The real story of Peter and Fevronia, brief summary. Saints Peter and Fevronia: a love story

July 8(June 25, old style) The Church honors the memory of the holy wonderworkers of Murom, the blessed Prince Peter, named David by the monks, and the blessed Princess Fevronia, named Euphrosyne by the nuns. Saints Peter and Fevronia are considered the patrons of the family hearth. They are also prayed for for marriage or the birth of a child.

Troparion and Kontakion to Saints Peter and Fevronia

Troparion, tone 8

Just as you were a pious and honorable person, having lived well in piety, blessed Peter, so with your wife, the wise Fevronia, you pleased God in the world, and saints' lives vouchsafed; With them, pray to the Lord to preserve your Fatherland without harm, and let us honor you unceasingly.

Kontakion, tone 8

The reign and glory of this world, as if temporarily thinking, and for this sake you lived piously in the world of Peter, together with your wise wife Fevronia, pleasing God with alms and prayers; In the same way, even after death, lying inseparably in the tomb, you invisibly give healing, and now you pray to Christ to save the city and the people who glorify you.

Saints Peter and Fevronia. Icons

On the icons, Saints Peter and Fevronia are depicted in full growth, in monastic vestments. A cross or scroll is depicted in the hands of Peter and Fevronia.

Temples in honor of Saints Peter and Fevronia

The chapel of the Cathedral of the Nativity was consecrated in honor of Saints Peter and Fevronia Holy Mother of God in the city of Murom (1555-1557). There are three altars on the top floor of the temple: the main one in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the chapels in the name of St. Apostles Peter and Paul and in the name of St. Alexis, man of God and Mary Magdalene; on the lower floor in the name of the Murom miracle workers - the blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia. Main Cathedral Muroma stood in the center of the Kremlin on Voevodskaya Mountain. According to church historian Professor E. Golubinsky, the first temple on this site was built in the pre-Mongol period. The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary witnessed many dramatic events in the history of ancient Murom. During the XIII-XIV centuries, it, together with the city, was repeatedly subjected to Tatar devastation. The cathedral was dismantled before the Great Patriotic War.

In honor of Saints Peter and Fevronia, the chapel of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity of the Trinity Convent in Murom, Vladimir Region, was consecrated. The monastery was founded in the second quarter of the 17th century by the Murom merchant Tarasy Borisovich Tsvetnov, according to a number of local historians, on the site of the so-called “old settlement”, where initially a wooden Cathedral in honor of Saints Boris and Gleb, and later there was a wooden Holy Trinity Church. In 1642-1643, through the efforts of Tarasy Tsvetnov, the Holy Trinity Stone Cathedral was erected on the site of a wooden church, which has survived to this day.

Built in honor of Saints Peter and Fevronia Old Believer temple(RPsC) in the city of Murom, Vladimir region.

Day of Family, Love and Fidelity

The Russian Orthodox Church has established a special day for the veneration of saints - the day of Peter and Fevronia. In 2006, on the initiative of the city authorities, residents of Murom collected 15-20 thousand signatures under an appeal on the “All-Russian Day of Married Love and Family Happiness (in memory of the blessed princes Peter and Fevronia of Murom),” which called for declaring July 8 an all-Russian holiday dedicated to moral and spiritual family values. The all-Russian holiday, called “Day of Family, Love and Fidelity,” was first held on July 8, 2008. Due to the fact that the day of memory of Peter and Fevronia falls on Peter's Fast, when the sacrament of marriage is not performed, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on December 25, 2012 established a second celebration in memory of the transfer of relics, which took place in 1992. The celebration takes place on the Sunday preceding September 6 (19).

Sculptures of Saints Peter and Fevronia

In the 21st century, monuments to Peter and Fevronia appeared in many Russian cities. Sculptural compositions “Holy Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom” began to be installed in Russian cities in 2009 as part of the national program “In the Family Circle”, created with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' (ROC). Sculptures of Saints Peter and Fevronia are installed in cities such as Murom, Arkhangelsk, Sochi, Ulyanovsk, Yaroslavl, Abakan, Nizhny Tagil, Yeisk, Blagoveshchensk, Omsk, Samara, Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Rostov-on-Don, Novosibirsk, Izhevsk, Tambov, Tula, Klin, Volgograd, Kirov, Veliky Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, Podolsk, Obninsk, Sergiev Posad, Volchansk, Voronezh, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Khabarovsk, Astrakhan and many others.

Folk traditions on the day of Saints Peter and Fevronia

For a long time, spouses turned to the Murom prince Peter and his wife Fevronia with prayers for family happiness. This day was happy for love and marriage, and after the Kupala games on the previous day, betrothed couples were determined. According to popular beliefs, on this day they conclude happy marriages. From that day on, they swam without looking back, since it was believed that on this day the last mermaids leave the shores deep into the reservoirs and fall asleep. This day was also considered the day of full maturity of field and forest herbs, which by this time bloomed in all their glory.

Saints Peter and Fevronia. Art

St. Petersburg artist A.E. Prostev created a series of works dedicated to the life of Peter and Fevronia of Murom.

In the summer of 2017, “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” was released. The film is based on the Tale of the Murom Saints Peter and Fevronia.

Blessed Prince Peter was the second son of Murom Prince Yuri Vladimirovich. He ascended the Murom throne in 1203. A few years earlier, Saint Peter fell ill with leprosy, from which no one could cure him. In a dream vision, it was revealed to the prince that he could be healed by the beekeeper’s daughter, the pious maiden Fevronia, a peasant woman from the village of Laskovoy in the Ryazan land. Saint Peter sent his people to that village.

When the prince saw Saint Fevronia, he fell in love with her so much for her piety, wisdom and kindness that he vowed to marry her after healing. Saint Febronia healed the prince and married him. The holy spouses carried love for each other through all trials. The proud boyars did not want to have a princess of ordinary rank and demanded that the prince let her go. Saint Peter refused and the couple were expelled. They sailed on a boat along the Oka River from their hometown. Saint Febronia supported and consoled Saint Peter. But soon the city of Murom suffered the wrath of God, and the people demanded that the boyars beg the prince to return back with Saint Fevronia.

The holy spouses became famous for their piety and mercy.

They died on the same day and hour, June 25, 1228, having previously taken monastic vows with the names David and Euphrosyne. The bodies of the saints were laid in one coffin.

Saints Peter and Fevronia are an example of Christian marriage. With their prayers they bring down Heavenly blessings on those entering into marriage.

Since 2008, Russia has celebrated the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, which has become an official alternative to the European Valentine's Day. Peter and Fevronia, whose memorial day, July 8 (June 25) became the date of the celebration, are considered Orthodox patrons of marriage and family. What do we know about them?

Did the saints have real historical prototypes and how was the main source created from which we can draw information about the heroes of today’s holiday - “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”?

You can read the text of the Tale

Bibliographic description: Literature Library Ancient Rus'/RAN. IRLI; Ed. D. S. Likhacheva, L. A. Dmitrieva, A. A. Alekseeva, N. V. Ponyrko. - St. Petersburg: Nauka, 2000. - T. 9: The end of the XIV - the first half of the XVI century.

“The Tale of the Lives of the New Saints, Wonderworker of Murom, the Blessed and Reverend and Worshipful Prince Peter, named in the monastic rank of David, and his wife, the blessed and venerable and praiseworthy Princess Fevronia, named in the monastic rank of Euphrosyne” - this is the full title of one of the most famous works ancient Russian book literature. Its popularity is determined by many factors, including close to folk themes, a lively and unusual literary language for the hagiographic genre, and the undeniable talent of the author, which made it possible to create such a harmonious work.

Author of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” Ermolai-Erasmus

The author of the Tale of Peter and Fevronia is the famous publicist of the era of Ivan the Terrible - Ermolai-Erasmus, the author of such works as “The Book of the Trinity”, “The Ruler of the Tsar’s Well-Wishing”, “A Word on the Reasoning of Love and Truth and the Conquering of Enmity and Lies”.

The question of Ermolai Erasmus’s involvement in the work caused great controversy in Soviet historiography. Some researchers attribute the time of creation of the work to the 15th century, but, in this case, the question of Yermolai’s authorship disappears. This point of view is shared by M.O. Skripil, arguing his position by the fact that the Tale reflects Russian reality of the second half of the 15th century, and “its author is not a Muscovite, but a resident of one of the peripheral cultural and political centers (most likely, Murom).” Another group of researchers, including A.A. Zimin, the most famous Soviet researcher of the Russian Middle Ages and source scholar, is of the opinion that the Tale should still be attributed to the middle of the 16th century in its first edition, and to the 60s of the second, and its author was Ermolai Erasmus.

We know about the life of Yermolai-Erasmus, or, as he was also called, Yermolai the Prehreshny, mainly from his writings. From the works one can find out where the publicist was at one time or another and what he was doing. In the 40s of the 16th century he lived in Pskov, by the beginning of the 60s he was already in Moscow.

The heyday of Ermolai-Erasmus's writing activity fell in the middle of the century; it was at this time that he wrote a treatise sent to the king. It is known under the title “The Ruler and the Land Surveyer, Benevolent to the Tsar.” In this work, Ermolai takes the position of humanity, which can also be seen in his other works, even in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia.”

As a publicist, attention was paid to him in 1546, which followed his acquaintance with the court bookworm of Ivan the Terrible, Cyrus Sophrony. Soon he moved to Moscow and received the position of archpriest of the palace (Savior on Bor in the Moscow Kremlin) cathedral. Ermolai-Erasmus was involved in the activities of the group of scribes, which was created by Metropolitan Macarius. Her task was to create lives in connection with the preparation of the canonization of Russian saints at the councils of 1547 and 1549.

St. Peter and Fevronia of Murom

On behalf of Macarius, Ermolai - Erasmus wrote at least 3 works, including: The Tale of Peter and Fevronia and the Tale of Bishop Vasily.

Somewhere in the early 60s, in the lists of some of his works “Ermolai, Erasmus of the monastery” is already found, which indicates his tonsure as a monk. Gradually his name was forgotten, and his works were rewritten as anonymous.

The history of the creation of the story of Peter and Fevronia and the path of the source

The 16th century is an era of impending changes, when a turn begins from church culture, as it has been for 6 centuries, to secular literature. At this time, the narrative style in works, illustrativeness, interest in the ups and downs of life, and the depiction of characters are actively developing. On the other hand, this is a period when the Church especially strongly insisted on observing the canons, fought against heresy in all its manifestations, and against secularization in literature.

In this context, there is a wide dissemination of lives and chronicles, the “Great Menaions of Chetia” (GMC) are created, which leads to the need to establish rules for new forms of works. The story of Peter and Fevronia was written by Eromolaus Erasmus at the request of Metropolitan Macarius for inclusion in the VChM as a life about the Murom saints, but... it was not included, and there were very good reasons for that. At the same time, the Metropolitan allowed this work to be rewritten separately, preserving the Tale’s right to be classified in the genre of hagiography (life). As a result, this decision led to the creation of many lists and their wide dissemination among the people.

The story was created in the 40s of the 16th century, but the legend itself about the heroes and the beginning of their veneration date back to a much earlier period, as did the church service to Peter and Fevronia.

The story was written as a hagiography on the eve of the canonization of the Murom miracle workers at the cathedral in 1547. Along with the main task - glorification, the Tale has a second meaning - to present the reader with an allegorical meaning, to tell about the power of love and faith in Divine Providence. And Ermolai Erasmus drew information for the “hagiographical subtext” of his work from the text of the church service and oral traditions.

Each version of the story has been preserved in a large number of lists. The text of the story is most consistently preserved by lists of variants of the so-called Khludov version (GIM. Khludov. No. 147, 16th century). The second known version of the MDA (RGB. Collected. Fundamental library of the Moscow Theological Academy No. 224, 16th century), to which the list with the name of Erasmus dates back, suggests that it was not the original text of the Tale that fell into the hands of the editor of this list, but many times rewritten. As a result of the classification and comparison of lists of the First Edition of the Tale, it can be considered established that the text closest to the original was preserved in one of three lists - Solovetsky Collection No. 826, Pogodin Collection No. 892, TsGALI Collection No. 27.

The generally accepted text of the Tale turned out to be the text that has come down to us in the list of Pogodin’s collection, and not the text from the collection of Ermolai-Erasmus. The Solovetsky manuscript No. 287 presents the author’s text, and the Pogodinskaya manuscript contains the copy that was put into reader circulation. Although the author’s version of the Tale has reached us in a very small number of copies, the manuscript of the author himself came to us in the 16th century Solovetsky Monastery, but their history confirms that the text of the Tale is closely connected with the name of Erasmus.

The imperfect beginning of the marriage of Peter and Fevronia

In fact, turning with all attention to the beginning of the story of Peter and Fevronia, it is difficult to imagine that several centuries later their union will be called ideal.

Murom Prince Peter killed the Serpent-Devil, who came to the wife of his brother Paul, with a holy sword. But the snake, breathing its last breath, splashed the hero with blood, from which the latter became seriously ill and covered with scabs. A long search for a healer does not yield results until the prince ends up with the poison dart frog’s daughter, Fevrnia. Does she cure him immediately, honoring the hero who struck the devil with Agric's sword? In gratitude for her service, does Peter marry a virgin with the gift of healing? No. This is what Fevronia answers to the prince’s servant, who conveys his request for a cure: “I want to cure him, but I don’t demand any reward from him. Here is my word to him: if I do not become his wife, then it is not right for me to treat him.”

Peter does not want to marry an ignorant girl, and therefore tries to deceive her - by accepting treatment, but not fulfilling his promise of marriage. But Fevronia, the future saint, turns out to be much more cunning: on her advice, Peter left one of the scabs not anointed with a healing remedy, and after his departure the disease grew again from it. And this time Peter repents and, having promised marriage, receives healing.

Ermolai Erasmus in no way doubts the holiness of Fevronia, later describing the miracles that she is able to perform by God's grace, but this element of familiarity, more characteristic of a picaresque tale about a cunning peasant woman, makes the Tale a unique work and makes you think about a lot.

The Tale of Peter and Fevronia - a question about the genre

The question of the Tale genre is probably one of the most widely discussed and interesting. Yes, the work is not included in the Great Four Menaions, but after the canonization of Peter and Fevronia in 1547, its hagiographical nature was recognized. The first researcher who denied the Tale the right to be called a life was V.O. Klyuchevsky. He writes: “The legend of Peter... cannot be called a life either by its literary form or by the sources from which its content is drawn.” Researcher Ya.S. Lurie, studying the Tale, transferred to it the characteristics of a “rogue story”, focusing on the image of Fevronia as a cunning peasant woman, capable of getting a prince as her husband. This conclusion is a consequence of comparing the Tale with a Western European short story of the Renaissance. There are also interpretations of the Tale as a medieval literary parable and a notable view of it as a theological and allegorical life, considering the union of Peter and Fevronia as an allegory Christian power in Rus'.

Historical prototypes of the images of Peter and Fevronia

In the Tale there are no direct or indirect references to which specific Murom princes the author has in mind. But in the works of V.O. Klyuchevsky and E.E. Golubinsky, Prince Peter is identified with the prince who ruled in the first quarter of the 13th century in Murom - with David Yuryevich.

As for the date chosen for the celebration, it is somewhat at odds with historical evidence. The holiday of family, love and fidelity is celebrated on June 25 according to the old style, i.e. July 8 in a new way. In the 17th century source “The Book of the Verb Description of Russian Saints” this date is indicated as the date of the repose of the miracle workers. But the information regarding David of Murom, which we find in the chronicle, says that he died in April, and the dates differ by 1 year (1228-1227).

The point of view on the historical prototype of Peter, expressed by N.D. Kvashin-Samarin raised some doubts among other researchers, but I find it very interesting. In his opinion, St. Peter is the Murom prince Peter, the ancestor of the boyars Ovtsyn and Volodimirov. This fact of the existence of such a prince and his two brothers is confirmed by the Murom synodics of a much later time, but this recording was most likely made already from the Tale. The legend about Vasily Ryazansky and Muromsky provides new information about the legend, and determines the life of Peter and his wife as later than the life of David Yuryevich. Based on these data, we can conclude that the lifetime of the historical prototypes dates back to the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th century, and these princes are absolutely unknown to us.

Christian and pagan in the story of Peter and Fevronia

The story can be roughly divided into 2 parts - the story of the murder of the insidious serpent-tempter by Peter, the brother of the Murom prince Pavel, and the vicissitudes that occur after the wedding of Peter and Fevronia in the fate of the new Murom miracle workers. Thus, the first part is based on two folklore elements independent of each other: tales of wise maidens and the tale of the fiery serpent. In the first part of the story (before the start of treatment), the following stages can be distinguished, which are more characteristic of a fairy tale than of a life:

1. A hero's test, after which he gains an assistant or a magic item
2. The hero's struggle with adversity and subsequent victory
3. Finding. According to the fairy tale canon, there should be a bride/wealth in this place, but in this case - illness, and a transition to the next storyline.

The story is filled with symbolism, both Christian and pagan. Among the first allegories are the miracles performed by Fevronia and the miraculous acquisition of Agrikov's sword by Peter through the appearance of a youth-angel to him, the transformation of bread crumbs in Fevronia's hand into fragrant incense, as well as the transformation of two dry sticks into living trees. The miracle of trees is a symbol of the rebirth of life. The symbolism of the Feast of the Exaltation is one of the subtexts of the Tale. Peter is related to Christ, who atoned for original sin death on the cross and thereby defeated the serpent-devil, researchers of the plot interpret Peter’s wounds as a symbol of human sins.

But what about folklore? pagan tradition, which is clearly embedded in the Tale? One should not neglect the fact that Christianity came to Murom much later than it spread throughout the main territory of Rus'. The Murom land was at the opposite end, which is why it took almost a century. Many researchers use this detail as the cornerstone of their conclusions regarding the parallel of the heroine with the pagan goddess inherent in the image of Fevronia, her genetic relationship with mythological characters. A number of researchers have generally noticed some images that, it is believed, Ermolai Erasmus deliberately introduced into the work in order to bring it closer to popular perception. For example, the question-and-answer game that takes place between Peter’s servant and Fevronia, the leaven with which she treats her future husband is veiled marriage symbolism. The hare galloping around Fevronia is a lunar animal, a symbol of her innocence and wisdom. There is an opinion that the main plot-generating principle in the Tale is precisely the wedding ritual used by Erasmus to fully express his own author’s intention: the resurrection of Peter through marriage.

Ermolai Erasmus, apparently, became interested in the folk legend, in which the heroine was a simple peasant girl, and combining the story with details of the hagiographic canon, he created a story that was bright in form and deep in content, which became one of the most significant works of this genre in Russian literature XVI V. Feats, a fairy-tale motif, a maiden who got her husband by cunning, saints and lovers. Is it not in this eternal combination of the truly folk and Christian that we should look for the roots of Russian culture?

Olga Davydova

On July 8, starting in 2008, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity is widely celebrated in all Russian cities. Many consider it a worthy alternative to Valentine's Day, which came from abroad. Indeed, in the domestic holiday there is more spiritual love and admiration for loyalty and devotion. And all because the holiday is closely associated with Saints Peter and Fevronia - a couple who are an example of ideal family relationships.

The story of the difficult life and great love of Peter and Fevronia

Prince Peter, who was the son of Prince Yuri of Murom, was struck by terrible leprosy. All attempts to cure the unfortunate man from his illness ended in failure; no one could restore Peter’s health. Having almost resigned himself to his fate, the man saw an unusual dream in which it was revealed to him that there was a girl in the world who could heal the affected body. In a prophetic dream, the name of the savior was revealed to Peter - Fevronia.

Fevronia was a peasant woman from a Ryazan village, the daughter of an ordinary beekeeper. Since childhood, the girl studied herbs and had the gift of healing; even wild animals obeyed her and did not dare to show aggression. The young prince immediately liked the amazingly kind and beautiful young lady, and he promised that he would marry the beauty immediately after his recovery. Fevronia put the man on his feet, but he did not keep his promise and did not lead the village girl down the aisle. Most likely, this was the reason that leprosy fell on the prince’s head with greater force.

The messengers went for the healer for the second time, and Fevronia did not refuse treatment to the deceiver and again gave him health. After this, Peter married his savior and until the end of his days he did not regret what he had done. According to legend, the spouses lived in love, harmony and respect, never deceived each other and always spoke flatteringly about their other halves.

After the death of his elder brother, Peter was destined to take city power into his own hands. The boyars approved of the respected ruler, but the simple peasant woman did not give them peace - no one wanted to see a representative of the lower class in power. The boyars' wives constantly slandered Fevronia, persuading their husbands to throw away the clever and beautiful woman they disliked. One day, the prince was given an ultimatum - either drive his beloved wife out of the house, or leave the post of ruler. Peter did not think for a long time, but chose to renounce power and decided to leave Murom altogether.

In exile, the young, wise princess supported her saddened husband in every possible way. When there were difficulties with food and money in the house, she always found a wonderful way out. Peter still idolized his betrothed and never once reproached his beloved for the fact that for her sake he had to leave his high post and live in deprivation.

However, the deprivations of the princely couple did not last long; the Murom boyars soon realized that without a competent ruler it would be difficult to maintain order in the city. Having come to their senses, they sent messengers for the prince and asked him to return with his wife to his hometown and again take up the post of mayor. Peter consulted with Fevronia and the couple, without resisting, returned home.

The devoted spouses Peter and Fevronia lived in love and harmony until old age, and when they had gray hairs, they took monasticism under the names Euphrosyne and David. As monks, the spouses who tenderly loved each other prayed to God to die on the same day. Dreaming of being together in heaven, they prepared a coffin for themselves, with only a thin partition separating the two bodies.

Tradition says that the elderly monks actually departed to another world on one day - it happened on June 25, 1228 according to the strict calendar, which corresponds to July 8 according to the current calendar. Living, as befits monks, in different cells, they died in one hour.

The monks were afraid of the wrath of the Lord and did not put the dead in one coffin - there had never been such burials in Christianity. The bodies of the deceased were in different temples, but somehow miraculously they ended up nearby. After such a miracle happened for the second time, the monks decided to bury the loving spouses together near the Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Only 300 years after their death, Prince Peter of Murom and his wife Fevronia were canonized. Orthodox Church declared them patrons of the family, and the relics of the saints found peace in the Holy Trinity convent in the city of Murom. July 8 at Orthodox calendar is considered the Day of Peter and Fevronia.

Day of Family, Love and Fidelity and its traditions

In the nineties, residents of Murom, where the holy spouses have always been venerated, decided to combine City Day with an Orthodox holiday. Thus, a new Russian holiday was accidentally born, glorifying love and devotion.

In 2008, the celebration of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity was officially approved, and soon approved by the Interreligious Council of Russia. The symbol of the holiday of pure and selfless love has become chamomile - a flower that is especially popular among all lovers. Later, Family Day got its own medal, with a daisy depicted on one side and the faces of Peter and Fevronia on the other. The medal is traditionally awarded to married couples in whom love and mutual understanding reign.

Now Orthodox holiday It is already celebrated in forty countries around the world, but the main celebrations take place in the city of Murom, Vladimir region.

The life of Peter and Fevronia of Murom is the clearest example of beneficence and devotion. The memory of the holy noble princes Peter and Fevronia of Murom is celebrated by the Church twice a year: on July 8 (June 25, old style), on the day of their righteous death, and on September 19 (September 6, old style), on the day of the transfer of the relics. You can learn more about the pair of saints by reading our article!

Life of Peter and Fevronia of Murom: history

Peter and Fevronia of Murom are spouses, saints, the brightest personalities of Holy Rus', who with their lives reflected its spiritual values ​​and ideals.

The life story of the holy wonderworkers, the faithful and reverend spouses Peter and Fevronia, has existed for many centuries in the traditions of the Murom land, where they lived and where their venerable relics were preserved. Over time, real events acquired fabulous features, merging into people's memory with legends and parables of this region. Now researchers are arguing about which of the historical figures the life is written: some are inclined to believe that these were Prince David and his wife Euphrosyne, in monasticism Peter and Fevronia, who died in 1228, others see them as the spouses Peter and Euphrosyne, who reigned in Murom in the 14th century.

I wrote down a story about blgv. Peter and Fevronia in the 16th century. priest Ermolai the Preregrenny (monastically Erasmus), a talented writer, widely known in the era of Ivan the Terrible. Preserving folklore features in his life, he created an amazingly poetic story about wisdom and love - the gifts of the Holy Spirit with a pure heart and humble in God.

St. Peter was younger brother reigning in the city of Murom blgv. Pavel. One day, trouble happened in Pavel’s family - due to the devil’s obsession, a snake began to fly to his wife. The sad woman, who succumbed to demonic power, told her husband everything. The prince ordered his wife to find out the secret of his death from the villain. It turned out that the adversary’s death was “destined from Peter’s shoulder and Agrikov’s sword.” Having learned about this, Prince. Peter immediately decided to kill the rapist, relying on God’s help. Soon, during prayer in the temple, it was revealed where Agrikov’s sword was kept, and, having tracked down the serpent, Peter struck him down. But before his death, the snake sprinkled the winner with poisonous blood, and the prince’s body became covered with scabs and ulcers.

No one could heal Peter from a serious illness. Enduring the torment with humility, the prince surrendered to God in everything. And the Lord, providing for His servant, sent him to the Ryazan land. One of the young men sent in search of a doctor accidentally walked into the house, where he found a lonely girl named Fevronia, the daughter of a tree frog, at work, who had the gift of insight and healing. After all the questions, Fevronia ordered the servant: “Bring your prince here. If he is sincere and humble in his words, he will be healthy!”

The prince, who could no longer walk himself, was brought to the house, and he sent to ask who wanted to cure him. And he promised him that if he cured him, he would receive a big reward. “I want to cure him,” Fevronia answered bluntly, “but I don’t demand any reward from him. Here is my word to him: if I do not become his wife, then it is not proper for me to treat him.” Peter promised to marry, but in his heart he was lying: the pride of the princely family prevented him from agreeing to such a marriage. Fevronia scooped up some sourdough, blew on it and ordered the prince to wash himself in the bathhouse and lubricate all the scabs except one.

The blessed maiden had the wisdom of the Holy Fathers and prescribed such treatment not by chance. Just as the Lord and Savior, healing lepers, the blind and the paralytic, healed the soul through bodily ailments, so Fevronia, knowing that illnesses are allowed by God as a test and for sins, prescribed treatment for the flesh, implying a spiritual meaning. Bath, according to St. To Scripture, the image of baptism and cleansing of sins (Eph. 5:26), but the Lord Himself likened to leaven the Kingdom of Heaven, which will be inherited by souls whitened by the washing of baptism (Luke 13:21). Since Fevronia saw through Peter’s wickedness and pride, she ordered him to leave one scab undone as evidence of sin. Soon, from this scab, the whole illness resumed, and the prince returned to Fevronia. The second time he kept his word. “And they arrived at their patrimony, the city of Murom, and began to live piously, without breaking God’s commandments in anything.”

After the death of his brother, Peter became autocrat in the city. The boyars respected their prince, but the arrogant boyars’ wives disliked Fevronia, not wanting to have a peasant woman as their ruler, and taught their husbands evil things. The boyars tried to level all sorts of slander against the princess, and one day they rebelled and, having lost their shame, offered Fevronia, taking whatever she wanted, to leave the city. The princess wanted nothing but her husband. The boyars rejoiced, because everyone secretly set their sights on the princely place, and they told their prince about everything. Blessed Peter, having learned that they wanted to separate him from his beloved wife, chose to voluntarily renounce power and wealth and go into exile with her.

The couple sailed down the river on two ships. A certain man, sailing with his family along with Fevronia, looked at the princess. The holy wife immediately guessed his thoughts and gently reproached him: “Draw water from one side and the other of the boat,” the princess asked. “Is the water the same or is one sweeter than the other?” “The same,” he answered. “So female nature is the same,” said Fevronia. “Why do you, having forgotten your wife, think about a stranger?” The convicted person was embarrassed and repented in his soul.

In the evening they moored to the shore and began to settle down for the night. “What will happen to us now?” - Peter thought sadly, and Fevronia, a wise and kind wife, affectionately consoled him: “Do not grieve, prince, the merciful God, the Creator and Protector of all, will not leave us in trouble!” At this time, the cook began to prepare dinner and, in order to hang the cauldrons, cut down two small trees. When the meal ended, the princess blessed these stumps with the words: “May they be in the morning big trees" And so it happened. With this miracle, she wanted to strengthen her husband, foreseeing their fate. After all, if “there is hope for a tree that, even if it is cut down, it will live again” (Job 14:7), then a person who hopes and trusts in the Lord will have a blessing both in this life and in the next.

Before they had time to wake up, ambassadors from Murom arrived, begging Peter to return to reign. The boyars quarreled over power, shed blood and were now again looking for peace and tranquility. Blzh. Peter and Fevronia humbly returned to their city and ruled happily ever after, giving alms with prayer in their hearts. When old age came, they took monasticism with the names David and Euphrosyne and begged God to die at the same time. They decided to bury themselves together in a specially prepared coffin with a thin partition in the middle.

They died on the same day and hour, each in his own cell. People considered it impious to bury monks in the same coffin and dared to violate the will of the deceased. Twice their bodies were carried to different temples, but twice they miraculously found themselves nearby. So they buried the holy spouses together near the cathedral church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and every believer received generous healing here.

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