Nika Kravchuk

How is the canonization of saints carried out?

The canonization of saints is a special procedure for canonizing the saints of God. All those righteous people whose names we see in the church calendar received this status for their ascetic life and repeated miraculous help to everyone who turns to them.

Those people to whom believers can turn in prayer are not necessarily officially glorified as saints. Already in the word canonization, which came to us from the Greek language, there is a verb “to legitimize.” That is, this procedure helps to canonize certain righteous people.

It has an official status, so it very often lasts for decades, while people pray in front of the graves of the righteous. It seems clear that the man is a saint. So why such a lengthy procedure? How did this happen in the first centuries of Christianity?

How did the Church recognize saints before?

Until the 4th century, there was no procedure at all: the community decided that one or another should be canonized. The bishop gave this decision a “legalized” status. Why is this so? These were centuries of persecution of Christians and martyrdom for the faith. People witnessed the living faith of the saints, their earthly suffering and posthumous help.

Then, in order to canonize saints, they had to be included in a special list of martyrs - a martyrology. The general church status of veneration was confirmed by the head of the local church.

In Russian Orthodox Church such functions fell on bishops (locally venerated saints) and church councils (church-wide veneration). In our time, for the first, the consent of the patriarch is sufficient, and for the second, positive consideration from the bishops' council.

It is easy to notice that in Orthodox calendar there are many saints glorified by different local churches: there are saints who labored both on the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and in Serbia, Greece, America, and so on. This does not mean at all that, for example, Silouan of Athos or Paisius the Holy Mountain were first canonized in Greece, and then in all Orthodox countries. Or Herman of Alaska - first the American Orthodox Church, and the rest followed suit.

The canonization of a saint takes place only once; all heads of local churches are notified about this. Already on the ground, the right to choose whether to add this or that saint to church calendar. After official veneration, an icon and service are written for each righteous person.

Compliance with what criteria plays an important role in the process of glorification as a saint?

"Requirements" for the righteous

1. Canonization of saints is always posthumous procedure. No matter how good a person was during life, it is possible to sum it up only after death.

2. Lifestyle and conditions of death. The lives of the saints tell how many righteous people labored during their lifetime, about prayerful labors and helping others, about the exploits of fasting and testimonies of faith. In addition, most of the saints of the Orthodox Church suffered martyrdom.

3. Miracles. Examples of both the amazing help of saints during their lifetime and posthumous help are taken into account. The saints healed the sick, sometimes even resurrected the dead, and helped in difficult life circumstances.

For example, Blessed Matrona of Moscow, being blind, during her lifetime could open the eyes of many to their spiritual problems and treat the seriously ill. Today, through her prayers, serious illnesses are healed, long-awaited children are born into childless families, people find work or get housing.

4. To be canonized, you need a sufficient number reliable examples of help saint of God. Typically, those who have witnessed the action of God's grace through a saint leave a written testimony, indicate the name and place of residence, as well as detailed description how the miracle happened. A special commission (in the Russian Orthodox Church - the Synodal Commission) has been considering such examples for decades, so that later no one will have any doubts that they have truly glorified a saint.

5. The incorruptibility of the relics. In fact, this is an optional condition, although people pay attention to it first of all. This is another visible confirmation of holiness.

In the caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra there are the remains of 122 saints. Pilgrims from all over the world can venerate the relics. Some reverends have their hands open so that there is no doubt that there is no deception here. In addition, you often hear amazing pleasant smells (incense comes from saints, and besides, they are all different).

Mother Alipia, the Optina New Martyrs, John Krestyankin - have not yet been canonized, but are already glorified by many

In general, the procedure for the canonization of saints itself requires a long time. For example, in the Russian Orthodox Church many righteous people were glorified as saints only in the 1990s, while they were addressed as saints of God back in the 19th and early 20th centuries (for example, Maxim the Greek, John of Kronstadt).

Mother Alipia, whose relics are located in the Goloseevskaya Hermitage in Kyiv, has not yet been glorified as a saint, although 27 years have already passed since the day of her death. But every day hundreds and thousands of people from different parts of the world turn to her. People have no doubt that she will be officially glorified in the near future.

It is simply impossible to collect all the written evidence of her amazing help. But even the documented part inspires confidence - four volumes of the book “Grace Acquired”. If all this is studied in detail, it will be obvious that she should be canonized.

Optina New Martyrs they name Hieromonk Vasily, monks Trophim and Ferapont, killed on Easter 1993. Nina Pavlova wrote about their life path and service to God in the book “Red Easter”; thousands of people come to Optina Pustyn and to the graves of the new martyrs. There is also a lot of evidence of their help.

For example, one woman from Nizhny Novgorod I made Easter gifts for my family—beaded eggs. Having arrived in Optina after this holiday, she brought such a gift to the new martyrs, leaving it at the grave of the especially beloved monk Trofim. At the graves she prayed that God would send her a son. After 9 months, she and her husband had a boy. Trofim.

John Krestyankin died in 2006. He dedicated his entire life to God and the temple, went through prison and a camp for his faith, and until his death he was the archimandrite of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, in whose caves he was buried. To this day, nine reverend fathers of Pskov-Pechersk have been canonized, and with the blessing of the elder Archimandrite John Krestyankin, they compiled a service.

During his lifetime, John had the gift of prophecy, although he carefully hid it; he did not like being called an elder. In his book “Unholy Saints,” Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) talks about some of them (about the spiritual daughter of John Krestyankin, who disobeyed the warning of her spiritual father and died a day after a trifling operation - cataract removal, about a boy whom the elder did not bless for surgery ).

Of course, the Synodal Commission needs a lot of time to study the life and help of John Krestyankin, but spiritual children and many who have heard about the elder are already turning to him with prayers.

***

The canonization of saints is a rather complex and time-consuming procedure. We need to collect evidence, study life and miracles... With God everything is much simpler: he rewards with special grace those who have already done right choice. On the one hand, canonization only confirms this status, and on the other hand, it helps the unprepared not to fall for the devil’s special trick—false miracles.

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

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One of the favorite reproaches of Protestants against the traditional branches of Christianity - Orthodoxy and Catholicism - is the so-called. "idolatry". Moreover, this category includes not only prayer in front of icons, but also veneration of saints. The absurdity of this approach is clear to anyone who is familiar with the Christian faith first-hand: saints for Christians are not gods who are worshiped, but people who are asked to pray for us sinners. They are asked for this precisely because these people have brought themselves closer to God by performing deeds in His name. The exploits for which people are canonized as saints are as diverse as human life.

A special place among the saints is occupied by the Mother of God - a human woman who received in her womb the Almighty and Eternal God who created the Universe... it is truly scary to imagine such a comparison, the matter was aggravated by the fact that she knew in advance what Fate awaited her Son. This feat is truly unique, it is impossible to repeat it in principle, so St. The Virgin Mary is one of a kind. For this reason, her name is never given at baptism (just like the name of Jesus Christ) - women bearing this name are patronized by other saints of Mary, fortunately, there are many of them.

Chronologically, the first saints were the apostles, whose main merit was preaching the Gospel. Those people who did not belong to the number of the apostles (direct disciples of the Savior), but just like them, spread the Christian doctrine, are called equal to the apostles - such are, for example, St. Vladimir, who baptized Rus', or St. Nina is an educator of Georgia.

The Christian faith was initially met with hostility, and this situation required true heroism from many Christians: to remain faithful To the True God had to be tortured and threatened with the death penalty. Many of those who died were canonized as martyrs. Those whose suffering was especially terrible are called great martyrs, those who bore the rank of priest are called holy martyrs, and monks are called venerable martyrs.

It seemed that the era of the martyr was left behind with the advent of the Middle Ages, but alas - the persecution of Christian faith resurrected in later times. After the fall of Byzantium, when the Balkans came under the rule Ottoman Empire, many Greeks and representatives of other Orthodox peoples who inhabited this territory suffered for their faith - they are called Greek new martyrs. There were new martyrs in our country - those who died for their faith during the years of Stalinist repression.

Some people who suffered for their faith were lucky to survive; such saints are called confessors.

Close to the martyrs are the passion-bearers - these are also righteous people who accepted martyrdom, but they were killed not for their faith, but for some other reasons (for example, political). Their feat lies in the humble acceptance of their fate, in the absence of hatred towards enemies. These include, for example, the first Russian saints - Boris and Gleb, who canonized the family of the last Russian emperor in the same capacity.

Fortunately, asceticism in the name of God did not always involve physical suffering and death. This could be a renunciation of earthly goods, moving away from the sinful world with all its temptations - such a feat is performed by monks. Saints who have become famous in this capacity are called venerables. Many bishops (bishops) also became famous for their righteousness and active pastoral activity - they were canonized as saints (for example, St. Nicholas the Pleasant or St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), whose relics are in the Crimea).

However, to become a saint, it is not at all necessary to withdraw from the world - you can live like ordinary person, have a family, nevertheless, remain righteous. People canonized for living a righteous life in the world are called righteous. The Forefathers and Parmateri - the Old Testament patriarchs - belong to the same category. And if we are already talking about the Old Testament saints, we cannot fail to mention one more category - the prophets. The Church honors eighteen Old Testament prophets, but there is also one New Testament prophet - John the Baptist.

The Christian faith is usually contrasted with worldly achievements, especially with worldly power. Meanwhile, history clearly shows that one can remain human and even be a saint even on the throne. Moreover, much can be done to strengthen the faith and for the church, not to mention protecting Christian peoples from external enemies. Saints canonized for such merits are called faithful: Yaroslav the Wise, Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy.

One of the main virtues in Christianity is considered unselfishness - and people who are especially famous for this quality are canonized as moneyless people. An example of such saints is Cosmas and Damian, healers who never took money from their patients for treatment.

Another category of saints – holy fools – is also associated with the renunciation of worldly goods. But these people, in addition to asceticism, also put on the mask of madness - in essence, this image in its various transformations has always been loved by writers, and then by filmmakers: a “mad world” in which a normal, moral person looks crazy. Foolishness highlighted the absurdity of a sinful world - and to a certain extent correlated with the activities of the Savior himself, because His preaching also seemed insane to many of his contemporaries. The most famous of the Russian holy fools is, of course, Basil the Blessed, who was not afraid to tell the truth to Ivan the Terrible himself - and the Tsar listened to him. The name “blessed” is used as a synonym for the word “fool”, but it also has another meaning - this is the name given to two prominent theologians, St. Augustine and St. Jerome of Stridon, whose merits have nothing to do with foolishness.

Some saints are called miracle workers, but this is not some special category saints - among them there are reverends (St. Euphrosynus of Pskov) and saints (St. Nicholas the Pleasant). These people became especially famous for the gift of working miracles, including after death - in response to prayers.

Speaking about saints, one cannot fail to mention one common misconception. Some people believe that the saints canonized by the Church were absolutely sinless people. This is not so: only God is sinless, the saints were, first of all, people with their own merits and demerits, so not every act of this or that saint can be imitated: they say, for example, that St. During a theological debate, Nikolai Ugodnik once struck his interlocutor, the heretic Arius. Most likely, this is from the realm of legends, but even if it really happened, this does not mean that this act should be taken as a guide to action. Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna, now also revered as saints, took part in spiritualistic séances, and the emperor also smoked - also clearly not something that should be imitated... We don’t call saints saints because complete absence sins, but for an adequate attitude towards them (it is no coincidence that in the texts of prayers compiled by saints the words “I am prodigal”, “I am damned”, “I am a sinner” are so often repeated), for the desire to be cleansed of sins and to devote one’s life to God. In this sense, saints are " guiding stars"for Christians.

Canonization will take place in July of this year Athonite elder John Vyshensky. Who can become a saint, what are the criteria for canonization and how to know holiness, answers Archimandrite Tikhon (Sofyichuk), Chairman of the Commission for Canonization of the Kyiv Diocese.

– Father, how are saints canonized?

– The history of the Orthodox Church is the history of its holiness. Each Local Church only fully realizes its spiritual calling when it not only reveals within its fold the ascetics of piety, but also collectively glorifies these saints as canonized saints.

The Church gave the Christian world a great host of devotees of piety, martyrs and confessors.

The Church calls saints those people who, having been cleansed from sin, acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit and demonstrated His power in our world.

Each saint with his own special life shows the path to holiness and acts as an example of those walking along this path. The Church teaches: saints of God, making up the ranks of the saints, pray before the Lord for living brothers in faith, to whom the latter pay prayerful honor.

The canonization procedure was developed and strictly regulated relatively recently. In the I–IV centuries. the veneration of saints was determined by the community and legitimized by the bishop. Later, the veneration of saints and the general church dissemination of such veneration was determined by the inclusion of the name of a deceased member of the community in the list of martyrs (martyrology). When veneration assumed a universal, i.e., church-wide character, it was confirmed by the head of the Local Church.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, canonization was performed locally by diocesan bishops. The first example of a conciliar decision on canonization - decrees church councils 1547 and 1549

Councils of 1547 and 1549 Modern icon

– What are the conditions for canonization?

– Canonization is the recognition by the Church of any deceased ascetic of piety as one of its saints. The word “canonization” (Latin canonizatio – to take as a rule), borrowed from Western theological language, is used in the Russian Church along with the expression “canonization” (“containment”, “incorporation” into the ranks of saints). In Greek hagiology, the term is used to mean "proclamation" (saint).

The grounds on which the deceased righteous are canonized as saints arose back in Ancient Church. Over time, one or another basis has gained priority, but in general they remain unchanged.

The term “canonization” - a Latinized transcription of the Greek verb meaning “to determine, to legitimize on the basis of a rule” - was introduced into circulation by Western theologians quite late. In the Greek Church there is no exact analogy for this term, therefore in such cases it used the phrase “canonization” or “containment, inclusion in the ranks of saints.”

The main condition for the glorification of saints at all times was the manifestation of true sanctification, the holiness of the righteous. Evidence of such holiness could be:

1. The Church’s faith in the holiness of the glorified ascetics as people. Those who pleased God and served the coming of the Son of God to earth and the preaching of the holy Gospel.
2. Martyrdom for Christ or torture for the faith of Christ.
3. Miracles performed by a saint through his prayers or from his honest remains-relics.
4. High church primate and hierarchal service.
5. Great services to the Church and the people of God.
6. A virtuous, righteous and holy life, not always evidenced by miracles.
7. In the 17th century, according to the testimony of Patriarch Nektarios of Constantinople, three signs were considered conditions for the presence of true holiness in people:

a) Orthodoxy is impeccable;
b) the fulfillment of all virtues, followed by confrontation for faith even to the point of blood;
c) God's manifestation of supernatural signs and wonders.

8. Often, evidence of the holiness of a righteous man was the great veneration of him by the people, sometimes even during his lifetime.
Along with the faces of the saints, according to the nature of their church service - martyrs, saints, saints, fools for Christ's sake - the saints also differed in the prevalence of their veneration: local church, local diocesan and general church. Today, only locally revered saints are distinguished, whose veneration does not extend beyond the boundaries of any diocese, and church-wide saints, revered by the entire Church. The criteria for glorifying church-wide and locally revered saints are the same. The names of saints glorified by the entire Church are communicated to the Primates of the fraternal Orthodox Local Churches for inclusion in the calendar.

– What is the practice of glorifying the saints today?

– The practice of glorification is as follows: first, the Diocesan Commission for the Canonization of Saints considers materials on glorification. If the decision is positive, they are transferred to the synodal commission, which, if approved, sends them to the Synod. The day of the decision of the Holy Synod is included in the calendar as the day of glorification of the saint. Only after this is an icon painted for the saint and a service compiled. As for the locally revered saints, the difference is only in the degree of glorification within the earthly Church. They also write the icon and service. In the Orthodox Church, canonization is celebrated with a solemn service in honor of the newly glorified saint.

The petition and documents of the ascetic of the faith are submitted to the ruling bishop to study the possibility of canonization. Attached are materials testifying to the person’s holiness. A detailed biography of the ascetic is being compiled, fully reflecting the feat of faith. Documents are sent on the basis of which the biography is compiled: all archival copies, medical evidence of healings, memories of archpastors, pastors and laity about the pious life and gracious help of the ascetic revealed during his life or after his death. The question of the veneration of the ascetic by the people requires especially careful coverage.

Meeting of the Commission for the Canonization of Saints at the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Photo: canonization.church.ua

It is worth recalling the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of December 26, 2002 “On the streamlining of practices related to the canonization of saints in the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church.” Then it was decided that when preparing the canonization of saints, the following circumstances should be taken into account:

1. Materials for the canonization of an ascetic must be carefully prepared and considered by the diocesan commission for the canonization of saints in accordance with the decision of the 1992 Council of Bishops.
2. The publication of unverified materials related to the life, exploits and suffering of clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church is unacceptable. With the blessing of the ruling bishop, all evidence must be verified locally. The ruling bishop can give a blessing for the publication of such materials only after personally familiarizing himself with their content.
3. The practice of collecting signatures in dioceses for the canonization of certain persons is unacceptable, since it is sometimes used by various forces not for church purposes.
4. There should be no haste in the canonization of recently deceased revered clergy and laity. It is necessary to carefully and comprehensively study the documentary materials of their life and ministry.
5. The relics of canonized ascetics are acquired with the blessing of His Beatitude Onuphry, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The ruling bishop must report on the results of the acquisition of holy relics to His Beatitude Onuphry, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

6. The relics of uncanonized ascetics cannot be displayed in churches for veneration.

In our time, when considering cases of canonization of victims for Christ, it is necessary to apply additional criteria, taking into account the circumstances of the era. In each specific case concerning the glorification of one or another confessor of the faith of the twentieth century, the commission carefully studies archival materials, personal testimonies, if sometimes it is possible to find and interview eyewitnesses of the events or those who, without being eyewitnesses themselves, keep memories of these people or their letters , diaries and other information.

The subject of careful study is the interrogation materials. All persons who suffered during the years of persecution were subsequently rehabilitated by the state. The authorities recognized their innocence, but one cannot conclude from this that all of them can be canonized. The fact is that people who were subjected to arrests, interrogations and various repressive measures did not behave the same in these circumstances.

The attitude of the repressive authorities towards the ministers of the Church and believers was clearly negative and hostile. The man was accused of monstrous crimes, and the purpose of the prosecution was one - by any means to obtain a confession of guilt in anti-state or counter-revolutionary activities. The majority of clergy and laity denied their involvement in such activities and did not admit either themselves or their loved ones, acquaintances and strangers to be guilty of anything. Their behavior during the investigation, which was sometimes carried out with the use of torture, was devoid of any slander or false testimony against themselves and their neighbors.

At the same time, the Church finds no grounds for canonizing persons who, during the investigation, incriminated themselves or others, causing the arrest, suffering or death of innocent people, despite the fact that they themselves suffered. Cowardice manifested in such circumstances cannot serve as an example, for canonization is, first of all, evidence of the holiness and courage of the ascetic, which the Church of Christ calls on its children to imitate.

Copies of archival investigative cases in which the ascetics were convicted should be attached to the description of the life of a martyr or confessor. Namely: a questionnaire of the arrested person, all protocols of interrogations and confrontations (if any), an indictment, a “troika” verdict, an act of execution of the sentence or another document certifying the time, place and circumstances of the ascetic’s death. If the martyr or confessor was arrested several times, then it is necessary to submit copies of the above materials from all criminal investigation cases.

There are many other aspects to the issue of glorifying a martyr or confessor, which can only be partially reflected in the materials of investigative cases, but without a decision from the relevant authorities it is impossible to glorify a person. Requires special attention clarification of a person’s attitude to the schisms that took place at that time (Renovationist, Gregorian and others), behavior during the investigation: was he a secret informant of the repressive authorities, was he called as a false witness in other cases? Establishing these facts requires a lot of work from many people - members and employees of diocesan commissions for the canonization of saints, the work of which is organized and controlled by the ruling bishop.

The archives of the state, whose funds contain documents about the history of the Church and the persecution of it, unfortunately, only recently and not in full became available for research. The history of the 20th century Church has only just begun to be studied. In this regard, researchers are discovering many facts that were previously unknown, as well as their religious and moral side, which many were not even aware of. Therefore, the strictness of the Church’s position in matters of glorifying new martyrs and confessors is dictated not by bureaucracy and formalism, but by the desire to avoid mistakes due to incomplete information and to accept the right decision.

– Why in ancient times were martyrs glorified immediately after death, without a meeting of the commission or the Synod?

– In the Ancient Church, the main list of revered saints consisted of the names of martyrs - people who voluntarily offered themselves as a “living sacrifice”, testifying to the glory and holiness of God. Therefore, already in the 2nd century in church sources one can find several evidence of celebrations along with days of remembrance evangelical events and days of remembrance of martyrs. About the number of saints in the Church in the period before Ecumenical Councils can be judged from surviving calendars, martyrologies and minologies. The most ancient of them are the martyrologies of the 3rd–4th centuries. in its main part there is a translation of Latin court records, the so-called proconsular acts (Acta Proconsuloria), or some processing of them. These acts, by order of Emperor Constantine, were kept in all major cities empires. In addition to the actual acts of the Roman authorities from this time (I–IV centuries), the first attempts on the part of the Church to write the lives of this or that martyr, testifying to his veneration, have also been preserved. So, for example, in the acts of the martyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch (+107 or 116), it is said that the compiler of the description of the martyrdom of Ignatius noted the day and year of his death in order to gather on this “day of remembrance of the martyr” for agapes dedicated to holidays or days in honor of this saint.

Records about saints in the Ancient Church are quite brief, since in the Roman court, which usually took place in the presence of “notaries” - stenographers, only the questions of the judges and the answers of the accused were recorded. Often Christians bought these records. For example, in the acts of the martyrs Tarakh, Provos and Andronikos (who suffered in 304), it is noted that Christians paid the Roman authorities 200 denarii for them.

These court records had the appearance of an interrogation record. First, they indicated the name of the proconsul in whose region the trial was held, then the year, month and day, and sometimes the time of day of the trial, and, finally, the interrogation itself, which was a dialogue between the judge, his servants and the accused. At the end of the interrogation, the proconsul called for it to be read aloud, then the judge and his assessors made a decision and read the sentence. The execution of the sentence was carried out in the absence of a judge.

From this diagram it is clear that only the interrogation of the martyr was fully described in the court records and his testimony and death were reported; there should not have been any other details in them. Later, with the increase in the number of holy martyrs in the Church, these proconsular acts were placed in special collections-minologues, in which the sufferings of each martyr on the day of his memory were noted by month.

Such historical sources perfectly illustrate the veneration and celebration of a deceased Christian as a saint. All those who suffered for Christ were counted among these; without any investigation of their lives, they were included in the lists of saints by virtue of their feat - cleansing by martyrdom. At times, the Church, already knowing about the upcoming interrogation of an arrested Christian, sent an observer to him for trial as a saint, obligated to record the feat of testimony of the interrogated. At some episcopal sees, even special persons were appointed for this purpose. Thus, Pope Clement appointed seven deacons to this ministry in a certain area of ​​the city of Rome. These records were called passio (suffering), later they were combined with the minologi, and their readings were placed according to the days of the Roman calendar. By their number, one can determine the number of saints in the Ancient Church, as well as which feat of holiness was revered in the Church before others. Thus, in the oldest Western calendar, which belonged to a certain Dionysius Philocalus and known as the Bucherian calendar, 24 days of remembrance of martyrs are noted, in addition to this - the feast of the Nativity of Christ and a list of holy popes. By the end of the 4th century, after the era of persecution, “the calendar was full,” that is, the number of saints in the year had increased so much that there was not a single day that did not have the memory of its saint. For the most part, most of them were martyrs. Asterius, Bishop of Amasia, speaks about this: “Behold, the whole universe is filled with the circle of Christ’s ascetics; there is no place or season without their memory. Therefore, if any lover of the martyrs wanted to celebrate all the days of their suffering, then for him there would not be a single day in the year that was not festive.”

However, such a complete ancient Christian calendar has not survived to this day. In the oldest, now known calendars of Western origin, which were called martyrologium (martyrdom), - Gothic, Carthaginian and others, memories are not distributed over all numbers of the year. In the most ancient eastern calendar, compiled in 411–412. in Syria, there are more “memories” of saints, but also not on all days of the year. However, it should be noted that all these calendars were compiled only for individual dioceses, and martyrs from one date were not included in another due to their remoteness.

– Some today want to canonize one outstanding figure, without wanting to understand his life, others want another, patriots need a holy warrior, the military needs a general, etc. There are many wonderful and even outstanding personalities in our history, but holiness is It's a completely different matter.

– Every nation has its own heroes whom it reveres and looks up to, wanting to imitate their feat. The Church also has its own Heroes of the Spirit - these are saints. We recently celebrated the feast of All Saints who shone in the Russian land. And there is nothing wrong with the fact that people want to see their compatriots close in time as role models. It is important that there are no vanity or any other pragmatic reasons for glorifying this or that ascetic, because this can divide people. Such cases occurred during the time of the Apostle Paul (I am Cephas, I am Pavlov), divisions were also observed in the Church, when some revered St. Basil the Great more, calling themselves Basilians, others – St. Gregory the Theologian, calling themselves Gregorians, and others – Ionnites, revering the saint more. John Chrysostom, but these three saints appeared in the 11th century to Metropolitan John of Euchaitis and stopped the discord between their admirers, saying that they were equal before God. On this occasion, the feast of the Three Saints was established on January 30.

The saints are one in the Lord and want us to achieve holiness and unite with God - this is the highest veneration for them, since this, according to the Apostle Paul, is the good will of God: “The will of God is your sanctification...” (1 Thess. 4 :3). When we perform funeral services for deceased Orthodox Christians, we pray: “With the saints, rest the soul of your departed servant...” But this does not mean that all Orthodox deceased Christians, even if they occupied high church, military or public positions, can serve as an example for imitation and veneration like saints. Church is not legal organization, where everything is decided according to earthly laws. The Church is a living organism that lives by the Holy Spirit. This is why canonization commissions have been created within the Church and dioceses, which, based on the above criteria, determine whether to venerate this or that ascetic or not. Holiness reveals itself, and people only state this fact, which is no longer needed by the saints, since they are already glorified by God, but by us for prayer help and as an example to follow.

Saints are those people who, having been cleansed from sin, acquired the Holy Spirit and demonstrated His power in our world. Those whose pleasing to God was revealed to the Church as a reliable fact, whose salvation was revealed even now, before the Last Judgment, are revered as saints.

We are all called to holiness. And indeed, we are sanctified in the Church, whose Head and Firstfruits is the Lord Jesus Christ: “If the firstfruits is holy, then the whole is holy, and if the root is holy, then so are the branches” (Rom. 11:16). On Divine Liturgy before Holy Communion we hear a cry referring to us: “Holy to holies!” Just as a star differs from a star, so in the firmament the saints differ in their degree of holiness. Some people internalize this holiness by becoming saints, others do not. Everything depends on the free will of man.

Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova

On March 4, 1873, Sergei Florinsky, the future martyr Sergei Rakveresky, was born in Suzdal. He suffered persecution from the Soviet regime and ended his life in Estonia. He was shot along with 80 Estonians, to whom the Bolsheviks issued a death sentence.

"RG" talks about six priests Soviet Union, canonized.

Florinsky Sergey Fedorovich

Hieromartyr and Archpriest Sergei Fedorovich Florinsky was born on March 4, 1873 in Suzdal into a family of priests. Naturally, the only choice life path young Sergei saw only service to God. After successfully graduating from the Vladimir Theological Seminary, he worked for seven years as a teacher at a zemstvo school. Saint Sergius received the priesthood in 1900, at the same time he was sent to the 151st Pyatigorsk Infantry Regiment.

During Russo-Japanese War The regiment where Florinsky was a priest is sent to Chinese Manchuria to occupy strategically important territories, and during the First World War they are completely thrown to the front line. For his activities at this time, Sergius received several awards. The 1917 revolution had a strong demoralizing effect on the army - desertion senior officials, executions.

The position of the clergy in the army became extremely unsafe - the revolutionaries blamed them for many of the failures of the war. At the beginning of 1918, Estland was captured by the Germans; Florinsky, who was there at that time, could not return home to Peterhof to his family. He prayed and waited for the liberation operations of the Red Army, not yet realizing that death will come to him in the person of liberators.

On December 19, 1918, Florinsky was arrested as a representative of the old, tsarist regime. He was charged with a number of charges and, most importantly, incitement to an armed rebellion against the Red Army. The saint was executed on December 30, 1918. His phrase is known, spoken very shortly before his death - during the last interrogation: “I think one thing: it’s my fault that I’m a priest, which I sign for.”

On July 17, 2002, Saint Sergius of Florinsky was canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the beginning of July 2003 imperishable relics The holy martyr was moved to the Rakvere Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, which after that became an object of visit for tourists from all over the world.

Seraphim Vyritsky

The future millionaire Vasily Nikolaevich Muravyov was born into a peasant family. While still a boy, he lost his father, the family began to starve, and Vasily’s sister died from hunger. Then the teenager went to the city to earn money.

He made an amazing career, even for our time: at the age of 40 he was already known as a famous fur trader not only in Russia, but also in France, Germany, and Great Britain. However, at the age of 50, he gave up everything: he closed the enterprise, gave double salaries to the workers, and gave what was left to churches.

He settled in the cell of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. One day Seraphim caught a severe cold and inflammation of the joints began. He was transported to a village house. There his main spiritual feat took place: he devoted 1000 days to columnarism. Every day, weakened by illness, the monk, with the help of his relatives, reached a stone not far from his house. There I prayed as long as my health allowed: an hour, two, or even more. He did this at any time of the year and in any weather.

The elder was known among the people, many came to him for help. When the Nazis found themselves in the village, they were also looking for Seraphim Vyritsky. They came to him twice and tried to find out the future.

The German officers asked the elder whether they would soon march victoriously along Palace Square, he replied that this would not happen, says historian Valery Filimonov.

The elder also called them exact date expulsion of the Germans from Leningrad. Relatives remember that he spoke little, but his every word came true. The saint died on April 3, 1949, and was canonized on October 1, 2000.

Peter Korelin

Born in 1863 into the family of a priest. After the Perm Theological Seminary and marriage, he was ordained to the priesthood. At the age of 26, he was elected a member of the dean's council, a teacher of the law at the Melnikovsky parochial school at the Epiphany Church, and an observer of the parochial schools of the district. In 1895 he became the spiritual investigator of the district. He was elected as a deputy more than once. At the same time, he was the only priest and had to perform all services and fulfill demands. But amazingly, he managed to do everything and even received church awards for his efforts.

In 1904, the priest was transferred to the Holy Trinity Church of the Kamensky plant, Kamyshlovsky district. After October Revolution In the summer of 1918, the Kamensky Council of Bolsheviks decided to remove from the church the metric book with the registration of births, deaths, and marriages. The parishioners gathered in the temple with the intention of not giving the books to the Reds. When the document was finally confiscated, the priests rang the bell, after which the Bolsheviks began shooting at the bell tower. The parishioners, outraged by this, beat up the Council of Deputies workers and even wanted to destroy the Council building.

Red Army fighter Pyotr Bazhov, better known to us as a writer, recalled: “Popovshchina, relying on the monastery existing in the Kamensky plant, tried to organize an open uprising against the Soviets. The reason was the confiscation of books. The attempt met such a rebuff from the armed workers that the priests no longer I had to think about an open offensive. In response to the beating of the Soviet employee Davydov by the crowd, fire was opened on the bell tower. The organizer of the beating, priest Korelin, was immediately shot.”

However, historical data suggests that Bazhov was wrong; Korelin remained alive. The book “Lives of the Saints of the Yekaterinburg Diocese” says that he was arrested and sent to Yekaterinburg. In prison he met with the now famous Bishop of Tobolsk, Hermogenes. Later they were transferred to the “Punitive Expedition of the Tobolsk direction” on the tugboat “Ermak”. Near the village of Pokrovskoye, all prisoners, except Peter Korelin and Vladyka Hermogenes, were transferred to the steamship Ob.

The Reds needed workers to build fortifications against the Whites. The bishop and priest worked there. After a day of work, they were put back on the ship, and at night they took Pyotr Korelin onto the deck, stripped him, beat him with belts, shaved his head, then tied two granite stones to him and threw him overboard. Later, the same fate befell the Lord.

The body of Bishop Hermogenes was found, the remains of Father Peter were not discovered, but by the decision of the Holy Synod he was glorified in the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

Kuksha Odessky

The Monk Kuksha, in the world Kosma Kirillovich Velichko, was born in 1875 in the small village of Arbuzinka near Kherson into a family of deeply religious parents. His mother dreamed of becoming a nun since childhood, and when her parents finally married her off, she decided that at least one of her children should become “God’s helper.” Therefore, she was happy when little Kosma, having barely learned to read and write, read everything Orthodox books in the house. Over time, he fell even more in love with solitude and prayer, to which he devoted many hours.

After some time, twenty-year-old Kuksha goes to Jerusalem, where he lives for a little while. less than a year, during this time he visits holy places" ancient city"and Palestine, on the way back home Kosma visited Holy Mount Athos in Greece. Subsequently, he will say that he decided to become a monk precisely after visiting this place, significant for any Orthodox believer. By the way, an interesting case is his repeated visit to Jerusalem - in the temple On the occasion of the Resurrection of Christ, a lamp with oil fell on him, which was perceived by parishioners as a “sign from God.” In 1896, Kuksha entered the St. Panteleimon Monastery as a novice, where he zealously served until 1912, when Greek politicians demanded that all Russian priests be expelled from the Holy Mountain. .

The next place of obedience for the future saint was the no less famous Kiev Pechersk Lavra, although he did not stay there for long. The first one has begun World War and Father Xenophon - this is the name he received when he was tonsured as a monk - was sent as a medical assistant on a hospital train. It was from this time that rumors began to circulate among the people about the responsive and kind priest. In 1931, Father Xenophon became very and, as they thought, hopelessly ill; on his deathbed they decided to tonsure him into the schema, which is what happens, and he was named Kuksha, in honor of the Hieromartyr Kuksha from the Far Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. But tonsure into the schema literally healed Kuksha, and after a few days he could already walk.

In 1938, the holy father was arrested by the Bolshevik authorities and sentenced to 5 years in the camps in the city of Vilma, Molotov region (present-day Perm). But even during hard logging work, Kuksha helped other prisoners with prayer and attention until his release in 1947. The future saint died in 1964 in the Assumption Monastery in Odessa. There are many dozens of cases of healing of seriously ill people at his grave: earth taken from there is applied to the sore spot and the illness, according to believers, recedes.

Luka Krymsky

During his lifetime, Luka Krymsky openly spoke about being a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, but even despite this, the Soviet authorities encouraged him for his work. He was a brilliant surgeon with a worldwide reputation, and already in the rank of priest he became a Stalin Prize Laureate. He was canonized just 39 years after his death - an amazing case, because the Russian Orthodox Church usually waits 50 years for this. But the quick canonization was explained by the incredible number of miracles that occurred when the saint was turned to for help.

Contemporaries recall that the doctor of medicine came to surgery in a cassock, hung icons in the resident’s room, and could also simultaneously take confession and treat the sick.

In his youth, Luka dreamed of becoming an artist, but unexpectedly, having already entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, he went to study as a doctor at the Kiev Institute. He became a priest after the death of his wife. For serving the church he was sent to prison and exile three times. There he healed souls. It is a known fact that when Father Luka was transferred to Butyrka, almost all the prisoners immediately became believers.
To the Great Patriotic War Luka suddenly left prison and became a consultant to all military hospitals in Siberia.

While serving his sentence, he wrote a letter to Mikhail Kalinin: “I can apply all my knowledge and skills to the treatment of Red Army soldiers and officers. I ask you to suspend my exile, after the end of the war I am ready to extend it,” says Maya Prozorovskaya, the niece of St. Luke.

And indeed, after the war, Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Luka was awarded “For valiant labor during the Great Patriotic War” and again sent into exile.

He always found out whether an Orthodox person was lying on the operating table or not. If he was Orthodox, he baptized him, then the operating room, baptized himself and only then began the operation,” says Doctor of Medical Sciences Heinrich Kassirsky.

During the life of Luka Krymsky, in the world Valentin Voino-Yasenetsky, was awarded a bust at the Institute. Sklifosovsky, after his death, churches were opened at the Center for Cardiovascular Surgery named after. Bakulev, military hospital named after. Burdenko, medical-surgical center named after. Pirogov. Canonized as a saint in 2000.

Konstantin Bogoyavlensky

In 1896 he was born into the family of deacon Stefan Epiphany. He was ordained to the priesthood on February 6, 1917. At the age of 21, he was appointed a priest to the Archangel Michael Church in the village of Merkushino, Verkhoturye district. This village is well known throughout Orthodox world, the relics of Simeon of Verkhoturye were found in it.

The “Lives of the Saints of the Ekaterinburg Diocese” tells that in 1918 a new government came to the village, heavy exactions began, and already in the summer a rebellion was brewing in Merkushino. During the period of suffering among the villagers, the commissars came to announce conscription into the Red Army. Many men had just returned from the fronts of the First World War and were outraged by the new conscription. In a scuffle with the Bolsheviks, they beat up the Reds and shot one of them. Realizing what they had done, they rushed to the young priest. Konstantin proposed organizing a religious procession to the relics of Simeon of Verkhoturye in order to ask the saint for help.

The next day, many women and men from nearby villages came to Merkushino to participate in procession. The frightened Bolsheviks decided that the villagers were going to fight with new government in Verkhoturye.

Reaction elements rural areas and the cities did everything to overthrow the young Soviet government. So, on the hot days of July 1918, these elements... gathered men to the collection point. With icons, banners, homemade pikes, guns, axes in brutal hands, the enemies drove the people in the direction of Verkhoturye to overthrow the Bolsheviks and liberate the relics of Simeon the Righteous. At the head of the column was a priest with a cross... It was the so-called wooden war. When reaching the Irbitsky highway, the remnants of the column were fired upon by Red Guard detachments from rifles, the column fled, throwing banners and icons. Thus, the idea of ​​a “crusade” against the Bolsheviks ended ingloriously and shamefully for the local bourgeoisie, wrote one of the participants in the Civil War many years later.

The investigation lasted more than a week, the authorities found 4 culprits, after which a demonstration execution was carried out. They recalled that on the way to execution, Konstantin held a funeral service for those arrested. They were forced to dig their own graves on the spot, and then they were shot in the head. Afterwards, the villagers asked to rebury the dead and received permission to do so.

On May 31, 2002, during the restoration of the destroyed temple, the incorrupt remains of an unknown priest were found: the body was preserved almost completely, even the hair and eyelashes had not decayed, fingers right hand were folded into a blessing gesture. A small Gospel signed by Konstantin Epiphany was found in the coffin. A month and a half after the discovery of the relics of the holy martyr, he was canonized.

To the question: Who is counted among the saints in Christianity and for what reason? given by the author Flush the best answer is In the Holy Scripture, which is “Guide and Light” (according to the Koran), it is written “The Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.” But in order “not to be mistaken,” the Church is in no hurry to canonize, that is, to officially glorify some ascetics as saints.
Church canonization is only a confirmation of what happened long ago in Heaven, with God.
For a person to be canonized, it is necessary that he... has already died. Only by following his life, his feat, until his death, moreover, by seeing how he died, can one understand whether the person was really a righteous person. After the death of this ascetic, it is necessary that his holiness be confirmed... by God. How is this possible? These are miracles that emanate from the grave, or remains of a saint, or simply occur in response to prayer to him.
Little popular veneration. It is necessary for a number of miracles to confirm the fact - the saint is next to the Lord, he is praying for us!
After death St. Seraphim There were a lot of such messages. The same can be said about St. righteous John Kronstadt, Blessed Xenia of Petersburg and other saints. There is evidence of amazing miracles that happened in their lives through prayers to St. John of Kronstadt, blessed. Ksenia, Rev. Seraphim Vyritsky, blessed. Elder Matrona and other saints long before their official canonization.
Church canonization is not needed by the saint, but by us! This is like confirmation that the path of life of a saint is the path of a true son (or daughter) of the Orthodox Church, this is the right path! And it leads to the Kingdom of Heaven! Saints are not canonized in order to add something to their heavenly status, this is not some kind of church reward, they have already received everything from God. Saints are canonized as examples for other Christians. St. John of Kronstadt, to whom people said with tears: “Father, how can you leave us orphans when you die?...” - answered them: “How he helped you while he was alive, also, even more, by the grace of God I will help after death." A holy man, for whom his whole life was serving others, helping others, and after moving to the heavenly abodes, cannot leave people without help, abandon them. You know how a mother’s heart aches for her child, how, even when dying, she wants to help the child, to participate in his life. So is a holy person. Yes, he is all about serving people, helping people.

Reply from Alexey S[guru]
read the Chetyi Menaion (Lives of the Saints), everything is described in detail there

Reply from Ask[guru]
lottery for believers - jackpot

Reply from nipple[guru]
All who accept Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world.

Reply from Thericles (Al) Plastes[guru]
Yes, everyone... the saint suffered a little at once!! everything is holy fuck!!! but in Rus' there are martyrs and they died a worse death, they are not saints!! Weird!!!

Reply from Local "BABAIKA"[guru]
zx471 - there is not a word about this in the Koran

Reply from . [guru]
Because of holy life.

Reply from Doctor Tov[guru]
In our church they believe that only God can call people saints. And all people are called to strive for holiness.

Reply from Glot[guru]
The more one has become a church member or forced one to become a church member, the more income the church has, the holier the person.

Reply from Korkhalev Dmitry[guru]
Murderers are recorded as Equal-to-the-Apostles)

Reply from Katerina Katerina[active]
Certain criteria have been developed for canonizing Orthodox Christians. The following conditions are considered mandatory:
– it is necessary to belong to the Orthodox Church and, according to Saint Nektarios of Jerusalem (1660–1669), “to have strong Orthodox views”;
– it is necessary to lead an impeccable life, be holy in all respects and remain pious until your death;
– throughout your life, remain faithful to the Church in word and deed, testify and defend the true faith and Orthodox dogmas;
- die martyrdom; often the very life of saints is martyrdom on the path of faith in Christ.