Letter from Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra, to Pope Julius Wishing his Beatitude Julius Marcellus, his concelebrant, good health in Christ. Since some of those previously condemned for wrong faith, whom I denounced at the Council of Nicea, dared to write against your piety

Nestorius. Message to Celestine, Pope of Rome With brotherly trust in each other, we must talk among ourselves, so that we, with unanimous consent, can more successfully confront the enemy of the world - the devil. What do I want to say by starting my conversation like this? What some

Troparion to the Martyr, ch. 4 Thy martyr, Lord (name), in his suffering received an imperishable crown from You, our God: having Thy strength, overthrow the tormentors, crush the demons of weak insolence: save our souls with his prayers. Kontakion, ch. 6 You have appeared as a bright star,

Troparion to the Martyr, tone 4 Thy martyr, O Lord, (name), in his suffering received an imperishable crown from You, our God, for having Thy strength, overthrow the tormentors, crush the demons of weak insolence. Save our souls through his prayers. (Translation: Thy martyr, Lord, (name) by feat

Martyr Alexander of Rome Saint Alexander of Rome is prayed for deliverance from any illness. Memorial Day May 13/26 Saint Alexander lived in Rome at the beginning of the 4th century. and was a military man. From childhood the saint professed faith in Christ and at the age of 18 he appeared before the court of the emperor.

One of the most visited tourist places in Prague. Naturally, thousands of beautiful photographs have already been posted. But I want to know more and in more detail about this Council. Therefore, if there is a desire, I invite you

In fact, admission to St. Vitus Cathedral is absolutely free. There is not even a ban on photographs. But you can only examine a small part of it, at the entrance. We have a ticket, so we can go deep into the Cathedral. Let's not rush - let's still have a little history. Who is Saint Vitus? This name was absolutely unknown to me. Although "St. Vitus' disease" was widely known. But why is the most luxurious Cathedral in Prague dedicated to him?

There is little information about St. Vitus. He is commemorated together with his teacher Modest and nanny Criskentia on June 15. The cult of St. Vitus originated in the 5th century in Sicily and only reached Central Europe in the 8th-9th centuries.
The youth Vitus (he was from 7 to 12 years old) lived in Sicily during the time of Emperor Diocletian in a rich and noble family. His father “adhered to Hellenic wickedness,” and “the youth was granted by God the power to perform miracles.” He cast out demons and healed the sick. When the emperor ordered the boy to pray to the pagan gods, he refused. For which he was thrown into a cage with the lions, who did not touch him. The poor fellow was then thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. But this was also useless. “Then the emperor ordered the holy martyrs Vitus and Modestus to be hanged on the martyrdom tree, along with them also Saint Criscentia, Vitova’s teacher, who, having come to that place, confessed herself to be a Christian, and denounced the king for his wickedness and tormenting the saints; then the torturer ordered the planing naked bodies of saints with iron tools. At the same time, Saint Vitus said to the king: “You show your strength as weak and worthy of laughter when you torture a woman.”

Now about the dance of St. Vitus. Since the 16th century, people in Germany and Italy have danced in front of statues of St. Vitus in order to stay healthy for the next year. According to some sources, these dances in Italy then began to be called tarantella, since they allegedly relieved the consequences of a tarantula bite. And then for some reason, a disease of the nervous system - chorea, in which twitching of the whole body occurs, also began to be called St. Vitus' disease.
This turned out to be an interesting Saint with many unknowns. What relationship St. Vitus had with King Charles the Fourth, who began the construction of this cathedral in 1344, I have never found out exactly. Although I read on Wikipedia that Wenceslas (later St. Wenceslas, patron saint of the Czech Republic), who built a small chapel on this site in 905, had a sacred relic - the hand of St. Vitus.
During the reign of King Charles the Fourth, Prague experienced unprecedented prosperity.
But, obviously, all kinds of innovations and decorations of the city, including the construction of the Charles Bridge, did not allow the king to complete the construction of the Cathedral.
The cathedral was consecrated only 6 centuries later - in 1929! This is how the long-term construction turned out. Although looking at the Cathedral you would never say that it was built in the last century.
It was possible to photograph the entire Cathedral only from the Choirs side, i.e. behind. But here you can see how huge it is. The length of the Cathedral is 124 meters.

We approach the central entrance. St. Vitus Cathedral was built for the coronation of kings and for their repose in Eternity.
Do you see the central outlet? It is always placed above the entrance.
On the right are small turrets.

On one of these turrets is the Cockerel. Sometimes St. Vitus is depicted with a rooster.
This is not my photo - this is the famous photographer Phil Douglas. I am always happy when I see such wonderful photographs. Amazing!
The building in the center is the Church of St. George. Do you recognize? We've already been there.

This is already my photo. Do you feel the difference? But you will have to be content with them. Because I really want to show you all the wonders of this neo-Gothic structure.
These are the gargoyles. Of course, these are not the goroules and chimeras of Notre Dame de Paris, about which I wrote >. And their purpose is very prosaic - water drainage. But still impressive.

Just like this incomparable portal - the entrance to the Cathedral.

Let's also go around the Cathedral from the side. There's a lot to see here.

This is the bell tower of St. Vitus. Here, behind this amazing gilded grille, the Sigmund, the heaviest bell in the Czech Republic, has hung since 1549. Its weight is 18 tons.
Here you can also see the stylized letter R - the memory of Emperor Rudolph the First of Habsburg, the ancestor of the entire Habsburg dynasty. (We remember that until 1918 the Czech Republic was part of Austria-Hungary).
And very interesting watches with dials with one hand. The upper clock shows HOURS. And the lower clock shows minutes and quarter minutes.

And here is the famous Golden Gate (Porta Aurea). Future kings passed through these gates on their way to the Cathedral for their coronation.

The incomparable glass mosaic was made by Venetian masters in the 14th century. Commissioned by Charles IV. The picture of the Last Judgment is depicted. On the central mosaic, below, you can see the penitent figures of Charles the Fourth and his wife. Surely the Last Judgment has passed them by.

No less interesting are the bars in front of the golden gate. They depict all the signs of the zodiac. Interesting "solution". This is the first time I’ve seen astrological symbolism on a religious building. It seems that the church does not recognize astrology?

I found my sign. You can make a userpic for yourself... What are these people doing? Looks like he's planting potatoes.

And another very interesting image, thought-provoking.
In the niche of the Golden Gate, I looked at this mosaic Crucifix. St. Vitus Cathedral is a Catholic church. And the Crucifixion is depicted according to Orthodox canons. After all, there is still a dispute about how many nails were used to nail the Savior - three or four. There is a clear indication of four nails; such an image is always found in Orthodox churches. Although there is another similar image in the Cathedral of Vitus.

Let's go a little further. We are standing in front of the Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk. She is inside the Cathedral. You and I have already met this Saint when we were in Cesky Krumlov. Let me remind you that John of Nepomuk - Saint John of Nepomuk - is very revered here - he is the heavenly patron of Prague and the entire Czech Republic. And although this name is known throughout Europe, it was here in 1393 that the confessor of King Wenceslas the Fourth tragically lost his life. And this is not a legend.

Why did the confessor displease the Czech king so much? In 1393, three clergymen who disagreed with the superiority of secular power over ecclesiastical power were thrown into Prague prison. Soon the two priests were released, and John of Nepomuk was subjected to terrible torture. After which he was thrown into the Vltava in a bag. The body was found, but the king did not allow it to be retrieved. But when wonderful lights lit up above him, the residents of Prague could not stand it. Realizing that it was a saint, they extracted the martyrs and buried them.
When a worthy tomb was made in the Cathedral of St. Vitus, St. John of Nepomuk was placed there.
It is believed that John of Nepomuk did not reveal the secret of confession. And this is precisely what King Wenceslas sought from him. He really wanted to know what his wife repented of before God.
The attributes of St. John of Nepomuk are a cross with a crucifix, a halo of stars around his head and a palm branch. We see all this in this wonderful sculpture.

Since we are standing on the square in front of the Cathedral, let's look at the obelisk. It is interesting for its unfinished construction. The height of the obelisk is 17 meters, installed in memory of the victims of the First World War. Made from a monolithic granite block. At the foot there should have been the grave of the unknown soldier. But to this day the obelisk has not been completed.

The house with pink accents is very interesting. This is the former residence of the Prague bishops, built in the 18th century.

And we also look at the sculpture depicting St. George. It was created in 1373. I won't mislead you - this is just a copy. It is interesting because no one knows what St. George's horse used to look like. This horse was destroyed during one of the tournaments in 1562. The original without the horse was preserved, but for the copy the architect came up with a new horse.

Let's take another look at the wonderful St. Vitus Cathedral.

And now for those who watched my “memoirs” to the end - a surprise.
I suggest you watch this video and relax a little. Because ahead of us lies a tour of the gloomy Gothic pseudo-Gothic Cathedral - the tomb of Saints, kings and persons close to them.
There won't be any fun anymore .... But interesting and beautiful. I promise .

On Trinity Sunday, my cousin Elena gave me this icon. Days of remembrance of the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome: May 16 (May 29 - new style) and June 15 (June 28 - new style). I really wanted to buy it and here's why:

In every Orthodox family there is always a person, thanks to whom, not only the whole family, but also many relatives, came to the Orthodox faith. Among my relatives, grandmother Katya was such a person. In Soviet times, visiting church and participating in church rituals could have very serious consequences. At a minimum, such a violator would face an unpleasant conversation with his superiors and, at a maximum, a lifelong ban on any management position. The innocent baptism of one’s own child could cost any military man a broken shoulder strap, and civilians would also have a hard time. But the worst thing was that the clergy themselves were obliged to report to law enforcement agencies about persons participating in church ceremonies. Grandmother Katya was familiar with all the clergy in the city of Klin and its environs. Thanks to this acquaintance, she agreed to conduct the sacrament of baptism for all my relatives. And all the priests kept their word to grandmother Katya and did not hand over any of my relatives to the authorities. For this, relatives nicknamed grandmother Katya - Godmother, because for all of us she was our Godmother. In Orthodoxy there is such a concept - Godparents are people who vouch to the priest that they will help the person being baptized become a worthy Christian. I was lucky enough to become the godson of Grandma Katya. In the white stone Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, located in the village of Voronino, Klinsky district, Moscow region, back in 1976, on one summer day, with the warm assistance of my Father, and against the wishes of my Mother, I was baptized. The priest who performed the sacrament of baptism kept his word and did not inform the law enforcement officers about this, which my parents were very happy about, and of course did not make any entry in the church documents. So even if I wish to receive a Certificate of Baptism from the current rector of that Church, they may refuse me. Apart from my parents, there are no other living witnesses to my baptism. Grandma Katya died a long time ago, and the priest who performed the sacrament probably also died. Unless my friendship with one Klin priest will help me. Although he was not a witness to the sacrament, he will always vouch for my honesty in this matter.

So, returning to grandmother Katya, it was she who began to celebrate the day of my angel on February 7 (January 25 - old style), on the day of remembrance of the holy martyr Felicata and her sons: Iannuarius, Felix, Philip, Silvanus, Alexander, Vitaly and Martiala. This tradition did not stop until my last birthday. It was on the eve of this festive date for me that I once again decided to look at the church calendar, and discovered that on my birthday, May 29, the memory of the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome is celebrated. It seems strange to me that I had not noticed any mention of this saint in the church calendar before. Yes, and grandmother Katya certainly would not have missed this saint if his memory was celebrated at a time when she was still alive. I think that the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome appeared in the Russian Orthodox calendar recently. I would be grateful to anyone who can tell us about the history of the recognition of this saint by our Russian Orthodox Church. I’m asking because I can’t even imagine where I could find out about this. I would also like to know your opinion about the presented icon, which, by the way, was made in Sofrino. The fact is that there are almost no Orthodox icons with the face of the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome anywhere. There are basically only Catholic images.

Life of the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome:

The holy martyrs Vitus, Modestus and Criscentia the Nourisher suffered for Christ during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284 - 305). The holy martyr Vitus was the son of a noble Sicilian nobleman, the pagan Hylas. While still a young boy, Saint Vitus was inflamed with fiery love for the Lord Jesus Christ and prayed to Him unceasingly. The Lord gave him the grace of working miracles. He healed the sick and converted many pagans to Christ. Having learned about this, Governor Valerian called Hylas and advised him to turn his son away from faith in Christ. Just at that time, the emperor issued a decree on the persecution of Christians, and therefore not only the youth, but the entire house of Gilas could suffer. But Gilas could not convince Saint Vitus and began to beat the boy. Ruler Valerian learned that Saint Vitus refused to make a sacrifice to the gods, and demanded him to appear before him for trial. Before the trial, the holy youth steadfastly confessed his faith and flatly refused to offer sacrifice to idols. They beat him again. When the ruler, giving orders to intensify the torment, extended his hand, it immediately withered. Through the prayer of the saint, the ruler received healing and, ending the trial, gave the holy youth to Gilas, ordering him to be turned away from faith in Christ at all costs.

To seduce his son into carnal sin, Gilas surrounded him with luxury and brought beautiful girls to him. The saint was served the most delicious food, feasts and entertainment were arranged, but the desired results were not achieved. Saint Vitus did not stop praying and asking for God’s help in temptations. Angels appeared to him and prayed with him. When Gilas entered his son and looked at the Angels, he immediately became blind. Gilas made a promise to renounce idols, and Saint Vitus healed him. But, having hardened his heart, Gilas did not fulfill his promise. His affection for his son turned into hatred, and he decided to kill him. To save the boy, his teacher Saint Modest and his nurse Saint Criscentia, who were Christians, secretly took him away from his parental home. They saw a boat by the river. The angel entered the boat with them and took them to the Italian region of Lucania, where the saints, hiding from their tormentors, lived secretly. The holy youth did not cease to heal the sick and convert pagans to Christianity. Word about him spread here too.

Saints Vitus and Modestus had to appear before Diocletian. Struck by the beauty of the youth, he strongly persuaded him to make a sacrifice to the gods. The holy youth exposed the madness of idolatry and healed the demoniac son of Diocletian. The emperor, under the condition of renouncing the faith of Christ, offered Saint Vitus great honors, fame and wealth. The youth refused and, with the same courage, confessed himself to be a Christian. He was imprisoned together with Saint Modest. When Jesus Christ appeared to the prisoners, strengthening them in their deeds and bestowing His help, the shackles fell from their hands. Considering the miracle to be sorcery, Diocletian ordered that Saint Vitus be thrown into a cauldron of boiling tin. The saint stood in it, as if in cool water, and remained unharmed. Then a huge lion was released on him. The boy made the sign of the cross, and the beast obediently lay down at his feet and began to lick his feet. The holy martyrs were hanged on poles and whittled with iron claws. Saint Criscentia emerged from the crowd of spectators, confessed herself to be a Christian, and reproached the emperor for his cruelty. She was subjected to the same torture. Saint Vitus cried out to God: “God, save us by Thy power and deliver us.” An earthquake began. Many pagans died under the collapsed buildings, Diocletian fled to his palace in fear. An angel removed the martyrs from the pillars and carried them to Lucania. The holy martyr Vitus prayed to God that He would accept their souls in peace and not deprive His benefits to all who would honor their memory. There was a voice from Heaven: “Your prayer is heard.” The saints joyfully gave up their souls to God. The sufferings of the holy martyrs Vitus, Modestus and Criscentia took place around the year 303. These saints are also commemorated on May 16th. The relics of St. Vitus were transferred to Prague. The holy noble prince Vyacheslav of Czech created a temple in honor of the holy martyr Vitus.

Prayer to the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome:

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

Troparion to the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome:

Thy martyr, Lord, Vitya in his suffering received an imperishable crown from You, our God, for having Thy strength, overthrow the tormentors, crush the demons of weak insolence, save our souls with your prayers.

Kontakion to the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome:

You appeared as a bright star, the charmless one of the world, proclaiming the Sun of Christ with your dawns, passion-bearing Vita, and you extinguished all the charm, giving us light, praying unceasingly for all of us.

Glorification of the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome:

We magnify you, the passion-bearing saint Vitya, and honor your honest suffering, who you endured for Christ.

May 28th 2011 -

The name “Vit” comes either from the Latin “vita” - “life”, or from “vitalis” - “full of life”, or from “vitulis” (“vitellus”) - “baby”, “cub”.
The holy martyr Vitus was the son of a noble Sicilian nobleman, the pagan Hylas.

His teacher Modest and nurse Criscentia were Christians, and the boy grew up as a Christian.

The Lord gave him the grace of working miracles. He healed the sick and converted many pagans to Christ. Having learned about this, Governor Valerian called Hylas and advised him to turn his son away from faith in Christ. Just at that time, the emperor issued a decree on the persecution of Christians, and therefore not only the youth, but the entire house of Gilas could suffer. But Gilas could not convince Saint Vitus and began to beat the boy. Ruler Valerian learned that Saint Vitus refused to make a sacrifice to the gods, and demanded him to appear before him for trial. Before the trial, the holy youth steadfastly confessed his faith and flatly refused to offer sacrifice to idols. They beat him again. When the ruler, giving orders to intensify the torment, extended his hand, it immediately withered. Through the prayer of the saint, the ruler received healing and, ending the trial, gave the holy youth to Gilas, ordering him to be turned away from faith in Christ at all costs.

According to legend, the father tried to distract a seven-year-old boy from his faith by bringing beautiful girls to him.

The guards and executioners who encroached on Vitus suffered: some had their hands withered, some went blind, but Vitus healed everyone, and he also healed the demon-possessed son of Emperor Diocletian. They tried to cook him in a cauldron with boiling oil, but he remained unharmed, and the terrible lions did not touch him.

To seduce his son into carnal sin, Gilas surrounded him with luxury and brought beautiful girls to him. The saint was served the most delicious food, feasts and entertainment were arranged, but the desired results were not achieved. Saint Vitus did not stop praying and asking for God’s help in temptations. Angels appeared to him and prayed with him. When Gilas entered his son and looked at the Angels, he immediately became blind. Gilas made a promise to renounce idols, and Saint Vitus healed him. But, having hardened his heart, Gilas did not fulfill his promise. His affection for his son turned into hatred, and he decided to kill him. To save the boy, his teacher Saint Modest and his nurse Saint Criscentia, who were Christians, secretly took him away from his parental home. They saw a boat by the river. The angel entered the boat with them and took them to the Italian region of Lucania, where the saints, hiding from their tormentors, lived secretly. The holy youth did not cease to heal the sick and convert pagans to Christianity. Word about him spread here too.

Saints Vitus and Modestus had to appear before Diocletian. Struck by the beauty of the youth, he strongly persuaded him to make a sacrifice to the gods. The holy youth exposed the madness of idolatry and healed the demoniac son of Diocletian. The emperor, under the condition of renouncing the faith of Christ, offered Saint Vitus great honors, fame and wealth. The youth refused and, with the same courage, confessed himself to be a Christian. He was imprisoned together with Saint Modest. When Jesus Christ appeared to the prisoners, strengthening them in their deeds and bestowing His help, the shackles fell from their hands. Considering the miracle to be sorcery, Diocletian ordered that Saint Vitus be thrown into a cauldron of boiling tin. The saint stood in it, as if in cool water, and remained unharmed. Then a huge lion was released on him. The boy made the sign of the cross, and the beast obediently lay down at his feet and began to lick his feet. The holy martyrs were hanged on poles and whittled with iron claws. Saint Criscentia emerged from the crowd of spectators, confessed herself to be a Christian, and reproached the emperor for his cruelty. She was subjected to the same torture. Saint Vitus cried out to God: “God, save us by Thy power and deliver us.” An earthquake began. Many pagans died under the collapsed buildings, Diocletian fled to his palace in fear. An angel removed the martyrs from the pillars and carried them to Lucania. The holy martyr Vitus prayed to God that He would accept their souls in peace and not deprive His benefits to all who would honor their memory. There was a voice from Heaven: “Your prayer is heard.” The saints joyfully gave up their souls to God.

The sufferings of the holy martyrs Vitus, Modestus and Criscentia took place around the year 303.

According to one German legend, the relics of Vitus were allegedly transferred from Sicily to Lucania in 583. The abbot of the French monastery of Saint-Denis Fulrad in 756 transferred them to his monastery. His successor in 836 donated part of the relics to the monastery of Corve, which later became the main center of veneration for Vitus. The Czech king Wenceslaus received the hand of the saint, in honor of which he built a church in Prague - the future Prague Cathedral of St. Vita. Charles IV acquired other (alleged) relics from Pavia in 1355. During the 30 Years' War, all the relics from Corve were stolen and probably transferred to Prague. From the 13th to the 18th centuries St. Vit was revered as a patron against all kinds of troubles. There are about 150 churches where particles of his relics are supposedly kept; more than 1,300 temples, altars, and chapels are dedicated to him. The rooster was chosen as its symbol, a pagan symbol of war, life, and fertility. Pagans often sacrificed roosters when they asked God for deliverance from childlessness or for a good harvest.

In the Church, the rooster became a symbol of the Risen Christ. The legend about Vita depicted him as a victorious martyr, emerging unharmed from all trials.

Vitus was one of the “Fourteen Helpers” (August 8).
He is the patron of Sicily, Prague, Bohemia, Saxony, Corve, patron of coppersmiths, brewers

They prayed to him for healing from demon possession and epilepsy (after all, he healed the emperor’s demon-possessed son), and one of the nervous diseases, in which a person’s muscles involuntarily twitch and the psyche is excited, was called “St. Vitus’s dance.” Acta Sanctorum, June, vol. 3; Butler, 15.6; Salvatore. Breve Storia di S. Vito. 1934.

Troparion to the martyr Vitus of Rome y, voice 4
Thy martyr, Lord, Vitya, in his suffering received an imperishable crown from You, our God, for having Thy strength, overthrow the tormentors, crush the demons of weak insolence, save our souls with his prayers.

Kontakion, tone 6
You have appeared as a bright star, the charmless one of the world, proclaiming the Sun of Christ with your dawns, passion-bearing Vita, and you have extinguished all the charm, but you give us light, praying unceasingly for all of us.

Greatness
We magnify you, the passion-bearing saint Vitya, and honor your honest suffering, who you endured for Christ.