(Salami), a miracle worker, was born at the end of the 3rd century on the island of Cyprus.

From childhood, Saint Spyridon grazed sheep, imitated the Old Testament righteous with a pure and God-pleasing life: David - in meekness, Jacob - in kindness of heart, Abraham - in love for strangers. In adulthood, Saint Spyridon became the father of a family. Unusual benevolence and spiritual responsiveness attracted many to him: the homeless found shelter in his house, wanderers - food and rest. For the unceasing remembrance of God and good deeds, the Lord endowed the future saint with grace-filled gifts: clairvoyance, the healing of incurable patients, and the exorcism of demons.

After the death of his wife, during the reign of Constantine the Great (324-337) and his son Constantius (337-361), Saint Spyridon was elected bishop of the city of Trimifunt. In the rank of bishop, the saint did not change his way of life, combining pastoral service with works of mercy. According to church historians, St. Spyridon in 325 took part in the activities of the First Ecumenical Council. At the Council, the saint entered into a contest with the Greek philosopher, who defended the Aryan heresy (the Alexandrian priest Arius rejected the Divinity and the pre-eternal birth from God the Father of the Son of God and taught that Christ is only the highest creation). The simple speech of St. Spyridon showed everyone the weakness of human wisdom before the Wisdom of God. As a result of the conversation, the opponent of Christianity became its zealous defender and accepted holy Baptism.

At the same Council, St. Spyridon showed against the Arians a clear proof of Unity in the Holy Trinity. He took a brick in his hands and squeezed it: instantly fire went up from it, water flowed down, and the clay remained in the hands of the miracle worker. “These are the three elements, and the plinth (brick) is one,” St. Spyridon said then, “so in the Most Holy Trinity there are Three Persons, and the Deity is One.”

In the person of St. Spyridon, the flock acquired a loving father. During a long drought and famine in Cyprus, through the prayer of the saint, it began to rain, and the disaster ended. The saint's kindness was combined with fair severity towards unworthy people. Through his prayer, the merciless grain merchant was punished, and the poor villagers were delivered from hunger and poverty.

Envious people slandered one of the saint's friends, and he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. The saint hurried to help, the path was blocked by a high-water stream. Remembering how the overflowing Jordan crossed (Josh. 3:14-17), the saint, with firm faith in the omnipotence of God, offered up a prayer, and the stream parted. Together with his companions, unwitting eyewitnesses of the miracle, Saint Spyridon crossed on dry land to the other side. Warned of what had happened, the judge greeted the saint with honor and released the innocent.

St. Spyridon performed many miracles. Once, during a divine service, the fir-tree burned down in the lamp, and it began to fade away. The saint was upset, but the Lord consoled him: the lamp miraculously filled with oil. There is a known case when Saint Spyridon entered an empty church, ordered to light lamps and candles, and began worship. Having proclaimed "Peace to all," he and the deacon heard in response from above a great multitude of voices, proclaiming: "And your spirit." This choir was great and sweeter than any human singing. At every litany, an invisible choir sang "Lord, have mercy." Attracted by the singing coming from the church, people who were nearby hurried to it. As they approached the church, wonderful singing filled their ears more and more and delighted their hearts. But when they entered the church, they saw no one but the bishop with a few ministers of the church, and heard no more heavenly singing, from which they were greatly astonished.

The saint healed the seriously ill Emperor Constantius, talked with his deceased daughter Irina, who was already prepared for burial. And once a woman came to him with a dead child in her arms, asking for the intercession of the saint. After praying, the saint brought the baby back to life. The mother, overwhelmed with joy, fell down lifeless. But the prayer of the saint of God brought life back to the mother.

The story of Socrates Scholasticus is also known about how the thieves decided to steal the sheep of St. Spyridon: in the dead of night they climbed into the sheepfold, but immediately they were bound by an invisible force. When morning came, the saint came to the flock and, seeing the bound robbers, having prayed, he untied them and for a long time persuaded them to leave the lawless path and get food by honest labor. Then, giving them a sheep each and letting them go, he said affectionately: “Let it not be in vain that you were awake.”

Seeing the secret sins of people, the saint called them to repentance and correction. Those who did not heed the voice of conscience and the words of the saint were punished by God.

As a bishop, Saint Spyridon set an example for his flock of a virtuous life and diligence: he pastured sheep, harvested bread. He was extremely concerned about the strict observance of the church order and the preservation of the Holy Scriptures in all inviolability. The saint severely denounced the priests, who in their sermons inaccurately used the words of the Gospel and other inspired books.

The entire life of the saint is striking in the amazing simplicity and power of wonderworking, bestowed upon him by the Lord. At the word of the saint, the dead were awakened, the elements were tamed, idols were crushed. When in Alexandria the Patriarch convened a Council for the destruction of idols and temples, through the prayers of the fathers of the Council, all the idols fell down, except for one, the most revered. It was revealed to the patriarch in a vision that this idol was left in order to be crushed by St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. Summoned by the Council, the saint boarded the ship, and at the moment when the ship landed on the shore and the saint set foot on land, the idol in Alexandria with all the altars fell to dust, thereby announcing to the Patriarch and all the bishops the approach of Saint Spyridon.

The Lord revealed to the saint the approach of his death. The last words of the saint were about love for God and neighbor. Around the year 348, during prayer, Saint Spyridon reposed in the Lord. They buried him in the church in honor of the holy apostles in the city of Trimifunt. In the middle of the 7th century, the relics of the saint were transferred to Constantinople, and in 1453 to the island of Kerkyra in the Ionian Sea (the Latin name of the island is Corfu). Here, in the city of Corfu (the main city of the island) of the same name, the holy relics of St. Spyridon are still preserved in the temple of his name (the right hand of the saint rests in Rome). 5 times a year, a solemn celebration of the memory of St. Spyridon takes place on the island.

Saint Spyridon Trimifuntsky has been revered in Rus' since ancient times. The “solstice”, or “turn of the sun for the summer” (December 25, new style), coinciding with the memory of the saint, was called in Rus' “Spiridon’s turn”. Saint Spyridon enjoyed special reverence in ancient Novgorod and Moscow. In 1633 a temple was erected in Moscow in the name of the saint.

In the Moscow Church of the Resurrection of the Word (1629) there are two revered icons of St. Spyridon with a particle of his holy relics.

The testimonies of church historians of the 4th-5th centuries - Socrates Scholasticus, Sozomen and Rufinus, processed in the 10th century by the outstanding Byzantine hagiographer Blessed Simeon Metaphrastus, have been preserved about the life of St. Spyridon. Also known is the Life of St. Spyridon, written in iambic verse by his disciple St. Triphyllius, Bishop of Leukussia of Cyprus († c. 370; Comm. 13/26 June).

From the book "Evlogite"

... Being in the episcopal rank, St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky received an invitation to participate in the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, convened in 325 by Emperor Constantine the Great, the purpose of which was to determine the basic truths of the Orthodox faith. The main topic for discussion of the Council was the teaching of the heretic Arius, who claimed that Christ was not God from eternity, but was created by God the Father. The Council was attended, among other things, by such luminaries of the Church as Saints Nicholas of Myra, Athanasius the Great, Paphnutius of Thebes and Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria, who convinced the emperor of the need to convene this Council.

The Fathers of the Council were faced with such a convincing "presentation" of the heretical doctrine by the famous philosopher Eulogius that, even being sure of the falsity of this doctrine, they were unable to resist the well-honed rhetoric of the heretic. During one of the most tense and heated discussions, Saint Nicholas became so angry listening to these blasphemous speeches, which caused so much embarrassment and confusion, that he gave Arius a resounding slap in the face. The assembly of bishops was indignant at the fact that St. Nicholas had struck his fellow cleric, and raised the question of banning him from serving. However, on the same night, the Lord and the Mother of God appeared in a dream to several members of the Cathedral. The Lord held the Gospel in his hands, and the Blessed Virgin a bishop's omophorion. Taking this as a sign that the boldness of Saint Nicholas was pleasing to God, they restored him to service.

Finally, when the skillful speeches of the heretics poured out in an unstoppable, all-destroying stream, and it began to seem that Arius and his followers would win, the uneducated Bishop of Trimyphuntus rose from his place, as they say in the Lives, with a request to listen to him. Convinced that he would not be able to resist Eulogius, with his excellent classical education and incomparable oratory, the other bishops begged him to be silent. Nevertheless, St. Spyridon stepped forward and appeared before the assembly with the words: “In the name of Jesus Christ, give me the opportunity to speak briefly.” Eulogius agreed, and Bishop Spyridon began to speak, holding a piece of simple clay tile in his palm:

There is one God in heaven and on earth, who created the heavenly Forces, man, and everything visible and invisible. By His Word and His Spirit, the Heavens came into being, the Earth came into being, the waters united, the winds blew, animals were born, and man was created, His great and wonderful creation. From Him alone everything came from non-existence into existence: all the stars, luminaries, day, night and every creature. We know that this Word is the true Son of God, consubstantial, born of a Virgin, crucified, buried, and resurrected as God and Man; resurrecting us, He will give us eternal incorruptible life. We believe that He is the Judge of the world, who will come to judge all nations and to whom we will give an account of all our deeds, words and feelings. We acknowledge Him to be of the same essence with the Father, equally honored and equally glorified, sitting at His right hand on the heavenly throne. The Holy Trinity, although it has three Persons and Three hypostases: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the One God - One inexpressible and incomprehensible Essence. The human mind is not able to comprehend this and does not have the ability to comprehend it, for the Divine is infinite. Just as it is impossible to contain the entire expanse of the oceans in a small vase, so it is impossible for the finite human mind to contain the infinity of the Divine. Therefore, in order that you may believe in this truth, look carefully at this small humble object. Although we cannot compare the Uncreated Supersubstantial Essence with the created and perishable, nevertheless, since those of little faith trust their eyes more than their ears - just like you, if you do not see with bodily eyes, you will not believe - I want to ... prove this truth to you, show it your eyes, through this ordinary piece of tile, also composed of three elements, but one in its substance and nature.

Having said this, Saint Spyridon made the sign of the cross with his right hand and said, holding a piece of tile in his left hand: “In the name of the Father!” At that moment, to the amazement of all those present, a flame burst out from a piece of clay, with which they burned it. The saint continued: "And the Son!" “And the Holy Spirit!”, and, opening his palm, the saint showed the dry earth remaining on it, from which the tile was fashioned.

The assembly was seized with reverent fear and amazement, and Eulogy, shocked to the core, at first could not speak. Finally he replied: "Holy man, I accept your words and admit my mistake." Saint Spyridon went with Eulogius to the temple, where he pronounced the formula of renunciation of heresy. Then he confessed the truth to his fellow Arians.

The victory of Orthodoxy was so certain that only six of the Arians present, including Arius himself, remained in their erroneous opinion, while all the others returned to the confession of Orthodoxy ...

Modern miracles of St. Spyridon

Bombardment of Corfu

During World War II, when the Italians, on the orders of Mussolini, attacked Greece, one of their first victims was the neighboring island of Corfu. The bombing began on November 1, 1940 and continued for months. Corfu had no means of air defense, so Italian bombers were able to fly at particularly low altitudes. However, during the bombing, strange things happened: both the pilots and those who were on the ground noticed that many bombs, in an incomprehensible way, did not fall straight down, but at an angle, and fell into the sea. During the bombing, people flocked to the only shelter where they did not doubt to find protection and salvation - the church of St. Spyridon. All the buildings around the church were badly damaged or destroyed, and the church itself survived until the end of the war without a single damage, not even a single window pane cracked ...

Miracles of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky

Saint Spyridon for his virtuous life from ordinary farmers was made a bishop. He led a very simple life, he himself worked in his fields, helped the poor and unfortunate, healed the sick, raised the dead. In 325 St. Spyridon took part in the Council of Nicaea, where the heresy of Arius was condemned, who denied the divine origin of Jesus Christ and, consequently, the Holy Trinity. But the saint miraculously showed against the Arians a clear proof of Unity in the Holy Trinity. He took a brick in his hands and squeezed it: instantly fire went up from it, water down, and the clay remained in the hands of the miracle worker. For many, the simple words of the blessed elder turned out to be more convincing than the refined speeches of pundits. One of the philosophers who adheres to the Arian heresy, after a conversation with Saint Spyridon, said: “When, instead of proof from the mind, some special power began to come from the lips of this elder, the evidence became powerless against it ... God Himself spoke through his mouth.”

Saint Spyridon had great boldness before God. By his prayer, the people got rid of the drought, the sick were healed, demons were cast out, idols were crushed, the dead were raised. Once a woman came to him with a dead child in her arms, asking for the intercession of the saint. After praying, he brought the baby back to life. The mother, overwhelmed with joy, fell down lifeless. Again the saint raised his hands to heaven, invoking God. Then he said to the deceased: “Rise up and get on your feet!” She stood up, as if awakening from a dream, and took her living son in her arms.

Known from the life of the saint and such a case. Once he entered an empty church, ordered the lamps and candles to be lit, and began the service. Nearby people were surprised by the angelic singing coming from the temple. Attracted by the wonderful sounds, they headed towards the church. But when they entered it, they saw no one but the bishop with a few clergymen. On another occasion, during the divine service, through the prayer of the saint, the fading lamps began to fill with oil of their own accord.

The saint had a special love for the poor. Even before he was a bishop, he spent all his income on the needs of his neighbors and strangers. In the rank of bishop, Spiridon did not change his way of life, combining pastoral ministry with works of mercy. One day a poor farmer came to him asking for a loan of money. The saint, promising to satisfy his request, released the farmer, and in the morning he himself brought him a whole heap of gold. After the peasant returned his debt with gratitude, St. Spyridon, going to his garden, said: “Let's go, brother, and together we will give back to Him Who gave us such a generous loan.” The saint began to pray and asked God that the gold, previously turned from an animal, would again take on its original form. The piece of gold suddenly stirred and turned into a snake, which began to wriggle and crawl. Through the prayer of the saint, the Lord sent a downpour on the city, which washed away the barns of a rich and merciless merchant who sold bread during a drought at very high prices. This saved many poor people from hunger and poverty.

Once, going to the aid of an innocently condemned man, the saint was stopped by a stream suddenly overflowing from a flood. At the command of the saint, the water element parted, and Saint Spyridon and his companions continued on their way without hindrance. Hearing about this miracle, the unjust judge immediately released the innocently condemned. Having acquired in himself meekness, mercy, purity of heart, the saint, as a wise shepherd, sometimes reproved with love and meekness, sometimes by his own example led to repentance. One day he went to Antioch to the emperor Constantine, in order to pray to help the king suffering from illness. One of the guards of the royal palace, seeing the saint in simple clothes and mistaking him for a beggar, hit him on the cheek. But the wise shepherd, wishing to reason with the offender, turned the other cheek according to the commandment of the Lord; the minister realized that the bishop was standing before him, and, realizing his sin, humbly asked his forgiveness.

The story of Socrates Scholasticus is known about how thieves decided to steal the sheep of St. Spyridon. Having made their way into the sheepfold, the robbers remained there until the morning, unable to get out of there. The saint forgave the robbers and persuaded them to leave the lawless path, then he gave them a sheep each and, letting go, said: “May you not stay awake in vain.” In a similar way, he reasoned with one merchant who wished to buy a hundred goats from the archpastor. Since the saint was not in the habit of checking the money given, the merchant withheld the payment for one goat. After separating a hundred goats, he drove them out of the fence, but one of them escaped and again ran into the pen. Several times the merchant tried to return the stubborn goat to his herd, but the animal did not obey. Seeing the admonition of God in this, the merchant hastened to repent to St. Spyridon and returned the concealed money to him.

Foreword

St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky is an amazing saint, a contemporary of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Over time, his veneration among the Orthodox people, and especially in Rus', only increases. More and more information and details about the life of the saint are being discovered and published, miracles are multiplying through his prayers and intercession, and more and more often the relics of the saint arrive from the island of Corfu to Orthodox Rus', showing his glory and intercession for us before God. Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky is a great prayer book, having great boldness to the Lord. Therefore, people come to him with such reverence and love. His life is full of extraordinary height and beauty, striking with the power of miracles and at the same time with an abundance of love - strict, meek and edifying. The saint was “non-possessive, meek, for the sake of all endure, do not be ashamed to worry about a flock of dumb sheep,” we read in the akathist. At the word of the saint, the dead were awakened, the elements were tamed, idols were crushed. The saint gave healing to the sick, living in sins - correction and forgiveness, delivered from drought, hunger and want, took care of widows and orphans, assisted in the successful arrangement of land and property affairs. Saint Spyridon, being a meek and gracious assistant, at the same time was always a persecutor and eradicator of all sin, a strict and exacting lord. His words came true with such accuracy that he finally refused even to utter threats to sinners, so as not to appear to be the cause of their disasters. He was born in a simple rank and kept the habits and principles of a simple life all his life - he worked with his own hands, worked in the field together with the inhabitants, tended a flock of sheep, as it is said in the akathist to St. feeder and helper. At the same time, wisdom was given to him by the Lord; such wisdom that even kings bowed their heads before him, that his answers amazed those who asked: he knew how to reason with a sinner with one hint, save a pagan, return to the truth the erring. Here is how St. Spyridon was praised in his “Word a Week to Fomin on Virtue” by a wonderful preacher, a native of the island of Corfu, the Russian archbishop Nicephorus Theotokis: “Neither the nobility of the family, because his family was miserable; nor exalted rank, because he was a shepherd of sheep; lower is the knowledge of the light of worldly wisdom, because he did not study in schools; below, what other thing, besides virtue, was elevated to such a height of this miracle worker and representative of our Spiridon. The most august Caesar and autocrat, Tsar Constantius, who was the owner of almost the entire universe, with a scepter in his hands, with a crown on his head, with purple on his ramen, fell at the feet of the Spiridonovs and kissed them a thousand times, washing them with warm tears, when the saint in the royal house cleansed him of leprosy. What other great honor is this? What other glory is more excellent than this? Then [the king] ordered the royal treasures to be opened before him, so that he could take whatever he wanted from them. The king himself asked the saint to accept from him gold and precious gifts brought to him. When again in Alexandria he crushed an idol with his prayer, did not all Alexandria fall at his feet? And to this day, do not all the glorious and sovereign princes worship him? Do we not consider it a great honor for ourselves to kiss not only his head, but also the tips of the boots that he wore?<…>So, as a reward for your kind and commendable inclination, I entrust all of you to the patronage of our common intercessor Spiridon. I see him ready to hear the faithful and I dare to believe that he will hear my humble prayer. As soon as he saw that the Cypriot people were in distress from lack of rain and from a deadly ulcer, he immediately cleared the air of harmful vapors and mists and, like Elijah, brought rain from heaven. As soon as he was asked for the forgiveness of the deacon, he at the same hour granted him the permission of the tongue. As soon as the Syrophoenician fell at his feet, he immediately resurrected her son. The river current for his friend stopped; turned the snake into gold for the sake of the poor; He raised his daughter from the dead as a consolation to a poor widow. But I leave everything ancient. Wasn't he ready to hear your prayer when you asked him to drive out the Hagarites who surrounded this island? Were we not heard by him so many times? Didn’t he calm the earth from earthquakes, didn’t he drive away the pestilence that surrounded us, didn’t he deliver wheat to storage in a miraculous way to stop the famine that we had?<…>Since you, the standard-bearing and inspired Saint Spiridon, hear everyone, then I dedicate all this Christ-named people to your intercession. You implore the resurrected Lord from the dead and Thomas tangible on this day, may he guide them to His truth, confirm them in His fear, cover His divine wings with blood. To her, Lord Humanity, beg the prayers of Your beloved Hierarch Spyridon, send down on them Your heavenly blessing and bless them.

To a person overwhelmed by vanity, material needs, everyday demands and sorrows, St. Spyridon points to the possibility of ascending to heaven. This path becomes obvious from the life of the saint himself, which opens before us many events and wonderful examples of how to choose a truly Christian life and, like St. preservation in all inviolability to the last word of the books of Holy Scripture.

Let us also not forget to prayerfully turn to St. Spyridon, for there are numerous testimonies that everyone who comes to the saint receives a good petition, does not leave without consolation, partakes in his purity and mercy, and gets drunk with the truly all-encompassing love of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky.

Stroganova Maria

Life of St. Spyridon

Childhood

Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky was born at the end of the 3rd century (c. 270) on the island of Cyprus, in a village called Askia (Assya), not far from Trimifunt (Trimitus). About the childhood and youth of Spiridon, about his parents, reliable information has not been preserved; it is only known that they were simple peasants, and the future saint himself herded sheep and goats in childhood (which is why it is customary to depict him in all icons in a shepherd's hat woven from wicker twigs). Spiridon did not receive any education, but he had a naturally sound mind, a bright and kind soul. With a pure and God-pleasing life, he imitated the Old Testament righteous: David - in meekness, Jacob - in kindness of heart, Abraham - in love for strangers. Unusual benevolence and spiritual responsiveness attracted many to him: the homeless found shelter in his house, wanderers - food and rest. The future saint did not refuse anyone to help. For the unceasing remembrance of God and good deeds, the Lord endowed the future saint with grace-filled gifts: clairvoyance, healing the terminally ill, and casting out demons. The grace of God resting on him and his natural quick wits developed in him a wisdom before which the greatest philosophers of that time were at a loss.

Start of ministry

In his youth, Spyridon married an honest, chaste girl, they had a daughter, Irina, whom Saint Spyridon himself baptized. But family life did not last long, the saint's wife soon died. When his wife died, Spiridon did not grumble, but even more zealously began to serve God with good deeds. In the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337), he was elected bishop of the city of Trimifunt. In the rank of bishop, St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky did not change his way of life, combining pastoral service with works of mercy. He sold the house and all the property, and distributed the proceeds from the sale, and until the end of his days he lived much more modestly than the far from the richest other residents of Trimifunt and its environs, grazing sheep for hire and in the days of suffering went out with reapers to harvest. For the unceasing remembrance of God and works of mercy, the Lord rewarded His faithful servant with the gift of clairvoyance and miracle-working. The special gift of the saint was power over the forces of nature - through his prayers, the drought stopped - and such blessed rains fell on the earth that after them the people gathered surprisingly rich harvests. If prolonged rains began, threatening to wash away the labors of the farmers, Spiridon prayed again, and by the grace of God, fine days came.

Miraculous patronage

Once in Cyprus there was a lack of rain and a terrible drought, followed by a famine, and a famine after a pestilence, and many people died from this famine. Saint Spyridon, seeing the disaster that befell the people, and fatherly pitying those dying of hunger, turned with fervent prayer to God - and immediately the sky was covered on all sides with clouds, and heavy rain poured down on the earth, which did not stop for several days. The saint prayed again, and the rain stopped. The earth was abundantly watered with moisture and gave abundant fruit: the fields gave a rich harvest, gardens and vineyards were covered with fruits, and after the famine there was great abundance in everything.

A few years later, hunger again befell the country. Wealthy grain traders rejoiced at the high cost, having grain harvested over several harvest years, and, having opened their granaries, began to sell it at high prices. At that time there was a grain merchant in Trimifunt who suffered from an insatiable greed for money and an insatiable passion for pleasures. Having bought a lot of grain in different places and brought it on ships to Trimifunt, he did not want to sell it, however, at the price that was at that time in the city, but poured it into warehouses in order to wait for the famine to increase and then, having sold at a higher price, get a big profit. When the famine became almost universal and intensified from day to day, he began to sell his grain at the highest price. And then one poor man came to him and, bowing humbly, with tears, begged him to show mercy - to give him some bread, so that he, the poor man, would not die of hunger along with his wife and children. But the merciless and greedy rich man did not want to show mercy to the beggar: "Bring a payment, and I will give you whatever you want." The poor man, exhausted from hunger, went to Saint Spyridon and with weeping told him about his poverty and about the heartlessness of the rich man. “Do not cry and do not wail,” the saint told him, “for the Holy Spirit tells me that tomorrow your house will be filled with food, and you will see how the one who did not want to sympathize with your need and give alms will be forced to ask you to take everything without interest. » . The poor man, thinking that the saint had said this only to console him, went home in sorrow. As soon as night fell, as, by the command of God, a heavy rain fell, which washed away the barns of the merciless money-lover, and carried away all his bread with water. In the morning, the grain merchant ran around the city and begged everyone, including yesterday's petitioner, to take as much as anyone wants, if only to help save the remaining grain. The needy came and collected the wheat that had been carried along the roads by streams, and that poor man got himself an abundance of bread. So God punished the rich for his mercilessness and, according to the prophecy of the saint, delivered the poor from poverty and hunger. But the lesson did not go to the future, the merchant was not cured of stinginess.

Shortly after the flood, another peasant came to the same rich man with a request to lend him bread to feed him, and promised to return it with interest when the harvest came. The rich man, in addition to those washed out by the rain, also had other granaries full of bread; but he turned out to be just as merciless towards this poor man, so that he did not even want to listen to him. Then the poor farmer wept and went to Saint Spyridon of God, to whom he told about his misfortune. The saint consoled him and let him go home, saying: “Do not cry, child, because you are a Christian, but rather trust in God, and He will do mercy to you.” The next morning, the bishop himself came to him and brought a beautiful golden ornament. He gave the gold to the farmer and ordered to give it to the merchant and take grain from him in return; when the peasant reaps the harvest, and he has a surplus of grain, then let him redeem this pledge and bring it back to the saint. The poor farmer took the jewel from the hands of St. Spyridon, thanked God and the saint, and hurriedly went to the rich man. The greedy rich man rejoiced at the gold and immediately gave the poor bread as much as he needed. Then the famine passed, there was a good harvest, and after the harvest, that farmer gave back the bread he had taken to the rich man, receiving a pledge from him and taking it with gratitude to Saint Spyridon. The saint took the gold and went to his garden, taking the farmer with him. Entering the garden, he laid the gold at the fence, raised his eyes to heaven and exclaimed: “My Lord, Jesus Christ, who creates and produces everything, who once made the rod of Moses (Ex. 7: 10) into a serpent in the eyes of Pharaoh of Egypt and his servants, turn and return this decoration to its natural form, in which it was originally. While he was praying like that, the piece of gold suddenly stirred and turned into a snake, which, writhing, crawled away into its hole. Thus, at first the snake, through the prayer of the saint, turned into gold, and then, just as miraculously, from gold again became a snake. At the sight of this miracle, the farmer trembled with fear, fell to the ground and called himself unworthy of the miraculous beneficence rendered to him.

Through the envy of evil people, a friend of the saint was slandered: without any fault, he was imprisoned, and then condemned to death. Upon learning of this, blessed Spyridon went to save his friend from an undeserved execution. At that time there was a flood in the country, and the river on the path of the saint overflowed with water, overflowed its banks and became impassable. The miracle worker remembered how Joshua with the Ark of the Covenant crossed the flooded Jordan on dry land (Josh. 3:14-17), and, believing in the omnipotence of God, ordered the waters, as a servant: my Christ-loving friend, slandered from death.” As soon as he said this, immediately the stream stopped in its course and opened a dry path - not only for the bishop, but for all who walked with him. The witnesses of the miracle hurried to the judge and informed him of the approach of the saint and of what he had done along the way. The judge received Spiridon with honor and immediately released his innocent friend.

Nicephorus Theotokis (1731–1800), archbishop, theologian and spiritual writer, one of the most educated people of his time. For almost a quarter of a century he worked in Russia, for the last 7 years Archbishop Nikifor was the rector of the Danilov Monastery in Moscow, where he was buried.

In the Russian manuscript - Arianka; in the life of St. Demetrius of Rostov - a pagan who could not speak Greek.

This refers to the blockade of Kerkyra by the Turks in 1715, when the island was miraculously delivered by the intercession of St. Spyridon.

Every parent wants to bring up in his child a beautiful and strong character for a happy life. Children take an example from others, and often book characters become role models. The most convincing are real images, and among them the most beautiful are holy people, their life experience. With this in mind, the Nikea Publishing House has released a series of books, which contains the lives of Christian ascetics, talentedly presented by modern writers for children. Reading these books together creates a good family tradition and gives children wonderful examples of love and kindness to become better and happier. One of these books will be discussed later in our program. It is called "The Life of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky in retelling for children." ***

Several books have already been published in this series, thanks to which young readers will learn about Saints Nicholas the Wonderworker and Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky), about the saint of the northern capital - Blessed Xenia of Petersburg, about the great naval commander - Righteous Theodore Ushakov, about St. Sergius and Seraphim. This book tells the story of the life of St. Spyridon Trimifuntsky, revered throughout the Orthodox world. The book is written in a lively, understandable language for kids and schoolchildren, is intended for children 4-6 years old and is perfect for family reading and exciting discussion. And now let's open the book and read part of the life, which was compiled by Valery Posashko.

“Once upon a time there was a simple and kind shepherd Spiridon at the end of the 3rd century on the island of Cyprus. He was accustomed to work from early childhood - as a boy he grazed sheep. And when he grew up, he met a girl whom he fell in love with, married her, and they had children. They lived, worked and were happy. But perhaps a simple shepherd would not have become a shepherd of thousands of Christians if the Lord had not called him to serve. Spiridon had to go through a difficult test: his beloved wife fell ill and died. But Spiridon did not despair and did not give up, but devoted his life to serving people. For this humility and simplicity, for trust in God and the extraordinary power of faith, the Lord rewarded him with the gift of working miracles. And a special gift - to love every person, forgetting even about yourself.

As the author notes, “the kindness of the widowed shepherd very soon became known throughout the district: if a wanderer passes by, he can always spend the night and strengthen his forces at Spiridon; if a beggar passes, he also has a road to Spiridon, where they will definitely feed him and even give him some bread on the way. The townspeople chose Spiridon as their bishop. But he continued to live very modestly, making do with little and striving to give more than to take. He even raised crops and tended sheep, like an ordinary shepherd! Once on the island for many weeks there was not a drop of rain, but there was a terrible heat! Nothing grew, and famine began, and then diseases. Desperate residents asked their bishop to pray for the Lord to help them. And as soon as Spiridon got up from prayer, the sky was covered with clouds and the rain came down like a bucket! Everything poured and poured, for several days, and people rejoiced. The earth was filled with rain water and gave a rich harvest.

Spiridon gave most of his harvest to the poor. Another was given as a loan to those in need: for example, someone did not have enough money for a cow or it was necessary to patch the roof of a barn. Why in debt? The saint understood that, receiving food without labor, a person can become completely lazy. But who and what takes from him, Spiridon did not count at all. “Go to my pantry and take as much as you need,” he said to the coming person and did not even check how much and what he took there. It remained on the conscience of the petitioner. Knowing this custom of his, one cunning merchant decided to be cunning. He asked the saint to sell him 100 goats, and paid only for 99. “Go and take as much as you bought,” Spiridon said and calmly went about his business.

The satisfied merchant ran to the paddock. He carefully counted - one, two, three, four ... 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 ... All the goats obediently followed him. He is happy, happy, rubbing his hands, but suddenly he sees: one goat is running back to Spiridon. He's after her! I took it by the horns, dragged it along. The goat rests, shakes its head, kicks its legs, uses its horns. She broke free and ran back. The merchant got angry, put the animal on his shoulders and carried it. Then the goat bit him and again ran to Spiridon. The bishop understood everything, but he was so kind that he did not want to denounce and scold the merchant in front of everyone. He said to him quietly, so that no one would hear, “Look, my son, it is not in vain that the animal does this. Have you withheld the proper price for it?” The merchant was ashamed and immediately repented. Spiridon, of course, forgave him. But one should not think that Saint Spyridon only stroked everyone on the head. When needed, he could be very strict and even harsh. However, this severity has always been to the benefit of man.

In 325, in the city of Nicaea, by order of Emperor Constantine the Great, the First Ecumenical Council was held - a meeting of bishops and patriarchs from all over the world. Why did they gather? The fact is, - the author narrates, - that one bishop - a learned man and a skillful orator named Arius was mistaken in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and misled many Christians. Spiridon asked to give him the floor. At first they didn’t want to do this: “Just stop the shepherd from Trimifunt - what else will he say there? ..” But still they allowed it. The saint began to speak simply and sincerely about God, about Christ, His death and Resurrection. One Greek philosopher grinned at first, and then became more and more serious, and in the end completely lowered his eyes and thought deeply. When Spiridon finished speaking, there was silence. The philosopher was silent for a long time and looked at the floor. Finally he said, "I think it's really just as you say."

He turned to his friends and said, “As long as I argued with intelligence and evidence, everything was fine. But God Himself is on the side of this elder, and a person cannot resist God.” This philosopher was soon baptized and became an Orthodox Christian. But others asked Spiridon to explain better: how can God be one and at the same time in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Then the saint picked up an ordinary brick in his hands - and you know that bricks are made from clay when it is mixed with water and then burned on fire ... So, the Bishop of Trimifuntsky tightly squeezed an ordinary kir-pich in his hand ... And what is it?! A flame burst out of it, water flowed, and clay remained in Spiridon's hands. One object, and in it three substances at once! Philosophers immediately understood everything and agreed: indeed, God is what Orthodox Christians say about Him - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Saint Spyridon, with his simple but clear confession of faith, converted many heretics to Orthodoxy.

Concluding his story, the author writes: “There is such a proverb: with whom you behave, you will gain from that. If you are with a harmful and ill-mannered person, then you yourself can become harmful and ill-mannered, and when you are friends with a smart person, you can become smart yourself. From a holy person one can learn both love, and kindness, and a simple sincere faith in God. Learn to believe - not cunningly and cleverly, like Arius, but simply, sincerely and cordially, like St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. After all, when you are with God, you are not afraid of anything in the world: neither the water stream that blocks the path, nor the mercilessly scorching sun, nor death itself. This is evidenced by the life of the saint.

*** St. Spyridon lived a long life and died at a ripe old age doing what he loved most while living on earth: talking with God. The bishop came from the field where he worked, began to pray, and the Lord took away his loving and simple soul. Now Saint Spyridon prays for all of us, for everyone who asks him for help. The city where the holy bishop lived and served is now called not Trimifunt, but Tremetusia, and the relics of the saint are on the Greek island of Corfu, in the main - cathedral - cathedral of the city. Five days a year, local residents honor the memory of the saint, making religious processions these days with his honest relics. Similar processions were established in memory of the miraculous help of St. Spyridon to the inhabitants of the island, and are performed on the Week of Vay, Great Holy Saturday, August 11 and on the first Sunday in November. And of course today is December 25th.

Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimifunt (Salami), a miracle worker, was born around the year 270 on the island of Cyprus, in a village called Askia (Assia) not far from Trimifunt (Trimitus). No reliable information has been preserved about Spiridon’s childhood and youth, about his parents, it is only known that they were simple peasants, and the future Saint himself herded sheep and goats in childhood (it is customary to depict him on icons in a shepherd’s hat woven from willow twigs). He did not receive any education, but by nature he had a sound mind, a bright and kind soul. Brought up in Christian piety, the virtuous and gentle Spiridon led a pure, charitable life; extraordinary benevolence and spiritual responsiveness attracted many people to him: the homeless found shelter with him, and wanderers - food and rest; for every person, regardless of age and social status, he was an inexhaustible source of good deeds. He provided assistance in various everyday needs, but most of all he cared about the healing of sinful ulcers. His distinctive features were touching simplicity, humility, sincerity and meekness, he was a true embodiment of love. The grace of God resting on him and his natural quick wits developed in him a wisdom before which the greatest philosophers of that time were at a loss.

Even in his youth, he married an honest, chaste girl, they had a daughter, Irina, whom Saint Spyridon himself baptized. Family life did not last long, soon his wife died, however, even after this heavy loss, the Saint did not fall into despondency, but continued to serve the Lord with his good deeds even more diligently. Throughout his life, “he clearly showed that by living in the world, family, by deeds of mercy and love, by total devotion to the Lord and His Holy Church, one can achieve holiness and be saved.”

After the death of the local priest, the clergy and all the inhabitants of Trimifunt and the surrounding villages unanimously elected Spiridon the first bishop of Trimifunt, persuaded him to become the shepherd of their souls, and take care of the verbal flock. The way of life of the Saint after this did not change: from early childhood he was accustomed to being content with little, and in high hierarchal rank, not proud of his influential position, he showed the locals an example of a virtuous life, continuing to feed on the labors of his hands in great humility. For the unceasing remembrance of God and good deeds, the Lord did not leave His faithful servant without mercy: He generously rewarded this true champion of the faith with the gift of clairvoyance and miracle-working. Saint Spyridon healed the terminally ill, healed not only bodily, but also spiritual ailments of people, cast out demons and even resurrected the dead. A special gift of the Saint was power over the forces of nature - through his prayer, the sky opened and life-giving rain poured down, thunderclouds dissipated, and the water flow stopped its course. He was a caring and loving father for his flock, he knew how to sympathize with everyone in their sorrows and sorrows, combining pastoral ministry with works of mercy.

Here are just some of the testimonies of the miracles performed by the Lord through the prayers of St. Spyridon.

Once in Cyprus there was a long drought, after which a famine set in, which claimed many lives. It was hard for Saint Spyridon to see the suffering of people and, like the great prophet Elijah, the Saint turned with fervent prayer to God. The sky was immediately covered with clouds on all sides, but what is most surprising - so that someone would not think that it was raining in a natural way, the clouds stood in one place for a long time, the rain did not start until the Saint again turned to the Lord. And He did not despise the prayers of His servant: along with the tears that flowed from the eyes of St. Spyridon, it began to rain. The land, saturated with moisture, gave a bountiful harvest, and the inhabitants were saved.

The kindness of the Saint was combined with fair severity in relation to unworthy people. A few years later, famine again struck the country. Some merchants, in pursuit of profit, held grain in expectation of higher prices. A peasant came to one of them: the drought left him without a harvest, and the whole family suffered greatly from hunger. The poor man asked to lend him grain at interest, but the merchant was inexorable. The exhausted and desperate man went to St. Spyridon and spoke about his grief. The saint consoled him: “Do not grieve, soon your house will be full of bread, and the one who condemns your family to inevitable death today will beg you to take grain from him without payment.” Thinking that the Saint said this only to comfort him, the poor man left in sorrow. But it happened as the Saint predicted - at night, by the will of God, heavy rain fell and washed away the barn of the greedy grain merchant, the streams of water carried away all his grain. In the morning, the confused rich man rushed to everyone, including yesterday's petitioner, with a request to take as much as anyone wanted, if only to help save the remaining grain. Many of the needy came and collected the wheat that had been carried along the roads by streams, and that peasant also got plenty.

So the Lord punished the rich man for greed, and delivered the poor man from poverty and hunger. But this lesson did not go to the merchant for the future, he was not sufficiently taught by the loss and was not cured of stinginess.

Soon after the flood, another peasant began to ask him for a loan of bread, promising to return it a hundredfold after the harvest, but the merchant demanded a large deposit from him, which the poor man did not have. This man also went to Bishop Spiridon for help. Vladyka ordered not to lose heart and hope for God's help. The next day, the Saint himself came to the unfortunate man’s house, brought gold and said: “Give it to the merchant and take grain from him, and when you have harvested and you have a surplus of grain, redeem this deposit and bring it to me.” The poor man did just that. He sowed the grain, harvested the crop, which, according to the prayers of the Trimifuntsky miracle worker, turned out to be unusually rich, redeemed the gold and brought it to his benefactor. Spiridon took the gold and invited the peasant to go into the garden to thank the One who took pity on him and gave him such a generous loan. Entering the garden, Vladyka placed gold near a crack in the fence and began to pray: “My Lord, Jesus Christ! By his will, he who creates and transforms everything! Command this gold, which You previously turned from an animal, to take on its original form again.” While he was praying like that, the piece of gold suddenly stirred and turned into a snake, which, writhing, crawled away into its hole. For the sake of the need of his neighbor, with his petition, St. Spyridon turned the snake into gold, and then again made a snake out of gold. At the sight of this miracle, the peasant fell to his knees, praising the Lord and Saint Spyridon.

The envious slandered one of the friends of Bishop Spiridon, without any fault he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. Upon learning of this, the Saint hurried to his aid. At that time there were heavy rains - the river overflowed on the path of the Saint, and there was no crossing over it. Remembering how the overflowing Jordan Joshua Nun, Saint Spyridon, with firm faith in the omnipotence of God, crossed, ordered the water stream to part. The river stopped in its course, a passage was formed, which held until the Saint and all his companions, "as if on dry land", crossed to the other side. Then the river again flowed in its usual way. The witnesses of this miracle hurried to the judge and told him about the approach of the Saint and about what he had done along the way. The judge received St. Spyridon with honor and immediately released his innocent friend.

The outstanding Byzantine hagiographer of the 10th century Simeon Metaphrastus likened Saint Spyridon to Patriarch Abraham in the virtue of hospitality and gave the following story from the life of the Saint.

Once, during Great Lent, a stranger came to the house of Bishop Spyridon. Seeing that the traveler was very tired and hungry, the Saint ordered his daughter to wash the guest's feet and feed him. But since the Saint himself was a very strict faster and on the days of Forty Days he ate food only on a certain day, and on others he did without food, there were no necessary supplies in the house. Irina said that there was neither bread nor flour in the house. Then St. Spyridon ordered her to fry the salted pork meat that was kept in reserve for the end of the fast. The saint saw that the weakened traveler needed to gain strength before the road. Having seated the guest at the table, the Saint blessed the meal, but the traveler refused to eat meat during fasting, saying that he was a Christian. Then Bishop Spyridon remarked: “All the less it is necessary to refuse, for the Word of God has said: “To the pure all things are pure.”

For the purity of his heart, already here on earth, Saint Spyridon was honored to see the Angels of heaven. They co-served with the Saint in the temple of God.

Bishop Spiridon came to church for Vespers; it so happened that there was no one in the church except the clergy, but Vladyka ordered that many candles and lamps be lit, and he himself stood in front of the altar in spiritual tenderness. The service began, and when Bishop Spyridon proclaimed: “Peace to all!”, And there was no one in the church to give the proper answer, suddenly a great multitude of voices were heard from above: “And your spirit!”, And after each petition of the litany, a wondrous singing was heard from above: “Lord have mercy!”. This choir was great and harmonious, sweeter than any human singing. Wonderful sounds were heard by people who were far from the church. Wonderful singing delighted the hearts, but when they entered the temple, they did not see anyone except Bishop Spyridon with a few church servants.

Once, when St. Spyridon was standing in the church during the divine service, the lamp ran out of oil, and the flame began to die out. The saint was grieved that the lamp would go out and the harmonious rite of worship would be disturbed, but the Lord consoled him: the lamp miraculously filled with oil, which flowed down to the ground, sparkling with fiery jets. Church ministers brought the vessels, placed them under the miraculous lamp and collected the abundantly flowing oil. Immediately after the end of the service, the outflow of oil stopped, but the oil given by the Lord was still enough for a long time to illuminate the temple.

In 325, Emperor Constantine the Great convened the First Ecumenical Council in the city of Nicea, the purpose of which was to determine the basic truths of the Orthodox faith and condemn the heresy of Arius. The main dogma of Christianity is the truth about the Holy Trinity given through Divine Revelation. The doctrine of Arius, who did not recognize the fullness of the divinity of the Savior, undermined the basis of the Christian doctrine of the trinity of the Godhead. The convocation of the Ecumenical Council was a huge event in the life of the Church. For the first time, representatives of all the Local Churches met to discuss the most important church matters. St. Spyridon also set off. Tradition has preserved some amazing stories about what happened to him during this journey.

Elder Barsanuphius of Optina liked to tell an incident from the life of the Saint: “When St. Spyridon, Bishop of Trimifuntsky, was on his way to the Ecumenical Council, he happened to stay for the night in one hotel. The monk accompanying him, entering him, asked: “Father, I can’t understand why our horse doesn’t eat cabbage, which I bought from our owner. “Because,” said the Saint, “the horse feels an unbearable stench emanating from cabbage, for the reason that our master is infected with the passion of stinginess.” A person who is not enlightened by the spirit does not notice this, but the saints have the gift of God to recognize passions.

On another night, when St. Spyridon stopped for the night, the Arians killed the horses of the Saint - they cut off their heads. The saint ordered the driver to put the heads of the horses to the bodies, prayed earnestly, and soon the horses were healthy. But the driver was either in a hurry or showed negligence - the oncoming ones were surprised to see a black horse with a white head and a white horse with a black one on the road.

The twelve Arian bishops, fearing that at the Council St. Spyridon would convince Emperor Constantine of the superiority of the Orthodox faith over the Arian one, to which the emperor was inclined, persuaded him to issue a decree forbidding ship captains to take Bishop Spyridon on board. After the Arians sailed away, Saint Spyridon went down to the seashore, took off his monastic cloak, put half of it on the water, and attached the other half to a staff as a sail, and, standing on this structure, surrendered to the mercy of the waves and winds. He reached Nicaea before his opponents. Imagine their astonishment when they saw the Saint at the Council.

Three hundred and eighteen God-bearing fathers were present at the Council in Nicaea, including Saints Nicholas of Myra and Spyridon of Trimyphuntus. Greek philosophers were also present. The wisest of them, Eulogy, took the side of Arius. The philosopher had the gift of eloquence, and there was not a single question to which he would not have found an ingenious answer in defense of heresy. Saint Spyridon, seeing that the philosopher boasts of his knowledge and directs it against the Orthodox faith, began to ask the holy fathers to allow him to enter into a dispute with Eulogius. But the holy fathers, knowing that he was a simple man and inexperienced in the sciences, forbade him. However, the Bishop of Trimifuntsky, believing in the power of the wisdom of God, turned to the sage: “Philosopher! In the name of Jesus Christ, listen to what I will tell you. One God, who created heaven and earth, and created man from the earth, and arranged everything else visible and invisible by His Word and Spirit. And we believe that the Word is the Son of God and God, Who, having mercy on us, the lost ones, was born of the Virgin, lived with people, suffered and died for our salvation, and rose again, and with Himself resurrected the entire human race. We believe that He will come to judge us all with a righteous judgment and will reward each according to his deeds; we believe that He is of the same Being with the Father, of equal power and honor with Him ... Thus we confess and do not try to investigate these mysteries with a curious mind, and you do not dare to explore how all this can be, for these mysteries are higher than your mind and far surpass all human knowledge."

The simple words of the grace-filled elder turned out to be more convincing than the learned speculations of the philosopher. Shocked to the depths of his soul, Eulogy could not object to St. Spyridon. Finally he said: “You are right, old man. I accept your words and admit my mistake. While the competition was conducted by means of evidence, I reflected them with the art of arguing, but when, instead of evidence, a special force began to come from your mouth, the evidence became powerless against it. I can no longer resist God." Then the philosopher turned to his friends and disciples: “If any of you think the same way as I do, then let us believe in Christ and follow this elder, through whose mouth God Himself speaks.” Subsequently, Eulogius renounced heresy and accepted holy Baptism.

At the same Council, a miracle was revealed that affects not the mind, but first of all the hearts of those who waver in the faith.

Saint Spyridon showed figurative proof of Unity in the Holy Trinity. Having made the sign of the cross, he took a plinth, an ordinary clay brick, in his right hand and squeezed it: “In the name of the Father!”, and at that moment, to the amazement of all those present, fire burst out of the plinth. The saint continued: “and the Son!” Water flowed down, “and the Holy Spirit!”, and, opening his palm, showed the dry clay remaining on it, from which the plinth was molded. “Here are three elements, and there is only one plinth,” the Saint said then. - So it is in the Holy Trinity - Three Persons, and the Deity is One.

By such miraculous proof, Bishop Spyridon explained to the Arians the Unity of the Three Divine Hypostases of the Holy Trinity professed by the Orthodox. Everyone understood a simple idea: just as three natures are united in simple matter - fire, water and earth, so three Hypostases are united in God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The victory of Orthodoxy was undoubted. Most of the Arians present returned to the profession of Orthodoxy.

At the end of the Council at Nicaea, where St. Spyridon clearly showed the assembled people the power of God, they began to exalt and revere him throughout the Orthodox world. However, modest and humble, he returned to Cyprus to continue his pastoral duties. Sad news awaited the saint in his hometown - his beloved daughter Irina had died. Saint Spyridon was very attached to her, after the death of her mother, Irina diligently looked after Spyridon, helping him in everything. From a young age, she inherited the piety of her father and learned the rules of Christian piety that her parents instilled in her. Shortly before the sudden death of the girl, one woman gave her valuable gold jewelry for safekeeping, which Irina safely hid in the house and did not have time to return to the owner. The saint was at that time at the Council in Nicaea and did not know anything about it. When the mistress of the jewels came to him and with tears began to ask him to return the gold, Vladyka, sincerely wishing to help her, carefully searched the whole house, but did not find someone else's treasure. Bishop Spiridon considered this loss his own misfortune. He, along with his family, went to the grave of his daughter. The saint read a prayer and, bending over the grave, addressed the dead Irina as if she were alive: “My daughter! Where are the jewelry given to you for safekeeping? At the same moment, a voice from the depths of the grave answered: “My lord! I hid them in our house." And she pointed out the place where the treasure was hidden. Then the Saint said to her: “Now sleep, my daughter, until the Lord wakes you up during the general resurrection.” Reverent horror and amazement seized all those present at such an amazing event. Returning home, Saint Spyridon found hidden jewels in the indicated place and gave them to the owner.

After the death of Constantine the Great, his empire was divided into two parts, the eastern part of the empire was ruled by his eldest son Constantius. While in the city of Antioch, the emperor fell seriously ill, the best doctors could not heal him. Then Constantius turned to God, the True Physician of souls and bodies, with a prayer for his healing. And then one day in a thin dream he saw an angel who showed him a host of bishops, and among them two who were able to overcome his illness. The king gathered bishops from all the surrounding cities, but did not find among them those whom the angel pointed out to him in a dream. For the second time he gathered bishops from more distant regions, but again there were none there whom he had seen in a dream. Constantius decided to invite bishops from all over the empire. The royal invitation also reached Cyprus. God revealed to Bishop Spyridon everything about the emperor's illness, and Vladyka and his disciple Triphyllius went to Constance.

Upon their arrival in Antioch, they went to the royal palace. Saint Spyridon was very poorly dressed, he had a date staff in his hand, the simplest, almost beggarly, miter was on his head, an earthen vessel hung on his chest, in which, according to the custom of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, he carried oil from the Holy Cross. One of the guards mistook Bishop Spiridon for a beggar and did not allow them to enter, he even hit Vladyka on the cheek. The saint, remembering the words of the Lord and wishing to reason with the offender, turned the other cheek to him. Then the minister realized that the Saint was standing in front of him, and with contrition admitted his guilt.

As soon as St. Spyridon and the disciple who accompanied him entered the royal chambers, Constantius immediately recognized them - it was in this image that the Angel showed his healers to the emperor. Emperor Constantius hurried to meet his rescuers and, bowing his head, humbly asked for help. Having prayed to the Lord, Saint Spyridon laid his hand on the emperor's head. It was enough for the Saint to touch Constantius, as the terrible pain that had tormented the emperor for a long time instantly passed. Witnesses of this miracle were all the dignitaries and servants of the emperor who were in the hall.

The disciple of Spiridon, Trifillius, was extremely struck by the luxury and splendor of the royal palace, the number and outfits of the nobles who were there. He was also delighted with the appearance of the emperor, dressed in luxurious robes adorned with gold and precious stones. Spiridon, noticing this, said to Trifillius: “Why are you so surprised, brother? Do royal greatness and glory make the king more righteous? Does not the king die like the last beggar, and is not buried? Will he not appear in the same way as the others at the Last Judgment? Why do you prefer that which is destroyed to the unchangeable and marvel at nothingness? First of all, one should seek that which is immaterial and eternal, and love the incorruptible Heavenly glory.

Having healed the emperor from a bodily illness, the Saint began to heal his spiritual ailments as well. Saint Spyridon taught Constantius a lot, asking him to always remember the blessings of God, to be generous to those who ask, merciful to those who sin, loving and kind father for all subjects. The saint commanded the king to strictly observe the rules of piety, not to do anything contrary to the Church of God. The emperor sincerely fell in love with his benefactor and, at the request of the Hierarch, freed priests, deacons, all clerics and church servants from taxes, reasoning that it was inappropriate for servants of the Heavenly King to pay tribute to an earthly king.

Saint Spyridon possessed the gift of non-acquisitiveness and sacrifice, rare at all times. Constantius, in gratitude for his healing, persuaded the Saint for a long time to accept gold as a gift, but Spiridon refused: “It is not good to pay with hatred for love,” he said, “for what I did for you is love. I left home, sailed the sea for a long time, endured severe cold and winds to heal you. Isn't this love? And you give me gold, the cause of all evil." Only the strong requests of the king convinced him to accept gold as a gift. But, as soon as he left the palace, Saint Spyridon distributed all the money to those in need. Learning with what ease the holy Elder parted with a fortune, Constantius realized that this was another lesson of enlightenment for him. He ordered that the poor, widows and orphans be given food and clothing, so that “everyone would be completely satisfied with his generosity,” and that Christians who had fallen into slavery should be set free.

On the way home, Saint Spyridon stopped at the house of a stranger, and here a pagan woman came to him, unable to speak Greek, with a dead child in her arms. Sobbing inconsolably, she laid the body of her son at the feet of the Saint. No one knew her language, but her very tears testified that she was pleading for the resurrection of the child. Saint Spyridon, avoiding vain glory, at first refused to help, but was defeated by the bitter sobs of his mother. He asked his deacon Artemidorus: "What shall we do, brother?" “Why are you asking me, Father? answered the deacon. “If you healed the king, will you really reject this unfortunate one?” The Holy Elder, kneeling down, turned to the Lord, and his prayer was heard - the Lord brought the baby back to life. The mother, shocked by this miracle, fell dead. Sometimes too much joy can be harmful to health. Grieved by the woman's death, the humble Elder again asked the deacon: "What shall we do now, brother?" The deacon repeated his previous advice, and the Saint again resorted to prayer. Then he said to the deceased: “Rise up and get on your feet!”. And the woman got up, as if waking up from a dream. Through the prayers of St. Spyridon, the Lord brought her back to life. Vladyka forbade all those present to talk about what they saw, and only after the death of the Saint, not wanting to remain silent about the power and majesty of God, Artemidor told the believers about this miracle.

Church historians wrote that St. Spyridon was extremely concerned about the strict observance of the church order and the preservation in all integrity, to the last word, of the books of Holy Scripture. The saint severely denounced the priests, who in their sermons inaccurately used the words of the Gospel and other inspired books.

Once a disciple of St. Triphyllius, "the most eloquent in his age", who by that time had been made bishop of the city of Leukusia and was famous for his learning, delivered a sermon in the church. In his sermon, he mentioned the words of Christ, spoken to the paralytic: "Get up, take your bed." But Triphyllius said this: "Get up, take your bed." Not tolerating the inaccuracies of the Gospel text, Saint Spyridon was indignant and said: “Are you really better than Christ, who said “bed”, that you are ashamed of the word He used?” Following this, he openly left the temple.

Saint Spyridon gave this lesson of humility and meekness to his disciple for the spiritual benefit of Trifillius, so that he would not become proud of the talent of eloquence given to him.

One day Bishops Spyridon and Triphyllius were passing through an area called Parimna, which was distinguished by the extraordinary beauty of nature and the abundance of vineyards. Triphyllius, struck by this magnificence, wanted to acquire some kind of estate for his church here. He thought about this to himself for a long time, but his desire was not hidden from the penetrating spiritual eyes of St. Spyridon, and he turned to his disciple: “Why, Trifillius, do you constantly think about vain things? You want an estate that doesn't really have any value. Our treasures are in Heaven, we have a house not made by hands, eternal - strive for them and enjoy them in advance (through divine thinking): they cannot pass from one state to another, and whoever once becomes the owner of them will receive an inheritance that will never be lose." These words brought great benefit to Triphyllius. So St. Spyridon gradually elevated his disciple to spiritual perfection.

Later, through the prayers of his mentor, St. Triphyllius, for his charitable life, was honored with countless gifts from God. The great saint of God, Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, being virtuous himself, directed others to virtue.

Saint Spyridon was an example of Christian charity. The story told by Sozomen is typical of the Saint. Saint Spyridon had a custom: from the harvest one part was distributed to the poor, and the other was given on credit to the needy. He personally did not give anything, but simply showed the entrance to the pantry, where everyone could take as much as they needed, and then return it in the same way, without checking and reporting.

The Holy Elder became famous not only as a miracle worker, but also as a man of extraordinary wisdom.

Once a peasant came to Bishop Spyridon and, complaining about the crop failure, asked for a little grain for sowing. Vladyka told the petitioner to go into the shed himself and take the required amount. "Won't you come with me to see how much I'm taking from you, so you know how much to demand back from me?" asked the peasant. “I just know that you will take as much as you need and return as much as you can,” the Saint calmly replied. The petitioner was very surprised by the Saint's answer, but when he entered the barn, he simply physically could not take more than he really needed - the extra grain spilled out of his hands.

One Trimyphuntian merchant used to borrow money from the Saint for trade turnover, and when he returned it, Vladyka usually told him to put the money himself in the box from which he took it, never checking whether the debtor paid correctly. This went on for quite a long time, and the business of the merchant flourished, it was profitable for him to borrow from Bishop Spyridon - after all, a sympathetic shepherd, lending money, never charged interest. But one day the merchant, blinded by greed, did not put the money in a box, but left it with him. However, the hidden gold coins did not do him any good, the merchant completely went bankrupt and again came to ask for a loan. The bishop listened to the guest and said: "Go, my child, and take the money where you put it." The merchant went to the box, but, of course, found nothing in it. “If you returned the money,” said Saint Spyridon, “then they would lie in the place where you put them, and if you left them for yourself, then why look for them now in the box? After all, no one touched him except you.” The greedy merchant deceived himself more than Saint Spyridon - the holy Elder had nothing more to lend him. The saint began to kindly exhort the erring one not to wish for the good of others, but to earn money by honest labor and help the poor. The merchant was ashamed, repented, fell at the feet of the Lord and was immediately forgiven.

Once a man came to St. Spyridon who wished to buy a hundred goats from his herd. The merchant decided to take advantage of Vladyka's gullibility and innocence. He left only ninety-nine in the house, hoping that the deception would not be noticed. As usual, Saint Spyridon did not count the money and went with the buyer to the herd. When they entered the pen, the shrewd shepherd told the buyer to take as many goats as he had paid for. Having counted one hundred goats, the new owner drove them out of the fence, but one goat ran back. The buyer dragged her by force, but she broke free and ran back into the pen. The magnanimous Saint did not want to openly denounce the dishonest buyer and quietly asked: “My son, it must not be in vain that the animal behaves like this. Maybe you forgot to pay for it? Better go up to the house and check how much money you left there. The merchant realized that the deception he had committed was known to the Lord. He repented, asked for forgiveness and gave the missing money. And the goat no longer resisted and meekly followed the new owner.

Also known is the story of Socrates Scholasticus about how thieves decided to steal the sheep of St. Spyridon. In the dead of night, they climbed into the sheepfold, but God, loving His saint and guarding his meager property, tightly bound the thieves with invisible bonds, so that they could not leave the fence and remained there against their will all night. When morning came, the Saint came to the sheep and, seeing the thieves bound by the power of God, turned to the Lord with a prayer, asking them to free them; and a new miracle happened - invisible fetters fell from the captives. “There is no need, my children, to covet someone else’s good,” St. Spyridon admonished the intruders. - See how the Lord punished you for a dishonorable act. Continue to earn your livelihood by honest labor.” The gentle Vladyka forgave the thieves and, letting go in peace, with an amazing sense of humor, suggested: “Take one lamb from my herd, so that no one will say that you have been awake at night in vain and have come to the person from whom it is better to ask and receive for nothing, than to steal.

The wise Spyridon always knew how to reason with the sinner, so he did not indulge the vice of the wealthy merchant and did not give him an extra goat for free, and healed the vice of the poor who tried to steal sheep from him, healed with love and mercy. He not only forgave them, but generously endowed them. By his deeds and miracles, the Saint sought to awaken conscience in everyone, to instill in the heart love for one's neighbor and strengthen faith in the Lord. Those who followed the instructions of St. Spyridon, they served for the benefit, and those who rejected them, a bad end awaited.

Saint Spyridon had not only the grace of miracles, but also a prophetic gift, he saw the sins of people and tried to bring the sinner to repentance.

One day the Saint came to his friend Probatius. This pious man, imitating the Great Teacher Christ, poured water into a basin and was about to wash Saint Spyridon's feet. Local residents, having learned that he was staying at Probatius, hurried to their beloved Vladyka for a blessing. Each of those who came sought to wash his feet, and especially one unmarried woman who was secretly in unlawful cohabitation. Spiridon, knowing this (it was given to the wise Elder from above to see through the secret sins of people), forbade the harlot to touch himself. And he did this not because he abhorred the sinner and rejected her - the disciple of the Lord knew that the Teacher Himself did not abhor the publicans, sinners and harlots. Saint Spyridon wanted to make the woman remember her sins and be ashamed of her unclean deeds. And since the woman persistently tried to touch his feet and wash them, the Saint rebuked her with meekness and love and urged her to be ashamed and repent. The woman was horrified that her most secret deeds and thoughts were not hidden from Saint Spyridon. Shame seized her, with a contrite heart she fell at the feet of the Saint and washed them no longer with water, but with tears. She spent the rest of her life in chastity and purity, and her life served as an instructive example for many.

Seeing the secret sins of people, the Saint called them to repentance and correction. Those who did not heed the voice of conscience and the words of the Saint were punished by God. In his memoirs, countless examples of the accuracy of his predictions have been preserved, as a result of which he even refrained from pronouncing them, so that he would not be considered the cause of the disasters he foresight foresaw.

One merchant, a resident of Trimifunt, went on a long trip on his trading business. He was absent for more than a year, and when he returned, he found that his wife had cheated on him and was expecting a child. With tears in his eyes, the deceived husband came to the Saint and told him about his shame. Saint Spyridon called the sinning woman to him and sternly asked: “Why did you defile your husband’s bed and dishonor his house?” But the woman, having lost all shame, dared to lie to the Saint that she had conceived from her husband, and the child was waiting for the father to be born in his presence. Defending this lie, the woman began to shout that she had been slandered and offended. Having a loving heart, the Saint at the same time was strict when he saw impenitence and persistence in sin. He said to the woman: “You have fallen into a great sin, your repentance must also be great. I see that your adultery has led you to despair, and despair has led you to shamelessness. It would be fair to incur a speedy punishment for you, but you must be given time to repent. Sin has no such power that is capable of surpassing God's philanthropy. The Lord is ready to support all those who fall, but for this you must repent. Remember, the baby won't be born until you tell the truth." But the reckless harlot continued to boldly insist on her innocence.

The words of the Saint soon came true. When the time came to give birth, an unknown force kept the fetus in the womb. The woman, despite the fact that she experienced terrible torment, did not want to confess her sin. Without repentance, in sin and shame, she died without giving birth, a painful death. Upon learning of this, the compassionate Vladyka shed a tear, regretting that he had judged the sinner by such a judgment, and said: “I will no longer pronounce judgment on people if what I have said comes true so quickly...”

Since then, the townspeople began to treat the words of Vladyka with even greater trepidation.

Once, on a very hot day, St. Spyridon arrived in the village of Erythra. He entered the temple and ordered one of the deacons to say a short prayer. Since Vladyka was tired from the long journey and the heat, he asked the deacon not to delay the service. However, the ambitious deacon deliberately began to slowly utter exclamations and sing. He was clearly boasting about his voice. The God-wise Spyridon saw the destructive passion of the deacon - vanity, and, wanting to humble the proud, Vladyka - usually kind and meek - angrily exclaimed: "Shut up, creator of disobedience!" And the deacon was immediately dumbfounded. The people present in the temple were amazed at the power of the word of the Saint. While Bishop Spyridon himself finished reading the prayer, the news of what had happened quickly spread throughout the village, and friends and relatives of the deacon hurried to the temple. They began to beg the Miracle Worker to save the offender from punishment, and the deacon himself, falling to his knees and shedding tears, begged the Saint for forgiveness with signs. The Saint did not immediately fulfill the request, he was severe with the conceited. After patristic admonition and prayerful intercession before the Lord, Vladyka forgave the deacon and mitigated the severe punishment - he returned the gift of speech to him. However, Saint Spyridon did not consider it useful to heal the mute completely, since a harmonious voice could cause a new temptation. For the rest of his life, the deacon retained traces of punishment: he spoke in a hoarse voice and stuttered a little, but the tongue-tied tongue did not weaken, but strengthened his faith. He never puffed himself up before the people again.

Saint Spyridon had the gift of seeing what was happening at a distance and reading the thoughts of his interlocutors. In the city of Constantiana (Salamis) lived a well-behaved and pious woman named Sophronia. Her husband, Olympus Paleur, was an idolater and very zealously professed polytheism, but at the same time did not forbid his wife to profess Orthodoxy. Moreover, Olympus loved to meet and talk with St. Spyridon. Sophronia more than once unsuccessfully persuaded her husband to renounce pagan delusions, to know the One True God and to believe in Him.

Once Sophronia invited Bishop Spyridon, who was at Constantian at that time, to a dinner party. The pious mistress turned to the Saint with a request to convert her husband to the true faith. She knew how many miracles the Saint performed for the sake of saving the "lost sheep." At the end of the supper, Vladyka turned to one of the servants and said loudly: “There is a boy at the gate, who was sent by my negligent worker. I entrusted my sheep to him, and he fell fast asleep, and while no one looked after the flock, the flock left the pasture and got lost in the mountains. When the worker woke up and discovered the loss, he sent a boy to me with the news of the disaster. Go, thank the boy, give me a reward for his work and tell him that the worker who sent him has already found all the sheep safe in one of the caves. The servant went downstairs, where the young messenger excitedly told him about the missing sheep. The boy was calmed down and sent on his way back, but before the guests had time to get up from the table, another messenger came with the message that all the sheep had been found. Everything happened according to the word of St. Spyridon. Olympus and all those present were incredibly surprised that Vladyka knew about what had happened as if it were happening before his eyes. The pagan decided that Saint Spyridon was one of the gods, and wanted to bring sacrificial animals, prepare crowns and make a sacrifice. But the Saint said to him: “I am not a god, but only a servant of God. I am a person who is like you in every way. And that I know what is happening behind the eyes, my God gives me, and if you believe in Him, then you will know the greatness of His omnipotence and power.

Soon, through the prayers of St. Spyridon, by the power of the grace of Christ, the pagan was converted to the true faith and enlightened by the holy Baptism.

In Alexandria, a Council of Bishops was convened in order to crush the idols and temples, of which there were a great many everywhere, by common prayer. Through the prayers of the fathers who arrived at the Cathedral, all the idols fell, except for one, the most revered. It was revealed to the Patriarch of Alexandria in a vision that this idol remained in order to be crushed by Bishop Spyridon of Trimifunts. The Patriarch immediately sent a letter to Saint Spyridon, in which he spoke about his vision and asked the Saint to come. The saint immediately set off and arrived at the port of Alexandria, called the New City. At the very moment the Saint set foot on earth, the idol in Alexandria, with all the altars, fell into dust, thereby announcing to the Patriarch and all the bishops the approach of Saint Spyridon.

Seeing this miracle, the bishops and all the people hastened to meet the Holy One, and not only the Orthodox were strengthened in their faith, but many Greeks were baptized.

Saint Spyridon was both a Christian sage, and a minister of the Church, and a healer of people. The whole life of the Saint is striking in the amazing simplicity and power of wonderworking, granted to him by the Lord; always and in everything he was an example of true piety for his compatriots. But no matter how righteous a person may be, according to the invariable ordinance of God, the end of his earthly life is inevitable. The saint reached the age of 80, and the Lord revealed to him with a wondrous sign the approach of the day of his death: during the summer harvest, Saint Spyridon and his friends were harvesting and, although the weather was clear, a few drops, like dew, suddenly fell and watered the head of the Saint. The Vladyka's hair immediately changed color: some of it turned out to be black, another turned white, and the third turned yellow. Friends of Bishop Spyridon, who helped him on the field, were amazed at such a strange phenomenon and a miraculous change in his appearance. The saint touched his head with his hand and said that the time had come for the separation of his soul from the body - thanks to illumination from above, he learned about the hour when the Heavenly Father would call him to the Eternal Abodes. After a few days, Saint Spyridon, during prayer, betrayed his holy and righteous soul to the Lord. The last words of the Saint were about love for God and neighbor. The exact year of his death is not known. It is generally accepted that the Saint rested in the Lord in 348.

They buried Saint Spyridon in Trimifunt. The relics of the Saint were placed in a marble sarcophagus in the Church of the Holy Apostles. And after many years the body of the Saint remained incorruptible and fragrant. In the 7th century, probably in 691, due to the invasion of Cyprus by Arab troops, the relics of the Saint were transferred to Constantinople; Initially, they were kept in the monastery of the Theotokos the Rejoiced, next to the monastery of Christ the Lover of Man, then - in the church of the Theotokos Hodegetria. In the last years before the capture of Constantinople, the holy relics rested in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Apostles, where the relics of St. John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian and other saints also rested. Russian pilgrims of the XIV and XV centuries Stefan of Novgorod (1350), deacon Ignatius (1389), deacon Alexander (1391-1395) and Hierodeacon of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Zosima, who in 1419-1422 visited Constantinople, Athos and Palestine, saw and kissed relics of St. Spyridon.

In 1453, after the fall of the Byzantine capital, the Greek priest George Kaloheret (Kaloheretis) saved the sacred relics from the Turks. He hid the remains of St. Spyridon and the righteous Queen Theodora in bags and secretly transported them first to Serbia, and then in 1456 to the island of Corfu (the Greek name is Kerkyra). According to other sources, the relics were saved by the priest Gregory Polievkt, who brought them to the Greek city of Parimissia in the region of Epirus, and later transferred the sacred remains to his compatriot priest George Kalocheretis already in Corfu in 1460.

George Kaloheretis bequeathed the relics of St. Spyridon to his sons Luke and Philip. Then the holy relics were inherited by the daughter of Philip, Asimia, who married Stamatius (Stamatellos) Voulgaris.

The descendants of the Voulgaris family preserved the holy relics until 1925, when the shrine was handed over to the church authorities of Kerkyra. Initially, the relics of the Saint were kept in the church of St. Athanasius, then they were repeatedly transferred from church to church. On December 4, 1577, the Venetian authorities allocated a piece of land to the Voulgaris family in the center of Kerkyra (the main city of the island of the same name) specifically for the construction of a temple in honor of St. Spyridon. Construction continued for twenty years, but already in 1590, after the consecration of a new church, the relics of the Saint were transferred here from the church of St. Nicholas in Garitsa.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Russian “pedestrian” pilgrim Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky left memories of his stay in Cyprus and a visit to Trimifunt (Trimitus), he also described in detail his impressions of Christian traditions in Corfu and the worship of the relics of St. Spyridon.

The relics were in full composition, except for the right hand (right hand), which, it is not known when and for what reasons, was separated from the body27. As for the honest right hand, according to Christodoulos Voulgaris (the great archpriest of Kerkyra, who lived in the 17th century), in the period from 1592 to 1605, it was brought from Constantinople to Rome by Pope Clement VIII, who handed over the shrine to Cardinal Cesare Baronio. The cardinal, a well-known church historian, placed the holy right hand in the church of Our Lady of Santa Maria in Vallicella (Santa Maria in Vallicella) in Rome. This is evidenced by the corresponding entry in the church archives. Greek historian L.S. Vrokinis, referring to Christodoulos Vulgaris, wrote that the right hand was in the temple of the Mother of God in a cone-shaped gilded vault of non-Byzantine work, about half a meter high.

In November 1984, after lengthy negotiations and many efforts, the long journey of the holy right hand came to an end. On the eve of the feast of St. Spyridon, the Church of Rome handed over this shrine to the church of Kerkyra. Metropolitan of Corfu, Paxia and the Diapontian Islands Timothy (Trivizas) personally traveled to Rome and brought the right hand to the island, adding to the priceless treasure.

There are many testimonies of church historians about the life of the Holy Hierarch Spyridon. The first life of the Saint was written in iambic verses by his spiritual son St. Triphyllius, Bishop of Leukusia of Cyprus, it has been lost, a later version has come down to us, in which the text of Triphyllius is included in parts. Bishop Theodore of Paphos, who also compiled the life of St. Spyridon, mentions the life compiled by St. Triphyllius. The testimonies of church historians of the 4th-5th centuries have been preserved about the life of St. Spyridon: Nicephorus Callistus, Socrates Scholasticus, Sozomen and Rufinus, processed in the 10th century by the outstanding Byzantine hagiographer Blessed Simeon Metaphrastus. The Canon to Saint Spyridon was written in the first half of the 9th century by the Monk Theophan the Confessor, Bishop of Nicaea. In the Slavic service Menaia, the name of St. Spyridon of Trimyphus has been found since the 11th century. By this time, the translation of the service to the Saint, compiled by Theophanes of Palestine in the first half of the 9th century, is attributed.

In Russia, the life of St. Spyridon was well known from the “Great Menaion Readings” by Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow (XVI century). Metropolitan Macarius took the writings of Theodore of Paphos as the basis for the life of the Saint. At the end of the 17th century, St. Demetrius of Rostov, using the works of Nicephorus Callistus, Socrates, Sozomen, reworked the life of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky "Great Menaia".

St. Spyridon Trimifuntsky wonderworker was born around the year 270 in the Cypriot city of Askia. It was a time of severe persecution of Christians.

Saint Spyridon was born into a poor family, so he did not receive an education. However, by nature he was modest, kind, charming and wise, for which he was very loved by those around him. He married early. He and his wife had a daughter, Irina, whom Saint Spyridon himself baptized and raised in the Christian faith. When his beloved wife died, Saint Spyridon gave his daughter to be raised by the church community and took monastic vows.

Wisdom, natural tact, humility and asceticism glorified Saint Spyridon among the inhabitants of Trimifunt. He is also known for miracles of healing and intense prayer at the request of believers. Therefore, when the local bishop died, Saint Spyridon, with universal approval, was put in his place.

As a bishop, Saint Spyridon was an example of virtue, purity of heart and modesty. He was a generous benefactor and never refused to help those who turned to him. And if a person asked for money, Spiridon said: "You will return it when you can." They say that one peasant asked the holy grain. He answered him, they say, take it in the barn. To which the peasant exclaimed: “Don’t you really go and look, what if I take away more than I ask?” “More than you need, you will not take away, but return as much as you can,” Spyridon of Trimifuntsky answered him.

In 325, the First Ecumenical Council was held in Nicaea by order of Emperor Constantine, at which bishops from Asia, Africa and Europe gathered. Together with Saint Nicholas of Myra, Saint Spyridon was also present at the council. In particular, he entered into a dispute with one of the philosophers invited by the emperor and who went over to the side of the heretic Arius. As the life says, the saint did not try to prove anything to the skillful sophist and disarmed him with a fiery confession of faith. Saint Spyridon said: “One God! He, having created heaven and earth, and from the earth of man, created everything visible and invisible by the Word and the Holy Spirit. The Son of God is the Word we worship and believe that Christ was born of a Virgin for our salvation. He is of one essence with the Father and has equal power and dignity with Him. Therefore, they should be treated equally. The Son of God freed us from ancient condemnation by the cross and death, and by His resurrection gave us eternal life. Christ, as we expect, will come again and be the Judge of all our deeds and words. Do you believe it, philosopher?" The philosopher could not object, but, as the life says, he comprehended the depth of his own delusion, repented, and himself denounced Arius.

Spiridon became famous for many miracles. He healed the seriously ill Emperor Constantius, and through his prayer, the drowned baby and his mother, who died from shock, were resurrected. His house was always open to the needy and wanderers, and his heart to those who seek the truth.

Relics of Spyridon Trimifuntsky

On the island of Corfu (Kerkyra) there is one of the most famous temples dedicated to St. Spyridon Trimifuntsky. The temple has a marble altar, its walls are richly decorated with paintings in a gold frame. This temple is known and revered by both Catholics and Orthodox, who at all times of the existence of the church here donated a lot to it. One of the famous benefactors of the temple was the Russian Empress Catherine II, who made numerous and generous contributions. Pavel I did not leave the temple with his attention either. And in 1801, when Admiral Fyodor Ushakov liberated the island from Napoleonic troops, as a sign of Russia's patronage over the island, the temple and the relics of St. Spyridon, the imperial coat of arms was installed above the western gate of the temple.

The main relic of the temple is the relics of St. Spyridon, which ended up here almost by accident.

Saint Spyridon was the bishop of the city of Trimifunt, where he was buried after his death in 384. However, at the request of Emperor Justinian II, who learned about the righteous life of the saint and the miracles he performed, the relics were transferred to Constantinople. Here they were kept in the church of Hagia Sophia until the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. The imperishable relics from the captured Constantinople were secretly taken out by Priest Gregory Polievkt. Saving the relics of St. Spyridon from desecration by the Turks, the priest transported them first to Serbia, and then in 1456 to the island of Corfu. Here Gregory handed over the relics to the familiar priest George Kaloheret. In turn, George left the relics as a legacy to his children - Philip and Luke. In his will, he wrote that the relics of Spyridon the Wonderworker would be kept in the family and passed down from generation to generation, while the clan from each generation would give a priest. Following his father's will, Philip Kaloheret passed on the relics of St. Spyridon by inheritance to his daughter. In 1527 she married Stamatius Voulgaris. Only in 1984, the relics were transferred to the possession of the Metropolis of Kerkyra, because Metropolitan Methodius did not ordain a single man from the Vulgaris family. Thus, the will ceased to be valid. In total, the relics of St. Spyridon Trimifuntsky belonged to the Vulgaris family for almost four hundred and fifty years.

Now the relics of St. Spyridon are stored in one of the limits of the Cathedral of Corfu in a silver sarcophagus, specially made for them in 1867 in Vienna.

http://azbyka.ru/znakomstva/-25-dekabrja-2015-d141908.htm

"Walking" Saint

It is also a miracle that the patron saint of wanderers himself does not stop “wandering” to this day, helping everyone who turns to him with faith in prayer.

In the Orthodox world, he is known as a "walking" saint - the velvet shoes worn on his feet wear out and are replaced with new ones several times a year. And worn-out shoes are cut into pieces and handed over to believers like a great shrine.

According to the testimony of the Greek clergy, during the "changing shoes" a response movement is felt.

Throughout the temple and above the sarcophagus with relics, “tamas” hang on chains, silver plates with a convex image of the figure of the whole person or individual parts of the body: heart, eyes, arms, legs, as well as silver boats, cars, many lamps - these are gifts from people, who received healing or help from St. Spyridon.

The cancer with the relics of the Saint is locked with a key, but there are times when the key simply does not turn in the lock, and then the local clergy know that St. Spyridon is not in the cancer, he walks the earth, visiting those who need his help.