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Holy Righteous John of Russia. Holy Righteous John the Russian, Confessor

John the Russian(about 1690, Ukraine - June 9 (May 27), 1730, Urgup, Turkey) - Orthodox saint, righteous, confessor.

Born around 1690 in Ukraine. Upon reaching mature age was recruited into the army of Peter the Great. He took part in the Russian-Turkish war of 1710-1713. During the Prut campaign, together with other soldiers, he was captured by the allies of the Turks, the Tatars. Most likely, this happened in the battle for Azov. After being captured, he was transported to Constantinople and sold into slavery to the commander of the Turkish cavalry (probably the Sipahi). In the life of the saint he appears under the name Aga; perhaps this is just his title.

He brought the saint to his homeland - to Asia Minor, Cappadocia, to the village of Urgup. Out of love for God and Orthodoxy, John refused the offer to convert to Islam and remained faithful to Christianity, for which he was humiliated and cruelly tortured by the Turks, who contemptuously called him and others like him “kafir,” that is, “infidel.” However, over time, seeing the firmness in faith, meekness and hard work of the saint, the owner and household members began to respect him and stopped the bullying. John was no longer forced to renounce Christianity. By order of Aga, the saint began to work and live in the stable. John performed his duties with love and diligence, which caused ridicule from other slaves. But the righteous one accepted this without malice, trying, on the contrary, to console in trouble and help mockers. Over time, for his sincere kindness, the saint earned the love and trust of Aga, and he invited John to live as a free man in a separate room. But he refused, answering: “My patron is the Lord, and there is no one higher than Him. He destined me to live in slavery and in a foreign land. Apparently, this is necessary for my salvation.”

Cave churches in Cappadocia

During the day, John worked, observed strict fasting and prayed, and at night he secretly went to the cave church of St. George, where he read the prayers of the All-Night Vigil on the porch and received communion every Saturday.

Aga soon became rich and became one of the most influential people in Urgup. He connected this with the fact that a righteous man lived in his house. Having become rich, Agha decided to perform the Hajj. During his journey, the owner's wife called Aga's family and friends for dinner. When the owner’s favorite dish, pilaf, was served, she said to John, who was serving them: “How glad your master would be if he were here and ate this pilaf with us!” The saint asked her for this dish, promising to send it to Mecca. Everyone was very happy, but they complied with the request, deciding that John wanted to eat the pilaf himself or give it to the poor.

When Aga returned, he spoke about a miracle that happened to him: while in Mecca, he discovered in the locked room where he was staying, a steaming dish of pilaf, on which his name was engraved, as on all the dishes in his house .

News of this miracle quickly spread throughout the village and surrounding area, and everyone, even the Muslim Turks, began to call John “veli” - “saint”. However, he did not change his lifestyle, still spending it in hard work and prayer. Before his death, he fell seriously ill, and, unable to get up, he sent for a priest to give him communion. The priest was afraid to openly go to a Muslim’s house and handed over the Holy Gifts, hiding them in an apple. Having received communion, the righteous man died. This happened on May 27, 1730 (June 9, 1730).

Aga himself handed over the body of the saint to the priests, asking them to bury him according to the customs of the Orthodox. The body was carried through Urgup by all the inhabitants of the village - Muslims and Christians, and buried with honors at the local church, in which John himself prayed during his life.

The saint’s grave immediately became a place of pilgrimage for representatives of all faiths inhabiting Urgup and its environs, and miracles were performed there. Three years later, in November 1733, the priest of this church saw John in a dream, and he told him that the body remained incorrupt. After the miraculous appearance of a “pillar of fire” over the grave, local Christians decided to open it. The body really turned out to be incorruptible and exuded a pleasant aroma. It remains in this state today.

The relics are right. John the Russian in the c. right John the Russian in Prokopi on the island of Euboea

The extracted relics were placed in a shrine in the church.

In 1832, the Khedive of Egypt, Ibrahim Pasha, attacked Turkey. The residents of Urgup, most of whom were representatives of the Janissaries disbanded by Sultan Mahmud II, were understandably hostile to him and did not want to let the Sultan’s troops pass through the village. The resistance was suppressed, Urgup was plundered, and the soldiers, not finding anything valuable in the shrine, decided to burn the relics of John.

Having collected wood, they lit a fire, but, to their surprise, the relics were again in the church. Not being enlightened by this miracle, they took them out a second time and put them on the fire, but the fire did not touch the shrine. And then the soldiers saw John alive, standing with a menacing look in the middle of the fire, with a gesture of his hand and words threatening them for their insolence. At this point the Turks could stand it no longer and fled in horror, leaving not only the relics of the saint, but also all the loot in Prokopion.

The next day, several old Christian men came to the church and found the saint’s body intact among the burnt coals and ashes. It was blackened by smoke and soot, but was just as fragrant and incorruptible. The believers placed the saint's relics back into his shrine.

In 1845, the relics were transferred to a large, newly built church in honor of St. Basil the Great.

At the end of the 80s of the 19th century, at the expense of the Russian Monastery of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon on Holy Mount Athos, the construction of a temple in honor of the holy righteous John the Russian began in the village. In gratitude, the right hand of the saint is sent to the monastery, this happens in 1881. In 1898, the construction of the temple is completed, and the relics are transferred there.

In 1924, after the defeat of the Greeks in the Greco-Turkish War, the Greek population leaves Anatolia in exchange for the Turkish population of Greece (Greek-Turkish population exchange). The Christians of Urgup move to the village of Ahmed-Aga on the island of Euboea, and rename it Neo-Prokopion. They also take with them the relics of Righteous John, placing them in the Church of Saints Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Elena. In 1930, construction of a large stone church began there, lasting more than 20 years. It ends on May 27, 1951, and the remains of the saint are transferred there. There they rest to this day.

Temple of Righteous John the Russian in Neo-Prokopion, Greece

Saint John is a wonderful example of a person’s life “according to God,” for with his miracles he reveals divine power and leads us to the spiritual knowledge of holy life, so beneficial for man. We were born not only for this life, but we also belong to the future life. Eternal, Heavenly. Our soul is immortal.

Saint John, with his miracles, brings heavenly light into the hearts of believers, divine power that conquers the bonds of matter, overcomes all obstacles, brings great changes to human characters, and revives souls. With his miracles, his constant intercession, Saint John helps people find inner freedom, the very freedom that inspires people and entire nations.

In the Church of St. John the Russian in Neo Prokopion

The relics of the holy righteous John the Russian are located on the island of Euboea

The relics of St. John the Russian are kept as the greatest shrine in Greece on the island of Euboea. This saint is the special patron of Hellas. He is called a miracle worker and a “quick to hear.” This is one of the most beloved and revered saints in Greece. He especially patronizes children. The day of remembrance of this saint in Greece is celebrated on May 27, and in Russia on June 9 according to the new style.

Troparion to John the Russian
From the land of your captivity / calling you to the Heavenly village, / the Lord preserves your body unharmed and wholesome, / righteous John, / for you, who were sold in Russia and sold to Asia, / in the midst of the Hagarian wickedness, you lived piously in much patience / and, having sowed here with tears, / reap there with unspeakable joy. / Moreover, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.

Film-pilgrimage " SAINT JOHN OF RUSSIAN"(Greece, 2010)

Movie information
Name: Saint John the Russian
Release year: 2010
Genre: Documentary, pilgrimage
A country: Greece
Production: Studio Logos

About the film:
The relics of the holy righteous John the Russian are located on the island of Euboea. The very name of this saint suggests that he is not Greek, but Russian, although he became famous among Orthodox Greeks. He served as a soldier in the army of Emperor Peter I. During the unsuccessful Turkish War of 1711, Saint John, among others, was captured by the Turks and sold into slavery in Asia Minor. Having worthily endured torment, with his whole life, humility, patience and firmness of faith, Saint John confessed True God. He is called a miracle worker and a “quick to hear.” This is one of the most beloved and revered saints in Greece.

I heard about Saint John the Russian in the late 90s, when I first came to Greece: “Are you from Russia? Just like our Saint John the Russian! Do you know him?" No, I for a long time I didn’t know him and only this fall I found myself in Euboea for the first time, where a temple was built in his honor. Who is John the Russian and why the Greeks love him so much, says the rector of the church, Protopresbyter John Vernezos, who has been serving here for 49 years.

– Dear Father John! What caused such ardent love of the Greek people for our compatriot, Saint John the Russian?

– I welcome you to the Church of St. John the Russian and wish that this pilgrimage will serve for the relaxation and transformation of your soul. Saint John is called Russian because he was born in Southern Russia in 1690. After being called in 1712 to military service In the army of Peter the Great he participated in the Russian-Turkish wars. In 1718, these wars ended with the victory of Turkey. Russia was forced to sign a peace treaty, according to which it could not get back its captured soldiers. Among the prisoners of war was Saint John the Russian.

He was bought by a Turkish military leader in Constantinople and brought along with other Russian captives to the village of Prokopi through Ancyra and Caesarea of Cappadocia, the homeland of St. Basil the Great. There they were all cruelly tortured, called upon to renounce Christ and take an oath to Mohammed, and were promised privileges in receiving jobs equal to the Turks. Severe torture led to the fact that many Russian soldiers renounced Christ: some did not have enough faith, others were unable to withstand severe torment.

The last of the prisoners was John the Russian. And his Turkish military commander gave him a choice: either you accept Islam, or death awaits you. It was this choice that identified the great saints in the history of our Church. Saint John answered the Turk: “I am a prisoner of this war, and I am in your hands. But you captured my body, not my soul. I am ready to do the work that you order, but I will not renounce Christ, even if you take my life.” It is precisely for the choice of the confessional path that we, the Greeks, so love and venerate Saint John the Russian.

He was immediately sent to the barn to clean the manure for the animals. He was reviled hurtful words, beaten with rods and finally handed over to one of the most severe tortures. The Turks heated a copper plate on the fire and then, taking it out of the fire with tongs, applied it to John’s head. The hot iron burned through his skin right up to his skull: when we remove the cap from the saint’s head, we see traces of this torture.

The heartlessness of the Turks and the greatness of the soul of John the Russian are especially well shown by the way he responded to his tormentors (and for this, too, he is loved by the Greek people): “You burn my head, but this reminds me of the Savior’s crown of thorns. The stable where I live is similar to the Bethlehem manger in which Christ was born. And lashing, spitting and strangling make me feel the suffering of my Lord.” He did not grumble at God at all, as you and I often do, complaining: “Lord, why do I need all this!”

If we had seen John then, a tormented man in bloody clothes would have appeared before us. His head was burned through with hot copper, and all the members of his body ached from the blows. And despite this, every Saturday, at midnight, he secretly went to the Greek priest from the Turks in order to receive from him the Most Pure Mysteries and to seal his bodily sufferings with the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ.

On May 27, 1730, on the last day of his earthly life, Saint John was informed by the love of God of his impending death and called for a priest. He took the apple, cut out the core with a knife, put the Holy Gifts into it and went to John. The compiler of the life tells that the saint lay in the uncleanness of animals and was like the righteous, long-suffering Job. Having received the Holy Mysteries, John gave up his spirit to the Lord.

This is the path of Orthodoxy: when we read the lives of the saints, we do not find in them either flowering gardens or laid feast tables, but we see the path of blood and sacrifice, the path to Golgotha and the Crucifixion. For us, faithful Orthodox Christians, there is always suffering Good Friday, behind the Lord’s suffering on the Cross, the resurrection is seen. That’s why John the Russian repeated: “Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ: neither sorrow, nor torment, nor fire...”

Saint John defeated the Turkish military commander with the righteousness of his life. When he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca in Arabia, John sent him from home a dish filled with pilaf. This miracle is comparable in its grandeur to the miracles Old Testament: a bowl of pilaf sent from Prokopi came into the hands of a Turkish owner in Mecca of Arabia! When John died, the Turk himself called on the Christians with the words: “My servant and your man (i.e., Christian), has rested. Come and take it." And when they arrived, he covered the body of his servant with one of the most expensive carpets as a sign of respect for the deceased.

The saint's body was buried with honors Orthodox custom. And after 3.5 years, one of the Christian wives suggested getting him out of the ground: “Let’s prepare some kolivo and honor this foreigner!” Then John appeared to the priest in a dream and said: “Are you thinking of getting my body out of the grave to serve a memorial service? When you open the coffin, you will find the body incorrupt!” The coffin was opened in November 1733, and according to the saint, the body turned out to be completely incorrupt. Thus the words of the Lord were revealed: “Whoever glorifies Me, him I will glorify.” From here begins the history of the holy relics of John the Russian in the life of the Orthodox Church. His relics are a gift from God not only to the Greeks, but to everyone Orthodox world, to all humanity. The Greeks are proud that the relics of St. John are in their country. And the name of John the Russian never leaves their lips. In Greece they do not say “Saint John, who came to us from Russia or from Asia Minor,” but always “Saint John the Russian.” Thus he demonstrated the greatness of his faith and glorified his Fatherland.

– And still praises him to this day?

- And to this day. I have served with St. John the Russian for 49 years. This is not much, but I must testify that he is very loved by our youth for his boldness, patience and humility, with which he defeated his tormentor and earned his respect with righteousness. The Lord also gave Saint John special grace - to help those with cancer, the paralyzed, the possessed and all the sick in general. Thousands of his miracles are known!

– Have you seen with your own eyes any miracle of St. John the Russian?

– Every day we live, we can tell not about one, but about many of its miracles. Personally for me greatest miracle the fact that, despite all my unworthiness, he has tolerated me next to him for so many years (father smiles)! Well, isn't this a miracle?

I will tell you about one of the miracles of the saint that shocked me most this year. When I spoke about it at one conference, almost all of the 400 people present cried.

The young couple came up to me for a blessing and told me that they come to venerate St. John the Russian from Thessaloniki every year, take the blessing and return to their normal life after the miracle that happened to them. When the wife was five months pregnant and had undergone examinations, the professor called her and her husband into his office. The young people were alarmed - why the doctor was inviting them separately from the others. Their excitement was not in vain. The doctor announced bluntly: “You have cancer, you need to terminate the pregnancy and immediately start chemotherapy. You are young. We will save your life, and then you will give birth to healthy children. I don't have the slightest doubt about the results of the tests. Go home, calm down, think everything over carefully, and tomorrow I’ll be waiting for you at my place.”

The woman looked at her husband, and without saying anything to him, she turned to the professor: “Doctor! I will not return home and wait until tomorrow, but I will answer you now.” “Now it’s like this now!” “I will not allow my child to be killed, but I will save him, and so be it as it happens. I won’t have an abortion.” The doctor said: “Okay, I accept any of your decisions.” In the evening, before falling asleep, the woman approached the icons and fell powerless before them: “Lord, do You really not have a single saint for me! Send him to my aid so that I can give birth to a child even through my death.” She insisted on the baby's life. Having fallen asleep, she saw in a dream four crayfish, as if the Lord was telling her: “My child, I have not one, but four saints for you.”

And then a miracle begins: the cancer opens, a beautiful young man rises from it, puts his hand to his chest and bows to the young woman with the words: “And you will give birth to a baby, and you yourself will remain alive. I am John from Russia." The dream stopped, she jumped up, woke up her husband and repeated these words to him. When we were talking, my wife said: “Father, here I am, who should have died of cancer, but here is my child, who should not have been born!” And there are thousands of such miracles!

Saint John the Russian is our favorite saint. He helps not only in illness, sorrow, difficult circumstances, but also in joy. Many young people, having won the sports competitions in running, wrestling, swimming, they bring their gold, silver and bronze medals to the icon (if you look at the icon, you will see them), believing that, according to their merits, they belong to the saint. On the last Sunday of September and May 27, on the eve of the day of memory of John the Russian, many people walk 36 kilometers, making requests to the saint. There is no free meter on the road: people are walking everywhere.

The same path was taken by the Greek family of Vasily and Elizabeth Nataridi, who brought me to Euboea. This family has a special relationship with the saint, they saw many miracles through his prayers and the greatest miracle was their son John, whom the Lord gave to them. Elizaveta Nataridi says:

– We have an eldest son, but we really wanted to have more children, and since a lot of time had passed since the first birth, it turned out to be not so easy. I became pregnant, but, to my great chagrin, miscarriages occurred. I was very worried, and then my husband decided to turn to Saint John the Russian with prayer. The Greeks have a wonderful tradition: if they turn to a saint in prayer, they promise to do something for him, make a vow (they call it “tama”). We also made a vow to go to St. John the Russian on the eve of the celebration of his memory on foot.

The path starts from the village of Psakhna and winds along a serpentine road, sometimes rising and sometimes falling down the mountains. Sometimes it’s hard and difficult to walk, sometimes it’s easy and fast, but always joyfully and with prayer on your lips! That's when you truly know the grace and power of prayer!

Having worked a full day, we had a snack and headed from Athens to Psachna, where we left the car, like everyone else. We set out on the road at about half past ten in the evening. There were a lot of people, everyone walked with lanterns in their hands, illuminating the mountain road with them. Here and there along the roadside there were nice, dear people who freely offered water, buns and Turkish delight with honey to those walking! From the very first steps, we felt how we ourselves and everyone around us had been transformed: with what love we greeted and supported each other!

Halfway there, I couldn’t move from exhaustion, like many others. Suddenly a man appeared, he walked briskly, and even joked. We got our second wind and continued on our way. The last 2 kilometers were very difficult for me, but, lo and behold, we reached the Church of St. John the Russian at 8 o’clock in the morning! The mood was great!

We prayed during the service. Then it started procession: the relics of the saint were carried throughout Procopius under the “rain” of fresh rose petals collected by people the day before. And local residents showered the relics with them from the balconies of their houses throughout the procession. Returning to the temple, the reliquary was installed so that everyone could walk under the relics. You know, we had no doubt that the saint would help!

And the next year, on August 9, Vanechka was born to us. Now he is 5 years old, and he has been a sexton for a year in the Panagia Sumela temple (the lower church is dedicated to St. John the Russian), and reads the “Our Father” in Greek.

In May of this year we again walked the path to John the Russian and experienced this joy. Now we have another request, and we believe that through the prayers of the saint, the Lord will help us.

– Father John, don’t Russian pilgrims forget their saint?

– Thousands of Russians come from Russia to worship St. John. They started coming about 10 years ago, and every year there are more and more of them. I am sure that Saint John is glad to hear Russian speech, glad to hear troparia in Church Slavonic, glad to hear the native language that his mother spoke. After all, it is a great feat for every person to live far from their homeland. And since Saint John found himself in a foreign land due to the war, he is sure that contact with his Motherland through the Russians brings him special joy. Many Russians send letters here, asking to serve the Liturgy or prayer service with the saint.

Saint John also loves the Greeks very much: after all, Greece built him a beautiful temple where his memory is celebrated. Every year 800 thousand Greeks come here to worship.

– Father, when did you first learn about Saint John the Russian?

- In infancy. I was born near Prokopi. Here Saint John has always been highly revered. I will tell you a little secret: I baptized 17,000 thousand children in the temple during my ministry. They have already grown up, they come: “Father, you baptized us, now get married!” Then they bring their children and even grandchildren to be baptized. And the Greeks themselves call them “rosopula”, “Russian children”, children of John the Russian.

– Does the name John come up often?

– Every week I baptize 5-10 Johns. Out of 100 children, 40-50 are John. This is how in Greece Saint John glorifies his homeland.

– And to whom does St. John perform miracles?

– Often those to whom he performs a miracle know nothing about him before. He himself tells them his name, says: “I am John the Russian.”

Why does he perform miracles? If we look closely at the icon of St. John the Russian, we will see that his hands are folded crosswise, in one of them he holds a cross. These crossed hands show that the saint is a servant. Whose servant is he? He is a servant of Christ and serves Him. Behind every miracle of John the Russian is Christ. There is no need to ask how and why this or that miracle happened! Christ himself accomplished it. The power with which Saint John raises a cancer patient and heals him is the power of God, the grace of God, which passed through his holy relics, just as it passes through the relics of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Saint Sergius of Radonezh, Saint John of Kronstadt. It is this that is transmitted to the patient, and he receives healing. So when we pray to our saints, our prayer is conveyed to Christ Himself.

My dears! From your compatriot, Saint John the Russian, I greet you and bless you! Both in sorrow and in joy, Saint John of Russia is with you. If you cannot come to distant Greece, then ask St. John the Russian, and he will be glad to come to you, to his homeland. The saints are alive. If they were not alive, then how would they know our pain and sorrow? And since they know and help, it means they are alive. May God's love be with you and help you!

Translation from Greek by Elizaveta Nataridi and Alexandra Nikiforova

Photo by Elizaveta Nataridi and from the website – http://www.ioannrus.ru

Kontakion, tone 8

In honor of your memory, holy one,
Russia, who raised you in piety, rejoices over you,
and Asia rejoices in your healing power,
where the narrow path passed through suffering captivity and fasting feats,
an honest vessel was revealed by God's grace,
Ask this also to us, your admirers, and call you:
Rejoice, John, namesake of grace.

MIRACLES OF ST. JOHN OF RUSSIAN

TRANSLATION FROM GREEK

Edition of the Monastery of the Paraclete Oropos Attikis - Greece 1992

Shipwreck

A merchant ship with goods on board was sailing on the open sea to its destination. It was in one of the northern seas.
A storm has begun. The raging sea threatened to swallow the ship.
The crew members - Greek sailors - fought desperately, sensing imminent death. The pilot system and radar installation were out of order. The ship has lost course. In this chaos the captain's voice was heard. He gave no more orders. An experienced sailor advises only one thing - to pray to God for salvation. He goes to the ship's chapel, where the icon of St. John the Russian was located. On his knees, the captain offers a prayer to the Saint: “Saint John the Russian. I pray to you now neither for the salvation of my life, nor for the ship, but only for these poor sailors living in a foreign land, by the sweat of their brow earning their bread for their families. Now they are dying. Saint John, save them." All night, amid the roar of will and the whistle of the north wind, the captain prayed to St. John. And so scary night ended. What do the eyes of sailors see? That their ship is rocking peacefully on the waves in the port of Rotterdam. Who was the pilot who brought the ship to the port, avoiding certain death? It was Saint John the Russian himself. No one can object to Mr. Dimitri Varoutsikas, the captain of the ship, whose eyes have seen a lot in different seas and oceans. Struck by the miracle, the captain leaves the ship at the port for repairs and comes to Greece. He and his wife go to a church supply store. As a sign of his gratitude to the Saint, the captain acquires a set of gold and silver objects: the Altar Cross and the Gospel, a censer, an Artophorium, and a Chalice for Holy Communion. All these valuable religious objects remind us of the miracle of faith, prayer, and the salvation of our long-suffering sailors. January 23, 1978

Stick

If you ever come as a pilgrim to the relics of St. John the Russian, you will see in his temple one simple and poor offering. Stick! She is hung like a trophy near Raki with her relics. This stick belonged to grandmother Maria Spaka from the village of Frenaro, near the city of Famagusta on the island of Cyprus. This old woman walked for 18 years, bent almost to the ground.
On August 2, 1978, her relatives brought her to the Church of St. John the Russian, making a pilgrimage to Greece along with 100 other Cypriots. The grandmother was lifted in her arms to give her the opportunity to venerate the relics of the Saint. Looking at the incorruptible relics, the unfortunate old woman burst into tears, asking God's Pleasant for intercession and help. And Saint John heard her, saw the greatness of the soul of this suffering woman, saw her sorrow and at the same time - faith. And then, in front of everyone, it was as if someone’s invisible hand touched the pained woman’s back and straightened her body. The old lady straightened up! Tears filled the eyes of her fellow villagers, and the church bells rang. The entire group of Cypriot pilgrims immediately asked to perform a thanksgiving prayer. Everyone cried at this prayer service.
Those who have seen at least once a miracle happen before his eyes will understand these lines. At the end of the prayer service, the healed woman’s exclamation was heard: “How can I thank you, my son, Saint John? I'm poor. I leave here at your relics my stick, with the help of which I walked for so many years. I won’t need her anymore until I die.”
This is what the newspapers of the city of Nicosia, the capital of the island of Cyprus, wrote: “Maria Spaka, after her pilgrimage to Greece, to the relics of St. John the Russian, can now see the faces of her fellow villagers. For almost two decades she walked bent double and saw only the ground under her feet. Thanks to the miracle performed by the Saint, she was healed and is now completely healthy.” August II, 1978

Miracle to the scientist

“Your Eminence. - Mr. Matzoros, a doctor from the village of Aimni on the island of Euboea, addressed a letter to Metropolitan Chrysostom (Vergis) of Chalkida. - I am not a very religious person, I have a higher education. I am a doctor by profession and a former atheist.
It happened that I got sick. Passed the examination. Diagnosis: rectal cancer. My colleagues told the whole truth. This is cancer in one of its severe forms, which usually leads to death.
I was examined at the Pandocrator Cancer Center in Athens. After confirming the diagnosis, I am left alone with my illness. And then, in this difficult hour, I turn my soul and heart to God, in whom I did not believe.
I'm sitting on the bed, my legs are down. I’m having a conversation with myself and turning to God: “God, I didn’t believe in You, I said that everything was a fairy tale. I thought that all support lay in man and science. You see, now everything is losing its value. Accept my repentance and, if you consider me worthy, heal my illness through the intercession of the Holy Incorruptible John of Russia.”
It was a sincere and true “sin” of the human doctor. At that moment someone knocked on the door. A young, smart, handsome doctor entered.
“Well, colleague,” he asks Mr. Matzoros.
“What should we do, doctor, we’re dying.” “No, you won’t die,” came the answer. “I take upon myself all your illness.”
“I have grown gray at my job and know very well what my illness means. Who are you, young man?
“I am the one you asked for help.” And he left.
The patient in the corridors of the hospital began to look and ask about the young doctor. Colleagues shrugged their shoulders in surprise and said that the vision was the fruit of a hallucination.
No, the doctor is a cancer patient, he is sure that he spoke with God and the Saint. Insists on a re-examination.
It turns out that he is re-diagnosed - absolutely healthy. How many people have seen these two medical records: one - with confirmation of cancer, the other - with recognition of complete health.
And here is the letter: “Your Eminence! I am not a believer... But I saw the Holy One and was healed.” April 10, 1964

MIRACLES WITH CHILDREN

Saint John has a special love for little children. This reminds us, first of all, of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ for children: “Leave the children and do not hinder them from coming to Me.” (Matt. 18: 3-10, 14).
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become humble, simple and simple, like children, you will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18-3).

Two brothers are healed

In one poor house, in the city of Limassol on the island of Cyprus, a family lives in labor and sorrow. Two children - two brothers, 6 and 8 years old - suffered from leukemia.
Parents and doctors waged a constant struggle for the health of these children. At the sight of the pale faces and frail bodies of their children, the parent’s heart sank with grief.
And then someone told them about Saint John the Russian - the Wonderworker, whose relics rest in Greece. The kneeling mother stands up to pray, the father prays. Evening. The light of the lamp dimly illuminates the pale faces of the children. “Saint John,” the mother whispers, “make sure that my children get well, I can’t stand this torment anymore. Saint John, come, visit my house, here in Limassol, come today and help our grief.”
The father stood up in deep sobs, and the mother stood up too. In the morning, approaching the children’s crib, parents see that their appearance has completely changed. Their parents woke them up and quickly went to the doctor. “But, my dears,” says the doctor, “we just recently conducted a blood test, don’t torture the children.” The mother, however, insisted. And, lo and behold! The analysis confirms the normal composition of the blood. Faith performed this miracle!
Happy parents ordered wax figures of children in full height. They flew by plane to Athens, and from there to the miraculous relics of St. John. The whole family knelt, saying words of gratitude. After their departure from the Temple, two wax figures of children remained in memory of the miraculous healing. Until now, this gift is in the Church of St. John the Russian as a symbol of the love of God and St. John. June 30, 1980

Divine Vision

“You have your whole life ahead of you, you are young. This is your first child. It's nothing you can do. You need to know the whole truth. Your child will die. The child has a severe form of leukemia. Let him spend the little time he has left to live at home, under the supervision of medical personnel. Dont be upset. You are still young.”
These were the words used by a pediatrician at one of the children's hospitals in Athens to see off the parents of a three-month-old child who was dying of leukemia.
Family relatives (35 people in total) gathered in the house to support the unfortunate parents in difficult times.
And so the child’s father, in a moment of grief, turns to Saint John: “Holy John! I don’t have the strength to see my first-born son pass away. Remember, Saint, how we brought him to the Temple that bears your name and baptized the baby. (Since 1925, 253 children have been baptized in the Temple of St. John). Help me..."
And at that moment, the relatives, sitting next to the sobbing father, see how the little one suddenly opened his eyes and pointed at the wall. In full view of everyone, the image of St. John, like shining lightning, appeared in the house and disappeared. The child recovered. May the Name of the Lord and His Saints be glorified. July 27, 1981

Like in the book of God's Law

In one of the children's hospitals in Athens, a mother stands by the bedside of her sick child day and night. The boy, brought from Patras to the capital, suffered from paralysis of his legs for many years (his medical record contains all the results of tests and examinations).
An exacerbation of the disease (lack of asbestos in the body) forced the parents to urgently hospitalize the child. One evening, at sunset, the mother-nurse in the hospital room remembered her city of Patras and the small chapel of the Mother of God, where she often came with her children or alone. Mentally transported to her native place, the unfortunate mother in grief turned in prayer to Mother of God: “O Mother of God, sweetest Virgin, You who have endured sorrows, help my child. Send, Lady, the Saint to help us, looking at the grief of the child.” “Mom, who are you talking to?” “Now, my boy, you probably remember how you read in books on the Law of God that when the Lord lived in Palestine, He healed the demoniac, opened the eyes of the blind, raised the paralytic, and raised the dead. Turn to Him too, my child, and He will hear you - good boy, ask Him to heal you.”
The child looks at his mother, then at the setting sun, at the heavens, and falls asleep.
At night, little George dreams of a beautiful horseman who stops right in front of him.
- Get on your feet, Georgy, take a leap and jump into my saddle!
- But I'm paralyzed, my legs can't lift me.
-Give me your hand, boy, get on the horse. I am Saint John from Russia. The Lord has sent me to heal you with His grace and power. The child, half asleep, struggles with the disease and tries to move. The mother woke up hearing the words: “Mom, hold me. Saint John of Russia ordered me to stand up.”
In the morning, when the night nurses informed the doctor that the paralyzed child brought from Patras got to his feet and walked that night, the doctor hurried to the healed one. He hit his knees with a hammer and touched his leg with a needle. The reaction is normal.
“You are free,” said the professor. “The Lord Himself showed His power here.” August 17, 1977

Among the pilgrims to the shrine of the relics of John the Russian, every year there are more and more Orthodox people from Russia, the birthplace of the saint. Let's talk about one miraculous incident that happened in 1998.

IN Orthodox family parishioners of one MoscowAbout the temple, a long-awaited daughter was born, who was named Dasha. But after a few months, the parents’ joy gave way to pain and great sorrow: the girl was diagnosed with blood cancer. For several months, Dasha had a temperature of 40 degrees, despite antibiotic injections and numerous procedures. For three years, mother and child almost did not leave the hospital. Parents and all relatives prayed for the girl’s health. All methods and means of treatment available in Russia were tested, but there was no relief - the girl died.

Then the parents were advised to undergo a bone marrow transplant as a last resort. The cost of the operation was several tens of thousands of dollars. The search for philanthropists began, they asked acquaintances and friends for money, but in a year they managed to collect only a twentieth the required amount. It became clear that it would not be possible to raise money. The parents went for advice to the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra to Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov). The priest blessed the couple to go with their sick daughter to the island of Euboea and pray there to St. John the Russian, and blessed them to spend the money collected for the operation on the trip.

Already during preparations for the trip, miracles began to happen: despite the forced cancellation of medical procedures, Dashenka’s condition did not worsen. She easily withstood the long trip. The parents and the girl stayed on the island of Euboea for several days and ordered prayers for their daughter’s health. At their request, the priest opened the shrine and the sick girl was laid directly on the relics of St. John. And a miracle happened! The child felt much better. But the parents’ jubilation knew no bounds when, upon returning to their homeland, tests showed that the girl had been healed of the disease.

Let this story be a reminder to all of us who we should turn to when children are seriously ill, when they fall into the network of drug addiction or are in other difficult circumstances. With faith and hope, turn to the holy righteous John of Russia - and he will definitely help!

Just as in our long-suffering homeland after the October revolution a great many new martyrs shone forth, so in Greece, on earth Ancient Byzantium after its conquest by the Turks, many new martyrs and confessors of the faith appeared. One of them is the holy righteous John of Russia; His relics are now located in the town of Neoprokopion on the island of Euboea (Greece) and attract many pilgrims from all over the world.

John the Russian shone with his righteousness among the infidel Turks, who admired his life, calling the Russian slave “veli” - “saint.” Let us remember that little from the life of the righteous man that the Greeks, our Orthodox brothers, who honor him, have preserved to this day with reverent love. The very name of the saint suggests that he is not Greek, but Russian, although he became famous among the Greeks.

***
Righteous John the Russian was born around 1690 from pious Orthodox parents. In his youth, he became a soldier in the army of Peter I. During the unsuccessful war for Russia with Turkey (1711–1713), John was captured. (The culmination of this war was the Prut campaign of the Russian army under the command of Peter himself. 38 thousand Russian soldiers were surrounded by almost 200 thousand Turkish army. Peter even sent a dispatch saying that if he were captured, not to consider him a king and not to follow any of his instructions sent from captivity. However, the Turks agreed to negotiations and on July 12 (23), 1711, Peter I signed the Prut Peace Treaty, which was unfavorable for Russia, according to which it agreed to give Azov to Turkey and tear down all the fortifications on the Azov coast.) He was probably captured in the battle for Azov , ending up in the hands of the Tatars, allies of the Turks. The Tatars transported John to Constantinople and sold him to the Ottoman cavalry commander, a certain age, originally from Prokopion in Asia Minor, 12 hours from Caesarea Cappadocia (in Turkish, Prokopion is now called Urkub). This aga took a new slave to his village.

As a result of Peter's military failure, Türkiye was filled with many Russian prisoners. In order to alleviate their slave fate, some of them, unable to withstand the cruel treatment, renounced the faith of Christ and converted to Islam. John firmly preserved the faith of his fathers, and therefore endured the contempt and hatred of the Turks.

With the wisdom, meekness and patience that the Lord gives to those who love Him, John endured his slavery, the cruelty of his master, and the mockery and ridicule of the Turks. They called him “kafirin,” that is, “infidel,” thereby showing their contempt and dooming him to torment. Prokopion was the place where fierce opponents of Christianity lived - the Janissaries. Therefore, John, with his firmness in standing for the faith, was especially hated by them.

The Turks subjected John to beatings, spitting on him, burned his hair and skin on his head, pushed him into dung, but they could not force him to renounce Christ. The confessor invariably and boldly answered his master and those who persuaded him to deviate from his faith that he would prefer to die rather than fall into grave sin apostasy. John endured all the torment humbly and with dignity.

He told his master: “Nothing will separate me from the love of Christ”: not seductive promises of temporary benefits, not beatings, not wounds, not any other cruel torment. I have my Savior before me, I graciously accept the blows of the stick for faith in Him, imagining a crown of thorns placed on the Divine Head. I am ready to joyfully endure putting on the red-hot helmet, with which you burn to the brain the heads of Christians who oppose your wrong desires, and I am ready to endure other, fierce torments. I am zealous for the grace of my Christ, who taught us by His death on the Cross firmness, patience, fearlessness in the most cruel death for Him, which will become the cause of eternal indescribable bliss in Heaven. I am Russian, a faithful servant of my earthly king, although I am captivated by you, but I will never renounce true service to the Heavenly King and the right faith of my parents: I was born in Christianity, I will die a Christian.”

God, seeing the firmness of John’s faith, softened the heart of the fierce Turk, who over time even began to feel affection for his slave, seeing his loyalty to the promise he had given to God. This was, of course, facilitated by the great humility that adorned John, his meekness and hard work. “If you leave me freedom of faith, I will willingly carry out your orders,” he told his master.

Finally, the time of torment and threats ended for the prisoner: he was assigned to serve in the stable. There, perched in a corner, John stretched out his tired body and rested, thanking God for deigning him to have a manger bed, similar to those that the Savior Himself had chosen as the place of His birth. Diligently fulfilling his duties, John tenderly cared for his master's horses. Feeling the saint’s love, they waited for him when he was absent and laughed with joy, as if talking to him, when he caressed them.

In the winter cold and in the summer heat, half-naked and barefoot, John performed his duties. Other slaves often mocked him, seeing his diligence in his work. But John was never angry with them; on the contrary, if necessary, he helped them in their work and consoled them in trouble. Despite complete poverty, he managed to help needy and sick people, sharing his meager food with them.

LOWER (BASEMENT) FLOOR OF THE AGA HOUSE WHERE THE STABLE WAS LOCATED. TO THE RIGHT IS A HOLE IN THE WALL WHERE ST SLEPT. RIGHT JOHN

Over time, Agha and his wife fell in love with their slave and offered him a small place to live near the straw barn. John refused to go there and continued to sleep in his favorite stable. In it, he exhausted his body with hardships and an ascetic life, not paying attention to the inconveniences and restless neighborhood. At night, the stable was filled with the prayers of the saint and the stench of manure disappeared, turning into a wonderful fragrance. Blessed John labored in this stable like a true ascetic monk. He prayed for hours on his knees and slept very little on straw under an old sheepskin coat that served as his blanket. He ate very little: often he ate only bread and water in limited quantities. So he fasted most of his days. He quietly read to himself the psalms of David, which he knew by heart.

Staying daily in fasting and prayer, resting on pus (dung), like the new Job, at night he secretly visited the church of St. George, located on the top of a rock, opposite the owner’s house. There he read the all-night vigil and every Saturday he received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The Lord, “who searches the hearts” (Jer. 11:20), looked upon His faithful servant and made it so that other slaves and Gentiles stopped mocking, ridiculing and insulting him. Through the prayers of John, his master became rich and became one of the most influential people in Procopion. He felt where the blessing came from on his home, and constantly told his fellow citizens about it.

Having become wealthy, Agha decided to undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca. It was difficult at that time to make such a long journey, but, having overcome all the hardships and difficulties of the journey, after some time John’s host safely arrived in the holy city for Muslims.

These days, Aga’s wife invited her husband’s relatives and friends to dinner in Prokopion to pray for his safe return home. Blessed John served in the dining room. They served Aga’s favorite dish – pilaf. The hostess, remembering her husband, said to John: “How glad your master, Ivan, would be if he were here and ate this pilaf with us!” Then John asked the hostess to give him a dish filled with pilaf, promising to send him to Mecca. The guests thought it was very funny. But the hostess ordered the maid to prepare a dish of pilaf for John. She thought to herself that he either wanted to feast on it himself, or decided to give it to some poor Christian family. She knew that John often gave his food to the poor Greeks.

John took the dish and went into the stable. Kneeling down, he fervently and with all his heart prayed to God that the Almighty Lord would transport the pilaf to his owner. In his simplicity, the blessed one was absolutely sure that the Lord would hear his prayer and that the pilaf would somehow end up in Mecca. John believed without doubt that the Lord would fulfill his request. As the great ascetic St. Isaac the Syrian says: “These supernatural signs are given only to those who are simplest in understanding and at the same time the strongest in hope.” And, indeed, the dish of pilaf disappeared before John’s eyes. The blessed groom returned to the hostess and reported that the dish had been sent to Mecca. Hearing this, the guests laughed and decided that John ate everything himself and only jokingly told them that he had sent the pilaf to the owner.

But how surprised everyone in Aga’s house was when, after three months, he returned from Mecca and brought with him a homemade copper dish. Only Blessed John was not amazed. Aga told his family the following: “One day (and it was just during a dinner party) I returned from a large mosque to the house where I was staying and, entering a room that was locked with a key, I found a dish of pilaf on the table. I stopped in bewilderment, wondering who could have brought it to me? I could not understand how the locked door was opened. Not knowing how to explain this strange event, I curiously examined the dish on which the hot pilaf was steaming, and, to my surprise, I noticed that my name was engraved on it, like all the copper utensils in our house. Despite the emotional disturbance caused by this incident, I ate the pilaf with great pleasure. And so I brought you this dish, it’s really ours. Hey, Allah, I just can’t understand how it ended up in Mecca and who brought it.”

All the Agi household were stunned by this story. The wife, in turn, told him how John begged for a plate of food in order to send him to Mecca, and how all the guests laughed when they heard about John’s promise. It turned out that the blessed one was not joking at all and everything happened according to his word.

The news of the miracle spread throughout the village and surrounding area. After this, everyone began to honor John as a righteous man beloved by God. Both the Greeks and Turks looked at him with fear and respect. Since then, no one dared to offend a Russian slave anymore. His master and his wife cared for him even more and again begged him to move from the stable to the house nearby. But the saint again refused. He continued to live as before, laboring in prayer, caring for his master’s animals, willingly fulfilling all his wishes. He spent his nights in prayer and singing psalms, according to the word of the Lord: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and God's God"(Matthew 22:21).

Tested by sorrows and humiliations, purified by fasting and prayer, Righteous John was approaching the end of his life. got sick. He became seriously ill and lay on the hay in the stable. Anticipating the approach of death, John wanted to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and sent a faithful man for an Orthodox priest. Because of the fanaticism of the Turks, the priest was afraid to openly bring the Holy Gifts into the stable. But God admonished him to hide them in an apple. Having received communion, blessed John at that same hour gave up his soul into the hands of the Lord, to whom he dedicated his entire long-suffering life. Thus did Saint John rest on May 27, 1730.

The Russian slave was buried with honors in a local church in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George. The inhabitants of Prokopion: Greeks, Turks and Armenians buried him with tears and reverence. The Aga covered his holy remains with a precious carpet. Among the local Greeks, the veneration of John began very soon. There were many cases of miraculous help through the intercession of the righteous: healing from paralysis and many other diseases, help to the possessed, recovery of sight to the blind. And - Not only Orthodox Christians were healed, but also Armenians, Protestants, and Turks. Thus, the burial place of the saint becomes a place of pilgrimage for all of Cappadocia.

The priest, who confessed and gave communion to John every Saturday, saw the saint in a dream in November 1733. The saint said that by the grace of God his body remained completely incorruptible, the same as he was buried 3.5 years ago. The priest was in doubt, and then, by Divine grace, heavenly light appeared over the saint’s grave in the form of a pillar of fire.

Christians decided to open the grave and saw that the saint’s body turned out to be incorrupt and fragrant. This fragrance continues to this day. Then, with reverence, the believers took the saint’s body and transferred it to the temple, which John himself had once visited.

The next amazing event occurred in 1832, when against Turkish Sultan Mahmud II rebelled in Egypt by Ibrahim Pasha. While the Sultan's army was approaching Prokopion, the village residents, mainly the Janissaries hostile to the Sultan, did not want to let his army pass. The Greek Christians did not agree with this, but being in the minority, they could not do anything. Fearing the revenge of the Sultan's army, they fled to nearby villages and took refuge in caves. Only the elderly and weak remained in Prokopion.

The Sultan's troops entered Prokopion as an enemy city. The soldiers plundered not only all the houses, but also the Church of St. George. When they opened the tomb of St. John and did not find any valuables in it, they angrily threw the holy relics into the courtyard and wanted to burn them in order to laugh at the Christians. Having collected wood, they lit a fire, but, to their surprise, the relics were again in the church. Not being enlightened by this miracle, they took them out a second time and put them on the fire, but the fire did not touch the shrine.

And then John appeared before the soldiers alive: he stood with a menacing look in the middle of the fire and stopped the sacrilege with a gesture of his hand. – The Turks fled in horror, leaving the relics of the saint and all the loot in Prokopion. The next day, several old Christian men came to the church and found the saint’s body intact among the coals and ashes. It was blackened by smoke and soot, but was just as fragrant and incorruptible. The believers reverently returned the saint's relics to his shrine.

Two years have passed. The Christian population of Prokopion built a large temple in honor of St. Basil the Great. The Greeks wanted to transfer the relics of Saint Righteous John to this beautiful temple. They were transferred twice, but each time they mysteriously disappeared and again found themselves in the church of the Holy Great Martyr George. When the Orthodox Greeks decided to transfer the relics for the third time, they first served a prayer service and held an all-night vigil, turning their prayerful sighs to the Lord. This time the Lord heard the prayers of His servants, and the relics of John found peace in the church of St. Basil the Great.

***
Around 1862, a pious woman saw in a dream St. John holding the roof of a village school in his hands. The next day, during Divine Liturgy, she talked about it. Before she had time to finish her story, a terrible roar was heard. Everyone ran out of the church in fear and saw with horror that the roof of the school, which was located opposite the church, had collapsed. People rushed there, because all the children of the village were there! Beside themselves with grief, they began to raise the collapsed roof, and, lo and behold! – all the children got out from under the rubble alive. “They heard a terrible crash overhead and managed to crawl under the desks. When the roof collapsed, the beams fell onto the desks without crushing any children.

It is also worth telling about the transfer of the hand of Righteous John to the St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos. In this gift to Saint Athos, Righteous John the Russian showed special favor to his compatriots fleeing there. Before this, Righteous John had never allowed particles to be taken from his relics. He always appeared in visions to those who dared to do such a thing and commanded them to return what they had taken. But there was no obstacle to the transfer of the hand for the Athos monastery.

It happened like this. For several years before 1880, the fathers who labored in the monastery of St. Panteleimon, having learned about the miracles performed at the shrine of St. John, asked the residents of Prokopion for part of his multi-healing relics. The Greeks refused for a long time, but finally agreed to fulfill the request of the Russian monks of Athos. Having served a prayer service and separated from the relics right hand, they sent her in 1881, accompanied by Father Dionysius and one of the respected elders of the village of Athos.

All the monks, led by their abbot, Father Macarius, went out to meet the relics on the pier; The chants sounded solemnly, the ringing of bells and the beating of the bell resounded around the Russian monastery. The venerable relics of St. John were placed in the cathedral church on a lectern. Accompanied by solemn praises, the brethren reverently worshiped the shrine.

In 1886, with funds from the St. Panteleimon Monastery in Prokopion, construction began on a temple in the name of the holy righteous John the Russian. On August 15, 1886, with the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarch Constantine V, the temple was consecrated by Metropolitan John of Caesarea.

Thus the Lord glorified and continues to glorify His saint to this day with many great miracles. They began to pour out especially abundantly in 1924 and 1951. After the tragic defeat of the Greeks in the war with the Turks, the entire Greek population had to leave Anatolia. (After the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I, Greek troops, with the permission of the Entente, occupied Izmir (Anatolia) on May 15, 1919. On June 22, 1920, the Greek army went on the offensive. At first, Greek troops, supplied with British weapons, achieved significant successes, but Difficulties increased as we moved deeper into Anatolia.In August 1922 Turkish troops inflicted a heavy defeat on the Greeks: on September 9, 1922, the Turks captured Izmir, and the Greek troops were thrown into the sea. The remnants of the Greek army, having suffered huge losses, took refuge on the islands of Chios and Lesbos. At this time, an uprising began in Greece itself, which led to a change of government and the abdication of King Konstantinos from the throne in favor of his son Georgios. In Asia Minor, the mass extermination of the Greek population began. A huge number of Orthodox Greeks died in this massacre (the figure is said to be one and a half million). Only on July 24, 1923, the Lausanne Peace Treaty was signed, ending the war. In accordance with it, a population exchange took place and 1.5 million immigrants arrived in Greece.)

The Greeks from Prokopion moved to the island of Euboea to the village of Akhmet Aga, which after the departure of the Turks was renamed Neoprokopion. The Greek refugees brought with them a shrine with the relics of the holy righteous John the Russian, which was first placed in the Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen.

On May 27, 1951, a new church was consecrated in honor of Righteous John the Russian, the construction of which began back in 1930; the relics of the saint were solemnly transferred into it. The body of the holy saint of God, preserved incorruptible, rests there in open cancer under glass. Every day hundreds and hundreds of Orthodox pilgrims, asking for the intercession of the righteous and relief in his grief. And Saint John does not refuse emergency aid to all those who turn to him with true, deep faith.

In 1962, the Church, with the assistance of the Greek government, created the Society in the Name of St. John. Through the efforts of the Society, two boarding houses were built: one to receive pilgrims, the other for the needs of the Society. Two orphanages have been created, one almshouse in Chalkis and one in Neoartaki, a student dormitory, Kid `s camp for a thousand places and other institutions.

Saint John is a wonderful example of a person’s life “according to God.” With his life, Righteous John the Russian showed that external conditions life do not in any way hinder salvation and serving God in spirit and truth. The Lord accepts a deep and pure prayer offered in the stables in the same way as those offered in the royal chambers or in monastic cell. With his miracles, his constant intercession, Saint John helps people find inner freedom, the very freedom that inspires people and entire nations.

Saint John the Russian lived on earth for only about forty years and remained forever young for those who revere him - this is how he appears before us on icons. Hundreds of thousands of believers every year come with reverence to the holy relics of the righteous - this great shrine of Orthodoxy. From the time when the relics of St. John were placed in the temple on Euboea, thousands of miraculous healings took place there through the prayers of the saint, whom Orthodox Greeks reverence no less than in Russia - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

In the records of new miracles of St. John the Russian there are amazing cases: salvation from shipwrecks, and healing of hopelessly sick people possessed by demons. But it has long been noticed that Saint John shows special love for children. Of the miracles performed through the prayers of the saint, the most amazing and pleasing are the numerous cases of grace-filled help for sick children. Righteous John comes to their aid, even when he is not called: he heals them from leukemia, paralysis, frees them from violence dark forces, returns drug addicted children to a healthy life.

Among the pilgrims to the shrine of his relics there are more and more John the Russian every year Orthodox people from Russia, the birthplace of the saint. Let's talk about one miraculous incident that happened in 1998.

A long-awaited daughter was born into an Orthodox family of parishioners of a Moscow church, who was named Dasha. But after a few months, the parents’ joy gave way to pain and great sorrow: the girl was diagnosed with blood cancer. For several months, Dasha had a temperature of 40 degrees, despite antibiotic injections and numerous procedures. For three years, mother and child almost did not leave the hospital. Parents and all relatives prayed for the girl’s health. All methods and means of treatment available in Russia were tested, but there was no relief - the girl died.

Then the parents were advised to undergo a bone marrow transplant as a last resort. The cost of the operation was several tens of thousands of dollars. The search for philanthropists began, they asked acquaintances and friends for money, but in a year they managed to collect only a twentieth of the required amount. It became clear that it would not be possible to raise money. The parents went for advice to the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra to Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov). The priest blessed the couple to go with their sick daughter to the island of Euboea and pray there to St. John the Russian, and blessed them to spend the money collected for the operation on the trip.

MIRACLES OF ST. JOHN OF RUSSIAN

“Over the thirty years of my service to the saint,” writes Father John, “miracles are numbered in many hundreds. Due to the fact that all the miraculous events occurred during such a long period of my service in the temple of St. John, I have personal experience their interpretations, while bearing spiritual responsibility. Let us feel the joy and feel the greatness of these rare miraculous phenomena occurring in our time.”

Shipwreck

The ship with goods on board was sailing on the open sea to its destination. (It happened in one of the northern seas). A storm has begun. The raging sea threatened to swallow the ship. The crew members - Greek sailors - fought desperately, sensing imminent death. The pilot system and radar installation were out of order. The ship has gone off course. In this chaos, the captain’s voice was heard: this was not an order - the experienced sailor called on everyone to pray to God for salvation. He himself went to the ship’s chapel, where the icon of Righteous John the Russian was located. On his knees, the captain offered a prayer to the saint: “Saint John the Russian, I pray to you now neither for the salvation of my life, nor for the ship, but only for these poor sailors living in a foreign land, by the sweat of their brow earning their bread for their families. Now they are dying. Saint John, save them!”

All night, amid the roar of the waves and the whistle of the north wind, the captain prayed to St. John. And now the terrible night is over. What do the eyes of sailors see? That their ship is rocking peacefully on the waves in the port of Rotterdam. A faithful pilot led the ship to the port, avoiding underwater reefs - it was Saint John the Russian himself. Amazed by the miracle, the captain put the ship for repairs and came to Greece. He and his wife went to a church supply store. As a sign of his gratitude to the saint, the captain acquired a set of gold and silver objects: an altar cross and a Gospel, a censer, an Artophorus (Artophore - (Greek) monstrance), a cup for Holy Communion. All these precious objects remind us of the miracle of faith, prayer, and the salvation of our long-suffering sailors.
January 23, 1978

Memory Holy Confessor John the Russian takes place in Orthodox Church June 9, new style.

Biography of St. John the Russian
John the Russian is a saint of the 18th century who spent most of his life in Turkish captivity among the Muslim population, remaining faithful to Christ and demonstrating the feat of confession. Almost nothing is known about his life in Russia, but the life of the saint mentions that he was from Little Russia. When John reached adulthood, he was drafted into the army, since during the reign of Peter each of the classes had to bear conscription duty.
In 1710 it began Russo-Turkish War, the goal of which was to strengthen the Russian Empire by Black Sea coast. Despite the fact that the army created by Peter was quite a serious opponent, Ottoman Empire won, and in 1713 a peace treaty was concluded, according to which the coast was given to her Sea of Azov. Although the exact number of Russian soldiers killed and captured is unknown, historians claim that it was significant. Among the captives was Saint John, who was sent from Azov to Constantinople, where he was sold into slavery. Apparently, his owner was a fairly noble and wealthy man, since he had his own estate in Asia Minor, where the saint was destined to spend the rest of his life. John was offered to convert to Islam, but he refused, although he understood that he was dooming himself to hard life, since Muslims treated Christians with great contempt. The saint had to endure humiliation and mockery from his owners, but love for God and trust in Him helped the confessor endure all the hardships. After some time, those around him saw his kindness, gentleness and sincerity of faith. Imbued with respect for their captive, they stopped the persecution.
The Life tells that Saint John tried to live in a foreign land as the Orthodox Church prescribed. He fasted strictly, spent all his free time from work in prayer and at night visited the cave church, where other Christian believers gathered. For his deep faith and piety, he was awarded the gift of miracles, thanks to which he began to enjoy respect even among the Muslim population. The saint died in 1730 after a serious illness. The owner handed over John's body to Christian Church, where the saint prayed all his life and asked to be buried according to Orthodox custom.

Veneration of the saint in different countries
The veneration of John the Russian began immediately after his death, and pilgrims began to flock to the grave, who turned to the confessor with prayer and received help and healing. Three years later, Saint John appeared to one of the priests of the cave temple and ordered the relics to be opened. After the grave was opened, everyone was convinced of the incorruptibility of the saint’s remains, and they were transferred with honor to the shrine for veneration.
In the first half of the 19th century, a military conflict arose between Turkey and Egypt. The village where the relics of St. John the Russian were located was captured, and the soldiers burned the Christian church, but miraculously the fire did not touch the shrine. Later, on the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church, a temple was built in the village in honor of the saint, but after some time, Christians, due to political changes in Turkey, moved to greek island Euboea, and transferred the relics there, where they are currently located. The name of St. John the Russian was included in the Russian calendar in 1962, and in 2003 a temple was erected in Moscow in honor of this confessor. In addition, the saint is also highly revered in Ukraine, where he was from.

Troparion, tone 4:
Coming to Heaven Holy Trinity,/ righteous blessed John,/ earthly angel, God's man,/ with the bodiless faces glorifying unspeakable love,/ in the Church of the firstborn with the saints,/ for us who exist on earth, offer prayers/ to the Creator of all and the Savior,/ may he give peace to the whole world,/ to the churches on earth, the prosperity and union of all,/ who honor the Son of God, who came in the flesh,/ in the holy Body of Christ Jesus,/ which is the Church of the Living God,/ for the salvation of the human race.

Kontakion, tone 4:
A servant of the Gospel,/ a zealot for the truth of God,/ a guardian of spiritual and physical purity,/ who confessed the faith of Christ in suffering,/ we honor and venerate Righteous John today/ and, edified by his life, we sing:/ Rejoice, our prayer book, glorified by God.

Magnification:
We magnify you, our holy and righteous Father John, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us, Christ our God.

Prayer:
Oh, holy newly-minted servant of God, John the Russian! 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, servant of God (names), and bring them to the All-Merciful God, to forgive us every sin and help us against the wiles of the devil, so that we may be delivered from sorrows, illnesses, troubles and misfortunes and all evil Let us live piously and righteously in this present world and through your intercession we will be worthy, even though we are unworthy, to see good things on the land of the living, glorifying the One in His saints, glorifying God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

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