Among the saints of God, who exploited the incorruptible crowns of glory by the deeds of piety, the righteous Simeon of Verkhotursky, whose icon can be seen in most Orthodox churches in Russia, also occupies a worthy place. For almost four centuries, he has interceded with the Holy See for those who offer their prayers to him. What good deeds brought him to the bosom of Heavenly Father?
Youth of the future saint
Although the popularly revered icon of St. Simeon of Verkhotursky was painted in the 19th century, he himself was able to walk a life path two centuries earlier. This, as well as all other circumstances related to it, is known from a document drawn up half a century after his blessed death by Metropolitan Tobolsk and Siberian Ignatius. Linking together all the available evidence of the life of the righteous, Metropolitan Ignatius compiled a life, which to this day is the main source of information about this great ascetic.
From its pages we learn that the holy righteous Simeon Verkhotursky (photo of the icon is presented in the article) was born at the turn of the XVI and XVII centuries. in the Ural city of Verkhotursk. The names of his parents did not reach us, but it is known for certain that they were nobles and were distinguished by the extraordinary piety that they managed to instill in their son from an early age. As befits a child from a pious Orthodox family, the youth Simeon was educated, which was based on the gospel commandments to serve God, humility and love for others.
God's wanderer
Soon after the Lord called Simeon's parents to the Kingdom of Heaven, a young man, fulfilling one of the main Gospel commandments, distributed the inheritance to the poor, and went on his own to wander the Ural land, contemplating and glorifying the world in which he saw the creation of the Hands of God . He began his journey in his native city of Verkhotursk, but on the way he repeatedly stopped in the village of Merkushino.
The villagers invariably greeted him with joy and provided such a warm hospitality that over time the wanderer of God chose him as his place of permanent residence. It was this that gave the foundation to some church historians to call him Simeon Merkushinsky.
Successor to the Holy Apostles
On many icons, Simeon Verkhotursky is depicted as engaged in fishing, and this is by no means accidental. The fact is that, having the opportunity to receive food from the bounties of the God-loving villagers, in the imagination of which he was not a creature from this world, and therefore needing outside help, the young man nevertheless made every effort to feed on the labor of his hands .
In the summer, he ate what he managed to collect in the forests and fields, but the basis of his meager diet was fish, which he caught in the surrounding rivers and lakes, which was captured on numerous icons. Simeon Verkhotursky admitted that this occupation brought peace and grace to his soul, because from the Gospel he knew that many apostles were fishermen - the closest disciples and associates of Jesus Christ, for the service of Whom they renounced all earthly goods and doomed themselves to voluntary poverty.
A fighter with his own pride
In winter, the future saint earned his livelihood by sewing the fur coats that the local residents ordered him. In this regard, a very curious memory of one of the villagers was preserved, included by Metropolitan Ignatius in the compilation of the saint's life. The witness of those long-standing events said that the holy righteous Simeon, wanting to strengthen his non-possessiveness and develop contempt for the vain human praise, often gave the customer a ready-made fur coat with some minor imperfections, while refusing to pay the fee for the work.
Thus, he avoided well-deserved praise, which he considered a manifestation of the devilish temptation, which gives rise to self-conceit in the soul of a person, and accustomed himself to gratuitous service to people. It is no accident that many theologians and ministers of the church, when asked about what the icon of Simeon of Verkhotursky helps in, among other things, do not forget to mention the struggle against pride - a sin that nests in the soul of most of us. To overcome this evil without the help of the Higher Powers is beyond the power of people, and therefore the petition for them of a holy saint before the Throne of God is extremely valuable.
The nobleman in the guise of a beggar
Being a native of an old noble family, as mentioned above, the holy ascetic carefully concealed this fact from all who met him on his life's journey. The reason for this was the same desire to defeat pride in oneself and clear the field of one’s soul from the chaff that the enemy of the human race planted in it. As a result, he managed to simplify himself to such an extent that no one doubted that he was just a poor wanderer, filled with the Fear of God and kept by the Heavenly Powers for his righteousness. The description of the icon of Simeon Verkhotursky, first created in the middle of the XIX century, indicates that the saint is depicted in simple peasant clothes and bast shoes. This detail undoubtedly emphasizes his contempt for earthly wealth and glory.
The conversion of the pagans to the Orthodox faith
Having discovered for himself the light of Christ's truth, the saint of God tried with all his might to bring him to the consciousness of the people around him. In those ancient times, this was not an easy task, especially in the Urals, where among the impenetrable dense forests settled the native inhabitants of the region - the Voguls, who in the 17th century remained the same pagans as their distant ancestors. It was to them with the fervent preaching of the Gospel that the righteous Simeon went.
According to contemporaries, the work of the righteous was not in vain, and many of those to whom his words were directed, breaking with polytheism, betrayed their hearts to true faith. It is generally recognized that the significance of the icon of Simeon of Verkhotursky lies primarily in the fact that it depicts an ascetic who has dedicated his life to the apostolic ministry - the conversion of Gentiles to Christ. Therefore, the prayers offered to him for strengthening the faith are always heard and, like seed that has fallen into good soil, give abundant seedlings.
The ascetic exploits of St. Simeon
To a righteous and pious life, inseparable from the Christian faith, the saint of God called the people around him not only in the words of a sermon, but also by personal example. As the inhabitants of the village of Merkushino later recalled, exhausting their flesh with many days of fasting, he was tireless in prayers. No wonder Simeon Verkhotursky is depicted in many icons holding a scroll on which a text of religious content is inscribed.
Noteworthy is the fact that the holy ascetic created them, standing kneeling on a bare stone, towering on the banks of the river. In the heat and cold, in rains and frosts, for long hours he led an endless conversation with God, before which He opened his soul and asked for the sending of strength to overcome bodily weakness. This ascetic feat of Simeon Verkhotursky became a prototype of how, two hundred years later, also on a bare stone, for a thousand days and nights he offered his prayers to St. Seraphim of Sarov. These ascetics of Christianity were separated from each other for two centuries, but are inextricably linked by the unity of faith, and therefore in Orthodox churches the icon of Simeon of Verkhotursky can often be seen next to the image of St. Seraphim of Sarov.
The blessed death of a saint
Heavy ascetic exploits exhausted the flesh of the righteous and reduced the number of his earthly days. Before reaching his advanced years, he fell ill and, feeling the limit of his earthly path, prayed for God to send him a righteous death, painless and shameless, as all Orthodox people ask for. He went to the Lord in 1642 in the same place, in the village of Merkushino, mourned by his inhabitants as a near and dear to them. If the date of birth of the righteous Simeon remained hidden from us by time, then the year of death is known exactly, since many of his contemporaries testified to him in his memoirs.
Unfortunately, human memory can be short, and after the funeral of righteous Simeon, the villagers very soon forgot about it. Despite the fact that in the days of earthly life he won universal love with his truly radiant kindness and universal admiration for ascetic exploits, not even a dozen years had passed before his grave, arranged behind the village church, was overgrown with grass, and no one could remember where exactly she was. However, the Lord was pleased to revive the image of His faithful servant in people's memory.
Miracle revealed on church graveyard
This was facilitated by the acquisition of his honest relics, which occurred exactly fifty years after the burial and was accompanied by completely unbelievable events, the truth of which is not in doubt, since it is attested by the personal recording of Metropolitan Ignatius of Tobolsk and Siberia.
The document, compiled by the venerable archpastor, states that in August 1692, residents of the village of Merkushino discovered an old coffin, which had collapsed from time on time, and inexplicably protruded from the ground. But most of all, the villagers were struck by the fact that in the gap between the boards the remains of a once buried man, completely untouched by decay, were clearly visible. It was not possible to establish who exactly they belonged to, since there was no tombstone or grave cross with an inscription.
The glorification of the holy righteous
Only after the diocesan commission arrived in the village, led personally by Metropolitan Ignatius, and a thorough inquiry was made, it was possible to establish that the imperishable relics belong to the wanderer who died here half a century ago and preached the teachings of Christ to Simeon. By this time it was discovered that through them miracles of healing occur. For example, if you attach the earth from the grave to a place affected by an ailment, then the pain subsides and the disease goes away by itself. That is why when talking about the icon Simeon Verkhotursky helps, they necessarily mention her ability to heal both bodily and mental ailments.
Then, at the direction of Metropolitan Ignatius, the relics so miraculously acquired were solemnly transferred to the temple, and after some time the canonization of the holy righteous Simeon of Verkhotursky was completed. The venerable Vladyka collected all the information available about him and, on the basis of these, compiled a life that has survived to our time without any changes.
At the beginning of the XIX century, the relics of the saint were transferred from the village of Merkushino, where they were at the altar of the cemetery church, in the city of Verkhoturye and placed in the main church of the local Nikolaev monastery. From the history of the monastery it is known that after a while a terrible fire broke out in it, completely destroying many buildings, but miraculously spared the cancer with the relics of Simeon Verkhotursky and the icon with life that were near it. This event has been recorded in the diocesan archive.
Prayer before the holy icons
The icon of Simeon Verkhotursky painted in the 19th century, located in the main temple of the Nikolaev monastery and miraculously preserved during the fire, served as the original for many lists made in a later period. Since the veneration of the saint took over time a truly popular character, the need arose to duplicate his image. Today it is represented in most Orthodox churches.
About how to pray the icon of Simeon Verkhotursky, hardly should start a separate conversation. Standing in front of her, it is necessary to remember only one thing: whoever the prayer is addressed to, it will gain its graceful power only under the condition of deep faith in God's infinite love for His children. The icon is nothing more than a plaque with the image of the saint painted on it, and its purpose is to help the worshiper to feel his spiritual unity with the saint of God to whom he is addressing. However, one should know that the fulfillment of the requested depends only on the will of the omnipotent God, before whom the saints intercede for us.