Many who are just starting their difficult journey into the Orthodox world are faced with the problem of church terminology. Many of these words seem incomprehensible, requiring detailed study. Everything in the church has its name - from the furnishings of the church (pulpit, lectern, banner, altar, etc.) and ending with holidays, services and sacraments. In this article, you will become familiar with the concept of "riza".
Two meanings
The term riza has 2 definitions. In the first case, it designates a felon, special clothing for clergymen worn during church service. Also, a robe is a salary for an icon made of gold or embroidered with pearls. This word also refers to the clothes of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which were found by the aristocrats of Constantinople after her assumption.
Priest's Robes
In the broad sense of the word, robe is the garment of the clergy. Specifically, this concept refers to wide clothing like a cloak that does not have sleeves. Ahead it has a wide neckline so that the priest is free to move during the liturgy. The color of the robe depends on the holiday in honor of which the service is held. For example, in the days of remembrance of the prophets and great saints, as well as Palm Sunday and the Holy Trinity, the priest wears green robes. If the priest has a blue robe in the temple, it means that there is some kind of holiday in honor of the Virgin on this day. Lord's days can be identified by the golden robes of the priest. If there is Lent, the priests serve in purple robes. The clergymen wears red robes during the fast at Christmas and the Exaltation. Thus, the robe is also a certain symbol of the church holiday.
The sacred secret - the robe of the Virgin
A whole chain of events is associated with this relic. Two Byzantine brothers, going to Galilee, decided to visit the city of Nazareth and the house in which the Blessed Virgin and His son Jesus lived. From the current mistress, the young men were able to find out that in one of the rooms a sacred relic is stored, healing from all illnesses - the blind see and the lame begin to walk. They saw a shrine called the robe - this is the garment of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was passed down from generation to generation after Her earthly death. The landlady made a promise from the brothers that they would not tell anyone about the great secret until this woman died. The young men made a vow, but when they saw the robe of the Virgin placed in the ark, they thought about what would become of the relic after the death of the mistress of the house.
Gaining the robe
Then the brothers decided to go on a trick: they went to bow to the Cross of the Lord and promised on the way back to come again to say goodbye. On the way, the brothers were able to order the ark, which looked exactly like the one that kept the robe of the Virgin in itself. The young men also bought a blanket of gold, which they covered the shrine, asking the mistress of the house in Nazareth to let them pray all night in front of the relic. When everyone in the house went to bed, the brothers fell to their knees in front of the shrine, asking the Blessed Virgin Mary to forgive them the sin that they were going to commit. Replacing the purchased ark with a true relic and covering it with a gold blanket, the young men went to rest.
In the morning, the brothers said goodbye to the mistress, taking with them the vestments of the Most Holy Theotokos. In Byzantium, they founded a small temple in which they placed the sacred robes of the Mother of God, without telling anyone about it. But the relic was so gracious that the brothers could no longer remain silent and talked about the great find to the emperor. He reverently accepted the shrine and placed it in the Blachernae church. In honor of this event, the celebration of the Deposition of the Virgin was established, which is celebrated to this day on July 15. Currently, the relic is unknown. She disappeared after a terrible fire, as a result of which the Blachernae church burned down.
Thus, the meaning of the word “riza” can be interpreted in different ways.