The Feast of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on August 1 according to the old style and August 14 on the new. This day is of particular importance because it is dedicated to one of the greatest shrines of Christianity.
Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. Story
The cross was acquired three centuries after the crucifixion of the son of God. The story of how this sacred object was found for all Orthodox people was included in the content of Akathist Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. It tells how during the terrible persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire appeared Emperor Constantine, who finally saved the faithful from constant persecution and execution. Until that time, the Orthodox had to hide their religion and conduct church services secretly, often paying for their faith with freedom and even life.
Saints Constantine and Helen
It was precisely at these times that the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine came to power, whose mother, also later glorified in the Face of Saints, went down in history as a man who led the search for the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. On the Origin of honest trees, in the service of the church these events are recalled. When Saint Helena made a trip to Jerusalem to search for the greatest shrine of Christianity and other relics, her son did his best to help this enterprise.
A hearty welcome to the pious queen was given by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Macarius, who became famous for having carried out the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. When the sacred relic was discovered, he, according to the Eastern tradition that had developed by that time, raised the Cross and showed it to the people who were on the streets of Jerusalem.
Holidays of the Cross
He did this four times, turning to the four cardinal points. Archbishop Macarius is also known for advising Elena the way in which the true cross of the Lord was determined, of the three found near Calvary. This is described in detail in the chants of the service on the Feast of Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. The wise old man said that a true shrine should have healing properties. Therefore, the Tree of the Cross was attached to the body of a terminally ill woman who, as a result, was healed. According to another version, the dead man was resurrected, who was carried to the cemetery for burial.
Another great idea of Empress Helena was the construction of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the Holy Land, at the place where the Cross of the Lord was discovered. But the saint was not destined to come true during her lifetime. After the Equal-to-the-Apostles died, the continuation of construction was dealt with by her son, Emperor Constantine. The Lord’s Cross is a shrine dedicated to two church holidays, one of which is the Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, is one of the twelve main holidays of the Orthodox Church, the other, which is called the Day of Origin (Depreciation) of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, although it is not doubly holiday, but, despite this, dearly loved by the people.
Russian tradition
A huge number of people usually gather for services and, traditionally held on this day, procession. The Origin (Depreciation) of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord is also called the Honey Savior. This is one of the three Spasses known in Orthodoxy. Before and after the service, the consecration of water and honey usually takes place. A few words should be said about the meaning of the name of this holiday. The word "origin" in this context means a traditional procession that takes place after the liturgy.
Baptism of Russia
For Russian Orthodox people, this date has another meaning. It was on the day of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord that the Rus was baptized by the Holy Prince Vladimir, who was also popularly called the Red Sun. Whether this particular holiday was specially chosen in order to carry out this significant event, history is silent about this. However, it is possible that the coincidence is not accidental. Although the word "origin" in the name of the celebration is customarily interpreted in a less common sense, nevertheless, it is nevertheless necessary to say about the actual origin of the Cross of the Lord.
On the Origin of Honest x Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord
According to the version that the Orthodox Church professes, this sacred object was made of three types of wood. After the relic was discovered, St. Helena of the Equal-to-the-Apostles decided that the cross should be divided so that believers from several countries would have the opportunity to worship the sacred relic. In Russia, there is also one of the parts of the life-giving Cross of the Lord.
Godenovsky Cross
It was found in a swampy area near the city of Yaroslavl and is now in a monastery located in a small settlement called Godenovo. From this cross, which was made of found wood and placed in the main church of the monastic monastery, several copies were made. They are in churches in different parts of Russia and Ukraine. One of these shrines visited space orbit during an expedition of the Russian-American team of astronauts.
Processions and icons
In the procession, which certainly takes place on the feast of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, the priests invariably go first, carrying wooden crosses in front of themselves. In the churches, where a copy of the Goden cross is located, shrines usually participate in the procession. During the service dedicated to this great day, an akathist is read to the Origin of the Honest Trees of the life-giving Cross of the Lord and troparia. Icons are also known that are dedicated to this church date. They are usually written in the traditional Russian icon-painting style by medieval craftsmen.
But there are some features that distinguish them. As a rule, the composition of these icons is much more complicated than on more ancient images. The image is divided into two planes - upper and lower. At the bottom of the icon are painted praying people and angels, performing the rite of blessing the water, and at the top - Christ and the Blessed Virgin surrounded by saints. Representatives of the upper world are standing on the rocks, which symbolizes, on the one hand, the difficult path of man to heaven, and on the other, the hardness and inviolability of faith.
Holiday in Byzantium
The establishment of this holiday is also associated with that circumstance. In medieval Constantinople, every year at the end of summer, numerous epidemics of terrible diseases took place. The doctors of that time did not know how to cope with the misfortune, and therefore it remained only to hope for the mercy of the Lord God.
The Creator was offered prayers during religious processions, which marched along the main streets of all Orthodox cities, singing the glory of Jesus Christ, and praying to the Lord for mercy and granting the people salvation from all diseases.
Saving image
In Russia, the holiday began to be celebrated only 500 years after its establishment in the territory of the Byzantine Empire. In Russian chronicles, the reason for its occurrence was explained as follows: religious processions are important for the enlightenment of the people and for the blessing of water.
Also on this day they remember the victory of the Russian army over the Volga Bulgars before the battle. The general prayed in front of the icon of the Mother of God, which holds the baby Jesus in her arms. During the battle, among the soldiers there were priests who carried the image in the middle of the army. At the same time, the governor of Constantinople also waged war on enemies and won. Two kings were familiar with each other and knew about the military successes of each.
It must be said that both rulers not only prayed earnestly, but also showed by their example how the whole rati should act. When both troops returned to their camps, then all the soldiers saw that a wonderful glow emanated from the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The rulers informed each other, as well as the bishops of their states, and together, came to the conclusion that a holiday should be established in honor of this event on the first day of August.
Holiday features
Even in the Orthodox tradition, this date is associated with the beginning of one of the posts of the year-round liturgical cycle, namely with the first day of the Assumption Lent. The church service is held like those that are usually arranged on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, as well as at Holy Cross week of Great Lent, that is, on its third week, when one recalls the finding of the Holy Cross and the events that happened in Jerusalem at that time.
It is believed that prayer in front of the Icon of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord helps in cleansing from sins when performed with proper reverence, repentance and attention. An akathist dedicated to this shrine can, like any other example of this church genre, be performed not only within the walls of the temple, but also at home, moreover, the priest does not have to be present.
The celebration of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord lasts one day, that is, the eve of the celebration is also solemnly celebrated. It was then that the Cross was removed from the altar and laid on it for worship by all the people. It must be said that the tradition of blessing water on the first day of the month existed in ancient Byzantium, from where it was adopted by the Russian Orthodox tradition. In Constantinople, the current ruler of the country usually took part in these events.
Baptism of Russia
Therefore, it is not difficult to trace the connection of this event with the Day of the Baptism of Russia, when several thousand people of Kiev were converted to Christianity by Prince Vladimir. There is a legend that Vladimir Krasnoye Solnyshko, realizing the inconsistency of the pagan religion that existed in Russia, decided to adopt a new faith, and sent some ambassadors to some countries where the main religions were professed, so that they would conclude that in each is the main thing. The most convincing seemed the story of the servants who visited Byzantium and talked about the religion that was adopted in this state.
Today, Prince Vladimir the Red Sun is glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in the face of saints as an equally apostolic person, that is, a person whose deeds were similar in meaning to the affairs of the disciples of Christ who spread Christian teaching around the world.
Water blessing
The consecration of water in Russia took place and is currently taking place before the service and sermon on the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord or after the service, sometimes before and after. In the old days, for example, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, places for diving were arranged on the river in the capital of the Russian state. Such places are called Jordan. In addition to this holiday, they are also made at Baptism.
After the blessing of water, the blessing of honey takes place. In the old days this rank was given special significance. After it was held, people were allowed to eat honey from the new crop. At first clergy were treated, then honey was distributed to orphans and the poor. Only after that did all the other parishioners start their meal. Here is what the chronicle says about the celebration of this day in Moscow under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov: “Jordan was traditionally arranged on the Moscow River, places were arranged near it for the autocrat and patriarch. The ruler of Russia plunged into water that day dressed in light a shirt over which golden crosses with the relics of saints were necessarily worn. "
After the patriarch blessed the king, the rite of blessing the water took place. Priests sprinkled troops standing near the Kremlin, and all the people gathered. Water was poured into two specially prepared silver vessels for the palace. Religious processions and the rite of blessing of the water took place not only in cities, but also in villages. Not only people dipped there, but also animals. Shepherds drove herds of cattle and small cattle, as well as horses, to the river. But this happened in places located at a sufficient distance from the Jordan. For the reason that this day is closely associated with the consecration of water, it is also popularly called the wet Savior.