St. Alexis, a man of God: life, photo, icon, St. Alexis Day, prayer to Saint Alexis

Since ancient times, revered St. Alexis. This is God's man, who was not tonsured as a monk, however, he was counted among the saints.

"O Great Christ, the saint, God's holy man Alexei, pray to God for us!" - this may sound a short prayer, which can be read every day to any person about the protection of his home, his family, the city and the state as a whole. You can ask for help and protection in dangerous everyday situations, on the sea and on land, in the war zone and just in the morning, on the day to come.

Name

Protection, reflection, prevention - all these words characterize Alexei. This name occupies a special position in Russia. In the Orthodox calendar, the day of St. Alexis occurs more than once, there are several saints with that name. Orthodox believers especially revere the son of the Romanovs - Tsarevich Alexei. Tsarevich Alexei and the Reverend connects an invisible thread. After all, only with him began to serve in the temples special service and built temples with the name of the saint.

For example, on the orders of Tsar Mikhail Romanov, in the village belonging to the property of Princess Trubetskoi, the temple of the name of the Monk was built. This village was called Kopytovo, and later it was renamed Alekseevskoe. Here the king spent enough time hunting and just relaxing with his family. It was from this place that he went on a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Over time, the wooden church decayed, and it was dismantled. The throne was transferred to the built stone temple of the Tikhvin Mother of God, where now there is the Alekseevsky chapel.

Roots

Saint Alexis himself has Roman roots. His parents were pious, of noble birth. His father's name was Evtimian, and his mother's name was Aglaid. The birth of the long-awaited son of the Roman couple was in the 5th century. Alex was brought up in Christian traditions, with the example of parents who constantly helped the beggars, widows, wanderers, orphans and all who needed their help. From a young age he wanted to serve only one God, however, when he reached the age of majority, he was forced to be engaged to a young girl from the nobility.

But not having lived with her, the young groom immediately gave the bride his ring. "May the Lord be between us ..." Alexei said, making it clear to his wife that she keep the ring until God updates them with his grace. Having said this, he went to Asia, where he distributed everything that he had, and assumed the appearance of a beggar.

Now Alexis, a holy man, became a simple beggar, begging near the temple of alms. He spent the nights for a hot prayer to God. It lasted for seventeen years. Only the water with the loaf served the reverend. It is impossible to describe the joy he experienced when taking alms from his own servants who were in search of the missing master's son and God's craft were in these places.

The servants did not recognize the master in the emaciated beggar, begging for alms from the temple. Alexei was a man of God and a righteous among the local population. In order that his fame not catch his heart, he decided to leave this place and departed from Edessa, the city where he spent all this time (today it is modern Turkey), where his eyes look, sitting on the first ship that was on the way to Tarsus (the birthplace of the apostle Paul ).

God's providence

But Saint Alexis did not get to the place of destination by the handiwork of God. A violent storm changed the course of the ship, and he was again in Rome. Arriving to his home, he was not recognized by his parents, wife, servants ... But they gladly accepted the pilgrim and gave him a place in his possessions. So the righteous spent another seventeen years, being subjected to all sorts of jeers on the part of the servants, who took from him the food sent to the worshiper from the master's table. It can not be said that the saint lived these years easily, watching from the side for his parents and his wife, who were mourning for the missing Alexei ...

Death

Feeling the approach of death, Saint Alexis, a man of God, described in detail his life. And at the same time the people heard the voice of God in the very Cathedral of St. Peter, who called to find a man of God, able to pray for Rome. People were at a loss, as they heard the second time the call of God. This happened already in the presence of the emperor Honorius himself. The voice pointed to the house of Mr. Euthymian, where the servants confirmed the presence of a beggar in him who makes incessant prayer and humbly demolishes all humiliations. Arriving at the house to Euphimian, people saw the deceased righteous Alexei, whose face shone, and in his hands was a scroll with a description of his entire life.

The first miracles

For a long time parents and wife were crying at the body of the saint. They were amazed at his righteousness. And the scroll in Alexei's hands was so clenched that no one could take it. And only after the emperor himself humbly knelt before the body of a righteous man and asked him to unclench his hands, so as to take the written, the scroll became available for reading.

After the body of the ascetic was transferred to the cathedral square, streams of pilgrims flowed to him, many of whom received miraculous healings. The remains of the saint were carried even by the emperor himself. The pilgrim was buried on the thirtieth of March in the church of Saint Boniface. Now it's St. Alexis Day. It was here that he once married with his wife. So Saint Alexius, without taking monastic vows, achieved righteousness and is revered as a great ascetic who received the face of the Monk.

Honoring

Until the tenth century the veneration of the saint was spread mainly in the Orthodox East. From the tenth century his name appears in the saints of Rome. In 1216 the relics of the saint were recovered. They are placed under the throne of the temple, located on the Aventine hill. Although the church itself since 986 bore the name of St. Vonifata and Alexis. Below is a photo of St. Alexis, pictured on the icon. Today the relics of the saint are divided and stored in different parts of the Orthodox world. There are traditions about the second Greek monastery of Agia-Lavra, presented by the Emperor Manuel to the head of Alexei, about the abduction by the Novgorod merchant of the hand of the righteous from Sofia and others. In 2006, a part of the relics donated by the Italian side arrived in the Ioanno-Predtechensky Monastery.

In Western Europe, the name of the saint quickly gained fame, thanks to the numerous missionaries and preachers who came here from the East. The first European work was a poem written by the Langedian dialect of French, the author of which was Tibo Champagne.

Glorification of the image

In Russia, the image of the saint, his life and asceticism inspired artists and writers to create various kinds of works. His veneration came from Byzantium. In the Middle Ages the book "Sacred Legends" became very popular, the author of which was Jacob Varaginsky. In the people this work is known more under the name "Golden legend". Throughout Europe, it was known about these legends. The book described two hundred lives of the saints, among whom was the righteous Saint Alexis. The works were rewritten in monasteries in different languages: from Catalan, German to Polish.

"Golden Legend" has been criticized many times during the Reformation, but at the same time it was second only to the Bible in popularity. Until the seventeenth century, based on the legends of the Golden Legend, many icons, paintings, engravings, frescoes, oratorios, operas and other works of art were created. Among them, St. Alexis occupies a significant place. In Russia at this very time, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, many songs, poems and tales dedicated to the righteous were composed.

The Times of the USSR

But in the following years the name Alexei was glorified. For example, during the Soviet Union, heroes with the name Alexei had a sufficient number. Was even written a well-known song "Alyosha", sponsored by Konstantin Vanshenkin and Eduard Kolmanovsky. Alyosha - it was a collective image, a national hero, not only for Russians, but also for Bulgarians. The song "Alyosha" became the anthem of the city of Plovdiv, and rank-and-file Aleksei Skurlatov became a prototype for the eleven-meter monument. He was a member of the military operation in 1944 in Bulgaria, a scout and a telephone line communicator between Sofia and Plovdiv.

Oblivion

Unfortunately, after certain events in 1989, the song "Alyosha" stopped playing daily on the radio station in the city of Plovdiv. The local community demanded to demolish the monument as a sign of "Soviet occupation". However, under the decision of the Bulgarian Supreme Court, the monument was not touched, it was left as a symbol of the Second World War. Alyosha's name is still very popular among the Slav population, especially in Russia and Bulgaria. And in the famous city of Kharkov, in honor of the saint, a whole region is named - Alekseyevka. There is also a source with the same name.

Iconography and church services

Regarding iconography, we can say that the first icon of St. Alexis dates back to the eighth century. He was depicted in the frescoes of the Roman Temple of the Saints of Boniface and Alexis on the Aventine Hill. Russian icon painting is characterized by some similarities in the images of St. John the Forerunner and the righteous Alexei. In Europe, icon painting mainly depicts scenes from the life of a worshiper, according to the legends described in various sources. Most often depicted the pope with his knees bowed before the deceased saints and servants pouring dirty water on the beggar Alexei.

At services in the church, the Orthodox St. Alexis Mentioned in the studio version of the minions and when reading a special canon, composed by Joseph Pesnopisiec. Unlike the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church excluded the celebration of the saint from the new calendar.

This happened during the reform movement. Now this day is not necessary for celebration, but became memorable and solemn for monasteries and orders bearing the name of a righteous man. However, Saint Alexius lived his life so not for glorifying himself, but for the opportunity to connect with his Heavenly Father, the creator of everything visible and invisible, the giver of life and light, love and good.

Prayer sighs

Throughout the Christian world, one hears sighs for God and requests addressed to the saint. In Orthodoxy this is a special righteous person, to whom believers turn daily. There are many cases of healing and other miracles that God shows in relation to people, in the hearts and lips of which sounds a prayer to St. Alexis, a request to help addressed to a righteous man who gained great grace from God with his ascetic life.

This prayer is described in many Orthodox prayer books and other sources. They can be purchased in church shops, Orthodox churches, can be found on electronic resources on the Internet. However, even if you do not have it at hand, you can always turn to the saint for help deep in your soul in heartfelt prayer. Say in your own words all that is painful, refer to him as a friend and living primate before the Most High. Be sure: your request will be heard, and if it does not contradict God's law, if it is not directed to the detriment of others or to oneself, God will necessarily answer the request of St. Alexis about your need.