The intercession of the Theotokos as the Russian Orthodox holiday

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

Vladimir State University named after Alexander and Nikolay Stoletovs Vladimir, Russia

The intercession of the Theotokos as the Russian Orthodox holiday

Nikiforova A.A.

Покров пресвятой богородицы как русский православный праздник

The Intercession of the Theotokos is the holiday that widely celebrated of Russian Orthodox Church. In Russia it refers to the great holidays. In Russia it also names as Pokrov. The name of the festival is associated with the first snow that covered the ground. In folk tradition, this day marks the meeting of autumn to winter. It is associated with the beginning of the evening the girls' get-togethers and wedding season - the first real autumn festival.

The history of the festival of the Intercession of the Theotokos is still full of gaps, although questions about its origin has repeatedly raised in the church and the scientific literature. There were different views about the place of its occurrence. The basis of the holiday tradition laid on the phenomenon of Saint Andrew and his disciple Epiphanius the Blessed Mother of God in the Blachernae church of Constantinople during the invasion of Muslims within the Byzantine Empire. The residents of the great city, not having enough strength to resist the enemy, resorted to a last resort - they prayed the Mother of God.

According to legend, St Andrew was a Slav, in the early years was captured, sold into slavery in Constantinople local resident Feognost and take upon himself the exploit of foolishness for Christ's sake. Many people in the city were laughing at him, beat and pushed him. Complacently suffering abuse and hunger, he walked the streets in the same rags, spent the night in the cold, and charity that fed him, gave another poor. God gave St. Andrew gift of clairvoyance.

Ancient Constantinople struck his contemporaries, temples and palaces, bazaars and the racetrack, the mighty stone walls. The people of the third millennium, he did not seem to be particularly large - only a few hundred people, even within the city walls - the fields, orchards, vineyards, peacefully grazing herds... but then it was one of the largest cities in the known world, the capital of the vast Byzantine Empire, the king of the city and the city of kings. Holds Second Rome stretched from the Danube in the north to the Tigris and Euphrates in the south of the Caucasus Mountains in the east to the Adriatic Sea to the west. Byzantium was constantly at war, the acquisition of new land, the defense against the enemies of their own. The inhabitants of the empire called themselves Romeo ("Roman"), and Constantinople was the New Rome for them, where they lived representatives of various nations: Greeks, Syrians, Scythians, Slavs. All of them are united by the Orthodox faith, preserving the purity of the apostolic fixed acts of the Ecumenical Councils. intercession theotokos orthodox church

In times of prosperity of the Byzantine Empire the western part of the capital - Vlaherna - famous throughout the East for its shrines. Their main attraction was the Mother of God Church. It kept the golden Ark adorned with precious stones, and in it - transferred from Palestine robe of Our Lady, Her head cover (omophorion) and a portion of the belt. He built the Temple of Emperor Leo the Great to acquire these shrines in the 458 year specifically for storage. And performs here a miracle, "I was once in Constantinople in a church in the image of the Virgin, before which hung a blanket covering him, but every Friday at Vespers on the cover without any assistance by itself and the Divine miracle, as it was rising to the sky, so that it could all clearly and fully visible, and on Saturday pall descended into place and stayed there until next Friday".

On Sunday, October 1, 910, during the all-night vigil, the temple was crowded with worshipers praying for the salvation of St Andrew, for Christ's sake. Simpleton. And suddenly, in the fourth hour of the night, as if he was the roof of the temple, all lit up with wonderful light, and saw Andrew the Blessed Virgin, the procession through the air from the king's gate, illuminated heavenly light and surrounded by a host of angels and saints. St. John the Baptist of the Lord and the holy Apostle John the Theologian accompanied the Queen of Heaven.

On bended knee, the Blessed Virgin began with tears to pray for the Christians and for a long time in prayer, and then came to the throne, continued his prayer, having finished that, she took off with his head covered, and spread it over the people praying in church, protecting them from the enemy visible and invisible. Blessed Lady shone the celestial glory, and the cover is in the hands of its shine "more than the rays of the sun."

Saint Andrew beheld with awe the miraculous vision and asked him standing next to his disciple, the blessed Epiphany: "You see, brother, the Queen and Lady, praying for the world?" Epiphanius replied: "I see the Holy Father, and horrified."

Most Blessed Virgin Mary asked the Lord Jesus Christ to take the prayers of all the people who call on Him the Most Holy Name and resorting to her intercession.

"Heavenly King - glagolashe in prayer with the Angels vozduse standing spotless Queen, -, receive every man who praying to you and call on my name for help, but not from Lika otydet my skinny and not heard."

Our Lady was standing "on the prayer service vozduse prostirayuschu honorable His rutsi, umireniya asking for peace and salvation of our souls," - said in a celebratory hymn. Saints Andrew and Epiphanius, worthy to contemplate the Virgin praying, "a long time looking at the sprawled over the people covered and shone like lightning glory of the Lord; until the Holy Mother of God was there apparently was covered; Her departure for the same, and it became invisible, but taking it with him, she left the grace, were there. "

The Byzantine city was miraculously saved by the intercession of the Virgin Mary - the next morning Saracens lifted the siege, without taking and attempts to seize the defenseless city.

In the realm of Greek Day of Protection was not included in the number of holidays. He set a great Bogolyubsky Prince Andrew, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky in 1164 and is celebrated only Russian Orthodox Church.

Prince Andrew Bogolyubskii in the Word on the establishment of the Protection of the holiday writes: "Behold slaughter when thou hear, to seek: kako terrible and compassionate vision byst without festivities. Voskhoteh, but not without a holy festival will cover you, Preblagaya. " The vigil Protection of the Theotokos Russian Church sings: "With Chinmoy Angel Lady, with honest and glorious Prophets,

Apostles and with supreme hieromartyrs and with the bishops for us sinners to pray to God, thy Protection of the holiday Rossiystey proslavlshyya land."

He fought all his life against the Grand Duke Andrei discord and disunity of their land. Firmly believed that the veil of the Virgin protect Russia from "the arrow that flies in the darkness of our division." The time has come, and that darkness is dispelled. Therefore, the feast of the Protection and conceived as a celebration of the entire

Russian land and the Orthodox world, "Mother of God all over the world a truthful Shroud." "You bring the whole earth gifts, like a Queen, Mother of God" - is read at the service of the feast of the Intercession.

On the feast of the Holy Virgin, we requested from the Heavenly Queen of protection and assistance, "Remember us in your prayers, Ms. Devaux Mother of God, let us not perish for multiplication of our sins, to cover us from all evil and evil misfortunes; in

Thee bo trust and thy Intercession holiday chestvuyusche, magnify Thee. "

Around since the establishment of the festival appeared in Russia and the Holy Protection Church. In Novgorod in the XII century there was a monastery of the Holy Virgin (called Zvorinsky monastery). Internationally known for its architectural merits temple Intercession on the Nerl (near Vladimir), built in 1165 Andrew Bogolyubsky. Another famous temple in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God (St. Basil's Cathedral) is located in the center of Moscow. Its construction is related to a campaign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible at Kazan in 1552 - the feast of the Protection of the Virgin Russian troops won a decisive victory over the Tartars. Holiday cover was established on our land, for the Mother of God does not leave us with his intercession and prays to our Lord for all of us, alive and deceased, because God all are alive, and not in the Church who died physically, but may be dying spiritually.

This holiday is considered the patron saint of weddings, because rural girls pray while the imminent marriage. To this end, they consider themselves indispensable duty to visit the feast of the Protection of the church, light candles before the icon of the Intercession of the Virgin. On the day of the Holy Virgin Orthodox people in Russia were in the temple all the families to pray and ask for mercy intercession of Our Lady. The joyful day of the Protection of the Mother of God prays his all-good Mediatrix church "cover us honest Your cover and deliver us from all evil, praying thy Son, Christ - our God, save our souls."

God grant that in this difficult time we are addressing a prayer to the Mother of God at work, at home, on the field of battle, felt her cover and intercession.

As requested in the distant Constantinople Greeks once the Blessed Virgin Mary for help, and we are in difficult times let us pray to our Mediatrix and comforter, asking to deliver us from all kinds of troubles and misfortunes, to take under its protection and patronage. Is the mother disregard the cry of his children and deny their requests? And Our Lady, listening to our prayers, certainly detract her Divine Son descend to our petitions. And is the Son will not respond to the request of the Mother?

According to St. Ephraim the Syrian, that's how it is and will be: "And among people if someone has the hodataitsey someone's mother, when she would ask her son for the countrymen, neighbor or friend, he will not disregard her request. What to say about the application and the boldness which the supreme power of the human race and the heavenly Immaculate Mother has for His Son incarnate from her? Much of her strength and immense.

Queen of Heaven - the first and highest hodataitsa before our God and His Son, vigilant and blameless our intercession, covering the whole world, the giver of all good things, comfort, refuge and our salvation. "

So we cry out, unworthy, from the heart to the Blessed Mother of God: "Rejoice, our joy, to cover us from all evil honest Thy omophorion."

Russian church originally entrusted herself to cover Dame. Praising their heavenly Advocate, the feast of the Intercession Church sings: "this day missus lyudie bright celebrate osenyaemi Thine, O Mother of God, coming, and thy vzirayusche Immaculate image, sweetly verbs: cover us honest thy veil, and deliver us from all evil, praying thy Son Christ our God, save our souls. "

Wherever we live, whatever we may be doing a good deed on earth, the Queen of Heaven covers us with His Divine protection. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, never weary in spirit, do not fall from trouble: all those who share in the Lord sent a test, even sorrow, illness and misfortune, in difficult moments for you to lift up your eyes to the sky. It prays for us and covers us with His Divine Veil herself the Queen of Heaven. Her holy prayer so we would find, but strengthen us, but make us wise and will give us new strength to carry his cross.

Because the day of the Holy Virgin of every one of us should be in the temple of God, to his small effort in prayer to become involved in this great prayer, who prays before the Son of God and His

Heavenly Queen herself with all the prophets, apostles, martyrs and all the saints. As well, if that day will be with us and our children and grandchildren, so that from an early age they knew about our heavenly Mediatrix! We just need to take very little effort to escape from the everyday bustle of the work that we ourselves tomorrow, is likely to seem petty and unnecessary. So help us Holy Mother of God and the saving in this step, but will cover it with our Holy Motherland over now and forever!

Размещено на Allbest.ru