Riza is .. Riza of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Many who are just beginning their difficult journey to the Orthodox world are confronted with the problem of church terminology. Many of these words seem to be incomprehensible, requiring detailed study. In the temple everything has its own name - starting from the church (ambo, analoy, banners, altar, etc.) and ending with holidays, services and sacraments. In this article you will get acquainted with the concept of "Riza".

Two values

The term rhiz has 2 definitions. In the first case, it means felons, special clothes for clergy, worn during the church service. Riza is also a salary for an icon made of gold or embroidered with pearls. This word also refers to the garments of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which were found by the Constantinople aristocrats after Her ascent.

Robes of the Priest

In the broadest sense of the word, the garment is the garb of the clergy. Specifically, this concept denotes a wide clothing like a cloak, which does not have sleeves. Ahead it has a wide cutout so that the priest during the liturgy was free in movements. The color of the robe depends on the feast, in honor of which the worship is held. For example, on the days of the memory of the prophets and great saints, and also on Palm Sunday and the Holy Trinity, the priest clothed in green robes. If the priest in the temple has a blue robe - it means that this day is a holiday in honor of the Virgin. The Lord's days can be identified by the priest's golden garments. If there is a Lent, the priests serve in purple vestments. In the red garments the clergymen dress during the fast for Christmas and the Exaltation. Thus, the robe is also a certain symbol of the church holiday.

The sacred mystery is the vestment of the Virgin

A whole chain of events is connected with this relic. Two Byzantine brothers, going to Galilee, decided to visit Nazareth and the house in which the Blessed Virgin lived with His son Jesus. From the current hostess, the young men were able to learn that in one of the rooms there is a sacred relic that heals from all diseases - the blind see, and the lame begin to walk. They saw a shrine called Riza - a garment of the Blessed Virgin, which was passed from generation to generation after Her earthly death. The hostess of the house took from the brothers a promise that they would not tell anyone about the great secret until this woman dies. The young men made a vow, but when they saw the Virgin's robe placed in the ark, they thought about what would become of the relic after the death of the mistress of the house.

Acquisition of the Robe

Then the brothers decided to go to the trick: they went to worship the Cross of the Lord and promised to come again on the way back to say goodbye. Being on the road, the brothers could order an ark, exactly like the one that kept the Virgin's vesture in itself. Also, the young men bought a veil of gold, which they covered the shrine, asking the hostess of the house in Nazareth to allow them to pray all night before the relic. When everyone in the house went to bed, the brothers fell to their knees in front of the shrine, asking the Most-Holy Mother of God to forgive them of the sin they are about to commit. Replacing the purchased ark with a true relic and covering it with a golden veil, the young men went to rest.

In the morning the brothers said goodbye to the mistress, taking with them a robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. In Byzantium, they founded a small church in which the sacred garments of the Mother of God were placed, not telling anyone about this. But the relic was so blessed that the brothers could no longer remain silent and told of the great find to the emperor. He received reverence with reverence and placed it in the Blachernae temple. In honor of this event was established the celebration of the Virgin Mary's Deposition of the Resurrection, which is celebrated to this day on July 15. At present, the relic is unknown. She disappeared after a terrible fire, as a result of which the Vlaherna church burned down.

Thus, the meaning of the word "rhiz" can be interpreted in different ways.