Perhaps the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is the only holiday that began simultaneously with the event itself, to which it is dedicated.

After the greatest events in the history of mankind took place - the Crucifixion, Burial, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, the holy Cross, which served as the instrument of execution of the Savior, was lost. After the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman troops in 70, the holy places associated with earthly life Gentlemen, fell into oblivion, on some of them pagan temples were built.

The acquisition of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross took place during the reign of Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine the Great.

According to church historians of the 4th century, Constantine’s mother, Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena, went to Jerusalem at the request of her royal son to find places connected with the events of Christ’s earthly life, as well as the Holy Cross, the miraculous appearance of which became for Saint Constantine a sign of victory over the enemy. The literature contains three different versions of the legend about the acquisition of the Cross of the Lord.

According to the most ancient (it is given by church historians of the 5th century - Rufin of Aquileia, Socrates, Sozomen and others, and probably goes back to the lost " church history» Gelasius of Caesarea (4th century), the Holy Cross was located under the pagan sanctuary of Venus. When it was destroyed, three crosses were found, as well as a tablet and nails with which the Savior was nailed to the instrument of execution. In order to find out which of the crosses is the one on which the Lord was crucified, Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem († 333) proposed to attach each of them in turn to a seriously ill woman. When she was healed after touching one of the crosses, all those gathered glorified God, who pointed to the greatest shrine of the True Cross of the Lord, which was raised by the saint for everyone to see.

The second hypothesis, dated to the first half of the 5th century, dates this event to the 1st century: the Cross was found by Protonika, the wife of Emperor Claudius I (41-54), and then hidden and rediscovered in the 4th century.

The third version of the legend, which arose, like the second, in Syria in the 5th century, reports: St. Helen tried to find out the location of the Cross from the Jews of Jerusalem, and in the end, one elderly Jew, named Judas, who at first did not want to speak, after the torture indicated the place - Temple of Venus Saint Helena ordered the destruction of the temple and excavations. Three crosses were found there. A miracle helped to reveal the Cross of Christ - resurrection through touching the true Cross of a dead man who was carried past. Of Judas, it is reported that he subsequently converted to Christianity with the name Cyriacus and became bishop of Jerusalem.

It must be said that the latest version was the most popular in the Middle and Late Byzantine eras. It is on it that the prologue legend is based, intended to be read on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross according to the modern liturgical books of the Orthodox Church.

The exact date of finding the Holy Cross is unknown. Apparently, it took place in 325 or 326. After finding the Holy Cross, Constantine began the construction of a number of churches, where divine services were to be performed with the solemnity appropriate to the Holy City. Around the year 335, the large basilica of Martyrium, erected directly near Golgotha ​​and the cave of the Holy Sepulcher, was consecrated. The day of its renewal (that is, consecration), as well as the rotunda of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulcher) and other buildings on the site of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Savior on September 13 or 14, began to be celebrated annually with great solemnity, and the remembrance of the acquisition of the Holy Cross was included in the festive celebration in honor of renewal.

Already at the end of the 4th century, the feast of the renewal of the Martyrium basilica and the rotunda of the Resurrection was one of the three main holidays of the year in the Jerusalem Church, along with Easter and Epiphany.

The Western pilgrim Etheria describes it in great detail in her notes: renewal was celebrated for eight days; every day the Divine Liturgy was celebrated solemnly; temples were decorated in the same way as on Epiphany and Easter; many people came to Jerusalem for the feast, including those from remote areas - Mesopotamia, Egypt, Syria. It is especially emphasized that the renewal was celebrated on the same day when the Cross of the Lord was found. In addition, Etheria draws a parallel between the events of the consecration of the Jerusalem churches and the Old Testament temple built by Solomon.

The choice of September 13 or 14 as the eorthological date of renewal, which at the present time cannot be unquestionably motivated, could be due both to the very fact of the consecration of churches on these days, and a conscious choice. The renewal can be considered the Christian analogue of the Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles, one of the three main holidays of the Old Testament worship (see: Lev. 34:33-36), celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th month according to the Old Testament calendar ( given month roughly corresponds to September), especially since the consecration of Solomon's temple also took place during the Feast of Tabernacles. The date of the renewal holiday - September 13 - coincides with the date of the consecration of the temple of Jupiter Capitoline in Rome, and a Christian holiday could be established instead of a pagan one. Correspondences are possible between the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14 and the day of the Crucifixion of the Savior on Nisan 14, as well as between the Exaltation of the Cross and the feast of the Transfiguration, celebrated 40 days before.

Church historian Sozomen asserts: since the consecration of Martyrium under Constantine the Great, the Jerusalem Church has been celebrating this feast every year. Even the sacrament of baptism is taught on it, and church meetings continue for eight days.

According to the Jerusalem Lectionary (in Armenian translation) of the 5th century, on the second day of the Feast of Renewal, the Holy Cross was shown to all the people.

In other words, the Exaltation of the Cross was originally established as an additional holiday accompanying the main celebration in honor of the renewal - similar to the holidays in honor of Mother of God on the day after the Nativity of Christ or in honor of John the Baptist on the day after the Baptism of the Lord.

Starting from the 6th century, the Exaltation of the Cross began to gradually become a more significant holiday than the holiday of renewal. If in the life of the Monk Savva the Sanctified, written in the VI century Reverend Cyril Scythopolsky, they still talk about the celebration of renewal, but not the Exaltation, then already in the life of St. Mary of Egypt, traditionally attributed to St. Most importantly, it was on this feast that she miraculously turned to repentance.

The celebration of the Exaltation on September 14 in the 4th century in the East is also evidenced in the lives of St. John Chrysostom, Eutyches, Patriarch of Constantinople († 582), Simeon the Holy Fool († c. 590).

At the same time, it is noteworthy that in the 4th century worship Holy Cross was timed in the Jerusalem Church not yet to the holiday in question, but to Good Friday.

The very word Exaltation in surviving monuments it is first found in Alexander the Monk (527–565), the author of a laudatory word to the Cross.

By the 7th century, the close connection between the holidays of renewal and the Exaltation of the Cross ceased to be felt - perhaps due to the Persian invasion of Palestine and the sack of Jerusalem by them in 614, when the Holy Cross was captured, and the archaic Jerusalem liturgical tradition was destroyed.

Subsequently, the eorthological situation developed in such a way that it was the Exaltation of the Cross that became the main holiday. The celebration of the renewal of the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection, although preserved in liturgical books up to the present, has become a pre-holiday day before the Exaltation of the Cross.

It is clear that at first it was a purely local holiday of the Jerusalem Church. But soon enough it spreads to other Churches of the East, especially in those places that owned a part of the Life-Giving Cross, for example, in Constantinople.

The holiday was to become especially widespread and strengthened in solemnity upon the return of the Cross from the Persian captivity under the emperor Heraclius in 628. This event served as a time point from which one can count the celebration of the Exaltation in the Latin West, during the pontificate of Pope Honorius I (625-638), with the name "the day of finding the Cross." And it was celebrated on May 3: “This could have happened from the fact that the East already had a feast in honor of the Holy Cross on September 14 and did not need a new one.”

Wed mirror hypothesis: “In the “Methodology of the East” the following consideration was expressed on this occasion: “Probably, this celebration was transferred from May to September, except for the connection with the memory of the consecration of the temple, also because it fell on the days of Pentecost in May and did not agree with the joy of these days."

As for the fast on the day of the Exaltation, the remark about it first appears in the Rules of the Jerusalem edition and in the earliest manuscripts. In cathedral churches they fast for a day, and in monasteries for two, including September 13th. On the Exaltation, it is allowed to eat oil and wine, but not fish. Nikon Chernogorets testifies: “We could not find anything recorded about the fast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, but everywhere it is performed. It is known from the examples of the great saints that they had the custom of being cleansed before the great feasts. They say that with this fast, the believers decided to be cleansed before kissing the Holy Cross, since this holiday itself was established for this. In the cathedral churches, this feast is celebrated one day and fasting is kept, and in the Studite and Jerusalem Typikon for two days - a feast and a prefeast.

Feast in Orthodox worship

Continuing the conversation about the liturgical formation of the Exaltation, it should be noted that in the already mentioned Armenian translation of the Jerusalem Lectionary, the renewal remains the main holiday. On the second day of the feast (that is, the day of the Exaltation), September 14, everyone gathers in the Martyrium, and the same antiphon and readings are repeated (prokimen from Ps. 64; 1 Tim. 3: 14-16; alleluia with a verse from Ps. 147 ; John 10:22-42), as on the eve.

The Georgian version of the Lectionary (V-VII centuries) contains the following information: the Feast of Renewal on September 13 lasts eight days. At the same time, September 14 already has a special name - "the day of the Exaltation of the Cross." At 3 o'clock (9 o'clock in the morning - after Matins), the rite of the exaltation of the Holy Cross and worship of it is performed, after which the Divine Liturgy follows. For her, the troparion (apparently, the input) "Christ's seal" with a verse from Ps. 27; readings (Prov. 3: 18-23; Is. 65: 22-24; Pr. 14: 1-7; Eze. 9: 2-6; 1 Cor. 1: 18-25; alleluiarium with a verse from Ps. 45 ; John 19: 16b-37), which are taken from the Good Friday service; troparia for the washing of hands and for the transfer of gifts - "The voice of Your prophet" and "The faces of angels glorify You." There is also a prokimen at Vespers on the day of the Exaltation (from Ps. 97). It is noteworthy that the Feast of Renewal in the Lectionary is the beginning of a new cycle of liturgical readings, Sundays after it are called the first, second, etc. by update.

In Iadgari (Georgian translation of the Jerusalem Tropology - a collection of hymnographic works), reflecting the Palestinian liturgical practice of the 7th-9th centuries, the Feast of the Exaltation is listed as the second day of the eight-day celebration in honor of the renewal of Jerusalem churches. A large number of hymns dedicated to the Holy Cross testify to the separation of the Exaltation into an independent holiday.

After the 10th century, the ancient Jerusalem tradition gave way to that of Constantinople.

In Constantinople, the feast of the renewal of churches did not have the same significance as in Jerusalem - for quite objective reasons. At the same time, the ever-increasing veneration of the Holy Tree of the Lord's Cross made the Exaltation one of the great feasts of the liturgical year. It was within the framework of the Constantinopolitan tradition, which in the post-iconoclast period became decisive in the worship of the entire Orthodox East, that the Exaltation finally surpassed the Feast of Renewal.

According to various lists of the Typicon Great Church, reflecting the post-iconoclastic conciliar practice of Constantinople in the 9th-12th centuries, the feast of the renewal of the Jerusalem churches on September 13 is one-day or even not celebrated at all. The Feast of the Exaltation on September 14, in contrast, is a five-day holiday cycle, including a four-day period of prefeast - September 10-13 and the day of the holiday - September 14.

Worship of the Cross began already on the days of forefeast: on September 10 and 11, men came to worship, on September 12 and 13 - women. The ceremony took place between morning and noon.

On September 13, at Matins on Ps 50, at the 3rd antiphon of the liturgy, and instead of the liturgical Trisagion, it is prescribed to sing the troparion of the 2nd plagal, that is, the 6th tone.

On the day of the feast, September 14, the service was distinguished by great solemnity: on the eve they performed a festive vespers (the initial antiphons, except for the 1st, final and entrance (“Lord, cry”), were canceled) with the reading of three proverbs (Ex. 15: 22–26; Proverbs 3:11-18; Isaiah 60:11-16; each of them is preceded by prokeimons - from Ps. 92, 59 and 73 respectively); at the end of Vespers, the troparion "Save, O Lord, Thy people" is laid. Pannikhis is also served - a short evening service on the eve of the holidays and special days. Matins was performed according to the festive rite (“on the pulpit”), to Ps. 50 chanted not one, but six troparia. After the great doxology, the rite of the exaltation of the Cross was performed. At the end of the exaltation and veneration of the Cross, the Divine Liturgy began. Her antiphons were canceled, and the troparion “We worship Thy Cross, O Lord,” was immediately sung, replacing the Trisagion. The readings of the liturgy are as follows: the prokeimenon from Ps. 98; 1 Cor. 1:18–22; alleluiarium with verses from Ps. 73; In. 19:6b, 9–11, 13–20, 25–28, 30–35 (with difficult opening verse). At Vespers on the day of the Exaltation, they sang the prokeimenon from Ps. 113.

In addition to the readings, the week after the Exaltation also had a special memory of the Hieromartyr Simeon, a relative of the Lord, with its following.

The Feast of the Exaltation received its final form in the 9th-12th centuries, when Orthodox world had different editions of the Studio Charter. The corpus of chants of the Exaltation in its various editions is generally the same. The holiday has a prefeast and an afterfeast. The liturgical readings of the feast, Saturdays and weeks before and after the Exaltation are taken from the Typicon of the Great Church. But there are also differences. Thus, the first paroemia of the feast at Vespers (Ex. 15:22-26) is usually increased by two verses - up to 16:1. The Gospel of the Sabbath before the Exaltation (Matt. 10:37-42) is read one verse more - up to 11: 1. The Apostolic reading of the Liturgy of the Exaltation, on the other hand, is abridged: 1 Cor. 1:18–24. And, of course, the rite of the exaltation of the Cross at the festive morning was also borrowed from the Constantinopolitan tradition.

Following the Typicon of the Great Church, in many manuscripts and editions of the Jerusalem Rule, the memory of Hieromartyr Simeon is commemorated on the week after the Exaltation. Usually, his follow-up is reduced to a procimen and alleluia at the liturgy, but some monuments, such as the “Officer of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral” of the 30s of the 17th century, prescribe to sing the follow-up of the holy martyr more fully.

In many Jerusalem (and Studian) Typikons, on September 14, the memory of the death of St. John Chrysostom is indicated. But its service on this day is usually canceled due to the inconvenience of combining two solemn services together. Thus, in the southern Italian editions of the Studian Rule, the ordination of the saint is transferred to Compline or Midnight Office.

In continuation of the theme of the Studian Typicon, it should be noted that in its numerous variants, the service of the Feast of the Exaltation is celebrated according to the festive rite. At Vespers there is an entrance and paroemias are read, the composition of which, like the liturgical readings, coincides with the indications of the Charter of the Great Church. At Matins, a reading is taken from chapter 12 of the Gospel of John, to which is added "Seeing the Resurrection of Christ" .

At the present stage, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the Russian Orthodox Church is ranked among the great twelfth, is Lord's, non-transitory. On the day of the holiday, a fast is established, similar to the usual fast on Wednesday and Friday, that is, without the permission of the fish. The eorthological cycle also includes one day of fore-feast (September 13) and seven days of after-feast (from September 15 to 21), giving away on September 21.

The Rite of the Exaltation of the Cross on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

The rite of the Exaltation of the Cross is an integral part of the service of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

After the event of finding the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, the custom was soon established annually to commemorate this event, as well as to commemorate the consecration (renovation) of the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Church of the Holy Sepulcher) to perform the rite of the exaltation of the Cross.

The Typicon knows a large number of various variants of this rite, both local and chronological. N.D. Uspensky believes: "The variety of rites of exaltation is explained by the fact that the rite of the exaltation of the Cross was an indispensable and general church feature of the festive service."

So, already in the Jerusalem Lectionary of the 5th century, preserved in the Armenian translation, the ceremony of raising the Cross for viewing by all those who pray is mentioned.

In the Georgian translation of the Lectionary, which reflects the practice of the 5th-7th centuries, the rite of the exaltation of the Cross is described in detail. It took place on September 14 at the third hour after dawn and began with the fact that the clergy entered the deacon, dressed, decorated the Cross or even three Crosses and placed them on the holy throne. The rite itself included three exaltations (raises) of the Cross, each of which was preceded by a group of prayers and chants and was accompanied by a 50-fold "Lord, have mercy." After the third exaltation, the Cross was washed with fragrant water, which was distributed to the people after the liturgy, and everyone was applied to the Cross. Then he was again placed on the holy throne and the Divine Liturgy began.

At least by the 6th century, the rite of the exaltation of the Cross was already known and performed not only in Jerusalem, but also in other places. Christendom: Evagrius Scholasticus reports on the sacred ceremony of raising the Cross and enclosing it around the temple, which took place in Apamea Syrian. The compiler of the "Easter Chronicle" of the 7th century, noting the celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross in Constantinople in 644, speaks of the third exaltation, which indicates the existence of a complex rank in Constantinople by that time.

According to the post-iconoclastic Typicon of the Great Church, which is found in later Slavic manuscripts, in the Church of Hagia Sophia, the rite of the exaltation of the Cross was performed after entering at Matins, following the troparia in honor of the Cross. The rite itself is described briefly: the patriarch, standing on the pulpit, raised the Cross, holding it in his hands, and the people proclaimed: “Lord, have mercy”; this was repeated three times.

In the Typicons of the Studio tradition, the rite of exaltation is based on the Constantinopolitan cathedral code, but is simplified in comparison with it. Chin is included in the Matins, in its final part. Instead of three cycles of five exaltations, only one is performed (consisting of five exaltations: twice to the east and once to the rest of the world).

In the Jerusalem Charter, starting from its earliest editions and ending with the printed Typicons, the rite of the exaltation of the Cross retains character traits, known from studio monuments: it takes place in the morning after the great doxology and singing of the troparion “Save, O Lord, Thy people”, consists of five times overshadowing with the Cross and raising it to the cardinal points (to the east, south, west, north and again to the east) . An important change, in comparison with the Studio monuments, is the addition to the rank of five deacon's petitions (corresponding to five overshadowings of the Cross), after each of which the hundredfold "Lord, have mercy" is sung. In addition, according to the Jerusalem Charter, before raising the Cross, the primate must bow to the ground so that his head is a span away from the ground - approximately 18 centimeters.

During the correction of liturgical books in the Russian Church in the second half of the 17th century, the order of the fall of the cardinal points during the rite was changed: the Cross is erected to the east, west, south, north and again to the east. This scheme has continued to the present day.

Patristic exegesis of the feast

At Matins or at the All-Night Vigil of the Exaltation in the Byzantine monastic Typicons, in the patristic Lectionaries it is prescribed to read one or more of the following patristic writings: St. John Chrysostom, Bishop Severian of Gabala (late 4th - early 5th centuries), St. Basil of Seleucia (5th century BC). ), Alexander the Monk (VI c.), Reverend Andrew Crete (VIII century), a fragment about the appearance of the Cross to Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and about the acquisition of the Cross, known in a number of versions.

On the week after the Exaltation, some lists of the Jerusalem Rite indicate the reading of oros VI Ecumenical Council.

The semantic center of the patristic exegesis associated with the holiday in question, of course, becomes the reverent veneration of the Cross: “The Cross of Christ is the beautiful praise of Christians, the honest preaching of the apostles, the royal crown of the martyrs, the precious adornment of the prophets, the most brilliant illumination of the whole world! Cross of Christ... protect those who glorify you with a fiery heart. Save those who with faith receive and kiss you. Govern your servants in peace and firm faith. Vouchsafe everyone to reach the joyful and bright day of resurrection, guarding us in Christ Jesus our Lord ”(St. Theodore the Studite).

Holiday in pre-Chalcedonian and Western traditions

At first, in the Western tradition, the Exaltation did not have the status of an independent holiday and was celebrated only as a worship of the Cross, supplementing the traditional Roman memory of the holy martyrs Cornelius of Rome and Cyprian of Carthage, which falls on September 14. Gradually, the celebration became more solemn.

The pontifical service of the feast involved showing the people and worshiping the relic of the Cross. Already in the 7th-8th centuries, the rite, regardless of the papal one, developed in the Roman titular Churches. The holiday was eventually included in the liturgical calendar, and the veneration of the relic was replaced by the veneration of the image of the Cross.

The Sacramentaries and Missals give a series of prayers for the Exaltation Mass. Phil. 2: 5 (or 8) - 11 or Col. 1:26-29 and Matt. 13:44, or Jn. 3:15 (or 16), or Jn. 12:31–36. The readings of the Tridentine Missal are as follows: Phil. 5:8–11 and Jn. 12:31–36; and the newest, Phil. 2:6–11 and Jn. 3:13–17.

On the day of the Exaltation, the veneration of the Cross was performed, consisting of prayer and kissing the Cross, similar to the veneration of the Cross on Great Friday.

In the Gallican and Spanish-Mozarabic rites, instead of the Feast of the Exaltation, the Feast of the Finding of the Cross was known on May 3, which is the earliest mention in Latin sources in the Silo Lectionary, which arose around 650. The Gelasian Sacramentary has in some of its lists references to the Feasts of the Holy Cross and the Finding of the Holy Cross - just like the Gregorian Breviary. An even greater hesitation regarding these holidays is found in the lists of the month-word, attributed to the blessed Jerome, but ascending in ancient lists by the middle of the 7th century, where these holidays either do not exist at all, then they are both present, then in a later edition only May 3 is preserved (as in Bede's hymns of the VIII century) and in the Padua Sacramentary of the 9th century).

Thus, while the feast of the return of the Holy Cross under Heraclius in the west on May 3rd is almost universally widespread already in the 7th century, September 14th becomes known for the first time under the name "Exaltation of the Cross" (exaltatio Crucis) only in the 8th century, and then only in places (but there is news of its introduction in Rome by Pope Honorius I in the 7th century). Compare: "The holiday of May 3 is of Roman origin and is older than the holiday of September 14".

It should also be pointed out that in some Churches, for example, in Milan, the last feast is introduced only in the XI century. The final codification of the celebration of the event of the exaltation of the Cross did not occur until 1570.

Iconography of the holiday

Images of the event of finding the Cross by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena have been known since the 9th century. As a rule, these are miniatures, the compositional basis of which is not the historical scene with Patriarch Macarius, but the rite of the exaltation of the Cross in the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

In the Psalms, Psalm 98 is often illustrated in this way. St. John Chrysostom raises the Cross on the ambo. His memory falls on September 14, and he is considered one of the founders of the Constantinople liturgical tradition. Probably, these circumstances explain the appearance of this pictorial plot.

The ceremony of the erection of the Cross in Hagia Sophia with the participation of the emperor is described in detail in the treatise "On the ceremonies of the Byzantine court" of the middle of the 10th century. However, images of Basileus in this scene appear only in the Paleologian era (see the painting of the monastery of the Holy Cross near Platanistasy in Cyprus, 1494).

In Russian icons of the 15th-16th centuries, the image of the exaltation of the Cross is further developed. The crowded scene appears against the backdrop of a single-domed church, in the center on a semicircular pulpit stands the patriarch with a Cross raised above his head, decorated with plant branches, he is supported under the arms of the deacons, on the right under the ciborium are the king and queen, in the foreground are the singers. The earliest image of such a recension, which is very popular, was preserved on a tablet from the Novgorod Cathedral of St. Sophia (end of the 15th century).

Another variant of the same plot is presented on an icon of 1613 from the Bistrita monastery in Romania: the king and queen stand on either side of the patriarch, their hands outstretched in prayer. This pictorial variant developed under the influence of paired images Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena with a Cross in her hands, known from the 10th century (paintings of churches in Cappadocia).

The Exaltation is considered one of the most important Orthodox holidays and is celebrated annually on September 27th. Its history reaches the 4th century, when the Cross of the Lord was discovered in Palestine. It is one of the Twelve Feasts. The people also call this day the Third Osenins, which have their own traditions and signs.

History of the Feast of the Cross

The main symbol of this day is the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Once, Empress Elena went in search of the burial place of the Savior, but there were three crosses in front of her. Initially, no one could pinpoint exactly on which of them the Son of God was crucified, but the clue came by itself. One of the women who helped excavate the burial site was suddenly healed of a serious illness after touching one of the crosses. The legend also tells that one day the cross resurrected a dead person.

Each of these events is now carefully recorded in the history of Christianity, therefore, around the year 335, the church decided to celebrate this event with the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Empress Elena, who managed to find the cross, founded a temple in honor of the Cross of the Lord, and was later canonized.

IN modern world many fragments of the sacred Cross are kept. Of course, most of them are not real, but in Jerusalem there is the largest fragment. Previously, several parts were stored in Russia, but now they are gone.

Believers go to church for the All-night Vigil, which ends with a liturgy and the removal of a cross for worship. During the service, anyone can ask Higher power for help and to repent of unseemly deeds.

On the day of the holiday, it is customary to arrange dinner parties for the whole family and relatives, at which pies with cabbage are always present. The tradition has gone since ancient times, when our ancestors harvested a new crop.

It is worth sprinkling the house with holy water to cleanse it of any evil and ward off people with bad thoughts.

Our ancestors believed that on this day you can make a wish that will surely come true. They guess it at a flock of migratory birds flying by.

In the old days, on the day of the Exaltation, crosses were drawn with chalk on entrance doors and with reverse side to protect yourself and animals from unclean spirits and diseases. In the sheds where livestock lived, they did the same. In addition, they used amulets that protect against evil.

On the day of the holiday, it is customary to bring three candles from the church, go around the corners of the house, connecting the candles together, and read a protective prayer.

Celebration of the Exaltation in Rus'

After the introduction of Christianity in Rus', the people did not associate this holiday with any biblical events. Even in the pagan era, at this time they celebrated the harvest festival and farewell to summer. Only after some time, ordinary people began to go to church and perceive this holiday as a worship of the Cross, which has great power.

For the Orthodox, the Exaltation is considered the day of the struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. This fight is won in the end God's cross. Currently, a solemn divine service is being held in churches during the Exaltation, in which parishioners recall the events of two thousand years ago.

Regardless of the day of the week, the church calls for strict fasting on this day. It is no coincidence that the Exaltation is still popularly called cabbage. It is this product that is most often prepared for the holiday. Housewives manage to cook a lot of delicious dishes containing cabbage on a fast day, such as:

• borsch;
• pies;
• vareniki;
• pies;
• all kinds of salads, etc.

In some regions, the Exaltation is called Stavrov Day. This name comes from the ancient Greek word "stavros", which means cross.

Previously, in Russian villages, there was a tradition to burn or draw crosses on their homes in order to protect themselves from diseases and troubles. In the villages, all kinds of amulets in the form of a cross were also brought to the barn so that the cattle would not get sick. Do not forget about the bins with the harvest. On this day, they were consecrated so that the old stocks would be preserved until the new harvest.

In order for life to be prosperous, Russian villages held religious processions. People conveyed congratulations to each other and wished prosperity and health.

What is allowed to do on a holiday

You can do the necessary household chores: laundry, cooking, cleaning, washing dishes and bathing. The Church does not prohibit such events if they are really necessary. For example, there are sick relatives in the house who need care, or small children.

On the day of the holiday, it is customary to bring three candles from the church, go around the corners of the house, connecting the candles together, while reading a protective prayer.

On Exaltation, holy water has strong healing properties. She can wash and drink seriously ill people so that they get better.

Holiday bans

You can not start new cases that may turn out to be losing or cannot be completed for various reasons.

It is forbidden to eat products of animal origin.

It is worth abandoning entertainment events, watching entertainment programs.

According to the precepts of the ancestors, on this day there was no way into the forest - the animals were preparing for hibernation, and they could not be disturbed.

You can not scold, indulge negative emotions and enter into conflicts.

It is worth giving up needlework and working with the earth.

On the day of the holiday, the necessary things are not forbidden, but the clergy urge to remember that the day is intended for prayers and spiritual growth. On the 27th, you can gather with the whole family, visit the church and thank the powers of heaven for help and patronage.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated on September 27. This day traditionally symbolizes the transition from autumn to winter. Like many Orthodox holidays in Ukraine, the Exaltation of the Cross superimposed on the already existing folk traditions and omens. Thus, a symbiosis came out - a combination of Christian and more ancient, pagan, rites.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross - the history of the holiday

The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is always celebrated on the same day - September 27th. This is a unique holiday for Christianity, because, despite the status of the great, it is the only one whose history does not originate in the Bible.

The basis for the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord was the tradition of later years. According to this tradition, in 326 AD. near the mountain of Calvary, on which Jesus was crucified, the Calvary cross was found.

Ancient books say that it was in that year that Empress Elena came to Jerusalem on a visit, later canonized and named Equal-to-the-Apostles Elena. She went to Jerusalem in search of the Lord's relics. And she became one of the first who conducted archaeological excavations in holy places. It was thanks to the excavations under the auspices of the Empress that the Cross of the Lord was found, in honor of which the festival takes place on September 27th.

Traditions for the Exaltation of the Cross

On the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, according to tradition, it is necessary to perform the All-Night Vigil and the Liturgy, but more often everyone holds a festive Divine service.

On the Exaltation of the Cross, they thank God for salvation and ask for the health and health of their loved ones.

Our ancestors believed that the life-giving cross protects everything living from the evil eye, dark forces and evil, therefore, on this day, home-made crosses were also consecrated in the church, which were placed in huts, barns, barns, in secluded places in the yard, as well as water.

In addition, a strict fast is observed on the Exaltation - neither meat nor dairy products can be eaten, even if the holiday falls on Sunday.

There are proverbs among the people: "Whoever fasts on the Exaltation, seven sins will be forgiven" or "Whoever does not fast on the Exaltation, seven sins will be forgiven."

What can not be done on the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord

At the Exaltation of the Cross, they tried not to start important matters. It was believed that they could "freeze" halfway, just like the weather.

Also tried not to go on a long journey. Ancestors believed that on this day you can wander to the wrong place.

On this day, both children and adults were strictly forbidden to walk in nature. Hiking in the forest, to water bodies or to the fields on this day is not recommended.

Signs for Exaltation

On this day, snakes hide in holes.

On the Vozdvizheniye, the bear is in the lair, the snake is in the hole, and the birds are to the south.

At the good hostess in Vozdvizhdeniye and cabbage pie.

In Exaltation from the field, the last mop moves.

From the Exaltation, autumn shifts to winter.

If a cold north wind blows on this day, then the next summer will be hot.

In the Exaltation of the bird, summer is carried away over the seas.

Whoever does not fast on the Exaltation - seven sins will be raised on him.

Prayer for the erection of the honest and life-giving Cross of the Lord

O Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Of old, you were a shameful instrument of execution, now the sign of our salvation is forever revered and glorified! How worthily I can, unworthy, sing to Thee, and how dare I bow the knee of my heart before my Redeemer, confessing my sins! But the mercy and inexpressible philanthropy of the humble Boldness, Spread on you, gives me, let me open my mouth to glorify Thee; for this sake I cry to Ty: rejoice, Cross, the Church of Christ's beauty and foundation, the whole universe - affirmation, Christians of all - hope, kings - power, faithful - refuge, Angels - glory and chanting, demons - fear, destruction and driving away, wicked and unfaithful - shame, the righteous - delight, the burdened - weak, overwhelmed - a haven, the lost - a mentor, obsessed with passions - repentance, the poor - enrichment, floating - helmsmen, the weak - strength, in battles - victory and overcoming, orphans - true protection, widows - intercessor, virgins - protection of chastity, hopeless - hope, sick - doctor and the dead - resurrection! You, foreshadowed by the miraculous rod of Moses, a life-giving source, soldering those who are thirsty for spiritual life and delighting our sorrows; You are a bed, on which the Resurrected Conqueror of Hell rested royally for three days. For this sake, morning, and evening, and noon, I glorify Thee, the blessed Tree, and I pray by the will of Him who has blossomed on Thee, may He enlighten and strengthen my mind with Thee, may He open in my heart a source of perfect love and all my deeds and my paths will overshadow Thee May I magnify Him who is nailed to Thee, for the sake of my sin, the Lord my Savior.

Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

Historical content

On this day, the glorious christ-sti-a-not sun-on-mi-na-yut two co-existence. As the Holy Pre-given, the Cross was found in the year 326 in Jeru-sa-li-me. It was the eye of Mount Gol-go-fa, where the Spa-si-tel was laid out. And the second co-existence is the resurrection of the Living Cross from Persia, where he was in captivity. In the 7th century, he was returned to Iera-sa-lim by the Greek im-pe-ra-tor Iraq-liy. Both co-existences are united in the name of the celebration by the fact that the ob-re-ten-ny Cross is in front of the house of the air-dvi-ha-li, that is, under - no-ma-whether.

The holiday of the Exaltation, dedicated to the Holy Cross of Christ Christ, expresses whether there is a tour-gi-che-sky (God-serving-zheb- ny) as-pect in-chi-ta-niya hri-sti-a-na-mi Gol-gof-ko-go Cross as an instrument of spa-se-niya che-lo-ve-che-stva. The name of the decree-zy-va-et on the solemn raising of the Kre-hundred up ("lift-up") after about-on-ru-same -tion of it in the ground. This is the only two-on-de-si-th holiday (i.e., one of the two-on-twenty-ve-tea-shih holidays-to-go-to- th cycle-la), the historical-ri-che-os-no-howl of someone-ro-go appeared not only new-in-for-veteran-events, but also later- nie - from the field of church history.

Birth-de-nie Bo-go-ma-te-ri, celebrating-but-vav-she-e-six days-earlier, - pre-d-ver-rie secrets in-plo -shche-tion of God on earth, and the Cross speaks of His future sacrifice. In this way, the holiday of Kre-hundred is also worth it in the cha-le of the church-of-the-th-year (September 14/27).

With the feast of the Ascension of the Cross of the Lord, the Right-of-the-glorious Church unites b-go-go-vey-noe and bless the gift of remembrance of the very Cross itself, on which our Savior was crucified, and joyfully but sadly -by-mi-on-the-co-beings about-re-te-niya honestly and to-hundred-by-klo-nya-e-my tree-va of this Cross-hundred State- under-nya.

On this day, the Right-to-glorious Church invites the ve-ru-yu-shchih to repay the good-go-go-vey-noe-clo-non-honest-no- mu and Life-in-tvo-rya-sche-mu Cross, on which our Lord and Savior re-re-carried ve-li-tea-shie stra-da-niya ra-di on-she-go spa-se-niya.

On this Cross, in the words of church songs-no-singings, “death is dead-in-la-is-sya and we-do not appear in vain”, on it “with -de la spa-se-nie Pre-eternal King in the middle of the earth "and they carry out the" eternal truth "; for us, the Cross of Christ is a divine flattery, “by it we ascend to heaven”; spa-si-tel-noe is a tree - “a weapon of the world, not-be-di-may in-be-yes”, someone-swarm “we-not-se us on the lane - your bliss, even before the enemy stole the sweetness, from-gone us from God co-create, "and we are" earth-we-we-ho-hom-sya " and "everything to God is attached to-vle-ko-hom-sya." How can we not bless the Lord on this holiday, praise the clo-not-nie to Christ Christ-sto-vu, who appeared for us, “for-rya-mi not-corruptible-us-mi” on our spa-se-niya, someone has opened access for us to the kingdom of God, to heavenly bliss, through someone we are like “immortal food”!

According to the words of one-ve-li-ko-go father of the Church, “The cross is the head of our spa-se-nion; The cross - at-chi-on the im-number-len-th blessings. Through something else, we, who were previously demon-glorious-we-mi and from-re-wives-we-by-God, now you are among the sons-of-new ; through something we no longer remain in delusion, but did we know the truth; through something else, we, formerly, bowed-shi-e-sya de-re-vyam and stones-yum, now we know Spa-si-te-la of everyone; through no-go we, the former ra-ba-mi gre-ha, with-ve-de-us in the freedom of the great-weed-no-sti, through no-th earth-la , at the end, it became a non-bom. The cross is “the firmament of the saints, the light of the whole universe. As in a house, enveloped in darkness, whoever, for-burned-shi-sve-til-nick and put it on the vault, pro-go-nya-et darkness, so is Christ in the all-flax, embraced by that darkness, having brought the Cross, as it were, some kind of lamp, and lifting it up, so-co, dis-se-yal all the darkness on earth. And just as the sve-til-nik contains the light above on its peak, so the Cross above on its peak did not have the si-i-th-sun -tse truths ”- on-the-she Spa-si-te-la.

“The rise of the Cre-hundred of the Lord-under-nya”

This is what the Cross of Christ is for us, and we are holy and bless-go-go-vey-but we must read and read it. Each of us sanctifies his whole life with the cross and the sign of the cross. From early childhood to my own death, each hri-sti-a-nin but sits on himself, on his chest, the cross as a sign of Hri -hundred-howl in-we-dy and ours for-shchi-you and forces; every de-lo we na-chi-na-em and okan-chi-va-em with the sign of the cross, doing everything for the glory of Christ-sto-vu. As such a protection and protection, we in the hell-you-va-em sign of the cross on everything for us dear and holy, and on our own their houses, and on the walls, and on the doors. With the sign of the cross, we are on the day, and with the sign of the cross, we are going to sleep, for-can-chi -we-eat day.

Now the cross - on-sha ve-li-tea-shay holy-you-nya, on-sha glory-va, our spiritual all-beige-y-y-sword, and that Christ made it for us with his death and his-and-mi-stra-yes-no-I-mi on the Cross.

The Savior received on the Cross a mu-chi-tel-ney-shui from the executions, “sin-khi-sha voz-not-se on Te-le Svo-em on the tree” (), “humbled Se-be, having listened to being even to death, the death of the cross” (). Somehow, in the s-mom de-le, in-ra-zi-tel-noe, pre-you-sha-yu-che-lo-ve-che-no-no-ma-nie mature -more. “Here, - the Church rises this day, - the Lord of creation and the Lord of glory, you are nailed on the Cross and pro- bo-yes-et-sya in reb-ra; The sweetness of the Church-vi tastes bile and ocet; In-roof-va-yu-shchy not-bo about-la-ka-mi about-la-ga-et-sya ter-no-vy wreath and dress-va-et-sya clothes-doy-ru -g-tion; With-z-given-shih hand-che-lo-ve-ka for-u-sha-et-sya with a perishable hand; Ode-va-yu-shchy not-bo about-la-ka-mi with-ni-ma-et hit-ry on the shoulders, with-ni-ma-et for-ple-va-nia and wounds , in-no-she-niya and for-u-she-niya and endures everything for the sake of us, convict-den-nyh ”(sti-khi-ra). How are we, the possession of the god-death-of-the-cross and the suffering of Spa-si-te-la, can we not bow down in the b-go-go-vey-nom tre-ne-te before the “required-la-wife-tree, on it Christ, the King and the Lord, is spread”, do not honor the holy Cross, - for us glory, for us in trouble in Christ and with Christ.

Such a you-with-some and sacred meaning of the Cre-sta of the Lord, of course, de la-lo in the eyes of christ-sti-an ve- li-tea-shey holy-you-her and sa-my tree Kre-hundred Lord-under-nya, that sa-my de-re-vyan-ny cross, on which the Spa was laid -si-tel. But first-at-first-but this holy Cross was not saved by hri-sti-a-na-mi, was not up to-st-I-no-it ve-ru-yu-shih , in those whole three hundred years, there wasn’t even from the vest, but exactly the place where this christ-an-sky saint is hidden . According to rab-vin-sko-mu pre-pi-sa-nii, “ka-men, someone was killed by someone, de-re-vo, on someone-rum someone- bo was ve-shen, a sword, someone-eye, someone was decapitated, and ve-roar, someone-swarm someone was for-du-shen , we must be in-gre-be-us together with the kaz-nen-us-mi ". But, not saying that the Spa-si-tel was put to death for-to-us by the Roman execution, this is the requirement of rab-vin-sko -th for-to-on could not be used-full-not-but in relation to Christ-st-vu Krest, also in a way that is more-pure te-lo Spa-si-te-la would-lo-gre-be-but ru-ka-mi His disciples and friends. In any case, all-ma ve-ro-yat-but that all three cross-hundreds (Spa-si-te-la and two times-fight-no-kov) would-whether in-lo- women or buried near the place of a hundred races and deaths Spa-si-te-la. Blessed-go-vey-naya pa-myat not-in-medium sw-de-te-lei and eye-witnesses of the races of the five Spa-si-te-la - His beloved by-shchih-scholars-no-kovs and apprentices, ko-nech-but, holy something, keep-no-la with your own in-chi-ta-no-eat and in-clo-no-no-eat it place. None of the following circumstances of the life of the first Christians, no matter how difficult these circumstances are for them wouldn’t, couldn’t make them forget to be places, consecrated things-whether-tea-shi-mi co-being-i-mi lives-no Spa-si-te- la. In the aftermath of the storage-ni-te-la-mi re-creation-by-mi-on-ny about the holy places of death and in-gre-be-niya Spa-si-te-la-be- whether the first hier-sa-lim-sky episcopal-py and the next-du-u-christ-sti-a-ne. Already St. Ky-rill Yeru-sa-lim-sky testifies that since the time of the apostles, travels to Yeru-sa-lim for a clone -niya places, consecrated-by-my-on-ni-i-mi about different co-existences of earthly life Lord-by-yes Ii-su-sa Hri -hundred. The capture and destruction of Ieru-sa-li-ma Ti-tom in a significant degree from me-no-whether many places-a-hundred-ro -yes, - could it be subjected to from me-not-nia, for-sy-pa-nia mu-so-rum and once-wa-li-on-mi is also connected puppy places of a hundred races and deaths Spa-si-te-la. In addition to that, a historian of the 4th century. Ev-se-viy testifies that the enemies of hri-sti-an - tongue-no-ki - with-no-ma-whether measures to something to hide and yes - desecrate the thread of the saints for hri-sti-an me-hundred; that not-che-sti-people with na-ro-chi-that insane goal so-ver-shen-but from-me-no-whether the view of places-but-sti Gol-go-fa and St. Gro-ba. They za-sy-pa-li mu-so-rum, on-a rash from above you-we-we-sti stone-it and here erected an al-tar bo- gi-no sweet-to-passionate love-vi. Other histories testify that especially ben-but tried to desecrate all the holy places be-sov-ski-mi ido-la-mi and victim-va-mi not-che-sti-vy im-pe-ra-tor Roman Ad-ri-an (117-138 A.D.). Raised on the site of ra-zo-ren-no-go Ti-tom Ieru-sa-li-ma city, he ordered for-sy-pat the coffin of the Lord-on-the-day of the earth and many stones, and on the mountain where the Spa-si-tel was crucified (on the “rock of the Cross”), he built a temple of the tongue and the idol of Yupi-te-ra was placed over the Sepulcher of the Lord under him. But neither the destruction of Ieru-sa-li-ma Ti-tom, nor the restoration of its Ad-ri-a-nom, could it be so from me-thread kind and holy places, so that b-go-go-vey-but remembering these places hri-sti-a-wouldn’t recognize them, couldn’t they find. And the aspiration-le-niya of the non-pious and pagans desecrate the thread and hide these places to-sti-ha-whether so-ver-shen-but the reverse goal : their-and-mi on-sy-five-mi and idol-mi-co-or-same-ni-i-mi they are strong, but from-me-cha-whether these places are, de-la-whether not -possible for-b-ve-ing their ve-ru-u-schi-mi and yes-s-mi-mi language-no-ka-mi. So the Lord raz-ru-sha-et “so-ve-you are not-che-sti-vy” and the very evil of man turns to the good of his Church !

Bless-go-go-vey-but keep mine in pa-my-ti ve-ru-yu-shchih and so on from-me-chen-noe tongue-no-ka-mi, ho-cha and desecrated by them; -stan-ti-on Ve-li-ko-go. This hri-hundred-lu-bi-vy im-pe-ra-tor, still bu-duchi external-not language-no-one, but de-I-tel-no-sti is-la-is christ-sti -an-skim go-su-da-rem, had the os-no-va-niya especially-ben-but to honor the Cross of Christ. This is the sign of Christ howl in trouble, according to the Divine dispensation, served three times for Kon-stan-ti-na Ve -whether-know-someone-me-ni-eat him in-be-dy over the enemies. In 312, Kon-stan-tin in-e-val against the same-hundred-to-go Mac-sen-tia, in-tsar-riv-she-go-sya in Rome, pre-sequence to-vav-she-go and kill-vav-she-go hri-sti-an, pro-div-she-go not-che-sti-vuyu life. According to the words of that-g-dash-not-go isto-ri-ka (Ev-se-via), Mak-sen-tiy, getting ready to fight with Kon-stan-tin-n, pri-be-gal to various sorceries and suu-faithful rites; Kon-stan-tin, not with everything in-la-ga-being on the strength of his-e-th howl, feeling-shaft not-about-ho-di-bridge in the supernatural help over the enemy, but in a certain way he thought about which God he should pray for this help. In this difficult mi-well-tu, Kon-stan-tin remembered that his father Kon-stan-tsiy, who provided the patronage of Christ, sti-a-us, pol-zo-val-sya bla-go-so-one-hundred-I-no-eat, then-g-yes, how-go-no-te-whether hri-sti-an had poor- stven-nu-yu end-chi-well, - and in a certain way, I decided to o-ra-tit-sya with a prayer to God Kon-stan-tion, go-no-mu, Ver-hov-no-mu Su-shche-stvo. And so, when he gave himself up to an zealous prayer, then an eye-lo-d-d-nya saw a ray-che-zar-ny cross in the sky, si-yav-shey is stronger than the sun-nech-no-th-th light, with over-pi-sue on it: “sim in-be-di-shi”. This is a miraculous sign of vi-de-li and in-and-us, among some-something there was half-to-dets Ar-te-miy, subsequently for-mu-chen-ny (with Yuli-a-not O-step-no-ke) for Christ. In a-ra-wife-not-usual-tea-not-bes-wi-de-ni-em, Kon-stan-tin fell into a deep sleep, and in a dream Spa himself appeared to him -si-tel, again showed him the same sign of the cross, ordered him to use the image of the cross as the sign in howl-with-kah, and promised him in trouble not only over Mac-sen-ti-em, but also over all enemies. Waking up, Kon-stan-tin ordered to make the Cross of the Lord in a day, after a beating of vi-den-no-go to them of knowledge, from another -valuable stones, as well as drawing a depiction of a cross on banners, on weapons, helmets and shields in-and- new Since then, the howl-ska Kon-stan-ti-na so-ver-sha-li-ho-dy, having its own cross, connected with the first -mi buk-va-mi name-no Spa-si-te-la. In the battle on the Melviysky bridge (across the Tiber), Kon-stan-tin won a brilliant victory over Mak-sen-ti-em (October 28, 312). Mac-sen-tiy himself drowned with many of his in-and-news in the river, and Kon-stan-tin went to Rome in a be-to-nose-but. After this, he erected in Rome a statue of himself, holding a cross in his right hand, and in over-pi-si on the statue in a be- yes, over Mac-sen-ti-em, there was a “spa-si-tel-no-mu-know-me-niyu” of the cross. Also in the war with vi-zan-tiy-tsa-mi and ski-fa-mi two more times Kon-stan-tin saw-del on the sky the miraculous sign of the cre -hundred, something-ve-sti-lo to him in trouble over the enemies.

It’s easy to understand how b-go-go-ve-ni-em to the Cross of the Lord-under-nu-nu was pre-is-half-not-but after these events of the heart -tse hri-hundred-lu-bi-vo-go king Kon-stan-ti-na. And this im-pe-ra-tor, “not without inspiration from above, but in-boo-yes-e-my Du-home sa-mo-go Spa-si-te-la” re - sewed not only to find an honest tree of the Cre-sta of the Lord, to give him respect, but also “a place sacred to her neck -tel-no-go resurrection in Ieru-sa-li-me to do before-me-th all-gen-bla-go-go-wei-no-go-chi -ta-niya "- build a temple over it. Is-full-ni-tel-ni-tsey b-go-che-sti-vo-go-on-me-re-niya his mother appeared to him, blessed wife -ri-tsa Elena-na, according to-a-hundred-i-ni-yam sa-mo-go im-pe-ra-to-ra having accepted hri-sti-an-stvo, from-li-chav -sha-i-sya bla-go-che-sti-em and fiery zeal-no-stu according to the faith of Christ-howl. In 326, Yele-na-great-went to the holy land with the aim of finding and visiting places consecrated by the chiefs-ne-shi-mi co-being-I-mi life-no Spa-si-te-la. Arriving in Iera-sa-lim, full of bless-go-che-sti-in-go-la-niya to find a cave-ru-gro-ba of the Lord-under-nya and honor the new tree of the Cre-hundred, she zealously began to search for them. Pat-ri-ar-hom in Ieru-sa-li-me was at that time Ma-ka-riy, who met the tsa-ri-tsu with po-do-ba-yu-schi-mi -che-stya-mi and o-zy-vav-shey help her in her holy de-le.

In half-but-those b-go-go-vey-noy ra-do-sti and the spirit-how-no-go mind of the tsar-ri-tsa and all those who were with her in-clo-not-nie and whole-lo-va-nie Kre-stu. And since, due to the multitude of things on-ro-yes, not everything could-whether in-clo-thread-sya honestly-to the tree of the Cre-hundred of the Lord and yes not everyone could see him, then Patri-arch Ma-ka-riy, standing in your place, under-no-small - erected the hall of St. Cross, showing it on-ro-du. The people bowed to the Cross, exclaiming: “Lord, by the way, by the way!” From-here-yes, and I-got-chilled my-cha-lo and the name of the holiday of the Resurrection of Honest and Life-in-your-thing Kre-hundred Lord-under-nya. This is a co-existence about-re-te-niya of the Honest Cre-st of the Lord-under-nya and chu-de-sa, co-leader-give him, pro-of-we-whether -any vpe-chat-le-nie not only in christi-an, but also in iu-de-ev. Jude-yes, so not-oh-hot-but uka-head-to-ho-de-the holy places, together with many-gi-mi ev-re-i-mi uve-ro-val in Christ and baptized, having received the name Ki-ri-a-ka in the holy baptism. Subsequently, he was pat-ri-ar-hom of Ieru-sa-lim-sky and pre-ter-sang mu-che-no-che-kon-chi-nu with him-pe-ra-to- re Yuli-a-not From-step-no-ke. Kon-stan-tin himself, as a consequence, in a letter to Jer-sa-lim-sko-mu pat-ri-ar-hu Ma-ka-riyu wrote-sal about about-re-te-nii Honest Kre-hundred Lord: “there are no words for a worthy description of this miracle. Knowing the holy passions, hiding so long under the ground and remaining in the not-from-the-west-but- sti in those whole centuries, finally rise-si-i-lo ". Holy tsar Elena, with the mighty co-action of his son-on-tsar Kon-stan-ti-na, na-cha-la stro - to be in Jeru-sa-li-me and throughout Pa-le-sti-not temples-we are in places consecrated by co-being-I-mi from the life of Spa-si-te- la. And before everything was, according to the will of the tsar-ri-tsy and the tsar-rya, in the same way, but the os-but-va-nie and the steps-le-but to the build-ke on the site of the Gro-ba of the Lord-under-nya and about-re-te-niya of St. Kre-hundred churches-vi Resurrection of the Lord-yes-on-she-go Ii-su-sa Christ, consecration of someone-swarm was-lo co-ver-she -but on September 13, 335 the place where the coffin of the Pre-Holy Bo-go-ro-di-tsy was located, in the name of Her success and, besides that, seven-twenty churches in different places of the holy earth.

What ka-sa-et-sya fate sa-mo-go about-re-ten-no-go St. The barely honest tree of the Cross of the Lord, then, unfortunately, it cannot be an indication of the exact and completely definitive - de la no. This tree-in the Cre-hundred of the Lord-under-nya has become-la-lo for christ-sti-an so great-a-holy-you-nu that christ-sti-a-ne, already with sa- my about-re-te-nii him in a large number-li-che-stve on-full-full of Jeru-sa-lim, not only go-re-do-la-ni-em in-clo -thread to him, but, if possible, and succeeds, get a part of it from him. Indeed, St. Kirill Ieru-sa-lim-sky (IV century) testifies that already in his time, small parts of Life would there be races-pro-countries-not-us all over the earth. And St. John of Evil-to-mouth (IV century) testifies that “many, both husbands and wives, received a small part of tsu of this tree and about-lo-living it with gold, ve-sha-yut on your neck.

But not all ancient crosses were une-se-but in such a way from Ieru-sa-li-ma. Part of the ob-re-ten-no-th tree of the Kre-sta and nails from the not-th tsar-ri-tsa Yele-na in-la-la to his-e-mu sy-well Kon-stan-ti -well, and the rest would be for-the-key-che-but in the se-reb-rya-kov-cheg and vru-che-but before-one-hundred-I-te-lu Iera-sa-lim-sky The Church-vi with a-ka-for-no-it store a thread for the coming-of-the-co-le-tions.

And St. Cy-rill Ieru-sa-lim-sky confirms that the honest tree of the Cross of the Lord of the Lord in his time was kept and seemed to be va-moose on-ro-du in Ieru-sa-li-me. And in the description of the divine service of Ve-li-koy Pyat-ni-tsy in Ieru-sa-li-me, made by not-to-her noble pa- scrap-ni-tsey IV century. (Sylvie-ey, or Ete-ri-ey), we find an in-te-res-noe description of the self-m-th about-rya-yes in-clo-not-niya-dre- wu Kre-hundred of the Lord-under-ny with the indication of those measures, which, at the same time, were against the races of the holy tree bla-go-che-sti-you-mi pa-lom-no-ka-mi. “On Gol-go-fe,” it says in this description, “behind the Cross, i.e. behind the temple in honor of St. Kre-hundred, even before the six-hundred-th hour of the morning, the bishop-pu-ca-fed-ra. A bishop sits on this cafe, in front of him there is a table, covered with a scarf, around a hundred there are dea-cos and pri-no - sits a se-reb-rya-ny-golden cove-cheg, in some-rum there is a holy tree of the Kre-hundred; from-kry-va-et-sya and you-no-ma-et-sya; put on the table like the tree of the Cross, and to the cheek (titulus). So, ko-g-yes-yes-lo-same-but on the table, the bishop sits down with his-and-mi-ru-ka-mi ends of the holy tree wa; dia-ko-us, someone-rye stand in a circle, guard-nya-yut. It guards in such a way that there is a custom, for some reason the whole people, coming up alone at night ke, both faithful and announced, on-clo-nya-ut-sya to the hundred, lo-be-for-the holy tree and pass. And since, ras-say-zy-va-yut, I don’t know who-g-yes, someone nibbled and stole parts of the holy de-re-va, then it’s -mu-now the dia-ko-nas, standing around, are guarding, so that none of the under-goings would dare to do that th. And so the whole nation goes on-o-di-night-ke, everything is pre-klo-ny-ya and ka-sa-be first-for-a-crowbar, then with the eyes of Cre- a hundred and up to-cheek-ki and, about-lo-by-the Cross, pass; ru-ku, no one pro-tya-gi-va-et for touch-but-ve-niya. On-ho-de-nie parts of the tree of the Cre-sta of the Lord-under-nya in Ieru-sa-li-me confirm-waits-and other-histo-ri-che- ski-mi dan-ny-mi. In the 7th century in the kingdom-va-nie of the vi-zantian-im-pe-ra-to-ra Fo-ki (602-610) this ve-li-kai hri-sti-an-sky saint-you -nya for a while in-pa-la in the hands of per-owls. Hoz-roy, the king of the Persian Sid, having entered into a war with Fo-koy, in-ko-ril Egi-pet, Af-ri-ku and Pa-le-sti-nu, took Jeru-sa -lim, plundered him with co-kro-vi-scha and among these co-kro-visches he took from Ieru-sa-li-ma and the tree of Life th Kre-hundred Lord-under-nya and took him to Per-sia. But the Lord did not let the non-faithful long to own the Christian holy place. Pre-em-nick Fo-ki imp. Iraq-liy for some time could not beat Hoz-roy, and then he turned to God with a prayer about po -mo-shchi. He commanded and to all the believers of his kingdom to make prayers, divine service and stave, that- would the Lord from ba-vil from the enemy. The Lord let Iraq-liy be-du over Hoz-ro-em, someone himself was killed by his son. After that, Iraq-liy took from the Persians many-valuable holy-you-nu-christi-an - an honest tree of the Cross of the Lord-under-nya and re - sewed pe-re-not-sti its tor-same-stven-but again in Jeru-sa-lim. In 628, im-pe-ra-tor Iraq-liy, having reached Ieru-sa-li-ma, laid st. tree on his shoulders, carried him, dressed in his royal clothes. But suddenly at the gate, someone-ry-mi rises-ho-di-whether to the Forehead place, don’t-wait-given-but stop-but-wild-sya and could not make a distance -she not a step. And then-g-yes Za-ha-rii, pat-ri-ar-hu con-stan-ti-no-Polish-mu, you-went-she-mu together with the zhi-te-la-mi Ieru -sa-li-ma on-meet-chu tsa-ryu, would-lo from-kro-ve-nie from the light-nose-no-go an-ge-la, which is not-possible-but-dre -in, someone was carried by Christ in the company of uni-chi-zhe-niya, non-sti in royal robes. That-g-yes, the king put on simple and poor clothes, and, with bo-sy-mi-no-ga-mi, in such a form brought in St. the tree to the church to the place where it is on-ho-di-moose before the capture of Khoz-ro-em. Here is an honest tree of the Cre-sta of the Lord on-ho-di-moose and in the next-du-th-time. At the very least, in the na-cha-le of the 9th century. among the cli-ra of the temple of the Resurrection-se-niya would there be two pre-s-s-te-ra st-ra-m, on the obligation of someone-ry-le-m -lo protect St. Cross and su-da-riy. At the cross-noses of St. the tree is the same, not-with-m-nen-but, on-ho-di-moose in Ieru-sa-li-me and more than once served as a rim-re-ni-em and protection noah their howl-with-kam in battles with not-faith-us-mi. One-on-one, the further fate of the honest tree of the Kre-hundred Lord is exactly not from the West. Very-ma-ve-ro-yat-but that with those-che-no-thing time, gradually decreasing in its volume, due to the blah -go-che-sti-in-go-la-niya of various obi-te-lei and mo-on-sheep to have parts of St. tree-va, it is perfect-shen-but it would be split-fraction-le-but into separate parts, some-rye and indicate those -pen in many temples and mo-on-stays. In particular, in Rome, in the ba-zi-li-ke of St. Cre-hundred, de-re-vyan-naya is kept to a cheek, someone you-da-yut for that cheek, titulus, someone-of-paradise would-la-by-ta over the head Spa-si-te-la and after nai-de-na St. Barely le-zha-schey from del-but from Kre-hundred.

And now, not, on the day of the feast, no-ka, the rise of the Honest and Life-of-things-of-the-go-of-the-hundred of the Lord, we, christ -a-no, we can only think-len-but-give b-go-go-vey-noe in-clo-not-no-honest tree Kre-hundred, for someone- rum was our Spa-si-tel. But this Cross is not-out-of-glam-di-mo on-the-black on our blessed hearts, but its material image - before- me in the temple and on us - on our chest, in our dwellings.

“When-and-di-those, believers, living-in-your-ra-sche-mu-tree-in-clo-him-sya, on it is Christ, the King of glory, in- I pour ru-tse ras-pro-era, elevate us to the first bliss!” (sti-khi-ra sa-mo-gl.).

The meaning of the holiday

Be-duchi one-but-kind-nym in connection with-one-nya-e-my-mu-re-in-mi-na-ny with the seven-passions of Christ-hundreds, on-hundred- I-a holiday according to ha-rak-te-ru so-ver-shen-but from-whether-cha-et-sya from those exclusive-key-chi-tel-nyh in the year by mind-whether -tel-no-sti and the greatness of days - days, some-eye one right-is-in-learning-e-but-the-name of “saints and great-li- to their". These are the days of weeping over the Divine Stra-dal; this is a day of joy about the consequences of His suffering, about the fruits of redemption. This is a holiday of names, but in honor of sa-mo-is-kup-le-niya in the person of the main tool, sign-me-niya and send it to us .

The tool is worthy of-stay-but such-th-th-st-stvo-va-niya, sa-mo-one-hundred-I-tel-no-go-holiday-no-va-niya in honor of him not only for to the meaning, something it had in the very act of issuing, not only in view of the importance that it with the-th-no-thing time-me-no-lu-chi-lo in the life of hri-sti-an, but also according to what it was for Christ himself hundred. “The cross has the glory of Christ-hundred-howl and you-with-that Christ-hundred-howl,” says St. An-drey Kritsky (word on the Air-movement), referring to confirming the first thought on and the second on John 12:32 : "if Az voz-not-sen will be from the earth ...". “If the Cross of Christ composes the glory of Christ, then on the present day the cross rises for the fact that -would Christ be glorified. Not Christ exalted, so that the Cross would be glorified, but the Cross would be exalted, so that Christ would be glorified " .

Being Christ, His glory and you, this Cross is too close to us already according to its original idea. He, in fact, is our Cross. Christos “carried on his shoulders that same cross, on whom did they crucify him, as if he had taken on himself for , define-de-len-nye co-gre-shiv-shim "; He “carried the cross to us over-le-zha-shchy” (St. Cyril of Aleksandria on John book 12).

From-here-yes, those not-is-numbers-we-we-ha, some-rye from-whether you are on us with the Cross. “This good fodder, full of abundance, we abound all our life and dying it, still gave us eternal life in the future” (St. Eph-rem Sirin, word on the Holy Cross). “With the cross we got out of enmity and with the cross we established ourselves in friendship with God. The cross co-th-tal people with the face of an-ge-lov, making them alien to all-to-perishable-no-go-de-la and to-sta-viv they have the opportunity to lead an imperishable life ”(word-in on the Voz-dvi-zhe-nie of Va-si-liya Se-left-kyi-go, with-pi-sy-va -e-mine and St. Jo-an-well Evil-to-mouth). “He made a clean earth, elevated our nature to the royal throne” (St. John of Evil-to-mouth, the word in clone -nie Kre-stu). “This Cross turned the whole world onto the true path, drove it out for wandering, returned the truth, made the earth not-bom” ( a word about the Cross, with-pi-sy-va-e-my St. Io-an-well Evil-to-mouth). “He laid down the end of the world-less de-lams of the world, suppressed his godless teachings, and the world does not please more than dia -volsky for-to-us and not ties-y-va-et-sya bonds of death; (Cross) approved for-because whole-wisdom and is-to-re-nil sweetness-to-passion; consecrated the right-vi-lo voz-der-zha-niya and lower-lo-lived the state-under-stvo in a ho-ti. In s-my de-le, what kind of good-ro in-lu-che-but na-mi-mi-mo Kre-hundred? Which of the blessings is yes-ro-va-but we can’t through the Cross? Through the Cross, we learned the goodness and knew the power of the Divine nature; through the Cross, we cheer-zu-me-whether the truth of God and in-sti-ga-em dob-ro-de-tel whole-lo-wisdom; through the Cross we knew each other; through the Cross, we knew the power of love and not from-ca-zy-va-em-sya to die for each other; b-go-da-rya Kre-stu, we de-migrate all the blessings of the world and put them into nothing, expecting future blessings and not-see-di- my pri-ni-may, as vi-di-mine. The cross is pro-ve-du-et-sya - and the truth is all over the all-len-noy race-pro-country-n-is-sya, and the kingdom of the heavenly honor-sto-ve -rya-et-sya (word-in Voz-dvi-same-nie Va-si-liya Se-left-kiysko-go or Io-an-na Evil-to-u-hundred).

In my-mo-o-o-re-te-niya for man-lo-ve-che-stva of these higher spiritual blessings, the Cross from ancient times began to manifest spa-si -tel-nuyu si-lu and in a hundred everyday needs hri-sti-an. “This is a sign in the time of our ancestors, - testifies to St. Evil-mouth or contemporaneous pi-sa-tel, - from-ver-for-lo behind-the-key-chen-nye-ri, it uga-sha-lo gu-bi-tel -nye poisons, is-tse-la-lo bites of poisonous animals. If it is from the gate of hell and opened the heavenly vault, re-sta-no-vi-lo the entrance to paradise and so-kru-shi-lo si-lu dia - in-la, then what is surprising-vi-tel-no-go, if it pre-odo-le-va-et destructive poisons? (word-in-clo-not-nie Kre-stu, with-pi-sy-va-e-my holy. Evil-to-mouth).

Along with this, so to speak, mystical, mi-sti-che-mean-che-no-eat for christ-a-no-na, a cross in a lu -chil for non-th and chi-hundred mo-ral-noe meaning. He became a rim-re-ni-em and support for him in the burdens of a personal cross. “Look, - as if Christ says, - at what My Cross did; do-those and you are such a kind of weapon, and do what you want. Let (after-the-follower of Christ) be so ready for that, in order to endure the swearing and be crucified on the cross ste, says the Lord, how ready is he who does not set a cross on his shoulders; let him consider himself in such a close proximity with death. Before such a person, everyone comes in amazement, because we are not so afraid of them in the arms of the female demons -len-ny-mi che-lo-ve-che-ski-mi oru-di-ya-mi and strong kim mu-fe-stv, like che-lo-ve-ka, oda-ren-no-go such a power ”(word-in-clo-non-nie Kre-stu, with-pi-sy-va-e-my Evil-to-mouth).

“Looking at the cross inhales courage and out of fear” (St. Andrew of Crete’s word on the ).

Finally, the cross became-chil for hri-sti-a-ni-na and es-ha-to-lo-gi-che-sign. “So-g-yes, say-for-but, the sign of the cross will appear on the sky. Ko-y-yes "that-y-yes"? Ko-g-da si-ly not-devil-nye move-nut-sya. That-g-yes-decorated with the signs of the church, stya-zhav-shie-be this many-valuable bi-ser, ho-ro-sho- keeping this image once and before bee, rise-hi-shche-we will be on ob-la-kah ”(Pan-to-lei, pre-sweater Vizantian , reading on the Air-motion).

Do not be surprised that the cross has become a sign of hri-sti-a-ni-na. “The cross was given to us as a sign on the forehead in exactly the same way as From-ra-i-lyu about-re-for-nie; for through no-one we are faithful times-whether we eat and we-know-we know from the unfaithful ”(St. John Damas-kin, word -on the day of Cre-hundred).

In-degree-but christ-sti-an-estimation-ni-lo all the meaning-for-th-th-th-sign-me-tion, this-th trophy-of-be-dy Hri -hundred-howl. And then the pro-thought came to the aid of the Church-vi not-by-mean-action of its own - from-ve-de-ni-em of the Cross from the bowels of the earth and -le-ni-eat it on no-be. “The Lord would not have let him stay in the earth, but he pulled him out and carried him to heaven; He has to come with him at His second coming.” (St. John of Evil-to-mouth, the word about the Cross and the cross-five). He is ob-re-ten with them-pe-ra-to-rakh, ve-ro-vav-shih in Christ-hundred, ob-re-ten with the power of the divine and artless -noy, the only power and firmness of the faith. When-yes-God handed Christ-sti-a-to-us the royal ske-pet-ry, at that very time, it was pleasing to Him to open the Cross through the same b-go-che-sti-vuyu, well-well, tsa-ri-tsu, well-well, decorate-shav-shu-yu-sya royal wisdom, wisely, well, say so, the divine god-wise, so that she, using part of the power of the word, characteristic of the royal person , upo-tre-bi-la everything that could only move the indecent heart of iu-de-ev ”(St. An-drey of Crete, word in Voz- movement). “You came from the co-treasures of the earth, the sign of Vladyka, the sign, shaking someone-eye-eye hellish caves osvo-bo-di-whether so-der-zhi-my souls in them. A spiritual pearl came out on the faithful, approved in the crown of Christ, in order to illuminate the whole universe. He appeared to be raised-well, and raised-moved-ha-et-sya to appear (so that you could see him). Many-times-but under-no-ma-yut it and-ka-zy-va-yut on-ro-du, just not exclaiming: “behold, about-re-te-but uta -en-noe with-kro-vi-sche spa-se-niya ”(St. An-drei of Crete, the word on the Elevation).

Establish-new-len-ny in pa-meat about-re-te-niya and yav-le-niya already under-go-to-flax soil, was from-ve-that to a long-standing request for their spirit. But he, having immediately received a wide-ro-of-country and great solemnity, without hesitation, smartly stung love bov to the Cross and po-chi-ta-nie him. The cross is now a special meaning in the struggle of hri-sti-a-ni-na with not-vi-di-we-mi enemies-ga-mi of his spa se-niya, especially ben-but in the hands of moving-no-kov. Now, evaluate-ni-va-yut and all its meaning not only in the de-le of our spa-se-niya, co-ver-shen-nom Christ, but also in the veterinary -ho-for-vet-nom at-go-tov-le-nii of this spa-se-niya, explaining here a lot of it, so to speak, with a return action.

Pub-li-ku-et-sya from-da-tion: Ska-bal-la-no-wich M.N. The rise of the Honest and Life-of-things-of-the-go-of the Lord's-under-the-hundred.
Kyiv. Ed. "Prologue". 2004 pp. 7-18, 45-46, 232-236, 249-250.

Liturgical (liturgical) features

An all-night vigil is performed the night before. See in.

Audio:

Kondak 1

Come, people of Christ, let us praise the Holy Cross, on which Christ, the King of glory, has spread his hand, elevate us to the first blessedness, from the worthless fall of the serpent's charm. You, O Holy Cross, as if you have the power of the Crucified Christ inherent in you, save and save from all troubles lovingly calling you:

Ikos 1

Angelic faces, like God's ministry, the Cross is present, the free passion of Christ the Life-Giver is glorified. We, having escaped the suffering of that eternal death, imitating the heavenly forces, joyfully cry out:

Rejoice, O Cross, as Christ our God is upon you, by the will of his hand he has spread, our salvation has been done; Rejoice, as if Christ spread upon you the crime of Adam and Eve, who stretched out their hands to the forbidden tree, be abolished.

Rejoice, for I have exalted the former on you, like a criminal, to the Lawgiver, the ancient oath, which was already on us, is needed; Rejoice, for the human race has been freed from mortal aphids by a strange sacrament that has happened to you.

Rejoice, for the sting of death is crushed on you by those who suffered and died; rejoice, for the sake of suffering, God is reconciled with people.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 2

Seeing fallen people, Lord, You became human, You suffered the cross and death freely in the flesh for our kind, but from eternal death deliver those who confess Thee, the Son of God and cry out to Thee: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

The human mind is exhausted in comprehending the great mystery of Yours, Christ, the incarnation and the suffering that is free for us: what You, God, this passionless, the passion of the cross, like a man, have endured and this instrument of Your death has made you a source of life and salvation for all those who believe piously in You and eulogizing:

Rejoice, Cross, on which the sacrament was performed, predetermined from the ages; rejoice, for our redemption has been accomplished on you, in many forms in images and senech presented.

Rejoice, as the Life-giver who died on you, exude blood and water, in the image of our sins are washed away; Rejoice, as with drops of the most holy blood of His sinful scabs of our souls are cleansed.

Rejoice, Cross, like an animal tree, hedgehog is in the midst of God's paradise, desired by Christians; Rejoice, thou who wisely nourishes us with the fruits of immortality and encourages our cowardice with the hope of eternal life.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 3

Your Cross, even if the tree is apparently a being, but the Divine robe is a power, and the sensual world is cleverly revealed, our salvation works wonders, sing to You: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

We have before our eyes the Most Holy Cross, with holy worship of that we honor those who have spread themselves for the sake of Christ the Savior on it, and kissingly cry out:

Rejoice, Cross, glorified by the obedience and suffering of Christ; Rejoice, exalted by the exaltation of the Son of God upon you, Who raised the whole world from the fall of Adaml.

Rejoice, for the terrible mystery of the earth that has come true on you is horrified and trembling, as if you want to swallow the criminals; Rejoice, as I have slain on you the Lamb of God, the veil of the temple has been torn apart and the sacrifice of the Old Testament has been abolished.

Rejoice, Cross, as if I would fall apart under you to a stone, give birth to Jews with unbelief from God with a stone heart, having lost the grace of the priesthood and the kingdom; Rejoice, as if I have darkened the sun in the passion of Christ, the night of polytheism has passed away and the light of faith has ascended.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 4

Breathing with a storm of malice and moving with envy, the high priests of Judaism, hiding Your Cross in the ground, O Christ God, may their madness not be a rebuke; but that one, like a precious treasure, ascended from the bowels of the earth, acquired by the diligence of the pious Empress Helena and revealed to the joy of the whole world, with a God-beautiful song: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Seeing then the Christian people of the honest Cross, the acquisition, glorifying Christ God spreading on it, "Lord, have mercy" crying. Now, imitating them, we glorify His holy Cross with laudatory chintz:

Rejoice, O Cross, sanctifying our earthly nature, hidden and defiled by sins, into the earth; Rejoice, having put to shame with your appearance from the bowels of the earthly detractors of the incarnation and the Divinity of Christ.

Rejoice, as if He suffered on you in the flesh, having received all power in Heaven and on earth, and bring everyone and everything to God the Father; Rejoice, as if He died on you, as a man, by the power of His Divinity, crush the rivets of hell and bring out the souls of the righteous from there.

Rejoice, Cross, like a prudent thief, crucified to Christ, confessing Him, you, like a ladder, ascend to Heaven; Rejoice, as if by cutting off the passions of Christ who are crucified, you elevate them to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 5

Lord, under Moses, sometimes we prophesy the image of Your Cross, defeating Your defeat, now the very Cross of Your property, we ask for help: strengthen Your Church and grant her victories against enemies, may all Your enemies be scattered, not crying out to You: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Honest Cross, Christ, having imagined the action of Moses, defeat Amalek in the desert of Sinaiste: when you stretch out your hand, creating the image of the cross, the people are strengthened; now, all things are fulfilled in us: today the Cross is erected, and the demons run, today the whole creature is freed from aphids, as if the whole Cross for the sake of exalting gifts to us. The same, rejoicing, we cry out:

Rejoice, Cross, the terrible weapon of Christ, whose demons tremble; Rejoice, as by the power of the Crucified Christ on you, demonic hordes are driven far away.

Rejoice, for by the power of Divine grace acting in you, victory over the opposing people is granted by Christ-loving people; rejoice, for from you, as from the tall and prolific tree of Christ, suffering on you, the fruits of life and salvation, grow for us.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 6

Sometimes the life-giving tree of the Cross appears as a preacher of the power and Divinity of Christ, when you resurrect the dead with your touch and raise him to life, having seen it, many from the Jews and knowing the tongue of great piety the mystery: for salvation for the sake of man, God appeared in the flesh and endured the passion of the cross, yes save those who cry to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

Like a tree of heavenly glory, the honest Cross of Christ rises on Golgotha, from which it will spread the mental branches of grace to the whole universe and Spread on it: under its canopy, they find the coolness of the palimia with the heat of passions and those who want to piously live in Christ Jesus. In the same way, we, the grace of that communicant, cheerfully cry out:

Rejoice, holy Cross, the tree of life, planted in Eden for Adam's sake, foreshadowed; Rejoice, new Adam, with outstretched hands on you, revealed to the world.

Rejoice, for under the shadow of your grace-filled protection all the faithful come running; Rejoice, for by the mercy of Him who gave you to us, the penitent sinners of the fire of Gehenna avoid.

Rejoice, Cross, our consolation in sorrows and sorrows; Rejoice, life-giving joy and help to the exhausted in the struggle against the attachments of the passions, the world and the devil.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 7

Although to reveal to the human race of His goodness and mercy an unsearchable abyss, Thy Cross, Lord, has given us a firm guardian and exorcist of demons. All the same, we all, who believe in You, glorify the greatness of Your passion, gratefully singing to You: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

Thou hast shown wondrous deeds, O Lord, with Thy honest Cross: I will burst open thee on that flesh, the whole creation will change: the sun will hide its rays, the foundations of the earth will be shaken, hell will be broken by the power of Thy power and bring out the tyrants, even from time immemorial it has contained. For this sake, we link these songs with flowers:

Rejoice, O Cross, as if all creation had compassion on You, as if it were its Creator and Master; Rejoice, for the power of That and the Divinity is witnessed by the sun by darkening and the earth by vibration.

Rejoice, for the one who died on you was not kept in the dead, but, having destroyed the power of death, rose again on the third day; Rejoice, as if I have risen to Tom, the gospel sermon, which began from the face of the apostle, has gone to all the ends of the earth.

Rejoice, O Cross, for by you the worship of idols and pagan polytheism have been abolished; rejoice, for for your sake the right faith in the One God, in the Trinity of glory, is established throughout the earth.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 8

Strangely, having incarnated God and on the Cross the former mentally seeing was crucified, let us leave the vain world, the mind is turned to Heaven. For this reason, God descends to the earth and ascends to the Cross, so that, like a ladder, he will raise up to Heaven those who cry to Him: Hallelujah.

Ikos 8

Today, Adam and Eve rejoice, the sight of the Cross, which was struck by the adversary, who of old in paradise by eating the forbidden fruit of those deceitful and captives he created for himself. In the same way, we, rejoicing at our forefather for deliverance from the captivity of our souls, reverently sing:

Rejoice, Cross, for on you the good Shepherd lay down His soul for His sheep, and even down to hell, looking for the lost; Rejoice, for He did not despise the work of His hand, Adam and Eve, but with them, the righteous, I was rescued from hell, as if from the jaws of a strong beast, and put them into paradise.

Rejoice, for on you, nailed to Christ, splash a fiery weapon Dada and Cherubim, guardian of Edom, depart from the tree of life; Rejoice, as we, now reborn through Baptism, new people in Christ, unhinderedly partake of heavenly food.

Rejoice, Cross, rod of the power of Christ, sent from Zion, by whom we feed on the pasture of the gospel teachings; Rejoice, for we are preserved unharmed by you from the soul-destroying wolves, like lions roaring and looking for someone to devour.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 9

All the troubles and machinations of the enemy deliverance, the blessed Cross, as if receiving grace and strength from Christ nailed to you, to Him, as our God and Savior, we thankfully and laudatoryly sing: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Vetiystvo any earthly is not sufficient for the glorification of Your Cross, Lord, on which Thou hast made our salvation; the same, perplexedly praising that according to her property, we cry out to the sitsa:

Rejoice, Cross, as if the Savior of the world ascended on you, many people in the knowledge of His call and still calls; Rejoice, as if shining on you, like on a candlestick, the true Light illuminates all the ends of the earth with the light of the knowledge of God.

Rejoice, for now the East and the West glorify the One who suffered on you; rejoice, as thee, as the footstool of Christ, all the faithful, uplifting, glorify.

Rejoice, as from you, as from an inexhaustible source, the name of Christ, people will draw an abundance of eternal blessings.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 10

To be saved by those who want us and those who come running under the shadow of your protection, be an assistant, the Most Holy Cross, preserving us from all evils with the power of the Crucified Christ on you, to Him, as God and our Savior, we thankfully and laudatoryly sing: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

You are the wall that protects us from troubles and misfortunes, the all-honourable Cross, and a strong pillar against the face of the enemy, they do not dare to approach him invisibly, fearing to look at Your power. For this sake, with faith, we are protected by your holy sign and merrily sing:

Rejoice, most honorable Cross of Christ, protect us from the attack of the spirits of malice; Rejoice, keep us safe from various arrows.

Rejoice, as from your sign, piously done with faith, all the forces of hell, like smoke from the wind, disappear; rejoice, as through you all their strength, like wax from the face of fire, melts.

Rejoice, as if you were a holy martyr, shielding yourself with your sign and calling on the name of Christ, everyone courageously endured the form of torment; Rejoice, as the venerable fathers, with the help of the power of the Divine, inherent in your sign, demonic fear and the passions of rebellion, conquered.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 11

We offer all-compassionate singing to Thee, all-honourable Cross, and we humbly pray to Christ our God crucified on you, Who has given us joy and comfort in sorrows, may He deliver us from soul-damaging passions with His passion and teach us to faithfully sing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

With the light of the grace of God, which is mysteriously inherent in you, enlighten our spiritual feelings, Holy Cross, let us illuminate and instruct with it, we will not stumble on the stone of temptation, but let us be able, by the commandments of God, to be right in our whole life, singing to you:

Rejoice, messenger of the unceasing miracles of Christ and His mercy to the human race; rejoice. Cross, the renewal of the human race and the New Testament of Christ, the seal and confirmation.

Rejoice, triumph of the Christian faith and trustworthy anchor of our hope; Rejoice, adornment of the holy temples of God and protection of pious houses.

Rejoice, blessing of fields and gardens; rejoice in all the elements, sanctification.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 12

Grant Thy almighty grace to us, Lord, let us follow Thee, our Lord, take up our cross, not nailed to it with nails, but by labor, abstinence and humility, so let us be partakers of Thy suffering, from them the sweats of Eternal Life flow, soldering all the faithful, piously singing T: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Singing your greatness, all-honourable Cross, we all praise you, like the victorious scepter of the King of Heaven, our salvation is a joyful sign, we also cry out:

Rejoice, Cross, the power of Orthodox Christians and their indestructible fence; Rejoice, adornment of the saints and strength and reinforcement of all ascetics of faith and piety.

Rejoice, Cross, from the cradle to the grave, on all paths of life, protect us and, after death, on air ordeals, protect us from the spirits of malice; Rejoice, for under your sign those who rest, who have died in faith and piety, will be resurrected on the last day into eternal life.

Rejoice, O Cross, foreshadowing the glorious Second Coming of Christ with your appearance in Heaven; Rejoice, for the crucified Christ and all unbelievers will see you then and the highlander will mourn, but those who love the Lord, seeing you, will rejoice greatly.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, joyful sign of our redemption.

Kondak 13

Oh, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, consolation to all Christians! Now, now presenting you seeing, we raise our thoughts to Christ crucified on you, and we pray humbly to Him, for the sake of you, have mercy on us sinners, and make us worthy in the villages of paradise to sing to Him: Alleluia.

(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)

Prayer

Holy Cross, guardian of soul and body, wake up: casting down demons in your own way, driving away enemies, abolishing passions and granting reverence to us, and life, and strength, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and honest prayers of the Most Pure Theotokos. Amen.

random test

Photo of the day

Great religious holiday The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated on September 27 (September 14 according to the old style) of each year.

The holiday is dedicated to the Cross of Jesus Christ, on which he was crucified. Rising means "lifting up". This holiday symbolizes the lifting of the Cross from the earth after it was discovered there.

Other holiday names

Exaltation, Exaltation Day, Stavrov's Day, Third Autumn, Battle of Truth and Falsehood, Kapustnitsy, Autumn Serpentine.

About the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

About three hundred years after the crucifixion of Christ, there were terrible persecution to the Orthodox Church. Roman rulers, starting from Nero (ruled the empire in 54-68) and up to Diocletian (reign in 303-313), destroyed Christians in various ways, they were thrown to be torn to pieces by beasts, killed, crucified, rotted in dungeons, burned at the stake . Roman pagan kings sought to erase from human memory everything connected with the coming of the Son of God Jesus Christ to our land.

The Appearance of the Cross to ConstantineBut at the beginning of the fourth century, by the providence of God, Emperor Constantine came to power, who, before the decisive battle for power, had a heavenly sign in the form of a cross. And at night, Jesus Christ Himself appeared to him and said that in order to win, he must replace the Roman symbols on the banners with crosses. Constantine fulfilled the command of the Lord and received a long-awaited victory, after which he and his mother, Queen Elena, believed in the True God Jesus Christ.

The persecution of Christians by royal decree was stopped and the restoration of Christian churches and shrines began.

In 326, Queen Helen went to Jerusalem. Arriving at the holy place, she saw that a pagan temple in honor of Venus was built on the site of Golgotha, and a temple in the name of Jupiter was erected on the site of the Holy Sepulcher. He ordered the destruction of pagan sanctuaries and the erection of Christian churches in their place.

But it was still necessary to find the Cross on which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. Elena searched for the Holy Cross for a long time and in vain, hundreds of Christians and Jews were interviewed, no one could give at least some information. Quite by accident, she learned that an old Jew named Judas could tell where to find the shrine. He was persuaded for a long time to tell where this place was, finally he showed a cave filled with stones, where the Cross of the Savior and two crosses could be located, on which the robbers were crucified that day.

Cross of the Lord With prayers, they began to dig a cave and found three crosses in it, and next to them they found a tablet on which was written in three languages ​​"Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."
In order to understand which of the crosses was the Cross of the Savior, they brought a seriously ill woman, on whom all the crosses were placed in turn. After she touched the real Life-Giving Cross, the patient was healed.

In order to make sure that this is exactly the same Cross that they were looking for, it was attached to the deceased, who was carried to be buried. After the Cross touched the deceased, he resurrected and everyone was completely convinced that such a miracle could only come from the Life-Giving Cross.

With great joy, Empress Elena and all the people who were with her bowed to the shrine and venerated it. The news of the holy discovery almost instantly spread throughout the district, and Jews began to gather at the place where the Cross was found. There were so many people that many could not only bow to the Cross, but even see Him. To show the find, Patriarch Macarius stood on a high place and raised (raised) the Life-Giving Cross, everyone finally saw Him and, falling on their knees, prayed "Lord have mercy."

Later, by order of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, in Jerusalem, on the site of the Resurrection of Christ, the construction of a monument to this event began, which was built for ten whole years.
Saint Helena died in 327, she did not live to see the completion of construction for eight years. The temple in honor of the Resurrection of Christ was consecrated on September 13 (according to the new style), 335.
And the next day, September 14, was set as a holiday - the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross.

By the care of the holy Empress Helena, more than eighty churches were founded, including in the birthplace of Jesus Christ - in Bethlehem, in the place of the Ascension of the Lord - on the Mount of Olives, in Gethsemane, where the Savior prayed before His Holy Death and where the Mother of God was buried after Dormition.

For all the work that Konstantin and Elena put into the distribution Christian faith, the Holy Church canonized them as Equal-to-the-Apostles.

Heraclius brings in the Cross of the Lord On this festive day, Christians remember another event - the return of the Cross of the Lord to Jerusalem from fourteen years of Persian captivity.
Chosroes II, the king of Persia, attacked Jerusalem, seized the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord and captured Patriarch Zechariah (609-633).

For 14 years, the Holy Cross was in Persia until the time when, from God's help, Emperor Heraclius won the battle against Chosroes. Peace was concluded and the shrine finally returned to the Christians.

With great solemnity, the emperor Heraclius, in the royal crown and purple, carried the returned Cross to its rightful place in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, Patriarch Zacharias walked beside him. But near the gate that led to Golgotha, the procession suddenly stopped, Heraclius could not go further. To the astonished emperor, the Holy Patriarch suggested that the Angel of the Lord Himself blocked the path, because the One Who had to bear the Cross in order to atone for human sins, passed this path in humility and in a humiliated form.

Then the emperor took off his royal robes and put on simple poor clothes. Only after that he was able to bring the Life-Giving Cross into the temple.

On the day of the Exaltation of the Honest Christ, a strict fast is observed!

magnificence

We magnify Thee, Life-Giver Christ, and honor Your Holy Cross, by which Thou hast saved us from the work of the enemy.

How and what to pray to the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

They pray to the Holy Cross on different occasions, in joy, in trouble, in happiness or in sorrow. The prayer "Let God rise again ..." included in the evening rule is the most strong prayer that every Christian needs to know. She will protect you from all evil and misfortune. The Holy Fathers recommend reading the prayer to the Holy Cross before each exit from the house.

Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let all who hate Him flee from His presence. As the smoke disappears, let them disappear; like wax melts from the face of fire, so let the demons perish from the face loving God and celebrating sign of the cross, and in the joy of those who say: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, drive away demons with the power of our crucified Lord Jesus Christ on you, who descended into hell and corrected the strength of the devil, and gave us His Honest Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Lady Virgin Mother of God and with all the saints forever. Amen.

Traditions and rituals on Vozdvizhenye

- September 27 - worship of the Cross, religious processions, Exaltation evenings, reading a conspiracy for love, on this day they do not start new business.

believers Orthodox Church worship the Cross.

On this day, people do not start any business, as there will be no positive result.

Traditionally, detours or religious processions are made with icons and prayers.

On this day, Vozdvizhensky evenings begin, which last for two weeks. Unmarried girls gather and read a certain spell seven times. According to legend, after such a ceremony, the one who is dear to her heart will fall in love with the girl.

Whoever observes the fast during the Exaltation will receive forgiveness of 7 sins, and those who do not observe it will receive 7 sins.

On this holiday, crosses are drawn in houses with chalk, soot, coal, garlic, animal blood. Small crosses made of wood are placed in the bins and mangers of animals. In the absence of crosses, they are made from rowan branches. They protect people, animals and crops from evil spirits.

Signs and sayings on the Exaltation

- The rise of autumn moves towards winter.

- At sunrise, the moon outlines a reddish, quickly disappearing circle - the weather will be clear and dry.

- The north wind on this day prophesies a warm summer next year.

- Geese fly high - the flood will be high, low - the river will practically not rise.

- If the cranes fly slowly and high, cooing in flight, then the autumn will be warm.

- If the west wind blows for several days in a row, then the weather will be bad in the coming days.

- On September 27, birds begin to fly south. And there is at the same time a very good sign, which reads as follows: if you see the departure of birds for a holiday, you must definitely make a cherished wish, which will come true in any case.

- It is also very important to say that earlier on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, absolutely every housewife cleaned the house. It was believed that it was in this way that it was possible to drive out all kinds of evil spirit and spoil.

- The following ritual for the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord will also help drive out negative energy and negativity from the house: for this, you need to take directly three church candles, and be sure to install them on one saucer. Next, you need to spray absolutely every corner of your home with a cruciform movement. At that moment, it is imperative to say absolutely any prayer that you know by heart. But the best option would be the prayer "Our Father" or the ninetieth psalm.

- It is very important to remember that it is categorically not worth starting any new business on the holiday, because, unfortunately, it is according to the sign that this business will end in failure.

- It is from the holiday of September 27 that incredibly cheerful youth holidays begin, which in turn have a name - skits. In ancient times, young beauties dressed up in festive dresses and went directly from house to house to chop cabbage. This action was carried out with extremely cheerful songs and was accompanied directly by delicious treats.

- Previously, they always knew that if you go to the forest on the Exaltation holiday, then there is a high probability that you will not be able to return at all. It was assumed that on September 27, the goblin collects each animal in the forest in order to unambiguously count each of them and thereby know how many living creatures live in his forest. And this action categorically no one should observe. And whoever disobeys and still goes to the forest for the Feast of the Exaltation, thereby showing disrespect to the goblin, may not return home that day.