed strange and reckless to those around him, but they always led to good. For example, by removing a gag from a barrel of oil in a merchant's shop, Andrei saved people from mortal danger, since a dead snake was found in the empty barrel. Another time, running into the house of a bourgeois woman, the blessed one snatched a hot cast iron with cabbage soup from the stove and, breaking it, ran away. At the bottom of the broken vessel they found a huge spider. Often the blessed one grabbed the hot metal with his hands, kissed the boiling samovar, often dousing himself with boiling water, but all this did not cause him the slightest harm.

Saint Andrew humbly and meekly endured all the reproaches, bullying, and even beatings: he stood with downcast eyes and lowered his head. This caused confusion among the offenders, and sometimes even admonition about the blessed one’s feat.

He died on November 27, 1841 in Simbirsk, and was buried in front of a huge crowd of people in the Simbirsk Intercession Monastery. According to eyewitnesses, a fragrance emanated from the body of the ascetic. At the grave of the blessed one, a majestic cast-iron chapel with gilded domes was erected using public donations. It was destroyed in the 1930s...

In 1991, during archaeological excavations in the cemetery of the former Intercession Monastery, the desecrated grave of the blessed one was discovered. Andrey. In the same year, the first information about miraculous healings and help at the grave of the blessed one was received, and a historical certificate was prepared for the canonization commission at the Holy Synod.

In 1995, a chapel was erected next to the grave; in February, two volumes of materials collected about the ascetic were accepted for consideration.

On June 3, 1998, the relics of Blessed Andrew were found and his canonization took place as a locally revered saint.

In 2004, the ascetic was glorified as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church by the Council of Bishops.

How do prayers to Blessed Andrei Yurodivy help?

Blessed Andrew the Fool passed away to the Lord in 936. His life was translated and was popular in Rus'.

The Saint's Memorial Day is celebrated on October 15, and the day before that the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated.

Prayers are addressed to Andrew the Holy Fool for the sake of Christ in the following cases:

• for protection against diseases (both physical and mental);
• asking for protection from enemies.

Foolishness is the most amazing monastic feat

Foolishness is the pretense of appearing insane. In Old Slavic "fool" means crazy. In Orthodoxy, holy fools were wandering monks or Christian ascetics. They were called blessed.

A fool for Christ's sake is a madman who has the gift of prophecy, and foolishness is the most amazing and incomprehensible monastic feat.

The holy fools literally fulfilled the commandment of the Apostle Paul, that Jesus would return for those who

“they crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.”

They refused a cozy, warm, well-fed life. They doomed themselves to cold, hunger, bullying, beatings, and abuse.

Why did they do this? By performing this monastic feat, the holy fools acquired humility. But only in humility can one receive the Holy Spirit.

People feared, despised and offended holy fools, considering them insane. God's grace descended on them, and the Lord endowed the holy fools with amazing abilities:

• foresight;
• the gift of healing;
• the gift of casting out demons.

Holiness belongs to another world and is often beyond human understanding. Such was the Holy Blessed Andrew for Christ's sake, the Fool for Christ's sake.

Andrew the Blessed possessed the gift of prophecy, saw angels, archangels and demons, talked with them, communicated in reality with the Holy Fathers

First prayer

Oh, great servant of Christ, true friend and faithful servant of the All-Creator of the Lord God, Most Blessed Andrew! Hear us, many sinners, now crying out to you and calling on your holy name, have mercy on us, who fall today before your most pure image, accept our small and unworthy prayer, have mercy on our misery, and with your prayers heal every ailment and disease of our soul and body sinner, and make us worthy to pass this life unharmed from visible and invisible enemies and to pass sinlessly, and to have a shameless, peaceful, serene Christian death, and to receive the inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom with all the saints forever and ever. Amen.

Second prayer

O holy servant of God, blessed Andrew! Having fought a good fight on earth, you have received in Heaven the crown of righteousness, which the Lord has prepared for all who love Him. In the same way, looking at your holy image, we rejoice at the glorious end of your life and honor your holy memory. You, standing before the Throne of God, accept our prayers and bring them to the All-Merciful God, to forgive us every sin and help us against the wiles of the devil, so that, having been delivered from sorrows, illnesses, troubles and misfortunes and all evil, we will live piously and righteously in the present We will be honored by your intercession, even though we are unworthy, to see good on the land of the living, glorifying the One in His saints, the glorified God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Let's pray together

Kontakion 1 Chosen saint and fool for Christ's sake, holy blessed Father Andrew, who from a young age chose the feat of renunciation of the blessings of this life, now we bring you songs of praise, honoring your holy memory. You, who have great boldness towards the merciful Lord, free us from all troubles and misfortunes, so we call to you: Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession for the city of Simbirsk.

Ikos 1 You have been honored with a life equal to the angels, blessed Andrew, for after the early death of your pious parents you rejected the vain service of the world and all its false beauties. For this reason, hear from us the praise brought to you: Rejoice, pious branch of good roots; Rejoice, child of the prayers of God-loving parents. Rejoice, chosen by God from your birth; Rejoice, you have taken on yourself the feat of foolishness from adolescence. Rejoice, growing the seed of Christ’s teaching in your heart; Rejoice, all the red of the world, who is of no account. Rejoice, you who showed great strength in a weak body; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 2 Seeing your strange life, for having despised any concern for mortal flesh, you were clothed in rags in the heat and cold, warmed by faith with warmth and fiery love for Christ, faithful to the city of Simbirsk, seeing your kindness and humility and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, they sang to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 2 The mind given to you by God, you hid in imaginary madness, blessed one; In your visible body, you aroused the peace of your spirit, in your silence you put a guardianship on your lips, but unceasingly in your heart you brought prayers for sinful people to the Lord. We, marveling at such a life of yours, cry out in praise: Rejoice, you who accepted the heavy cross of the foolishness of Christ for the sake of Christ; Rejoice, thou who hid the radiance of grace with imaginary madness. Rejoice, for a foolish child has appeared before people; Rejoice, you have extinguished the flame of pride within you from an early age. Rejoice, the gift of clairvoyance acquired through the feat of prayer; Rejoice, you who have served these suffering for free. Rejoice, quick help to all who ask for help; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 3 What is impossible for man is made possible by the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the power of God is made perfect in weakness; a weak person, by self-denial of himself, tramples Christ for the sake of the eternal enemy. Strengthen, blessed Father Andrew, with your prayers we too, who are exhausted in the rebellion of this vain life, so that with you in the heavenly realms we may be worthy to sing the song: Alleluia.

Ikos 3 Knowing, blessed one, that in earthly life you were revealed as a seer of human destinies, a healer of the ailments of many, a comforter of the sorrowful, a strengthener of the weak, a mentor to those who had gone astray on the path of righteousness, and now the faithful resort to your help, singing to you: Rejoice, you who are coming a real visionary; Rejoice, zealous bearer of your cross. Rejoice, you who graciously lifted the yoke of Christ and His burden; Rejoice, you have received the gift of healing from God. Rejoice, thou art adorned with rubble more than gold-woven garments; Rejoice, who loved the casting of the earth above a soft bed. Rejoice, you who accept reproach as though you accept praise; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 4 We see you, Blessed Andrew, a new shining star, miraculously shining in the firmament of the Russian Church, appearing to us in recent times and existing in pride and delusion of our minds, showing the height of humility and love, teaching the faithful to sing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 4 By the Spirit, the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov foresaw your wondrous life equal to that of an angel, blessed Father Andrew, calling you a strong representative and prayer book for the city of Simbirsk. We, marveling at the sight of God for us, unworthy and hard-hearted, call with tenderness this: Rejoice, bright adornment of the Volga borders; Rejoice, true praise for the city of Simbirsk. Rejoice, pure village of the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, through humility and patience you are likened to the incorporeal. Rejoice, quick help to all who ask for help; Rejoice, lamp of the Divine light. Rejoice, wonderfully exalted in your humility; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 5 You have become like a God-bearing star, blessed Father Andrew, with your life you have sanctified the borders of Simbirsk, shining with a great feat of self-denial. But you guide us, perishing in the storms of passion in the sea of ​​life, to a quiet haven of salvation with the help of your prayers. We, glorifying the Lord, who glorified you, cry out to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 5 Blessed Father, the Lord has vouchsafed you to serve men and has sent you the gift of healing the ailments of the weaker flesh; You gave bread to the suffering and through it these received healing from the Merciful God. Now, in the heavenly chambers, eat the bread of eternal life and pray for us, who are weak in body and soul, and who cry to you in tenderness: Rejoice, healer of grave ailments; Rejoice, deliverer from unexpected destruction. Rejoice, helper in difficult births; Rejoice, shamer of evil demons. Rejoice, you who despair of hope; Rejoice, guardian of our children. Rejoice, thou who turns away the wrath of God from us; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 6 You were the preacher and model of the Gospel life in patience and meekness: The Lord, seeing the height of your humility, blessed Andrew, gave you the gift of seeing the secret and hidden. For this gift you have guided many from the disastrous path of sin onto the path of repentance. Having seen this about you, we sing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 6 You foresaw, O blessed one, the end of the vain human life, and desiring to preserve the immortal soul of such people, he gave them a visible sign of this, putting dust of the earth or wood chips into the right hand of the bewildered. Knowing this, we also fall to you with humility, so that you beg the Savior of our souls to grant Christian death to all who are now crying out as follows: Rejoice, by your life you have exposed the vanity of this world; Rejoice, having trampled upon your flesh with its passions and lusts. Rejoice, having driven away all earthly attachments from yourself; Rejoice, you who have acquired the peace of Christ in your soul. Rejoice, abundant source of grace; Rejoice, our strong defender before the Lord. Rejoice, having devoted yourself entirely to God; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 7 Desiring for you, Blessed Andrew, to be freed from earthly life, you have partaken of the Honorable Body and Blood of Christ our God, and your face has been enlightened with heavenly joy. Honoring you, flocking to your deathbed, seeing your joy in the Lord, I shed streams of touched tears, singing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 7 The Lord has revealed a new sign of His favor to us, stiff-necked, drowning in pride and self-delusion of our minds: decreeing the place of burial and your honorable relics, blessed one, hitherto hidden. You are a new prayer book and intercessor before the mercy of God, you are an acquisitor, with a grateful heart and lips we cry out to you: Rejoice, you who have been highly acquired by humility; Rejoice, you who have always raised your hair with trust in the Lord. Rejoice, quick and free doctor; Rejoice, invincible warrior of Christ. Rejoice, man of God, with humility and patience, as if girded with a golden belt; Rejoice, you who were crowned with bliss by the Lord for your kindness. Rejoice, thou who was named patron of the city of Simbirsk by the Monk Seraphim; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 8 For the sake of sin and human iniquities, with God's permission, the storm of insane atheism destroyed the Russian state, and the Church of God was overcome by fiery temptation. The hands of the wicked have desecrated your resting place, blessed Andrew, but by Divine providence in recent times the place of burial and your honorable relics were revealed to us. The faithful, marveling at this, joyfully sing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 8 Having an inexhaustible wealth of spiritual purity and humility, undoubting faith and pure thoughts, being a fool in Christ, you unslothfully served the Lord with all your life. Moreover, like a guiding star, shine upon everyone who goes to Christ in life. For this sake, for the sake of your lofty feat, we cry out to you: Rejoice, living temple of Divine patience; Rejoice, you who reproach the proud in heart with humility. Rejoice, beauty of humility and abstinence; Rejoice, image of meekness and obedience. Rejoice, angelic man; Rejoice, wonderful silent one. Rejoice, you who secretly preserve from troubles through prayer; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 9 I have enslaved all your life to the commandment of Christ, like a good servant, and the King of Glory Himself has wondrously glorified him. You endured all kinds of sorrows and hardships: strangling, spitting, reproach and ridicule, joyfully walking along the narrow path of your life, blessed Andrew. For this reason, Christ has infused you with the blessed, and with them in His eternal Kingdom you will sing the angelic song: Alleluia.

Ikos 9 The florid tongue and proud mind of the co-questioners of this age will not be able to understand your earthly life, blessed Andrew, what you accomplished in your march to Christ. Whoever is pleased will express the height of the feat of your foolishness and who will honor the selflessness and height of your spirit, heavenly man and earthly angel. We, who overcome your humility, call you like this: Rejoice, our refuge in earthly sorrows; Rejoice, quick helper in difficult circumstances. Rejoice, source of abundant grace; Rejoice, bright dawn of humility, illuminating the souls of sinners. Rejoice, the warmth of divine love warming us; Rejoice, star, enlightening with your rays the souls of proud people with the lesson of humility. Rejoice, you who heal the demon-possessed by the power of God given to you; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 10 The Lord guards all the bones of the righteous, and not one of them will be broken. Now your relics have marvelously appeared to us, Blessed Andrew, like a life-giving source of grace, washing away the foul impurity of our souls. You pour out grace to everyone who flows to you in prayer and sings to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 10 You appeared as an insurmountable wall to the city of Simbirsk and our country, a strong intercessor in the troubles and sorrows of this multi-rebellious life for those living. We therefore pray to you, Blessed Andrew, tame the pride of our mind and teach us to sing to you with humility: Rejoice, you who consider the delights of the world as nothing; Rejoice, having served Christ God with all your life. Rejoice, thou who has inherited eternal bliss; Rejoice, you who have humbled all pride in yourself. Rejoice, quick healing of sinful wounds; Rejoice, good support for those who have taken the path of repentance. Rejoice, wonderful joy of our country; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 11 Accept our prayer song, blessed Father Andrew, for with faith and love we resort to you, we bow the knees of our stiff-necked hearts before your humility, and we glorify the Lord who has glorified you, we pray to you: calm the troubled sea of ​​our life, tame the confusion of man, let us call to our God, marvelous in his saints: Alleluia.

Ikos 11 We see the newly appeared star, guiding us along the path to salvation, now shining in the firmament of the church, and with the light of your deed we illuminate you, we firmly believe and trust in your intercession before the Lord for us unworthy and we call you this: Rejoice, vessel , filled with the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, enlightened by His gifts. Rejoice, receptacle of Christ’s meekness and humility; Rejoice, repository of infantile purity and sincere kindness. Rejoice, for even after your repose into heaven you did not leave us; Rejoice, for you implore God’s mercy for our sins. Rejoice, representative of all who flock to you before God; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 12 You have received grace from the Lord, Blessed Andrew, to see with spiritual eyes every secret sin and hidden spiritual illness in people: grant then to us, blinded by sins, the sight of darkness and our unworthiness, so that healing through your prayers, with a pure heart and lips, we joyfully sing angelic song to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 12 We sing of your great deeds, blessed Andrew, we honor your self-sacrifice and foolishness in Christ, we honor your holy death, we glorify your ineffable courage in your weak body and, in praise of the feat of your earthly life, we cry out to you: Rejoice, having reached the villages of paradise by the cruel path of foolishness ; Rejoice, thou who through poverty hath gained eternal wealth. Rejoice, having known the highest world through humiliation; Rejoice, having been reproached by the foolish, for Christ’s sake, you have gained eternal glory with Him. Rejoice, you who have known the love of Christ with a pure heart; Rejoice, you who humbled those darkened by the spirit of delusion and pride. Rejoice, you who melted the ice of anger of unrepentant hearts with your love; Rejoice, blessed Father Andrew, wonderful praise and intercession of the city of Simbirsk.

Kontakion 13 Oh, glorious servant of Christ, kind seer of the secrets of human souls, holy blessed Father Andrew, our strong intercession before the mercy of God! Accept from us, sinners and unworthy, this little prayer of ours brought to you out of love, and with your intercession calm our storms of life, tame the pride of the human mind, correct our obstinate path of sin and grant us the gift of perfect repentance, cleanse us from all impurity, and in the compartment with you we cry out to our Savior and Lord the angelic song: Alleluia. This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1st and kontakion 1st

Prayer to the holy blessed Andrew, the holy fool for Christ's sake, the Simbirsk wonderworker Oh, most humble and wondrous servant of Christ, most blessed Father Andrew! From your youth you attributed this visible and temporal world to nothing, and took upon yourself the yoke of the ineffable love of Christ, and walked with it resignedly through all your life, fulfilling the Savior’s commandments with diligence and humility. In the same way, the Lord of Glory glorified you and made you worthy to see the Light of Truth. We sinners, with the darkened and proud eyes of our minds seeing only the earthly and vain things of this corrupt and pernicious age, bending the knees of our embittered hearts before the height of your feat, we humbly pray to you, blessed Andrew: with our prayers with yours, free us from vicious earthly thoughts and passions, tame malice and pride in our souls; Heal those who are sick in soul and flesh, help the sorrowing, guide sinners on the path of salvation, be a zealous intercessor in all our lives, for the Lord sent you to us as a great intercessor and prayer book for us, the unworthy. To her, wonderful servant of God, intercede with your prayers for all that contributes to our salvation, save this city and our country from all temptation and bitterness with your help, and through your intercession we observe, glorifying the great patience of God towards us unworthy always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Troparion to blessed Andrei of Simbirsk, for Christ's sake the holy fool Troparion, tone 1: Hearing the voice of Thy Apostle Paul, saying: We are fools for Christ's sake, Thy servant, O Christ God, Andrei, be a fool on earth for Thy sake; We also honor his memory, we pray to You, Lord, save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 8: Desiring the highest beauty, and the lower pleasures of the body, you languidly left, passing through the angelic life of the angelic life through the lack of acquisition of the vanity world, having passed away, blessed Andrew; with them, pray to Christ God unceasingly for all of us.

Greatness We bless you, holy righteous Andrew, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us, Christ our God.

Troparion and Kontakion

Troparion and kontakion are short prayers containing not only the prayer itself, but also the glorification of the saint. The troparion and kontakion of Christ for the sake of the holy fool can be read along with the prayer to Andrei the holy fool on the day of his remembrance.

Troparion of Christ for the Holy Fool, tone 1

Hearing the voice of Your Apostle Paul say, We are fools for Christ's sake, Thy servant, Christ God Andrew, become fools on earth for Your sake: we also honor his memory, We pray to You, Lord, save our souls.

The ancient icon of Andrei the Fool depicts scenes from his life

One of the first icons of St. Andrew that appeared in Russia was the mid-16th century icon “St. Andrew the Fool for Fool, with a Life in 18 Marks” from the Church of St. Andrew of the Sitetsky Monastery.

On it Andrei is depicted in full height. Along the edges of the icon are stamps that depict miracles and visions of the Saint.

The appearance of the Saint on the icon corresponds to the status of a holy fool, his chest, arms and legs are naked, instead of clothes there is a cape on his shoulders

The 18 marks on the icon mean:

You can read about these and other miracles and visions in “The Life of St. Andrew, Christ the Fool for the Fool.”