Who is Patriarch Hermogenes. Patriarch Hermogenes (time of troubles)

Brief life of the Holy Martyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

Sacred-but-mu-che-nick Ger-mo-gen (Er-mo-gen), Pat-ri-arch of Moscow and all Russia, born around 1530 -Yes, in the family of Don Cossacks. In the world of no-sil the name is Er-mo-lay. The years of youth and maturity of Ger-mo-ge-na are together with you -I-mi of the domestic is-to-ri: in the ko-re-nie of Ka-za-ni, As-ra-kha-ni, Si-bi-ri; the wedding of John IV to the entire Russian kingdom, the issuance of the Su-deb-nik, the holding of the first Zem-skih Councils . The future pat-ri-arch felt in full measure and the grief of his Fatherland due to Poland , who has seized part of the ancient Russian lands, has seized the right to glory there, striving for to form a church union under the leadership of Rome. These is-rich-che-s-events had a deep influence on Ger-mo-gen, under-vi-li-him service to the Church and the Fatherland.

The service of the future pat-ri-ar-ha Church of Christ began in Ka-za-no simple parish priest no one at the guest-court church in the name of St. Nicholas. According to contemporaries, the priest Er-mo-lai was already “a man of great wisdom, adorned with books.” elegant in his teaching and well-known in the purity of his life.” In 1579, already being a priest, he became a witness of the miraculous appearance of the Kazan icon of God -ey Ma-te-ri. God destined him first to “take from the earth” a priceless image, to show it being collected from the people, and then Solemnly, with a procession of the cross, move to the neighboring St. Nicholas Church.

Soon the priest Er-mo-lai took a foreign haircut with the name Ger-mo-gen. In all likelihood, a haircut happened in the Chu-do-vo-mon-on-sta-re, which was on- he was subsequently called a vowed one. In 1587, he was appointed ar-hi-mand-ri-tom of the Kazan-spa-so-Pre-ob-ra-zhen-sko-go-na-sta-rya . On May 13, 1589, Vlady-ka Ger-mo-gen was hi-ro-to-ni-san in the episco-pa, and in the same year a new stalemate -ri-arch Job elevated him to the rank of mit-ro-po-li-ta of Kazan-sk-go and As-ra-khan-go. At this department, Saint Her-mo-gen carried out a broad, fruitful, mis-si-o-ner-work environment -di pagans and Muslims (ta-tar), leading them to the right-glorious faith.

In 1592, during the reign of Saint Hermo-gene, the relics of Saint Kazan were transferred from Moscow to Svi-yazhsk. ti-te-la Ger-ma-na. In 1594, the mit-ro-po-lit Ger-mo-gen co-created a service for God Ma-te-ri in honor of Her Kazan icon, and so the same “Tale of the appearance of the Kazan icon of God Ma-te-ri and the miraculous works performed from it” tse-le-ni-yah.” His tro-par “For-the-step-not-the-zealous” is imbued with a true in-breath and a deep, prayerful feeling stvom. In 1595, with the direct participation of Saint Ger-mo-gen, the discovery and discovery took place relics of the Kazan-miracle-creators: saints Gu-ria, the first ar-hi-episco-pa of Kazan-go (pa - commemoration October 4/17, December 5/18, June 20/July 3), and Var-so-no-fiya, episco-pa of Tver (pa-remembrance October 4/17, April 11/24), life-non-descriptions of whom he subsequently created. According to the tradition of the holiness of Ger-mo-ge-na, there was an establishment on-minal-naya sub-bo-ta after Po-kro -va Bo-go-ro-di-tsy for the re-measurement of all the warriors who fell during the capture of Ka-za-ni, and all local sufferings- people for the Christian faith.

On July 3, 1606, in Moscow, by a council of Russian hierarchs, Saint Hermo-gen was installed as Pat-ri-ar-khom of Moscow and all Russia -si. At this time he was over 70 years old.

The pat-ri-ar-she-stvo of the holiness of Her-mo-ge-na coincided with the difficult times of the Time of Troubles. With a special breath, the holy Pat-ri-Arch stood against me and the enemies of the Fatherland , let's work with the Russian people, introduce a unity and some kind of art in Russia right. When the False Dmitry II in June 1608 went to Moscow and stayed in Tu-shi-no, Pat-ri-arch Ger-mo-gen about -ra-til-sya to me-tez-nik-kam and iz-men-nik-kam with two-sla-ni-i-mi, in which he licked them and -sche-val: “Remember who you are using your weapons against: isn’t it God who created you? Is it not against your brothers? Isn't your Fatherland ruined? I call you in the name of God, get away from your thoughts while you have time, so that you don’t perish to the end -tsa... For God's sake, know yourself and be happy, be happy with your family, your wives and children, and all of us; and we will begin to pray for you to God...”

Meanwhile, famine began in Moscow. The first-holy-tel-ve-led ke-la-ryu Sergi-e-voy obi-te-li Av-ra-amiya Pa-li-tsy-well open for the ho-lo-da -yu-shchih mo-na-styr-skie huts with bread.

Pat-ri-arch Ger-mo-gen inspired the monks Tro-i-tse-Ser-gi-e-howl Lav-ry to the most-faithful-female g-ro-i- Czech ob-ro-nu obi-te-li from Polish in-ter-ven-tov. A large number of them besieged Lavra in September 1608. The cruel siege lasted 16 months, but without success: in January 1610, inter-ven-you with a view from stoo-pi-li. At this time, Pat-ri-arch Ger-mo-gen continued to send his messages, in which he convinced the people that the False Di-mit-riy II is the caller, he called to rise up for the defense of the faith and the Fatherland.

In 1610, the self-proclaimed “Tu-shin thief” was killed by his close wives. By this time, after the Bo-Yar-s-th-war and the overthrow of Tsar Vasily Shui-skogo (in July 1610 -yes) Moscow was za-nya-ta pol-ski-mi howl-ska-mi. Most bo-yars want to see on the Russian pre-sto-le of the Polish royalty Vla-di-sla-va, son of Si- giz-mun-da III. This decision was made by the pat-ri-arch Ger-mo-gen, who performed special prayers in the temples for marriage to the royal throne “from the blood of the Russian family.” At the request of Bo-Yar, to write a special letter to the people with a call to live at the will of Si-giz -mun-da pat-ri-arch Ger-mo-gen responded with a decisive response and threat of ana-fe-mat-stvo-va-niya. He openly stepped out against the foreign invaders, calling on the Russian people to stand up for the defense of Russia . According to the blessing of the pat-ri-ar-kha Ger-mo-ge-na from Ka-za-ni there was a re-ne-se-na of the Kazan icon Most Holy Bo-go-ro-di-tsy (most likely - a copy with an authentic line), which became the main holy opol -che-niya.

Moscow-vi-chi under the leadership of Koz-my Mi-ni-na and Prince Dmit-riy Po-zhar-skogo rise-nya-sta-nie, in response At some point they burned the city, and they themselves took refuge in the Kremlin. Together with the Russians from men, they strongly brought together the holy pat-ri-ar-kha Ger-mo-ge-na from the pat -ri-ar-she-go-sto-la and put him in custody in the Chu-do-vom mo-na-sta-re. On the Svet-ly week of 1611, the Russian militia began to siege the Kremlin, continuing for several -sya-tsev. The Osa-waited in the Krem-la-ki more than once sy-la-li to the pat-ri-ar-hu with words demanding that he come -hall Russian militias move away from the city, threatening him with the death penalty. The saint answered firmly: “Why are you threatening me? I'm afraid of God alone. If all of you, Lithuanian people, leave the Moscow State, I bless the Russian militia If you don’t want to go from Moscow, if you don’t stay here, I bless everyone to stand against you and die for the right to glorify. new faith." Already because of this, the holy man Ger-mo-gen approached the Russian-speaking mu-ro-du, in which he called to stand strong in faith and think only about how “the souls of their lives” You stand for the house, Pre-clean, and for the faith.” Pat-ri-arch Ger-mo-gen blessed the Russian people for the liberation movement.

For more than nine months, the dear saint Hermo-gen has been in a serious situation. On February 17, 1612, he died of hunger and thirst.

The news of his death brought even more rallies to the militia. The decisive battle was approaching. The last three days before her, almost from the beginning, the Russian army held fasts and prayers. And on October 27, 1612, an already hundred-year-old co-operation of the Polish-Lithuanian detachments was at the windows-cha-tel- but it's broken.

The liberation of God's Russia, for which Saint Hermo-gen stood with such incomparable courage, successfully over-the-top of the Russian people according to its representation. The body is sacred to the mu-che-no-ka Ger-mo-ge-na with great honor in Chu-do -vom mo-na-sty-re. The holiness of the pat-ri-ar-she-movement, as well as his personality as a whole, was oz-re-na more later - during the autopsy in 1652, ra-ki with the power of pre-do-do-no-go. 40 years after the death of the Pat-ri-arch Her-mo-gen lay as if alive, and in 1654 his incorruptible relics were per-re-ne-se -we are in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

The great public meaning of the saint Ger-mo-gen, the tireless fighter for purity -that right to glory and unity of the Russian land. His church and pat-ri-o-ti-che-ness has been serving for the Russian people for several hundred years. a bright example of fiery faith and love for one’s nation. Church activity is first of all sacred -she-ni-em to God's service. With him there were: Evan-ge-lie, Mi-nei Monthly: September, October, November and the first 20 days of December, and Also in 1610, the “Big Church Charter” was published. At the same time, Saint Her-mo-gen does not restrict the blessings of books, but carefully observes -gave for the correctness of the texts. According to the blessing of St. Ger-mo-gen, the service was transferred from Greek to Russian -to the Holy Apostle Andrey the First-Called and the re-establishment of the celebration of his memory in the Assumption com so-bo-re. Under the blue-de-ni-per-holy were new machines made for printing God's services books and the construction of a new building in graphic design, which suffered during the heat of 1611, when Moscow was-la-to-burn-on-to-la-ka-mi. Concerned about observing God's service, Saint Hermo-gen wrote a “Letter on -ka-za-tel-but to all people, but is sacred-to-no-one and the dia-con-nom about the correction of the church-no-go song" . “Po-sla-nie” is about the sacred-services in the non-statutory performance of church services - many-glas -sii, and the laity - in nebla-go-go-vey-no-sti under God's service.

Having given you a great mind, Saint Ger-mo-gen has done a lot of work in the Mo-na-Styr bib-lio-te- kah, first of all - in the bo-ha-tey-shey bib-lio-te-ke of Moscow Chu-do-va mo-na-sta-rya, where you-pi-sy -a shaft from the ancient Russian pi-nyh za-pi-sey. In the company of the Russian Church and its ar-hi-pas-tyr grams, we met there are many references to the Sacred Scripture and examples taken from the history that testify to the deep -knowledge of the Word of God and na-chi-tan-no-sti in the church writing-men-no-sti of that time. With this na-chi-tan-no-st pat-ri-arch Ger-mo-gen united and you-y-y-s-s-s-s-ability-to-pro-ve -no and teach.

The complete life of the holy martyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

Holy-mu-che-nick Er-mo-gen, Pat-ri-arch of Moscow and all Russia, came from the Don Cossacks. According to the testimony of the pat-ri-ar-ha, he was first sacred to anyone in the city of Ka-za-ni during the visit -no-court church in the name of St. Nicholas (commemorated December 6 and May 9). Soon he accepted the mo-na-stvo and since 1582 he was the ar-hi-mand-ri-tom of the Spa-so-Pre-o-ra-women's mo-na-sty -rya in Ka-za-ni. On May 13, 1589, hi-ro-to-ni-san became the first Kazan mit-ro-po-li-tom.

During the service of the future pat-ri-ar-ha in Ka-za-ni, the appearance and formation of Chu -before the creation of the Kazan icon of God Ma-te-ri in 1579. Being still sacred, he is with the blessing of the Kazan arch-priest Jeremiah re-re-but -forced the newly-revealed icon from the place of its re-re-te-ment into the church in the name of St. Nicholas. Ob-la-daya-in-a-number-of-te-ra-tur-da-ro-va-ni-em, the saint himself co-wrote the word in 1594 knowledge about the appearance of a miraculously created icon and the wonders that came from it. In the story, he writes about himself with the media: “Back then... although I was a stone-man, I was -looked down and fell to the God-ro-ditch-image, and to the miraculous icon, and to the Eternal- but to the Mla-den-tsu, Savior Christ... And according to the command of the Ar-hi-epi-sko-pa, with the pro-chi-holy crosses I went with Icon to the nearby church of St. Nicholas, which is called Tul. skim..." In 1591, the saint gathered in the cathedral cathedral of newly baptized ta-tars and for several days - placed them in the Christian faith.

On January 9, 1592, Saint Er-mo-gen wrote a letter to Pat-ri-ar-hu Job, in which he said that in Ka-za-ni-not-ver-sha-et-sya-spe-cially-on-the-ve-ness of the right-glorious vo-i-novs, the life of those who lived for faith and the Fatherland near Ka-za-new, and asked to establish a certain day of remembrance in-and-new. In response to Saint Er-mo-ge-nu, the pat-ri-arch sent a decree dated February 25, which pre-pi-sy-val “for all to the right-to-glorious ones, who were killed near Ka-za-nyu and in the pre-de-la of Kazan, to perform in Ka-za-ni and throughout Ka-za-ny -zan-skoy mit-ro-po-lii pa-ni-hi-du and Saturday day after the Blood of the Most Holy Bo-go-ro-di-tsy and vpi- put them in the big si-no-dik, chi-ta-e-my on the Sunday of Righteousness.” Saint Er-mo-gen showed zeal for the faith and firmness in observing church traditions, for-bo-til - about the enlightenment of the faith of Christ of the Kazan ta-tars.

In 1595, with the actual participation of the saint, the creation and discovery of the relics of Ka-zan was accomplished. heavenly miracle-do-creators: saints Gu-ria, the first ar-hi-epi-sco-pa of Kazan-skogo, and Var-so-no-fiya , episcopal of Tver. Tsar Fe-o-dor Ioan-no-vich ordered to establish a new monastery in the Kazan Spa-so-Pre-about-ra-women’s monastery a stone church on the former site, where the saints were buried. When were the tombs of the saints, Saint Er-mo-gen came with a council of the spiritual - he tried to open the coffins and, seeing the imperishable relics and clothes of the saints, communicated to Pat-ri-ar-hu and the king. According to the blessing of the holy pat-ri-ar-ha Job († 1605) and according to the rule of the king, the power will now appear Len-miracle-creators were installed in the new temple. Saint Er-mo-gen himself co-wrote the lives of saints Gu-ria and Var-so-no-fiy, bishops of Kazan.

For you-y-y-schi-e-xia ar-hi-pas-tyr-dy works of mit-ro-po-li-ta Er-mo-ge-na from-bra-li to the first the holy cathedral, and on July 3, 1606, he was elevated to the pat-ri-ar-shiy throne by the council of saints in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. Mit-ro-po-lit Is-i-dor presented the holy pat-ri-ar-khu Er-mo-ge-nu po-soh saint, Mos-kov -a miracle-do-creator († December 21, 1326), and the king brought a gift to the new pat-ri-ar-hu pa-na-giya, decorated -a precious stone, a white clo-book and a dry one. According to the ancient tradition, the holy Pat-ri-arch Er-mo-gen made a procession on an os-la-ti around the walls of the Kremlin.

The activity of the pat-ri-ar-ha Er-mo-ge-na sov-pa-la with a difficult transition for the Russian state - we are now called by the False Dmitry and the Polish king Si-giz-mun-da III. In this movement, the pat-ri-arch Er-mo-gen was not alone: ​​he was supported and helped by his own Russian people. With a special breath, the holy Pat-ri-Arch stood against me and the enemies of the Fatherland , let's work with the Russian people, introduce a unity and some kind of art in Russia right. When the caller himself came to Moscow and settled in Tu-shin, Pat-ri-arch Er-mo-gen led the upheaval There are two words for those of me. In one of them he wrote: “...Would you both have forgotten our right-glorious faith, into which we were born?” , were baptized, revived and grew, took the cross and vowed to stand to death for House of the Most Holy Bo-go-ro-di-tsy and for the Moscow State-Dar-State and to the false-opinion of yours tsa-ri-ku... My soul hurts, my heart hurts, and all my inner-ness is tormented, everything is so-sta-you mine are trembling; I cry and cry out with sobs: for mercy, for mercy, brethren and children, my souls and my children -di-te-leys who have departed and are alive... Look how our father-land is being dis-integrated and ruined- there are strangers, how holy icons and churches are given to them, how blood is shed innocent, crying out to God. Remember who you are using your weapon against: isn’t it God who created you? Is it not against your brothers? Isn’t your Fatherland ruined?... I call you in the name of God, get away from your own , while there is time, so as not to completely perish for you.”

In another gra-mo-te, the first-saint called: “...God for heaven’s sake, know yourself and about-ra-ti- Be happy with your families, wives and children, and all of us; and let us begin to pray to God for you."

Soon the righteous judgment of God took place over the Tushinsky thief: he suffered the same sad and inglorious fate as and the predecessor; he was killed by his own close wives on December 11, 1610. But Moscow continued to remain in danger, since it was inhabited by po-la-ki and iz-men-ki-bo-yar, pre-data Si-giz-mun-du III. Gra-mo-you, ras-sy-lav-shi-e-sya pat-ri-ar-hom Er-mo-gen-nom in cities and villages, voz-buzh-da-rus The people of God for the liberation of Moscow from its enemies and the election of a lawful Russian Tsar. Mosk-vi-chi rose up, in response to which they burned the city, and they themselves took refuge in the Kremlin. le. Jointly with the Russians from men-ni-ka-mi they strongly brought together the holy pat-ri-ar-ha Er-mo-ge-na from pat -ri-ar-she-go pre-sta-la and lock-up in Chu-do-vom mo-na-sta-re into custody. On the Bright Sunday of 1611, the Russian militia reached Moscow and began the siege of the Kremlin, continuing -several months. The Osa-waited in the Krem-la-ki more than once sy-la-li to the pat-ri-ar-hu with words demanding that he come -hall Russian militias move away from the city, threatening him with the death penalty. The saint answered firmly: “Why are you threatening me? I'm afraid of God alone. If all of you, Lithuanian people, leave the Moscow State, I bless the Russian militia If you don’t want to go from Moscow, if you don’t stay here, I bless everyone to stand against you and die for the right to glorify. new faith." Already because of the sacredness of Er-mo-gen, he approached the Russian-speaking mu na-ro-du, bla-go-word-laying the liberation war against for-e-va-te-lei. But the Russian vo-e-vo-dy didn’t show the same spirit and co-gla-so-van-no-sti, that’s why they couldn’t take The Kremlin and liberate its holy place. For more than nine months he was in serious custody and on February 17, 1612 he died as a mu- no death from hunger.

The liberation of Russia, for which Saint Er-mo-gen stood with such incomparable courage, successfully According to his representation, he has become a Russian nation. The body is sacred to Er-mo-ge-na in Chu-do-voy mo-na-sta-re, and in 1654 go-du re-ne-se-but to the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. The celebration of the pat-ri-ar-kha Er-mo-ge-na in the ranks of the saints came to an end on May 12, 1913. In memory of him, he is also celebrated on February 17th.

In those three hundred years from one generation to another, the memory of the pat-ri-ar-he Er- mo-gene as a saint and the people grew up believing in him as a step-for-step and a prayer-ven-ni- for the Russian land at the Presence of All. In the difficult years of domestic disasters, the prayerful thought of the people turned to the memory of the pat-ri-ar-ha -hero. Russian people walked to his tomb and with their own personal sorrows, illnesses and pains, bliss go-vey-but calling for help from Saint Er-mo-gen-na, believing in him like a warm prayer-ven-ni-ka and appear before the State House. And the All-merciful Lord raised this faith....

To the day of solemn pro-glorification, which coincided with 300 years since the end of sacred -Mu-che-ni-ka Er-mo-gena, believers from all over Russia have begun to flock to Moscow. Pa-lom-ni-ki hastened to venerate the relics of the holy pat-ri-ar-ha, located in the Assumption bo-re of the Krem-la, where pa-ni-hi-dys served almost without interruption. On the eve of the glory-of-the-glory, a procession of the cross took place, led by someone carrying an icon of the holy Er- mo-ge-na, and after her the cover from the tomb, on which the saint has a life-size image of a woman in a mantle and with a suit. Near the house with the icon of the pat-ri-ar-ha they carried the icon-well with its support in the spiritual and pat-ri-o-ti-che-che-de-i- tel-no-sti for the liberation of God's Russian land from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders of the pre-extra-no-go Di-o-ni -siya Ra-do-tender-go. On the bell tower of St. John the Great there was a huge inscription: “Rejoice, sacred to Er- mo-gene, the Russian land is great for-step-nothing.” Hundreds of thousands of candles are in the hands of believers who glorify the pleasures of God. At the end of the cross-walk at the ra-ki with the mighty pat-ri-ar-ha, the reading of Pas-hal-no-go ka-no began on s-with-e-ed-not-any-ka-but-on the holy-te-lyu Er-mo-ge-nu.

The all-night vigil took place under the open sky on all the squares of the Kremlin. That night, several trials took place according to the blessed prayers of Saint Er-mo-gen. So, for example, one sick person came to the Assumption Cathedral on crutches, but felt healing after he I lived in the shrine with the relics of the saint. He was looking for another sick person who had suffered heavily and was weakened. He was brought to po-lo-ten-tse to the shrine sacred to Er-mo-gen-ka, where he received full -ce-le-nie. These and other similar works, of which there were apparently many believers, have you become aware of the confirmed holiness of the Russian miracle-creator?

On Sunday, May 12, at 10 o'clock in the morning, the Divine Liturgy took place in the Assumption Cathedral. The most blessed Gregory, Patriarch, came to the celebration of the celebration of the glory of the new saint. Arch of Antio-Khyi, head of the ministry. At the end of the tour, in all the churches of Moscow, you served prayers to St. Er-mo-ge-nu and with -the ultimate procession of the cross in the Moscow Kremlin, in which more than 20 ar-kh-her-ers, co-pro-leaders, took part They gave a solemn procession and sang: “Holy Father Er-mo-gene, pray to God for us.” God's service has ended, the prayer is sacred to Er-mo-ge-nu. From this day on, the tur-gi-che-che-sa-chi-ta-ness of Er-mo-ge-na began. So the fulfillment of the faith of the Russian people, according to the prayers of the Russian Orthodox Church forge the bliss of Heaven in the blood of our Fatherland.

The Holy House of the Russian Church established the days of celebration sacred to the mu-che-ni-ku Er-mo-ge- well, pat-ri-ar-hu of Moscow and all of Russia: February 17-ra-la - pre-sta-le-nie (information about life and movement -ge on this day) and May 12 - glorification in the guise of saints.

Great general-tional-significance of the saint Er-mo-gen, tireless fighter for purity -that right to glory and unity of the Russian land. His church and state government has been serving for several hundred years a bright example of fiery faith and love for a Russian person. Church activity is first of all sacred -she-ni-em to God's service. With him there were from-yes: Evan-ge-lie, Min-nei monthly for September (1607), October (1609), November (1610) .) and the first twenty days of December, as well as the “Big Supreme Charter” in 1610. At the same time, Saint Er-mo-gen does not restrict the good-word-ve-ni-to-yes, but carefully watches gave for the correctness of the texts. According to the blessing of Saint Er-mo-ge-na, the service was transferred from Greek to Russian -to the Holy Apostle Andrey the First-Called and the re-establishment of the celebration of his memory in the Assumption com so-bo-re. Under the blue-de-ni-per-holy were new machines made for printing God's services books and the construction of a new building in graphic design, which suffered during the heat of 1611, when Moscow was-la-to-burn-on-to-la-ka-mi. Concerned about observing God's service, Saint Er-mo-gen wrote a "Letter on -ka-za-tel-but to all people, but is sacred-to-no-one and dia-ko-nom about the-right-of-the-church-on-the-nation" . "Po-sla-nie" about the sacred-services in the non-statutory performance of church services - a lot of words -these, and the laity - in a ne-good direction to God's service.

Shi-ro-ko from-west-on whether-te-ra-tour-naya de-i-tel-ness of the first-of-the-holiness of the Russian Church. His pen is about: the news about the Kazan icon of God Ma-te-ri and the service to this icon (1594); according to the pat-ri-ar-hu Job, containing information about the Kazan torments (1591); a collection in which the questions of God's service are discussed (1598); pat-ri-o-ti-che-skie grams and proclamations addressed to the Russian people (1606-1613) and others pro-iz-ve-de-niya.

From-you modern-men-ni-kov testify about pat-ri-ar-he Er-mo-gene as a person you-yes go-sya mind and na-chi-tan-no-sti: “Go-su-dar ve-li-ka ra-zu-ma and meaning and wisdom of mind,” “chu-den ze-lo and many-fold-judgments", "green-wisdom-decorated and elegant in book teaching", "about the Divine word-ve-seh-but-practice-et-sya and all the books of Vet-kha-go-for-ko-na and New-bl-go-da-ti, and the mouth-you-of-the-church- nya and pra-vi-la for-kon-nyya to the end from-you.” Saint Er-mo-gen for a lot of money in the Mo-na-Styr-skih libraries, first of all, in God-ga-tei- shey bib-lio-te-ke Mos-kov-skogo Chu-do-va mo-na-sta-rya, where you-pi-sy-val from the ancient ru-ko-pi-this price This is-the-rich-che-new information, based on the basis of the summer-written records. In the 17th century, the le-to-scribe of the “Vos-Kre-sen-skaya le-to-pisi” named after the holy pat-ri-ar-kha Er-mo -ge-na. In the company of the Russian Church and its ar-hi-pas-tyr grams, we met there are many references to the Sacred Scripture and examples taken from the history that testify to the deep -knowledge of the Word of God and na-chi-tan-no-sti in the church writing-men-no-sti of that time.

With this na-chi-tan-no-st pat-ri-arch Er-mo-gen united and you are able -no and teach. From-you modern-men-ni-kov ha-rak-te-ri-zu-yut moral image of the first-in-holy as “husband blah” -che-sti-va-go”, “from-vest-na-go chi-s-ta-go life”, “is-tin-na-go shepherd-you-rya hundred-yes Christ-sto- va", "unfalse hundred-I-te-la according to the Christian faith."

These qualities of the saints of Er-mo-ge-na appeared with special power in the Time of Troubles, when the Russian land I have suffered the misfortune of internal disorder, aggravated by the Polish invasion. In this gloomy period, the per-holy of the Russian Church is the same-from-ver-wives-but both-re-gal of the Russian state-su-dar- in word and deed defending the right-glorious faith from latinity and the unity of our Fatherland from internal enemies ren-them and external-them. Saint Er-mo-gen crowned his feat of spa-se-nia of Ro-di-ny, who passed into the blessed prayer of Heavenly intercession for our fatherland at the Most Holy Trinity.

In 1913, the Russian Right-to-Glorious Church celebrated the pat-ri-ar-ha of Ger-mo-gen in the ranks of saints. His memory is on May 12/25 and February 17/March 2.

Prayers

Troparion to the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

The Russian land is the first altar/ and vigilant in prayer for it to God!/ For the faith of Christ and your flock you laid down your soul,/ you delivered our country from wickedness./ Still crying You:/ save us with your prayers,// Hieromartyr Ermogen, our father.

Translation: The High Hierarch of the Russian land and a tireless prayer book to God about it! For the faith of Christ and yours, by laying down your soul, you delivered our country from lawlessness. Therefore we appeal to you: “Save us with your prayers, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, our father.”

Troparion to the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', for glorification

The day of the bright celebration has arrived,/ the city of Moscow rejoices,/ and with it Orthodox Rus' rejoices/ with songs and spiritual songs:/ today is a sacred celebration/ in the appearance of the holy and multi-healing relics/ of the saint and miracles The King of Hermogenes,/ like the unsetting sun shining with radiant rays,/ dispelling the darkness of temptations and troubles / from those who cry truly // save us, as our representative, the great Hermogenes.

Translation: The day of bright celebration has come, the city of Moscow rejoices and with it Orthodox Rus' rejoices with psalmody and spiritual hymns, for today is the sacred holiday of the appearance of the revered saint and wonderworker Hermogenes, who gave many healings, like the unsetting sun, shining with bright rays, dispersing darkness and troubles from all who call with faith: “Save us, as our intercessor, great Hermogenes.”

Troparion to the Moscow Saints

The Mother Sees of Russia, / true guardians of the apostolic traditions, / pillars of steadfastness, teachers of Orthodoxy, / Petra, Alexis, Jono, Philippe and Hermogene, / Pray to the Lord of all / for universal peace grant // and great mercy to our souls.

Translation: Russian High Hierarchs, true guardians of the apostolic traditions, unshakable pillars, teachers of Orthodoxy, Peter, Alexei, Jonah, Philip and Hermogenes, pray to the Master of all to grant peace to the universe and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion to the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

We exhaust you with prison and hunger, / even unto death you remained faithful, blessed Hermogene, / driving away cowardice from the hearts of your people / and calling everyone to a common feat. / Likewise, the wicked are minted You have overthrown and you have established our country, / let us all call to you: // Rejoice, protector of the Russian land.

Translation: We exhaust you with prison and hunger, until your death you remained faithful, Hermogenes, driving away cowardice from the hearts of your people and calling everyone to a common feat. With this you pacified the rebellion of the wicked and strengthened our country, and we all cry to you: “Rejoice, protector of the Russian land.”

Kontakion to the Moscow Saints

Live piously among the saints,/ and teach people to the understanding of God, and please God well,/ for this reason from Him you are glorified by incorruptibility and miracles,// as disciples of God’s grace.

Translation: You lived piously as saints and guided people to the knowledge of God and served God well, therefore you were glorified by Him for incorruption and miracles, taught by God.

Greatness to the saints of Moscow

We magnify you,/ saints of Christ/ Peter, Alexis, Jono, Philippe and Hermogene,/ and we honor your holy memory:/ for you pray for us// Christ our God.

Prayer to the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

Oh, great saint of Christ, our holy father Hermogenes! To you, a warm man of prayer and a shameless representative before God, we diligently flock to you, asking for consolation and help in our needs and sorrows. In the ancient time of temptation, our country was suddenly attacked by wickedness. The Lord has revealed His unshakable pillar to the Church and the shepherd of goodness to the Russian people, who laid down his soul for the sheep and drove away the fierce wolves. Now look down on us too, your unworthy child, who calls you with a tender soul and a contrite heart. For our strength within us has become impoverished, and the enemy’s trappings and nets have devastated us. Help us, our intercessor! Confirm us in the holy faith: teach us to always keep the commandments of God and all the traditions of the church, commanded to us from our father. Be our shepherd, the archpastor, the spiritual leader of the warrior, the sick doctor, the comforter of the sad, the persecuted intercessor, the youth's mentor, a gracious father to all and a warm prayer book for everyone; Let us protect you with your prayers and unceasingly sing and glorify the all-holy name of the Life-Giving Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Canons and Akathists

Akathist to the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Wonderworker

Kontakion 1

A great leader of warriors for the faith of Christ, a warm comforter to all those who are attacked and burdened with many sorrows, an unshakable pillar of the Orthodox faith, for whose sake you laid down your soul for your friends, and you freed us from the snares and snares of the enemy. And now you are glorified by the Lord by the manifestation of your miracles, in whose image you have gathered us with a tender soul to sing to you: Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Ikos 1

The merciful Christ, the guardian angel of the Russian land, appeared to you in the ancient days of rebellion and disorder, and saved you from sinful wandering. And now show you as a prayer book of warmth and a miracle worker, as a sign of our life; and even now all who wander after you, like the sheep of the poor shepherd, and having found salvation through you, may they sing to you: Rejoice, wise head of our Church; Rejoice, warm provision for the children of the Church. Rejoice, church affirmation of our country; Rejoice, Orthodox illumination for the sons of the kingdom. Rejoice, good teaching to the shepherd and the flock; Rejoice, thou king of our advice and consolation. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 2

Seeing Rus', like a widow, weeping wildly for the destruction of her house, having mercy, you carried her sorrows on your shoulders and even bore her to the point of death. For this reason, you rejoice forever in heaven, singing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

With the mind of love, punishing and merciful, you ruled, O saint, your Kazan flock, like a ship sunk in the abyss of evil, and you brought it to the quiet haven of the holy Orthodox Church, and we sing to you with gratitude: Rejoice, receptacle of the mind of Christ; Rejoice, repository of the Church's wisdom. Rejoice, O Lord, who illuminates everyone with the light of truth; Rejoice, wisdom, enlightener of the unwise. Rejoice, evangelist of Orthodox truth; Rejoice, exposer of human superstition and untruth. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 3

By the power of faith and spiritual reason, strengthening your newly baptized flock in the city of Kazan, with the full armor of God's grace you defeated the machinations of the enemies of the Orthodox faith of Christ and taught your children to continually cry out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Having the grace of the priesthood, well carried in the fragrant vessel of your soul, you were vouchsafed, Father Hermogenes, to take from the earth the holy icon of the Most Pure Mother of God, miraculously revealed in the city of Kazan, and glorify it according to its heritage. In the same way, you strive for us to cry out to you: Rejoice, first glorification of the miraculous icons of Kazan; Rejoice, miracles from sowing the icon are not a false message. Rejoice, glory to the Mother of God, touched by the song-maker; Rejoice, warm prayer book before Her for your flock. Rejoice, Mother of God, as the Intercessor of the Orthodox Kingdom of Russia, honor; Rejoice, shed tears for the establishment of this kingdom before the Most Pure One. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 4

We are agitated by a storm of doubtful thoughts and rebellious aspirations and plunged into the abyss of heterodox superstition, Rus' is drowning. Having seen you, the saint of God, as “an unshakable pillar and adamantine steadfast,” rejoicing in hope and being strengthened by you, he sings to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Hearing the lawless intention of the self-proclaimed tsar to mock the Orthodox faith, you boldly told him that it was not proper for an Orthodox tsar to marry a heretic, and thus you exposed his unbelief and wickedness. For this reason, I raised up persecution and from the throne city of you, the saint, the monster. We, honoring this love of truth of yours, sing to you, the mighty one in the Lord: Rejoice, strong champion against the self-proclaimed ruler; Rejoice, bold intercessor for the Orthodox faith. Rejoice, righteous reproof of the foolishness of heterodoxy; Rejoice, unceasing edification of saving Orthodoxy. Rejoice, you who were exiled for the sake of truth; Rejoice, thou crowned with eternal glory in heaven from the Lord. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 5

I will show you in the heavens in the host of the holy martyrs, Lord Almighty, before and on earth you were a bright star, illuminating the king and the kingdom with the light of Orthodoxy and guiding you to please the one God, to sing to Him unceasingly: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

People of Orthodoxy saw you, like a church light, shining cloudlessly into the enlightenment of those darkened by passions, calling you to the reigning city of Moscow, when the wicked self-proclaimed ruler was overthrown, and in the priesthood of the high priest's service, illuminating the path of life for the new tsar and the entire Russian kingdom. For this reason, we, illuminated to this day by your light, tirelessly cry out to you: Rejoice, honor the king, for he is a gift from God; Rejoice, consider that he will be more pious and a fighter in the Orthodox faith. Rejoice, you who taught Tsar Vasily the newly installed firmness; Rejoice, you have been his friend in joy and in sorrow. Rejoice, abiding blessing of our Orthodox Tsar; Rejoice, heavenly help him in all matters; Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 6

Having become a preacher of saving repentance, when a new rebellion flared up in Rus', you called the ancient and weak elder High Hierarch Job to the city of Moscow and together with him you prayed in the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God for your children, “may the Lord turn away His righteous anger from them, may He give them peace and love, may the ancient unity be established in the kingdom, may it bless the king with victories over his enemies,” and so may the Name of the Lord be glorified among the Russian people with the song: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

The bright lamp that shone in the city of Moscow, Saint Hermogenes, was to all those wandering in sinful darkness, in your “pious” messages showing them the way of salvation and driving away the spirit of despondency and cowardice from their hearts. For this reason, we sinners, in the days of sorrow and wandering of the sinful, fall to you, the saint of God, and tearfully cry: protect our fatherland even now from the vacillation of minds and hearts, be in our life a kind and trustworthy leader, so that “it will not perish because to your words, Orthodox Rus' and beloved by God,” and may he never cease to magnify you: Rejoice, save the Russian people from drowning by the storms of life; Rejoice, strengthen those who are discouraged and restless and turn away from errors. Rejoice, reproach with authority those who transgress the kiss of the cross; Rejoice, teach for the house of the Most Pure Mother of God and for the kingdom of Moscow even unto death. Rejoice, mirror of impartial conscience; Rejoice, good pilot of the ship of Christ. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 7

Although you were a good shepherd and your sheep, when you saw the wolf coming, you did not leave the sheep or run away, but you walked before them fully armed with power and truth, singing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

You desired a new man, in the image of Him who created him, and not a new kingdom of heterodox invention, to Saint Hermogenes. For this reason, you took up arms against foreign superstition and fought for the ancient Orthodox kingdom, which strives to imagine Christ God in all people and in all their lives. We sing and glorify this Orthodox struggle of yours and cry out to you in gratitude: Rejoice, merciless expulsion of the ravenous wolves; Rejoice, wise discernment of their deceits. Rejoice, you who taught everyone to stand unshakably for the Orthodox faith of Christ; Rejoice, forbidden for a foreign king to sit on the Russian throne. Rejoice, church fence of the flock of Christ; Rejoice, certain salvation of the Orthodox kingdom. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 8

It is strange for those of little faith and cowardice to see how Saint Hermogenes, this truly “strong warrior of Christ,” boldly denounces the betrayal of the faith of Christ and, when the wicked traitor rushes in, with a knife in his hand, only with the sign of the cross he protects himself from the attack of the enemy, and thus defeats him anger and madness, but he lifts us up to sing: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

You were completely filled with the jealousy of Elijah the prophet, Saint Hermogenes, when you saw the desolation of the kingdom and the desecration of the holy temples of God, with the fire of sowing jealousy you inflamed the hearts of your faithful children, courageously stand for the Orthodox faith and expel the wicked Poles from the capital city, for the salvation of the Russian land, singing to you now with love: Rejoice, fiery with holy zeal for the salvation of the Russian kingdom; Rejoice, kindle this zeal and desire in your children. Rejoice, all threats and rebuke of your enemies; contemptuous; Rejoice, you commanded them to leave the city of Moscow. Rejoice, you who blessed the Russian army for the liberation of the reigning city from wicked enemies; Rejoice, you wished to protect its shrine from desecration. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 9

You have endured all kinds of hardships, O saint of God, you have endured all kinds of hardships, insults and illnesses, for the salvation of your children; But even in patience and in labor, you tirelessly cried out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

The revolutionaries of this world remain silent, in fear and trembling seeing the destruction of the Russian kingdom, but the thunderous voice of Saint Hermogenes, already in prison, does not cease to preach repentance for the remission of sins, for the sake of which the righteous wrath of God was poured out on Rus', and prays to his flock “in the purity of his soul I will keep and lay down for the Most Pure House and for the miracle workers, and for the faith.” And we believe that with tears of repentance, according to the verb of the saint, sinful Rus' was washed, cleansed and renewed, and now sings to the glory of its mentor according to God: Rejoice, calling sinners to repentance; Rejoice, by the power of God you resolve the sins of the kingdom. Rejoice, you prayed to God for the sins of your children and in captivity; Rejoice, you who watered the earth of your prison with tearful streams. Rejoice, you who have renewed the face of the kingdom with sobs of repentance; Rejoice, thou who bendeth the wrath of God towards us sinners with mercy. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 10

Although you may save Rus' from the anarchy of sin, not to the wicked West, but to the God-fearing house of the Romanov boyar, you have turned your eyes, to Saint Hermogenes, may he be the authority of God, to confirm the law of Christ, and may kings and people sing with one mouth and one heart to the Savior To God: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

You were an invincible foot to the Church, Our Father Hermogenes, with whom you protected our kingdom, established yourself in Orthodoxy and saved yourself from enemies, and now cries out to you with thanksgiving: Rejoice, having rejected the evil machinations of the wicked West; Rejoice, you who have established Orthodoxy in our land. Rejoice, guardian of the holy traditions of the fathers; Rejoice, zealot of the statutes of the Orthodox Church. Rejoice, in the house of the Romanov boyars you have seen the pious branch of the ancient royal family; Rejoice, having been designated in him by the grace of God as the Tsar of All Rus'. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 11

Orthodox Rus' creates original singing and funeral sobs at the tomb of the holy martyr Hermogenes, who laid down his soul for his friends. Do not cry, Orthodoxy, do not cry, but rather be bold in faith, for even after death the righteous will live forever, singing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

Lamp of Christ, you stood on the top of the mountain and you were the light of all Rus' in your life, Saint Hermogenes. And behold, thou shalt be hidden in the grave of the flesh, so that thou shalt shine in spirit, like the sun in the kingdom of the Heavenly Father, and enlighten us to sing of thy illnesses and labors: Rejoice, lawlessly cast down from the throne of the patriarch; Rejoice, thrown into a dark dungeon, as if thrown into a tomb. Rejoice, nourished with herbal food from your enemies; Rejoice, thou who was tormented by hunger, even exhausted to death. Rejoice, holy martyr, who suffered for the Orthodoxy of the kingdom; Rejoice, passion-bearer, who commended your spirit into the hands of the Lord. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 12

By the grace of God, the treasure of the all-honored relics of your relics appeared, to the holy saint Father Hermogenes, and the source of ever-flowing strength, by which demons are cast out, the sick are healed, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the blind despise, the bitter are pacified, the mourning are comforted and everyone rejoices in the Lord and glorifies God, who is wondrous in His saints, singing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Singing your glorification, Saint Hermogenes, we offer these songs to you, miracle-working saint, like the fragrance of Christian joy: we see the power of God abiding in your holy relics. And now you illuminate us with the light outpouring of your grace, gladdening our hearts to sing with tenderness: Rejoice, for you always contemplate the Sweetest; Rejoice, for you glorify Christ face to face. Rejoice, for you are being transformed by Divine power from glory to glory; Rejoice, for you, like a new sun, adorn the Lord’s power. Rejoice, for by your radiance we too are invisibly enlightened; Rejoice, by your power we too are miraculously revived. Rejoice, Saint Hermogenes, good shepherd and great intercessor of the Russian land.

Kontakion 13

Oh, glorious servant of God, our holy father Hermogenes. Accept our joy in your glory, like the sighing of the soul, thirsting for inalienable joy, and beg the Lord who crowned you with the glory to send us from the troubles, sorrows and illnesses that hold us back, a quick deliverance, and grant us the grace of consolation and joy, so that we may sing to God with joy : Alleluia.

This kontakion is read three times, then the 1st ikos and the 1st kontakion

Prayer to the Hieromartyr Hermogenes

Oh, great saint of Christ, our holy father Hermogenes! We earnestly flock to you, a warm prayer book and unashamed representative before God, asking for consolation and help in our needs and sorrows. In the ancient time of temptation, the enemy of wickedness invaded our country. The Lord has revealed to the Church His unshakable pillar and shepherd of goodness to the Russian people, laying down his soul for the sheep and driving away the fierce wolves. Now look down on us too, your unworthy child, who calls you with a tender soul and a contrite heart. Our strength has become impoverished within us, and the enemy’s trappings and snares have devastated us. Help us, our intercessor! Confirm us in the holy faith: teach us to always keep the commandments of God and all the traditions of the church, commanded to us from our father. Be our shepherd, the archpastor, a spiritual leader, a warrior, a doctor for the sick, a comforter for the sad, an intercessor for the persecuted, a mentor for the young, a compassionate father for all and a warm prayer book for everyone; for by your prayers we protect you, let us unceasingly sing and glorify the all-holy Name of the Life-Giving Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Canon to the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

Song 1.

Irmos:Let us sing a song, people, to our wonderful God, who freed Israel from work, a song of victory, singing and crying out: we will sing to You, the only Master.

Leading the exclamation, sing and magnify the great saint and, looking at his death, imitate his faith.

An abundance of grace dwells in the body of your relics, Saint Hermogen, for her sake we glorify you, as a newly-minted wonderworker, and ask for healings.

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, teaching you, the saint, to work for the Lord with trembling and to rejoice in His presence. Let us, through your prayer, make this good beginning.

There will be many sorrows for the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them from all of them. According to this word your life was made, O saint. And behold, now you rejoice in heaven and give joy to all who honor your memory.

You have experienced the testimonies of God, O saint, in the law of Christ you have studied day and night, and the justifications of the Lord are the essence, for the Lord has settled you in the villages of the righteous.

You loved the commandments of the Lord from your youth and the traditions of the saints, even unto death you kept the saint, and now you glorify God with them, pray to Him that He may save your soul shi is ours.

For whom you loved and for whom you worked zealously, now from the faces of the saints you sing and pray for us.

Theotokos: Warm prayer book, Intercessor of the Christian race, accept prayers from us who diligently call and pray to You: cover our Orthodox country with the cover of Your goodness.

Song 3.

Irmos:You are the affirmation of those who flow to You, Lord, You are the light of the darkened, and my spirit sings to You.

I remembered the ancient summer, and learned from all your deeds, O saint, and gained knowledge of how to live in this world, from the holy fathers and from the lives of the saints.

Bishop wise to the people and to the kingdom you were, the saint, you were like a man, looking at the face of the existence of the Orthodox kingdom in the ancient chronicles, as if in a mirror, learning wisdom Orthodoxy in the days of old.

Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Your name throughout all Russia. The Lord will laugh at our enemy. The Lord is our intercessor. - You painted this truth, the saint, teaching the generations of generations, like a chronicler of Orthodox Russia.

People, learn, people, be moved, admonishing yourself in songs and spiritual songs, in which Saint Hermogenes glorified the Intercessor of our race.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. You taught this truth to the saint, guardian of our land, so that they do not let their thoughts become futile and let them not be troubled in vain.

You were a priest of the Church of St. Nicholas, Hermogene, and, rekindling the gift that lives in you, you acquired great love for the Mother of God, from glory to glory even to heaven You were and you dwelt in the villages of the righteous.

You became like a merchant, you will find many valuable beads, when you lifted the icon of the Mother of God from the ground, like a treasure of grace, enriching the poor in spirit.

Theotokos: The story of Your miracles, Mother of God, which St. Hermogenes wrote for the glory of Your Kazan icon, encourages all Orthodox Russia to constantly resort to You in all circumstances and You need to pray: Most Holy Theotokos, help us.

Sedalen, voice 8.

Having ascended to the heights of heaven, and divine from there, Father, illuminated by the radiance of miracles, the Most Holy One truly appeared to you as a shepherd to Orthodox Russia, an invincible representative for us in adversity; Moreover, having gloriously defeated your enemies, you drove away the lies of heterodoxy, and you saved the Orthodox kingdom from destruction, Hermogene. Pray to Christ God to grant forgiveness of sins to those who honor your holy memory with love.

In imitation of St. Hermogenes, let us honor the most luminous icon of the Mother of God, as an inexhaustible source of healing, and let us bless the Mother of God Most High, as a Virgin and one in wives, who gave birth without seed for the flesh.

Song 4.

Irmos:I have heard, Lord, the sight of Your sacrament, I have understood Your works and glorified Your Divinity.

Proclaim to the Gentiles the works of God, which the Lord Almighty has revealed to us from His icon to the Mother, - you say to the saint, - let not the Gentiles say: Where is their God, in Ungodly are they fucking? and let their mouths be stopped.

May it be the earth, but not restrained, the icon of the Most Pure One, may it be a confirmation to those who are newly enlightened, wandering in the darkness of ignorance, to the revelation of the light of truth, as Saint Hermoget wisely n.

You are a fair singing of the miracles of the Immaculate One, you are the confirmation of the weak in faith, you are the enlightenment of those darkened by the darkness of unbelief, and my spirit sings to you.

You bore a good yoke and a light burden, O Hermogenes, when you assumed the form of an angel, so that you may come to the age of a perfect husband.

You, who are dressed in prayer, like the robe of the virtues of an ascetic, seeing the Savior’s monastery, rejoiced greatly: for the holy archimandrite is coming to renew the monastery and establish piety.

The namesake Hermolai, you became perfected, and Hermogenes, by cohabiting, became like you, and so, like an unflickering lamp, you are placed in the priesthood of the Kazan Church.

It is good for the wise to enlighten the foolish, it is good for the strong to strengthen the weak in the Lord, it is good for the mighty to sanctify Hermogenes, who is able to do all things in Christ Jesus.

Theotokos: Like the Lady, Queen and Lady, I intercede for all of us, in Your sovereign protection of those who come running, Saint Hermogenes sings to You, with Him accept our prayers and save our souls.

Song 5.

Irmos:We cry out to You in the morning: Lord, save us, for You are our God, and You know no other.

When you were in Kazan, you enlightened those ignorant of the true God and taught them to work with the One God. For this reason the apostles rejoiced, accepting the reward of the evangelist of Christ.

You were jealous of the zeal of God for the glory of the wondrous saints: Guria, Barsanuphius and Herman, Hermogenes, and, aided by their prayers, you settled in the monastery of the saints, standing before the One To the Chief Shepherd, pray to Him for all of us to be saved.

By being merciful, you punished and, punishing, you had mercy on you, the saint, and with this wisdom you protected your newly enlightened children and all your sheep from the predatory wolves.

As a bulwark of the will of the queen, who was zealous for the Orthodoxy of the kingdom, you protected those weak in faith and you called upon King Theodore to take care of the salvation of the kingdom in Christ Jesus, decreeing that he saved significant transformation.

The city of Moscow and with it all Russia wept bitterly, I will reign over the self-proclaimed ruler and clothe myself with wickedness, but you alone, as a strong champion, have resisted this wickedness and You confessed the Orthodox Faith with boldness.

We please Hermogenes the confessor, who was not afraid of mortal rebuke and cruel words from the wicked enemy, with songs.

The angels and all the saints look rejoicingly at Negozha; He stands before him today, Hermogenes, and as a confessor you intercede everlastingly for Orthodox Russia.

Theotokos: Adam’s proclamation, Most Immaculate Virgin, the Lord is with You and God is with You, understand this, O Gentiles, and repent.

Song 6.

Irmos:Give me a robe of light; dress in light like a robe, O most merciful Christ our God.

The cathedral, consecrated by the election and command of the king, you, the saint, ascended to the throne of patriarchal power, and save Russia, overwhelmed by many misfortunes.

You have written an unshakable confession of unhypocritical faith, O saint, with your hand and this faith before the face of the whole Church in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Pure One, that all Russia may see This is the stone of true faith, on it the kingdom will be built and established in Orthodoxy.

Your tongue is the reed of a cursive scribe, with which it stops the mouth of the sinner and the weary of the flatterer, and pacifies the rebellion of the wicked.

The darkness of lies that was around the royal throne, dispelling with the word of truth, and blessing the Orthodox army for the fight against traitors, you brought a veil of miraculous powers to the walls of the city of Moscow and Tsarevich Dimitri, may the truth of God be proclaimed and may the Orthodox country be strengthened.

If the king is pious,” you said to the saint, “and a fighter according to the Orthodox faith, bless the Lord for him and love him, and in the fear of God obey him and repent.

Like a tree by the outgoing waters, you were at the throne of grace, O saint, overshadowing the Tsar of Orthodox Russia with the coolness of consolation and the abundance of righteousness.

And you preach, and you denounce, and you call, and you pray, and you command in all churches, the saint, for the salvation and for the reconciliation of the Orthodox country.

Theotokos: Mother of God Virgin, the hope of Christians, cover, protect, preserve and save Russia, which resorts to Your intercession.

Kontakion, voice 6:

Through imprisonment and hunger we exhaust you, even unto death you remained faithful, blessed Hermogen, driving away cowardice from the hearts of your people and calling everyone to a common feat. Moreover, you also overthrew the wicked rebellion and established the sceptres of the kingdom, so we all call to you: Rejoice, intercessor of the Russian land.

Ikos:

Come, Orthodox people, with songs we will bless the blessed lamp of the Russian Church, the unshakable pillar of the Orthodox faith, the warmth of the prayer book and representative for our land, the strong stand of tiger of enemies, a stern denouncer against traitors and destroyers of the Orthodox kingdom, a good shepherd, who laid down his soul for his sheep and this I am a crown of Slava from the Government of Waving, to him, to him, faith and Lyubovy calls the Sice: Rejoice, great in the hierarch of the Rossiyan holy of the Holy of Christ.

Song 7.

Irmos:The youths of Godliness in Babylon did not worship the golden image, but in the midst of the fiery furnace, watered them, they sang a song, saying: exalted of the fathers and us, God, blessed are you.

The fire of fierce malice is scorched, like a furnace of fire, Orthodox Russia is in the days of the ruin and rebellion of the fierce, but by the power of your words, the saint, it is irrigated and sings the right to this day glorious: God of our fathers and us, blessed art thou.

A voice in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Pure One was quickly heard: repent of your malice, oppose the Orthodox Tsar and God, for by God he is crowned for the kingdom and by God he reigns in the establishment of Christ You are righteous, singing to the Lord: Father God, blessed art thou.

The Father of All Russia, in the days of sorrow and circumstances, the holy hierarch of God Hermogenes appeared: for this sake call upon him and sing with him the name of the Most High: God of the fathers and us, blessed art thou.

Pray and fast, and change into a new person, clothed in the virtues of love of God and piety, may the Lord give us all peace and love, strong unity of our land, victory for the country against enemies and overcoming.

Warm yourself with love for the king and burn with zeal for faith more than fire; you have burned, O saint, the thorns of sin-loving rebellion, renewing and establishing the dilapidated kingdom.

Young men of obesity: impostors of rebellion, kings of foreign lands and traitors of wickedness have conquered Russia, but in the face of your truth, O saint, you have disappeared like smoke from fire, may Orthodox Russia rejoice in God Lord, and may Orthodoxy triumph.

God's servants and your helpers were the saints of Christ: Philaret of Rostov, Ephraim of Kazan, Theoktist of Tver and Galaktion of Suzdal, in whom your word went forth into the whole earth, not to the saint, and to the ends of Russia your message.

Theotokos: Even in adversity and sorrow, and in illness, burdened with many sins, come to the Diligent Intercessor, the Mother of the Lord Most High, for she will heal you, and comfort you, and give you peace.

Song 8.

Irmos:God-speaking youths in the cave, trampling the flames with fire, bless the works of the Lord, the Lord.

You did a lot of alms to people, saint, when you became poor in mercy and love of money for the sake of not paying attention to helping the poor, you also advertised to the cellar of Sergius They fed Abraham, and the barns were opened, and the hungry were satisfied, and they blessed the Lord.

Even if the sea of ​​life foams, even if it rages, tossed by adversities and a storm, it will not sink the ship of Jesus: for we stand on the rock of faith and truth. - Thus you declared, O saint, and so, and behold, Orthodoxy triumphs and bless the Lord.

Like a good helmsman, you brought the ship of the Russian Empire to the quiet harbor of the Orthodox Church, and now our country is salted by the grace of the Holy Spirit and blessed by God ode.

Thou art a message to those who fear the Lord: do not be afraid, little flock, for the Heavenly Father has deigned to grant us the kingdom. This is how you believed and this is how you accepted by faith. And behold, the Holy Church rejoices over the Orthodoxy of our country and blesses the Lord.

Having humiliated those who rise up against you, throwing dust and sand at your face, and having denied God’s anointed, you endured everything for the sake of righteousness, blessing the Lord.

Holy and God-beloved Russia will not perish, - you are a saint, a traitor, a traitor, and all our enemies - you are toiling in vain, if the Lord does not create. Repent and bless the Lord.

We do not know what you are called, - you are a saint, a rebel and a traitor, - you have naturally apostatized from God, you have fallen away from the Catholic and Apostolic Church, you have apostatized from God and the saints with the oil of the anointed king, they forgot the natural vows of our Orthodox faith: to stand until death for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for the Orthodox kingdom. Repent and turn and bless the Lord.

Theotokos: Having fulfilled God’s care for us and united us to the earth in heaven, you were with child of the Holy Spirit, the Most Immaculate One, and you gave birth to God for us all, whose works are all the Lord Nya, they sing and extol for all ages.

Song 9.

Irmos:Truly the Mother of God, we confess Your salvation, Pure Virgin, with disembodied faces magnifying You.

You entrusted the Most Holy Lady, the saint, with the Orthodox army, and you blessed him to stand for the faith, motionless even to death, and you taught him to fear the One who lives in heaven. For this reason, the confessors of Orthodox truth rejoice.

You anathematized the accursed traitors, but you bestowed mercy on the Orthodox warrior and all the zealots of the Orthodox kingdom from the Lord God and from your humility you bestowed blessing upon the saint, who was quickly defeated and victory over the enemies and salvation of all Russia, a crown from God for you, as the builder of a holy life.

The voice of fiery zeal for the salvation of the Fatherland does not fit, even if it is contained in the empty temple, as if in the tomb, for this reason you commanded your disciple Dionysius, hegumen and monk of the holy monastery Sergius will proclaim all Orthodox Russia, so that a saving war will arise for the glory of the Holy Church and for the establishment the Russian powers, you have loved them and prayed to God for them.

And the First See of the Apostolic Church, and the Confessor of the Orthodox Faith, and the second Chrysostom, in the denunciation of the sin-loving and rebellious, and the builder of the Orthodox kingdom was, O Saint, and for this You were tormented by prison and famine, and having received an unfading crown from God, you rejoiced with the martyrs .

Glory to you to our God, it is enough for you, Holy Martyr Hermogenes, to rejoice in the light of His face and pray unceasingly, that holy Russia may not perish, but that even to the end there will be light in revelation in the language of Orthodox truth.

I am poor and sick, O saint, and in my humility I fall to your healing race, demanding healing.

Him you loved, you gave your soul to Him, and now you stand with boldness like a martyr; Pray to God for us, holy Hieromartyr Hermogenes.

Theotokos: We confess Thee, as the Mother of the Lord Most High, and having irrevocable hope in Thee, we pray to Thee with a tender soul and a contrite heart: grant usefulness to all, and save all, Mother of God This is the Virgin, for You are the Divine cover of Your servant.

Luminous.

In the light of Orthodoxy, of which you were a zealot, Saint Hermogenes, we see the Light of truth, in which is the fullness of the gifts of the Spirit, we rejoice in the Lord and magnify Him who has illuminated you ever since ́tnym.

Glory, and now, the Mother of God: We magnify the Mother of the never-setting Light, who illuminates Russia with the cover of the Mother’s intercession, as the brightest of the mountain armies.

Hieromartyr Ermogen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', came from the Don Cossacks. According to the testimony of the Patriarch himself, he was a priest in the city of Kazan at the Kazan Gostinodvorsky Church in the name of St. Nicholas (December 6 and May 9). He soon became a monk and from 1582 was the archimandrite of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in Kazan. On May 13, 1589, he was consecrated bishop and became the first Metropolitan of Kazan.

During the ministry of His Holiness the Patriarch in Kazan, the appearance and discovery of the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God took place in 1579. While still a priest, he, with the blessing of the then Kazan bishop Jeremiah, transferred the newly appeared icon from the place of its discovery to the church in the name of St. Nicholas. Possessing an extraordinary literary talent, the saint himself composed in 1594 a legend about the appearance of the miraculous icon and the miracles performed by it. In 1591, the saint gathered newly baptized Tatars to the cathedral and for several days instructed them in the faith.

In 1592, the relics of St. Herman, the second Kazan Archbishop (September 25, November 6, June 23), who died in Moscow on November 6, 1567, during a pestilence, and was buried near the church in the name of St. Nicholas, were transferred. With the blessing of Patriarch Job (1589 - 1605), Saint Hermogen performed their burial in the Sviyazhsk Dormition Monastery. On January 9, 1592, Saint Hermogen sent a letter to Patriarch Job, in which he reported that in Kazan there was no special commemoration of the Orthodox soldiers who laid down their lives for the faith and Fatherland near Kazan, and asked to establish a specific day of remembrance. At the same time, he reported on three martyrs who suffered in Kazan for the faith of Christ, one of whom was Russian, named John (January 24), originally from Nizhny Novgorod, captured by the Tatars, and the other two, Stephen and Peter (March 24), newly converted Tatars. The saint expressed regret that these martyrs were not included in the synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and that eternal memory was not sung to them. In response to Saint Hermogenes, the Patriarch sent a decree dated February 25, which ordered “for all Orthodox soldiers killed near Kazan and within Kazan, to perform a memorial service in Kazan and throughout the Kazan Metropolis on the Saturday after the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and to include them in the great synodik, read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy,” it was ordered that the three Kazan martyrs be included in the same synodikon, and the day of their memory was entrusted to determine the day of their memory to St. Hermogenes. The saint announced a patriarchal decree for his diocese, adding that all churches and monasteries should serve liturgies and memorial services for the three Kazan martyrs and commemorate them at litias and liturgies on January 24. Saint Hermogen showed zeal for the faith and firmness in observing church traditions, and cared about enlightening the Kazan Tatars with the faith of Christ.

In 1595, with the active participation of the saint, the discovery and opening of the relics of Kazan miracle workers took place: Saints Guria, the first Archbishop of Kazan (October 4, December 5, June 20), and Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver (October 4, April 11). Tsar Theodore Ioannovich (1584 - 1598) ordered the construction of a new stone church in the Kazan Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery on the site of the previous one, where the saints were buried. When the coffins of the saints were found, Saint Hermogenes came with a council of clergy, ordered the coffins to be opened and, seeing the incorrupt relics and clothes of the saints, informed the Patriarch and the Tsar. With the blessing of Patriarch Job and by order of the king, the relics of the newly-minted miracle workers were placed in the new temple. Saint Hermogen himself compiled the lives of Saints Gurias and Barsanuphius.

For his outstanding archpastoral qualities, Metropolitan Hermogen was elected to the primate cathedral, and on July 3, 1606, he was elevated by the Council of Saints to the Patriarchal throne in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. Metropolitan Isidore presented the Patriarch with the staff of St. Peter, the Moscow Wonderworker (October 5, December 21, August 24), and the Tsar presented the new Patriarch with a panagia decorated with precious stones, a white hood and a staff. According to the ancient rite, Patriarch Ermogen made the procession on a donkey.

The activities of Patriarch Hermogenes coincided with a difficult period for the Russian state - the invasion of the impostor False Demetrius and the Polish king Sigismund III. The High Hierarch devoted all his energies to serving the Church and the Fatherland. In this feat, Patriarch Ermogen was not alone: ​​his selfless compatriots imitated and helped him. With special inspiration, His Holiness the Patriarch opposed the traitors and enemies of the Fatherland, who wanted to introduce Uniateism and Catholicism in Russia and eradicate Orthodoxy, enslaving the Russian people. When the impostor approached Moscow and settled in Tushino, Patriarch Ermogen sent two messages to the rebellious traitors. In one of them he wrote: “...You forgot the vows of our Orthodox faith, in which we were born, baptized, raised and grew up, you broke the kiss of the cross and the oath to stand until death for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for the Moscow state and fell into a false to your imaginary king... My soul hurts, my heart hurts, and all my insides are tormented, all my limbs are shaking; I cry and cry out with sobs: have mercy, have mercy, brothers and children, your souls and your parents, departed and living... Look how our Fatherland is being plundered and ruined by strangers, how holy icons and churches are being desecrated, how the blood of the innocent is being shed, crying out to God. Remember against whom you raise your weapons: is it not God who created you? Are you ruining your Fatherland?... I conjure you in the Name of God, leave your undertaking while there is time, so as not to completely perish.” In another letter, the High Hierarch called: “For God’s sake, know yourself and be converted, bring joy to your parents, your wives and children, and all of us; and we will pray to God for you...” Soon, God’s righteous judgment was carried out over the Tushinsky thief: his suffered the same sad and inglorious fate as its predecessor; he was killed by his own confidants on December 11, 1610. But Moscow continued to remain in danger, since there were Poles and traitorous boyars loyal to Sigismund III in it. Letters sent by Patriarch Hermogenes to cities and villages excited the Russian people to liberate Moscow from their enemies and elect a legitimate Russian Tsar. Muscovites started an uprising, in response to which the Poles set the city on fire and took refuge in the Kremlin. Together with Russian traitors, they forcibly removed the holy Patriarch Hermogenes from the Patriarchal throne and placed him in custody in the Chudov Monastery. On Easter Monday 1611, the Russian militia approached Moscow and began a siege of the Kremlin that lasted several months. The Poles besieged in the Kremlin more than once sent envoys to the Patriarch demanding that he order the Russian militias to move away from the city, threatening the death penalty. The saint firmly answered: “Why are you threatening me? I fear only God. If all of you, Lithuanian people, leave the Moscow state, I will bless the Russian militia to go from Moscow, if you stay here, I will bless everyone to stand against you and die for the Orthodox faith.” . Already from prison, the holy martyr Hermogenes addressed his last message to the Russian people, blessing the liberation war against the conquerors. The Russian governors did not show coherence, so they were unable to take the Kremlin and free their High Hierarch. He languished in severe captivity for more than nine months, and on February 17, 1612, he died a martyr’s death from hunger.

The liberation of Russia, for which Saint Hermogenes stood with such indomitable courage, was successfully completed by the Russian people. The body of the holy martyr Hermogenes was buried in the Chudov Monastery, and in 1654 it was transferred to the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. The glorification of Patriarch Hermogenes as a saint took place on May 12, 1913.

From time immemorial, God-fearing simple peasant men, wealthy merchants, highly moral, virtuous women, and illustrious rulers became saints in Rus'. The Russian Orthodox people sacredly honor their divine patrons, rely on the protection of the heavenly righteous, seek and find support in them on their own path of spiritual development.

Brief biography of His Serene Lord

Christianity in Russia has many great holy defenders. Patriarch Hermogenes is undoubtedly one of the most significant personalities in the history of Russian Christianity. Much in the biography of this man remains unclear. Until now, historians are engaged in intense debate regarding the significant milestones of his life and fate.

The biography of Patriarch Hermogenes is full of guesswork. It is known for certain that he was born in Kazan and was named Ermolai. The exact date of his birth is unknown; historians place it at 1530. There is also no clear information about the social origin of the patriarch. According to one version, Hermogen belongs to the Rurikovich-Shuisky family, according to another, he comes from the Don Cossacks. Historians are more inclined to believe that the future Saint Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow, was still of humble origin, most likely he was a simple person “from the people.”

Hermogenes' first steps in Orthodoxy

Ermolai began his service in the Kazan Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery as an ordinary cleric. He became the parish priest of the Church of St. Nicholas of Kazan in 1579, took part in the ceremony of finding the face of the Kazan Mother of God and wrote “The Legend of the Appearance and Miracles of the Image of the Kazan Mother of God,” which was subsequently sent to Tsar Ivan the Terrible himself.

A few years later, Hermogenes accepted monasticism and soon became first abbot and then archimandrite of the Kazan Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. Hermogenes' elevation to the rank of bishop and his appointment as Metropolitan of Kazan and Astrakhan took place in May 1589.

And even now, in the midst of a raging crowd, this elder tried to calm the people with the righteous word of God, to convince them “not to succumb to the devil’s temptation.” This time the coup was not successful, largely thanks to the wisdom and firmness of the word spoken by the patriarch. But still, about three hundred people treacherously managed to escape to the camp of the new impostor in Tushino.

A turning point in the Russian Troubles

Meanwhile, events began to occur in the state that contributed to changing the course of the Troubles. On one of the cold winter days of February 1609, Vasily Shuisky concludes an agreement with the Swedish ruler Charles IX. A detachment of Swedish soldiers was sent to Novgorod and placed under the command of the Tsar’s nephew, Voivode Skopin-Shuisky.

The Russian and Swedish military forces united in this way successfully attacked the army of the Tushino impostor and expelled them from the north-west of Russia. The signing of the treaty by Shuisky and Charles IX and the entry of the Swedish armed forces into Russian soil gave impetus to the start of open military offensives by the Polish king Sigismund against Russia. In the autumn of the same year, the Polish army approached Smolensk, counting on an easy capture of the city. But it was not there!

Smolensk courageously and valiantly, for almost two long years, resisted the onslaught of the Poles. In the end, most of the Polish army relocated from near Tushin to besieged Smolensk, and at the end of the year the impostor himself fled from Tushin to Kaluga. In the early spring of 1610, the rebel camp was completely defeated and already on March 12, the capital's people enthusiastically greeted Skopin-Shuisky's army. Threat

The capture of Moscow by the troublemakers had passed, which, however, did not at all mean the end of the war with two aggressors at once - the impostor hiding in Kaluga and Sigismund, who was densely settled near Smolensk.

Shuisky's position at this time became somewhat stronger, when suddenly his nephew-hero Skopin-Shuisky suddenly died. His death leads to truly catastrophic events. The Russian army, advanced to Smolensk against the Poles, under the command of the sovereign's brother, was completely defeated near the village of Klushino. Hetman Zholkiewski, at the head of the Polish army, marched on Moscow and occupied Mozhaisk. The impostor, having gathered the remnants of the army, quickly moved towards the capital from the south.

Deposition of Tsar Vasily. Disgrace of the Patriarch

All these fatal events finally decided the fate of Vasily Shuisky. In the middle of the summer of 1610, rebels entered the Kremlin, captured the boyars, Patriarch Hermogenes, shouting about the deposition of the tsar, was forcibly removed from the Kremlin. The Lord of the Church was unsuccessful in calming down the raging crowd again; this time she did not hear him. The last tsar, who belonged to the ancient Rurik family, was overthrown from the Russian throne, forcefully tonsured as a monk and “exiled” to Tsarskaya Square, located (before his destruction) in the eastern part of the Moscow Kremlin.

Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow, even now did not renounce serving God and Tsar Vasily, whom, despite everything, he considered the true anointed to the Russian throne. He did not recognize Shuisky’s tonsure as a monk due to the fact that an indispensable condition for taking tonsure is the pronunciation of the words of the vow out loud directly to those who become a monk.

In the case of Vasily’s tonsure, the words of renunciation from all worldly things were spoken by Prince Tyufyakin, one of the rebels who forcibly overthrew the king from the throne. By the way, Patriarch Hermogenes later called Tyufyakin a monk. With the deposition of Shuisky, according to historians, the state-political activity of the Bishop ends and his earnest service to Orthodoxy begins.

The boyars completely seized power in the capital. The Patriarch falls into disgrace, the government, nicknamed the “Seven Boyars,” is deaf to all the demands, initiatives, advice and recommendations of Hermogenes. And yet, despite the suddenly deaf boyars, it was at this time that his calls sounded most loudly and firmly, which gave the strongest impetus to the awakening of Russia from the “devilish sleep.”

The fight for the Russian throne

After the deposition of Vasily, the boyars faced the most important question - who to make the new Tsar of Rus'. To resolve this issue, a Zemsky Sobor was convened, at which points of view were divided between the rulers. Hermogenes persisted in the opinion of returning Vasily Shuisky to the throne, or, if this was impossible, by anointing one of the Golitsyn princes or the minor son of the Metropolitan of Rostov, Mikhail Romanov, to the throne.

According to the instructions of the patriarch, in all Orthodox churches they say prayers to God for the election of the Boyars, in turn, they advocate for the election of the son of the Polish ruler Sigismund, Tsarevich Vladislav, to the Russian throne. The Poles seemed to them the least evil in comparison with the self-proclaimed False Dmitry II and his Tushino “army”. Only the Patriarch realized how disastrous for Russia the path chosen by the boyars would be.

The boyars, who did not listen to Hermogenes, began to negotiate with the Polish government. The result of these negotiations was the agreement of the Seven Boyars to be anointed to reign. And here the patriarch showed all the strength of his character. He put forward several strict conditions - Vladislav would not be able to become the Russian Tsar without accepting the Orthodox faith, the baptism of the prince must occur before his arrival in Moscow, Vladislav would only have to marry a Russian girl, and cease all relations with the Catholic Pope and Catholicism in all its manifestations. The ambassadors sent to the Poles with these demands returned without a clear answer, to which the patriarch said that if the prince refused to be baptized, no further negotiations would be held about anointing him to the royal throne.

Betrayal of the Seven Boyars

Again, an embassy headed by Metropolitan Philaret and Prince Golitsyn is sent to Sigismund with a clear order from the Patriarch to urgently demand that Vladislav accept Orthodoxy. Hermogenes blessed the ambassadors, giving the order to stand firmly on this demand and not succumb to any tricks of the Polish king.

And then the Patriarch suffered a new blow. On September 21, at night, the boyars treacherously opened the capital gates to the Polish army led by Hetman Zholkiewski. The Bishop tried to be indignant at this action. But the boyars responded to all the indignation to the patriarch that the church had no business interfering in worldly affairs. Sigismund decided to take the Russian throne himself, in fact simply annexing Rus' to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A considerable number of boyars wished to swear allegiance to the Polish king. In turn, the Russian ambassadors firmly carried out the orders of the patriarch, unwaveringly defending the state interests of the state of Russian and Orthodox Christianity.

One day, Vladyka Hermagen addressed the Russian people, exhorting the laity to oppose the election of the Polish ruler as Tsar of Rus'. The patriarch’s passionate speech, filled with righteousness, achieved its goal and found a response in the soul of the Russian people.

The boyars sent another letter agreeing to the accession of King Sigismund to the throne, but due to the absence of the signature of His Serene Patriarch, the Russian ambassadors said that from time immemorial on Russian soil any business, whether state or secular, began with the advice of the Orthodox clergy. And since in these difficult times the Russian state is left without a tsar, then there is no one else to be the main arbiter except the patriarch and it is impossible to resolve any matter without his command. The angry Sigismund stopped all negotiations, the ambassadors returned to Moscow.

On a winter evening in 1610, False Dmitry II was brutally murdered, which caused real rejoicing among the Russian people. Calls for the expulsion of the Poles from Russian land began to be heard more and more often. Some testimonies from the Poles themselves about this time have survived to this day. They say that the Patriarch of Moscow secretly distributed orders throughout the cities, in which he calls on the people to unite and quickly move to the capital to defend the Christian Orthodox faith and expel foreign occupiers.

Monument to Patriarch Hermogenes on Red Square in Moscow:

Firmness of faith and feat of the Patriarch

And again a threat crept up on Patriarch Hermogenes. Traitors and Polish henchmen decided to separate the patriarch from the whole world in order to stop the delivery of the patriarch's appeals to the people.

On January 16, 1611, troops were brought into the patriarchal courtyard, the courtyard was plundered, and the Bishop himself was subjected to humiliation and ridicule. But despite the almost complete isolation, the calls of the Holy Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church spread among the people. Cities of Russia have once again risen to defend the state. The people's militia rushed to the walls of the capital to liberate it from the Polish invaders. In February 1611, traitors deposed the Patriarch and imprisoned him in a dark dungeon at the Chudov Monastery, where they starved him and humiliated his dignity in every possible way.

Bishop Hermogenes suffered martyrdom on January 17. Although historians do not have a common opinion on this issue. According to some accounts, the Patriarch died of starvation; according to others, he was deliberately poisoned with carbon monoxide or brutally strangled.

Some time after the death of the elder, Moscow was freed from the presence of Poles in it, and on February 21, 1613, the Russian throne was occupied by Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, for whom Hermogenes undoubtedly prayed to the Lord God.

Initially, the patriarch was buried in the Chudov Monastery. Subsequently, it was decided to transfer the Vladyka’s body to the Assumption Cathedral - the pantheon for the highest clergy of Moscow. At the same time, it turned out that the relics of the saint remained incorruptible, so the remains were not lowered into the ground. The canonization of the patriarch took place in 1913.

My soul hurts, my heart hurts, and all my insides are tormented...
I cry and cry out with sobs: have mercy, brothers and children, have mercy on your souls...
Look how our Fatherland is being plundered and ruined by strangers!

(From the message of Patriarch Hermogenes)

WITH Hieromartyr Ermogen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', glorified as a saint on May 12, 1913. For three centuries, the memory of Patriarch Hermogenes as a martyr saint was passed on from generation to generation, and people's faith in him grew as an intercessor and prayer book for the Russian land at the Throne of the Almighty.

In the difficult years of domestic disasters, the prayerful thoughts of the people turned to the memory of the Patriarch-Hero. Russian people went to his tomb with their personal sorrows, ailments and illnesses, reverently calling for help from St. Hermogenes, believing in him as a warm man of prayer and intercessor before the Lord. And the All-Merciful Lord rewarded this faith...

For the day of solemn glorification, which coincided with the 300th anniversary of the death of the holy martyr Hermogenes, believers from all over Russia began to flock to Moscow. Pilgrims rushed to venerate the relics of the holy Patriarch, located in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, where funeral services were served almost continuously.

On the eve of the glorification, a religious procession was held, at the head of which they carried the icon of St. Hermogenes, and after it the cover from the tomb, on which the Saint is depicted full-length in a mantle and with a staff. Next to the icon of the Patriarch they carried the icon of his companion in spiritual and patriotic activities for the liberation of the Russian land from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, St. Dionysius of Radonezh.

Hieromartyr Hermogenes of Moscow and All Rus', Patriarch

On the bell tower of John the Great there was a huge inscription: “Rejoice, holy martyr Hermogenes, great intercessor of the Russian lands.” Hundreds of thousands of candles burned in the hands of believers, glorifying the saint of God. At the end of the procession at the shrine with the relics of the Patriarch, the reading of the Easter canon began with the addition of the canon to St. Hermogenes.

All-night vigils were held in the open air on all squares of the Kremlin. That night several healings took place through the grace-filled prayers of St. Hermogenes. For example, one patient came to the Assumption Cathedral on crutches, but felt healing after venerating the shrine containing the relics of the Saint.

Another patient, who suffered severely from relaxation, was healed. He was brought on a towel to the shrine of the holy martyr Hermogenes, where he received complete healing. These and other similar healings, witnessed by numerous believers, became a significant confirmation of the holiness of the new Russian miracle worker.

On Sunday, 12th at 10 o'clock in the morning the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Assumption Cathedral. His Beatitude Gregory, Patriarch of Antioch, arrived to celebrate the glorification of the new saint, leading the service.

At the end of the liturgy, prayers to St. Hermogenes were served in all Moscow churches and a procession of the cross took place in the Moscow Kremlin, in which more than 20 bishops took part, accompanying the solemn procession with singing: “Holy Father Hermogenes, pray to God for us”.

The service ended with a prayer to the holy martyr Hermogenes. From this day the liturgical veneration of St. Hermogenes began. Thus the desire of the Russian believers was fulfilled, through whose prayers the Russian Orthodox Church received the gracious Heavenly patron of our Fatherland.

The Holy Synod of the Russian Church established the days of celebration of the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus': February 17/March 2 – death(information about life and feat is placed on this day) and May 12/25 – glorification in the face of the saints.

The Lord lit the candle of his patriarchate in a terrible and troubled time of anarchy and chaos, when “ everyone did what seemed fair to him " (Judges 17:6) Lawlessness and murder, robbery and violence were committed on Russian soil by both our own and foreigners. It seemed that there was no more truth and love, only tears and grief were left for the suffering people.

But the luminaries everyone in the house "Patriarchal candle of St. Hermogenes, strong in spirit and faithful to Christ, who cried out to the lost sheep of Christ's flock: " Remember who you are taking up arms against: is it not God who created you, is it not your brothers?.. Are you destroying your own Fatherland?..»

He called for the gathering of a people's militia to drive out the Poles, who had captured Moscow and threatened to subjugate the entire Russian land.

He firmly responded to the Poles’ threats: “ You promise me an evil death, but I hope to receive a crown through it and have long wished to suffer for the truth." He was locked in prison, demanding that he disband the Russian militia and submit to the foreigners.

But he remembered well the words of the Apostle Peter: “ But even if you suffer for the truth, then you are blessed; but do not be afraid of their fear and do not be embarrassed " (1 Peter 3:14) He continued to write messages to Russian cities, calling on them to rise up and save Rus', until he died of hunger in prison. But his powerful word touched many hearts. And the Russian people, led by Minin and Pozharsky, rose up and expelled the Poles from Moscow, and peace came to our land.

Among the holy defenders of our Fatherland, the Hieromartyr Patriarch Hermogenes stands on a par with the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky and the Monk Sergius of Radonezh. Prince, abbot, patriarch...

How different are the earthly roles of these people who really lived, so close are their spiritual exploits, which protected Holy Rus' at its dangerous historical turning points! So, from a distance, the light of three candles in one lamp merges into one powerful fire...

Already during the time of Emperor Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, the chronicler wrote about Patriarch Hermogenes: “Alone among the enemies of frantic and vile traitors, the great saint of God in a dark cell shone with virtue, like the radiant light of the Fatherland, ready to fade away, but having already ignited life and zeal for a great cause among the people. " Contemporaries called it “the adamant of faith.”

The main feat of his life was his firm opposition to the reign of a heterodox sovereign over Russia. Patriarch Hermogenes preached an inspired sermon for the liberation of the country from foreign invaders already in old age. He witnessed his words with martyrdom. ...

Revolutions of Troubles

Historians are still arguing about the origins of the great Russian Troubles of the early 17th century. Among its deepest reasons, some call the creation by Ivan the Terrible of the oprichnina “anti-system” within the state, others talk about the depletion of the kingdom by wars with Lithuania and two terrible droughts under Boris Godunov. Still others point to the main reason - the derogation of moral guidelines and national unity caused by the unworthy behavior of the then state elite.

The eventful concentrate of the Troubles seemed to spill out directly from the other world. The shadow of Tsarevich Dimitri, who was slaughtered in Uglich and later canonized, embodied in two large and a dozen small impostors, for eight years gathered under its banner crowds of deceived people, mixed with gangs of its own and foreign adventurers, in order to torment the country and bring it almost to destruction.

The destruction consisted not only of extreme ruin, human devastation, and foreign intervention. It was in terrible disintegration of the moral bonds that form the body and soul of the state.

The contemporaries of Patriarch Hermogenes had something to go crazy about, in modern language. Today “Tsarevich Dimitri” is kissed on the cross as God’s anointed, and tomorrow they are called “a thief and a dog.” The former queen, nun Martha, either recognizes her miraculously resurrected son, or publicly repents of this recognition.

Four kings succeed each other on the throne in one year, two of them are killed; the cities themselves decide who they recognize as rulers, while Catholic masses are celebrated in the Moscow Kremlin... Cannibalism, villainy, looting of churches, mass betrayal and apostasy... The Poles themselves were sometimes surprised at the atrocities of the “Orthodox” Cossacks in captured Russian villages and cities. ...

Voice of the Patriarch

Vasily Shuisky hesitated for a long time in choosing a new patriarch. Hermogenes' direct and even harsh disposition in matters of faith was known to him. But he also understood something else: the shaky power of the “boyar tsar” needed powerful legitimate support in the person of a principled and popular prince of the Church.

Saint Hermogenes. Icon. Moscow. 1913

On July 3, 1606, in Moscow, by the Council of Russian Hierarchs, Saint Hermogenes was installed as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. And soon the whole country again heard the admonishing, denouncing voice of the patriarch.

Even before the appearance on the historical stage of False Dmitry II, a dark character of unknown nationality (after his murder, the Talmud was found in his luggage), the “peasant uprising” of Ivan Bolotnikov flared under his name.

“Beat the boyars, take away their property, kill the rich, divide their property...” - called for the “false letters” of Bolotnikov’s “army”. The subversive impact of these calls on the minds of contemporaries can be compared with Bukharin’s famous “rob the loot.”

However, the ideologist and leader of the new wave of unrest was not the soldier Bolotnikov, but the favorite of the first impostor, Prince Grigory Shakhovskoy, the Putivl governor, who stole the state seal and with its help fabricated “royal letters” about the “miraculous rescue of Tsar Dimitri from the hands of Shuisky.”

Patriarch Hermogenes ardently began to oppose this “information war” against the legitimate government. First, to exhort the troublemakers, he sent Metropolitan Paphnutius of Krutitsa to them.

The next “counterattack” was the distribution of letters throughout Russia, which firmly spoke of the actual “death of the thief and heretic False Demetrius”, the transfer to Moscow and the appearance of the holy relics of the true Tsarevich Demetrius. Seeing that this was not enough, Hermogenes anathematized Bolotnikov and other instigators of the new unrest. The measures had their effect, and the riot began to subside. But soon a new “Tsar Dimitri” appeared, and everything started all over again.

Disguised Jesuits with the Latin “kryzh” in their bosoms went to Catholicize Rus', and the Cossack freemen went to plunder what was not plundered. Apart from very shady people, few people believed that the new impostor was Tsar Dimitri. The boyars and other eminent people joined him out of evil envy of the “upstart” Shuisky, out of low self-interest, and simply out of fear of growing power. Crowds of ordinary peasants and townspeople flocked to the new “Dimitri” out of despair, hunger, and hatred of the boyar power in general.

Meanwhile, troops from Hetman Zholkiewski arrived from Poland and won new victories over the Moscow army. In less than a year, almost all of Southern and Central Russia submitted to False Dmitry II. With his Russian-Polish-Cossack armed detachments, he set up in Tushino, near Moscow, creating there for several years, as it were, an alternative capital of the country.

And in Tushino from Moscow, “small and big people” began to run across and kiss his cross, individually and in groups. Some received their wages from the “Tushino thief” in the morning, and by Vespers they ran back to Shuisky to repent. And they still received it there. Alas, many ancient boyar families showed such cynicism at that time.

It was incredibly difficult for the Russian high priest in this stench. The severity was aggravated by the widespread dislike of Tsar Vasily, with whom the patriarch himself had a very difficult relationship.

Greedy, cowardly, limited, Shuisky was aptly nicknamed “Shubnik” by the people. The legitimacy of his accession remained in question all the time: he was “elected” by a group of conspiratorial boyars, crowned king without a patriarch...

However, throughout the unhappy reign of Vasily Shuisky, Saint Hermogenes ardently advocated and convinced his compatriots to be faithful to this king. Why? For the Orthodox historian there is no mystery here. Good or bad, Tsar Vasily was Orthodox and was not an impostor. At the same time, for better or worse, he confronted the second impostor and the robbers, nobles, and agents of the papacy who went with him….

"Among the enemies of furious and vile traitors"

The truth of St. Hermogenes shines amazingly brightly against the background of the moral decline of a significant part of the secular and even church elites. Who else could those Russian people look at, who else should they listen to, who did not want to fall into the surrounding “lawlessness”, who were jealous of Orthodox Rus'?

Hieromartyr Hermogenes Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Wonderworker

But some boyars and nobles, having communicated with the Poles during the first impostor, already turned their nose up at their grandfather’s customs and openly wanted to become Polish in everything. Even the papal heresy no longer frightened them...

Just like the “Seven Boyars”, which exercised power over the country after the overthrow of Vasily Shuisky. It was its leaders, led by Prince Mstislavsky, who decided to call a “limited contingent of international forces” to the capital. To put it simply, they opened the gates of the city to the Polish troops of Hetman Zolkiewski, who were awaiting the accession of Prince Vladislav or his father King Sigismund to the Kremlin.

Before this, they came to the patriarch to ask for blessings. “Let that not happen!” - Hermogenes answered them. And they told him: “Your job, His Holiness, is to look after church affairs, but you should not interfere in worldly affairs. Since ancient times, it has been conducted in such a way that it is not the priests who rule the state.” And the arrogant Gentiles entered Moscow as masters.

From that time on, the patriarch began to be constrained more and more. But at the same time, the incendiary pastoral word was spreading louder and louder throughout the country. In addition to the traitors, there were also secret patriots in the Kremlin who helped bring the patriarchal messages into the open and send them to cities and towns.

He begged the boyars to choose a new tsar from the ancient Russian family, pointing in particular to the Romanovs. Seeing that they insisted on calling Prince Vladislav, he reluctantly agreed.

But he set two strict conditions: “If the king gives his son to the Moscow state and Vladislav is baptized into the Orthodox faith and leads all Polish people out of Moscow, then I will put my hand to such a letter and will order the other authorities to do the same. If you do not listen to me, then I will place an oath on you and curse everyone who adheres to your advice.”

It soon became clear that Sigismund did not even think of fulfilling these conditions. The “Polish boyar party” now demanded the patriarch’s blessing to submit to the Catholic king without any conditions. In response to a firm refusal, one of them, Mikhail Saltykov, pulled out a knife and swung it at Hermogenes.

The Patriarch crossed him and calmly replied: “I am not afraid of your knife, but I arm myself with the power of the Cross of Christ against your boldness. Curse you from our humility in this century and in the future!

Boyar Saltykov staggered and fell at the feet of the saint to ask for forgiveness. Hermogenes forgave him - but only for this act. But he stood his ground firmly...

It seemed that now the Orthodox kingdom of Moscow had definitely come to an end. What remained for the patriarch? Praying, preparing for death? Or moreover, to humbly accept everything that happened as God’s final verdict on the Russian land? You can't break a butt with a whip...

However, instead of this, Hermogenes writes more and more letters addressed to Russian people of all classes. In them, he allows the people to swear allegiance to Vladislav, calls on them to arm themselves and go to Moscow with a new militia.

They stopped allowing visitors to the patriarch and deprived him of paper and pen.

The saint managed to quickly compile the last of his appeals and transmit them to Nizhny Novgorod on August 5, 1611 with the help of a foreigner (!) - Sviyazhenite Rodion Moseev, who secretly made his way to the Kremlin for this.

Hermogenes' letters performed a miracle, inflaming the heart of the Nizhny Novgorod city elder Kozma Zakharyevich Minin, nicknamed Sukhoruky. “We will mortgage our houses, wives and children for the sake of saving the Fatherland” - this was Minin’s famous response to the “voice of the crying” Kremlin prisoner.

Prince Dmitry Pozharsky got involved in the matter, negotiators galloped from city to city and - the giant of the people's war, terrible for the invaders and traitors, blessed by the first hierarch of the church, again arose.

The last act of this drama, which ended with the physical death and great spiritual victory of its hero, began with a dialogue.

Hetman Gonsevsky and other Poles entered the patriarch’s prison:

“You are the first instigator of treason and all the indignation.” According to your letter, the military men are going to Moscow!.. Write to them now so that they leave, otherwise we will order you to be put to death by an evil death.

- Why are you threatening me? I fear the only God. You promise me an evil death, and I hope to receive a crown through it. Leave all of you, Polish people, from the Moscow state, and then I will bless everyone to move away. And if you stay, my blessing: everyone will stand and die for the Orthodox faith!

A month later, Moscow was surrounded by a ring of people's militia led by Minin and Pozharsky. And a few months later - on October 23 - the Poles, completely starved, having lost their human appearance, walked out in shame from the Kremlin they had desecrated.

The historical lesson of those events was formulated by Russian believers: no “reasonable” political calculations, no material power will save Russia from its enemies, as soon as it turns away from its main role - the last custodian of the Orthodox faith in this world...

HOLY MARTYR HERMOGENES

Troparion, tone 4

The first throne of the Russian land / and the vigilant prayer book for it to God! / You laid down your soul for the faith of Christ and your flock, / you delivered our country from wickedness. / We also cry out to you: / save us with your prayers, / Hieromartyr Hermogenes, our father.

Kontakion, tone 6

We are exhausted by prison and famine, / you remained faithful even to death, blessed Hermogenes, / driving away cowardice from the hearts of your people / and calling everyone to a common feat. / In the same way, you also overthrew the wicked, and you established our country, / and we all call to you: / Rejoice, intercessor of the Russian land.

Prayer

Oh, good shepherd, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, for you loved Christ Jesus with all your soul, and from your youth you served diligently, you labored well in teaching and received the episcopacy worthily, you served the Orthodox Church, you endured many sorrows, preserving the faith and glorifying God, and finally You were crowned with the crown of martyrdom and now remain in the Heavenly abodes, overseeing and spiritually nourishing your flock.
Hear the prayerful voice of your children, standing before your holy image and honoring the place of your burial, and leading you as an intercessor and intercessor before the Lord, beg the Lord to establish the Orthodox faith in the Russian country, to grant the shepherds and flock zeal for piety and salvation, the youth who studied understanding of sciences, but love and harmony for each other, may He convert the lost and unite His Holy Church, may He abolish heresies, schisms, and may He save and have mercy on all Orthodox Christians and grant Him the Kingdom of Heaven, where you now rest joyfully after your labors and struggles, glorifying with all the saints God, glorified in the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to endless ages. Amen.

Memorial Days: 12/25 May, 17 February/(1)2 March
Date of Birth: 1530
Date of death: 17 February 1612
Ordination date: May 13, 1589
Holy relics are located in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral
The Russian Orthodox Church glorified Patriarch Hermogenes as a hieromartyr on May 12, 1913. In 2013, Orthodox Christians celebrate the 100th anniversary of the canonization.

Sschmch. They pray to Hermogenes for the strengthening of faith in difficult life circumstances, for the healing of spiritual and moral ailments, and in serious illnesses.

Life of His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes

Immortal in the grateful memory of posterity is the great name of His Holiness Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. But history, unfortunately, clearly and in detail remembers only the second half of the high priest’s life, which illuminated him with the glory of a martyr for the Orthodox faith and his fatherland. About the first half of the life of Saint Hermogenes, only a few, fragmentary and vague, news have reached us. Who was Saint Hermogenes by origin, how he grew up and was brought up, who was planted in his soul, which later bore “hundred-fold fruit” - the seeds of selfless love for the Orthodox Church and his native land - history does not give a direct answer to all these questions.

About the youth of His Holiness the Patriarch

Saint Hermogen was born around 1530, probably in places along the Volga or near the Don: a distant legend calls Kazan the birthplace of the patriarch; Polish news reports about his stay in his youth on the Don. The glorious high priest of the Russian land, in any case, was not of noble origin. On one of the icons in Vyatka there is a record that in 1607 Patriarch Ermogen blessed his son-in-law, a townsman in Vyatka, Korniliy Ryazantsev, with the icon. If Saint Hermogen had come, as some think, from the princely family of the Shuiskys or Golitsyns, then, of course, the husband of his close relative would not have been a townsman: Ancient Rus' strictly observed a custom that has not lost its meaning, which required that father-in-law and son-in-law be approximately equal social status. More likely than others is the opinion that Patriarch Ermogen “belonged to the number of the townsman tax people or to the townsman clergy.” This is evidenced by the fact that among the patriarch’s relatives there were people of clergy: one priest and five monks; and he himself was a priest before he was tonsured as a monk; Moreover, the entire life of Saint Hermogenes known to us, surrounded by the spirit of churchliness, leads us to assume that the future high priest grew up in a spiritual environment. Saint Hermogen probably studied in one of those theological schools that, by virtue of the resolution of the Council of the Hundred Heads (1551), were located at the houses of clergy or at monasteries. They think that the teacher of St. Hermogenes was Herman, later the (second) Archbishop of Kazan, a husband, according to contemporaries, “highly intelligent, a zealous student of the Holy Scriptures.” It is possible that it was Saint Herman, as a bookish man, who instilled in Saint Hermogenes the love for the word of God that distinguished him and for the writing of religious, moral and church-historical content that was circulating in Rus' at that time.

Finding of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

The first definite news about Saint Hermogenes comes in 1579. At this time, 50-year-old Ermogen was, on his own instructions, a priest at the Gostinnodvorskaya Church in Kazan. Of course, Saint Hermogen could have taken this place earlier than the year mentioned: they think that it was to Saint Hermogen that “a certain insightful speech” (that is, a prediction) about the abbot of the Transfiguration Monastery, sent “to a cleric living in the world”, to the saints, refers Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver (1571-1576), who lived in retirement in the said monastery.

The end of the 70s of the 16th century was a difficult time for the religious and moral life of the Kazan region. In 1576, Saint Barsanuphius, the last of the great trinity of Kazan educators of the teachings of Christ, died. Burning with true missionary zeal, Saint Barsanuphius, an expert in foreign languages ​​and a free doctor, was equally dear to both Russians and foreigners of the Kazan region. With his death, Christian Kazan felt, as it were, orphaned, abandoned: it lived with memories of glorious educators, illuminated by the halo of apostolic greatness in the feat of enlightening foreigners. To top off the loss, in 1579, in June, a fire destroyed half of the Kremlin, most of the Kazan Posad, all the shopping arcades, the Grand Duke's Palace and the Transfiguration Monastery, in which the graves of Saints Guria and Barsanuphius were located. In such a great disaster, the Mohammedans, who were generally unfriendly towards their recent victors, saw God’s wrath on the Orthodox, among other things, for the worship of icons. Remembering this time, Saint Hermogenes later wrote: “Then the true Orthodox faith was a parable and a reproach; there was no healing spring in Kazan then.”

But in these difficult days for the Orthodox Church in the newly conquered region, the Lord did not hesitate to provide gracious help and encouragement. The terrible fire of 1579 began with the house of the archer Daniil Onuchin. On the site of this house, where the cold church of the Kazan convent is now located, on July 8, an icon of the Mother of God miraculously appeared. The news of the appearance of the “Diligent Intercessor” was greeted with reverent joy by the Christian population of Kazan: they realized that “the blessed icon - an inexhaustible source” - God gave to the Orthodox of the Kazan region, “let not the pagans say, where their God is, they believe in Ungozhe... . may their lips be stopped... and the Orthodox faith may be established.” All the people flocked to the place where the miraculous image appeared; here the governors and the clergy, led by Archbishop Jeremiah, gathered; Among the latter was the Nikolo-Gostinnodvorsky priest, the future Patriarch Ermogen. Everyone united before the icon of the Mother of God in a feeling of high religious tenderness, which evoked tears of praise and gratitude to the Lord God and the Most Pure One. This feeling also gripped the soul of Saint Hermogenes: although “he was stony-hearted, he still shed tears,” he says about himself, “and fell to the miraculous icon and to the Eternal Infant Savior Christ.” With the blessing of the archbishop, Saint Hermogenes was honored to be the first to take the image of the Mother of God “from the tree,” which marked the location of the icon in the ground from which it was dug; then, having shown the honest image to the people, as a victorious banner of Orthodoxy, Saint Hermogen transferred it in a solemn procession of the cross, with a huge crowd of worshipers, to the neighboring church of Saint Nicholas of Tula. It was probably not without the participation of Saint Hermogenes that a brief account of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God was compiled and sent to Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible. At the site of the appearance of the image, the tsar ordered the construction of a wooden temple in honor of the Mother of God, which laid the foundation for the first convent in Kazan. Subsequently, in 1594, already being Metropolitan of Kazan and Astrakhan, Saint Hermogen wrote a detailed “Tale of the appearance of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the city of Kazan”; He also composed stichera and canons for the service on the day of the appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God; Warmed by a deep religious feeling and imbued with high religious inspiration, the troparion “The Zealous Intercessor”, known to every Orthodox person, also belongs to Saint Hermogenes. Since 1579, the thread of news about Saint Hermogenes until 1587 is broken. This year he takes monastic vows, as one must think, in Moscow, in the Chudov Monastery: the latter is called his “promise”, i.e. that is, the place where he embarked on the path of monastic achievement, having given the initial vows of monasticism. At the same time, or soon after, Saint Hermogenes was elected abbot, and then elevated to the rank of archimandrite of the Kazan Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. Saint Hermogen accepted this election with tenderness before the memory of the founder and first abbot of the monastery, Saint Barsanuphius. “And I, the indecent one,” he writes about himself, “happened in that holy monastery to be fifth after him (i.e., Barsanuphius), to stand in his place and hold his staff in my hand.”

After three years of ruling the monastery, which was spent mainly in the work of restoring the burnt-out (in 1579) monastery, Saint Hermogen in 1589 (May 13) was elevated to the Kazan See and began a series of Kazan and Astrakhan metropolitans. For seventeen years, Metropolitan Hermogenes held the staff of the Kazan High Hierarch with great dignity, ruling, like a true shepherd of Christ, the diocese, which embraced the vast eastern and southeastern region. The leadership of the diocese, in the southeastern regions of which church and civil life was just beginning, and in the northern regions it was difficult to strengthen among a diverse population of different faiths, required wise prudence from Saint Hermogenes. Time also called for careful vigilance. The years of the bishopric of Saint Hermogenes in Kazan marked the beginning of that “ruin” of the Russian state, which is known in the history of our homeland under the name of the “Time of Troubles” and which almost brought Orthodox Rus' to the brink of destruction. On May 15, 1591, in Uglich, Tsarevich Dimitri, the only brother of the childless Tsar Theodore, died at the hands of a hired killer. The mysterious death of the prince, which still remains a mystery, ending the Rurik dynasty, gave rise to dark rumors and different rumors among the people. The latter, of course, reached Kazan. A man of great statesmanship and completely devoted to his homeland, the Metropolitan was well aware of the danger that the violent death of the prince could pose to Rus'. These assumptions were especially true in relation to the Kazan region with its foreign population, who had not yet forgotten their independent life, isolated from Rus'. In addition, among foreigners who converted to Orthodoxy, the spirit of living religious faith that was generated by the apostolic works of the first great enlighteners of Kazan began to gradually disappear. During this difficult time of emerging turmoil, Metropolitan Ermogen declared himself a zealot for Orthodoxy and nationality.

Metropolitan of the Kazan See

Upon entering the department, Metropolitan Ermogen called the newly baptized foreigners to the cathedral church and taught them, instructing them in Christian life. But the missionary activity of the archpastor met such cold and blind indifference among the Kazan governors that the saint was forced to write to the Tsar and Patriarch about the decline of the mission and the weakness of the newly baptized in the Orthodox faith. Many of the newly baptized Tatars and other foreigners, having only visibly accepted Christianity, remained Mohammedans in their souls. Living among the Tatars, Chuvash, Cheremis and Votyaks, the converts led the same way of life, which was not typical for Christians: they did not go to the temple of God, did not wear crosses, did not keep honest icons in their houses, did not call priests or spiritual fathers to their homes they didn’t have children, they didn’t baptize, they got married in the Tatar way, even after the wedding in the church they kept concubines in addition to their wives, they didn’t observe fasts, “and they kept many other customs shamelessly and didn’t get used to Christianity.” Observing the unbelief of the converts, the Tatars not only did not get baptized, but directly cursed Christianity; Not only that, many of the Russians, living with wealthy Mohammedans, fell away from Orthodoxy; others, who served with the Germans resettled in the Kazan region after the Livonian War, voluntarily or for money accepted either Catholicism or Protestantism, leaving the faith of their fathers. Saint Hermogen saw the reason for such sad phenomena, in addition to the neighboring communication of new Christians with infidels, in the absence of the required number of churches, while mosques were erected by the Tatars even near Kazan Posad - “just like shooting from a bow” - which had not happened before. In response to this report from Saint Hermogenes, a royal letter was received (dated July 18, 1593) addressed to the Kazan authorities about the eviction of the newly baptized to a new settlement in Kazan, allocating them with land from the palace lands closest to Kazan, with a ban on building mosques and with an order to destroy those built “ by mistake” of secular authorities. For the future, the Tatars and Germans were forbidden to keep Russian people in their service.

For the same purposes of strengthening the principles of Orthodoxy in the consciousness of the flock and the spiritual unification of the metropolis with the indigenous Russian regions, Saint Hermogen brings out from oblivion the memory of the martyrs, fighters and workers for the Orthodox faith and the Russian land in the Kazan region. On January 9, 1592, Saint Hermogen wrote to Patriarch Job that in Kazan there is still no special commemoration of the Orthodox commanders and soldiers who died on the battlefield near Kazan and within the Kazan region, “on whose bones Christian and Russian Kazan stood.” The Metropolitan asked to establish a specific day for their commemoration, so that throughout the Kazan Metropolis they would sing requiems for them and serve mass. At the same time, Saint Hermogen wrote to the patriarch about those forgotten martyrs who accepted death in Kazan for confessing the name of Christ. The saint collected information about them by reading records that existed before him in Kazan, and by interviewing reliable persons; of these martyrs, one - John - was a Russian from Nizhny Novgorod, taken prisoner by the Tatars, and two - Stephen and Peter - were converted Tatars. Saint Hermogenes grieved that these martyrs were not included in the synod, which is read on the week of Orthodoxy, and eternal memory is not sung to them. Soon, Saint Hermogen received a letter of response from Patriarch Job. In it, the Patriarch blessed all Orthodox soldiers killed near Kazan and within its borders to perform a memorial service throughout the Kazan Metropolis on the first Saturday after the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and to include them in the large synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy; The patriarch ordered the names of the three Kazan martyrs to be included in this synodik; The patriarch allowed the day of remembrance to be appointed by Metropolitan Hermogen himself. Announcing the patriarchal decree for the diocese, Saint Hermogen personally ordered that liturgies and memorial services for the Kazan martyrs in all churches be celebrated on January 24 - the day of John’s martyrdom.

In 1592, Metropolitan Ermogen took an active part in glorifying the memory of his teacher and educator of Kazan, Archbishop Herman of Kazan, who was taken by force (in 1566) to the Moscow metropolitan throne, then incurred the unjust wrath of Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible and, on his orders, was expelled from metropolitan chambers: Saint Herman died in Moscow on November 6, 1567 during a pestilence and was “buried in the rank of hierarchs” at the Church of Saint Nicholas the Wet. Residents of the city of Sviyazhsk, in which Saint Herman labored before being elevated to the priesthood and founded the Assumption Monastery of the Theotokos, famous for its missionary activity, asked Tsar Theodore Ioannovich and Patriarch Job to allow them to transfer the relics of the archpastor to their city. This petition to the authorities was strongly supported by Saint Hermogenes. Permission was given, and with the blessing of the patriarch, Metropolitan Hermogen met the relics of Saint Herman in Sviyazhsk, saw and touched them, and then “honestly” buried them in the Assumption Monastery. In 1595, during the reconstruction of the Kazan Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, while digging ditches to lay a new stone church, the tombs of the Kazan saints were discovered: Guria, the first Archbishop of Kazan, and Barsanuphius. Having arrived with the entire consecrated cathedral, Metropolitan Ermogen opened first the tomb of Saint Gurias, and then Saint Barsanuphius: the bodies of the saints of God turned out to be incorruptible. Saint Hermogenes transferred the relics into arks and placed them above the ground for veneration. During the discovery of the relics of Saints Guria and Barsanuphius, Metropolitan Hermogenes found and then again interred the remains of the disciples of Saint Guria, the monks Jonah and Nektarios, in the world of boyars from the family of Zastolbsky. By order of the tsar and the blessing of the patriarch, Metropolitan Ermogen compiled the lives of Guria and Barsanuphius, the Kazan wonderworkers. It was probably at the same time that Saint Hermogen composed the service for the discovery of the relics. Drawing the attention of his flock to glorious faces and events from the recent past in the church life of the Kazan region for edification, Metropolitan Hermogen intensively built churches. In this way he satisfied the urgent need for churches, of which there were very few in the newly conquered region, and, moreover, he sought to show his flock in a visual, tangible way the power and greatness of Orthodoxy.

While in Moscow to be ordained a metropolitan, Saint Hermogen personally petitioned the pious Tsar Theodore Ioannovich to build a stone church at the site of the appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and to decorate the honorable icon with dignity. Burning with the spirit of warm faith, the king went to meet the intercession. By his order, in 1594, on April 14, a “wonderful stone church” was founded in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, with two chapels - the Dormition of the Mother of God and St. Alexander Nevsky. The temple was consecrated on October 27 of the following year (1595). The Tsar supplied the new temple of the Kazan monastery with everything necessary: ​​books, vestments, local icons; Among the latter, the image of “Deesis”, overlaid with silver, stood out. The most revealed icon of the Lady was richly decorated with gold, precious stones and large pearls from the royal treasures. From the royal treasury money, bread and “everything needed” were given to sixty nuns and elders of the monastery. With the assistance of Saint Hermogenes, by order of the king and the blessing of the patriarch, a majestic stone church was erected in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the Transfiguration Monastery. In 1601, Metropolitan Ermogen from the bishop's lands ceded to the city of Kazan to expand the settlement of Zabulachnaya Sloboda; He resettled the metropolitan people who were in it to the village of Kulmameteva, transforming the latter into the village of Arkhangelskoye. The saint built a temple here in the name of the Archangel Michael; Moreover, both the temple itself, and all its utensils and the entire church building, among other things, cells for the poor, were created at the expense of the metropolitan treasury. Saint Hermogen built a temple in the name of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica on the outskirts of the city, in Yagodnaya Sloboda. The main temple of Kazan in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary under Metropolitan Hermogenes was enriched with icons of the Deesis, holidays and prophets; These icons were overlaid with silver in basma. The founding of the men's (now women's) Feodorovsky monastery in Kazan dates back to the time of St. Hermogen's administration of the Kazan metropolis.

On January 7, 1598, Tsar Feodor Ioannovich died, in whose person the last Rurikovich went to his grave. The throne of the Russian state was occupied (February 17) by Boris Feodorovich Godunov. With two archimandrites of the Kazan monasteries, Metropolitan Ermogen participated in the Moscow Council, which elected Boris Godunov to the throne; He also participated in the national prayer under the Novodevichy Convent, when the population of Moscow, led by the clergy, begged Boris, who had taken refuge behind the walls of the monastery with his widowed sister-queen, not to hesitate, but to accept his election to the throne. Very little news has been preserved about the activities of Metropolitan Hermogenes during the reign of Boris Godunov, mainly talking about the temple-building works of the Kazan High Hierarch.

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