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The convergence of the blessed fire as. Holy Fire - exposure. How to bring the Holy Fire home

On Holy Saturday, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from all over the world to wash themselves in its blessed light and receive God's blessing.

The greatest miracle is awaited with excitement not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by representatives of various denominations.

For many hundreds of years, people have been trying to understand where the Holy Fire comes from. Believers are sure that this is a real miracle - God's gift people. Scientists do not agree with this statement and try to find an explanation for this phenomenon from a scientific point of view.

Holy Fire

According to many testimonies, both ancient and modern, the appearance of the Holy Light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, but the most famous and impressive is the miraculous descent of the Holy Fire on Great Saturday, on the eve of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

Throughout almost the entire time of the existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian denominations (Catholics, Armenians, Copts and others), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.

The miracle of the descent of the blessed fire on the Holy Sepulcher has been known since ancient times, the descending fire has a unique property - it does not burn the first minutes.

The first witness to the convergence of fire was the Apostle Peter - having learned about the Resurrection of the Savior, he hurried to the tomb and saw an amazing light where the body had previously lay. For two thousand years, this light has descended every year on the Holy Sepulcher with the Holy Fire.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was erected by Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena in the 4th century. And the earliest written references to the descent Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ date back to the 4th century.

The temple with its huge roof covers Golgotha, and the cave in which the Lord taken down from the cross was laid, and the garden where Mary Magdalene was the first of the people to meet His resurrected.

Convergence

Approximately at noon, a procession headed by the Patriarch. The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, goes to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, after going around it three times, stops in front of its gates.

All the lights in the temple are extinguished. Tens of thousands of people: Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Jews, Germans, Englishmen - pilgrims from all over the world - are watching the Patriarch in tense silence.

The patriarch undresses, the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher itself, looking for at least something that can make fire (during the Turkish rule over Jerusalem, Turkish gendarmes did this), and in one long flowing chiton, the primate of the Church enters.

On his knees in front of the Tomb, he prays to God for the sending down of the Holy Fire. Sometimes his prayer lasts a long time, but there is an interesting feature - the Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

And suddenly, on the marble slab of the coffin, a kind of fiery dew appears in the form of bluish balls. His Holiness touches them with cotton wool, and it ignites. With this cool fire, the Patriarch lights the lampada and candles, which he then takes out to the temple and passes to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the people. At the same moment, dozens and hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple.

It is difficult to imagine what kind of jubilation seizes the crowd of many thousands. People shout, sing, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole temple is on fire.

Miracle or trick

This wonderful phenomenon at different times had many critics who tried to expose and prove the artificial origin of fire. The Catholic Church was among those who disagreed. In particular, Pope Gregory IX in 1238 spoke out with disagreement about the miraculous nature of the Holy Fire.

Not understanding the true origin of the Holy Fire, some Arabs tried to prove that the Fire is allegedly obtained using any means, substances and devices, but they have no direct evidence. At the same time, they did not even witness this miracle.

Modern researchers also tried to study the nature of this phenomenon. In their opinion, it is possible to produce fire artificially. Spontaneous combustion of chemical mixtures and substances is also possible.

But none of them is similar to the appearance of the Holy Fire, especially with its amazing property - not to burn in the first minutes of its appearance.

Theologians, representatives of various faiths, including the Orthodox Church, have repeatedly stated that the ignition of candles and lamps in the Temple from the supposedly "sacred fire" is a falsification.

The most famous are the statements in the middle of the last century by professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy Nikolai Uspensky, who believed that in Kuvuklia the fire is lit from a secret hidden lamp, the light of which does not penetrate into the open space of the Temple, where all the candles and lamps at this time are extinguished.

At the same time, Uspensky argued that "the fire lit on the Holy Sepulcher from a hidden lamp is still a sacred fire received from a sacred place."

Russian physicist Andrey Volkov allegedly managed to take some measurements at the Holy Fire ceremony a few years ago. According to Volkov, a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Kuvuklia, a device that fixes the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave impulse in the temple, which no longer manifested itself. That is, an electrical discharge has occurred.

In the meantime, scientists are trying to find scientific confirmation of this phenomenon, and in contrast to the complete unsubstantiated statements of skeptics, the miracle of the convergence of the Holy Fire is an annually observed fact.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire is available to everyone. It can be seen not only by tourists and pilgrims - it takes place in front of the whole world and is regularly broadcast on television and the Internet, on the website of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate.

Every year, several thousand of those present in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher see: the patriarch, whose clothes were specially examined, entered Kuvuklia, which was checked and sealed, with a bunch of candles. He came out of it with a burning torch of 33 candles, and this is an indisputable fact.

Therefore, the answer to the question of where the Holy Fire comes from can be only one answer - it's a miracle, and everything else is just unconfirmed speculation.

And in conclusion, the Holy Fire confirms the promise of the Risen Christ to the apostles: "I am with you all the days until the end of the age."

It is believed that when the Heavenly Fire does not descend on the Holy Sepulcher, this will be a sign of the onset of the power of the Antichrist and the imminent end of the world.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.

"There are many substances that can ignite spontaneously"

The convergence of the Holy Fire is a great Easter miracle. This year, on April 7, thousands of pilgrims will be waiting for his appearance in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. However, for many years skeptics have been arguing: is fire really of divine origin, or is it the work of human hands? The last scandal associated with the exposure of this miracle occurred almost a month before Easter: the representative of the Armenian Patriarchy, Samuil Agoyan, said that the patriarchs themselves light wax candles from an oil lamp.

"MK" decided to experiment and get the fire chemically - without matches, lighters or other attributes that the priest definitely cannot carry with him.

We note right away that we do not want to offend anyone's feelings with this text and do not set ourselves the goal of refuting the divine origin of fire. If a certain phenomenon can be imitated with the help of a trick or an experiment, this does not mean that the phenomenon itself is a trick. We show that with the help of simple chemical manipulations it is possible to reproduce something similar, to get fire. But is it a miracle the Holy Fire itself or the result chemical reaction- everyone decides for himself. In the end, each will be given according to his faith.

What do we know about the environment in which the fire descends? It is known that this is a closed phenomenon - only one person, the patriarch of the Jerusalem Greek Orthodox Church, enters the chapel above the Holy Sepulcher. What is happening inside cannot be seen even by those who stand directly at the walls of the cuvuklia. It is also known that the patriarch, before he goes inside to pray for the descent of the fire, is searched: he should not have any matches or lighters with him.

Fire - ordinary, human - can be obtained in many ways. Mechanical: for example by friction, or with a magnifying glass, glasses or binoculars, or even by making a lens out of ice. However, it is unlikely that the priest will be able to carry some kind of device with him - then it’s easier to really hide the lighter. It is best to simulate the sudden spontaneous combustion of a candle using chemical methods.

There is a classic way that magicians used back in the 19th century. A piece of white phosphorus is dissolved in carbon tetrachloride, a volatile poisonous liquid. The wick is dipped into the solution. After the carbon tetrachloride evaporates, the phosphorus ignites itself and lights the candle. It is convenient that spontaneous combustion does not occur immediately - there is just enough time to move a candle or lamp to the right place.

There are many substances that can ignite spontaneously, such as alkali metals, - said Professor RKhTU im. Mendeleev Dmitry Mustafin. - If you take a piece of potassium or sodium and throw it into water, it will start to burn. In addition, alkali metal carbides burn. Quite a few active metals, especially if they are crushed into powders, aluminum, zinc, cobalt, all ignite spontaneously in air. Some immediately, others after a certain period of time. You can mix two substances - an oxidizing agent and a reducing agent. If you take saltpeter or potassium permanganate and mix it with alcohol, then the mixture should catch fire.

You can't just buy white phosphorus or other self-igniting substances in a store. We have chosen the easiest and relatively safe way to make fire - mixing glycerin and potassium permanganate, known as potassium permanganate. Warning: do not repeat this experience at home. This should be done only in specially designed rooms (for example, in chemical laboratories) and only with a fire extinguisher at the ready.

Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent. During the reaction, it decomposes to atomic oxygen, which oxidizes glycerol. The reaction is exothermic, that is, accompanied by a strong release of heat and ignition of the suspension.

Simple glycerin from a pharmacy will not work. In fact, this is not even glycerin, but glycerol - an 85% solution. This concentration of the active substance is not enough: the solution boils, but does not burn. Therefore, in a specialized chemical store, we bought a 99.5% solution of glycerin. Potassium permanganate, in turn, is simply not sold in a pharmacy - only by prescription. We got it from our old stocks.

It is necessary to conduct an experiment only in glass or porcelain dishes - in no case in plastic and preferably not in metal. We will not disclose the secret "how much to hang in grams". Glycerin is poured into glassware (in concentrated form - a viscous transparent liquid). Potassium permanganate powder is added - it is not necessary to dilute it before that. After some time, the reaction begins abruptly - everything boils, boils and burns with a bright bluish flame. Nearby we put a candle, the wick of which was lit from the chemical fire.

It is clear that no glassware will be carried into the Kuvukliya, and it is unlikely that members of the clergy are quietly chemistry in the corner. But there is a similar method, where instead of glycerin they take concentrated sulfuric acid. From the components taken in a certain ratio, gruel is made. A small amount of it - literally a match head or less - is applied to the wick of a candle, which after a while lights up. For fidelity, a tiny piece of paper can be attached to the wick. Alas, when we experimented with glycerin, we needed a rather large amount of potassium permanganate, which it is definitely impossible to put on a candle imperceptibly.

There is one more property of the blessed fire - in the first minutes it does not burn, and pilgrims can even wash themselves with it. A similar phenomenon of chemical nature is used in their work by illusionists.

A special composition is taken from dry boric acid, ethyl alcohol and sulfuric or hydrochloric acid, one of the magicians said anonymously. - Stir and warm slightly. You can roll a ball of thread and soak it with this composition, and only then set it on fire.

The ester of boric acid is released, which burns with a slightly greenish flame. It doesn't burn or even warm. However, as soon as all the ether burns out, alcohol begins to burn. And now his flame really burns.

To get fire, we mixed a solution of glycerin and potassium premanganate powder, in other words, potassium permanganate.

A few minutes after mixing, the mixture began to seethe, and then burst into a sharp blue flame.

It is not necessary to extinguish the fire with water: it is better to limit the access of oxygen by covering a glass with something, or use a fire extinguisher.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire takes place annually in the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher on the eve of Orthodox Easter, which in 2018 is celebrated on April 8.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on this significant day to wash themselves with the Holy Fire and receive God's blessing.

Not only the Orthodox, but also representatives of various denominations are anxiously awaiting the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire.

The question is, where does the Holy Fire come from, is it true or fiction - people have been trying to understand for many hundreds of years.

Believers are convinced that the descent of the Holy Fire is a real miracle, a gift from God to people. Scientists do not agree with this statement and try to explain this phenomenon from a scientific point of view.

Miracle of the Holy Fire

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher, which has a unique property - it does not burn the first minutes, has been known since ancient times.

The appearance of the Holy Light, both according to ancient and modern evidence, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher can be observed throughout the year, but the miraculous descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Holy Resurrection of Christ - on Great Saturday, is the most famous and impressive.

This miraculous phenomenon throughout almost the entire time of the existence of Christianity is observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian denominations (Catholics, Armenians, Copts and others), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.

The Apostle Peter was the first witness of the miracle of the convergence of fire - having learned about the Resurrection of the Savior, he hurried to the tomb and saw an amazing light where the body had previously lay. This light has been descending every year for two thousand years by the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher.

The temple was erected by Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena in the 4th century, and it is to this time that the earliest written references to the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ date.

With its huge roof, the Temple covers Golgotha, the cave in which the Lord was laid down, taken down from the cross, as well as the garden where Mary Magdalene was the first of the people to meet His resurrected.

Descent of the Holy Fire

The procession led by the Patriarch leaves the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate at about noon. The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, goes to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, after going around it three times, stops in front of its gates.

In the temple, all the lights are extinguished - tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, of different nationalities, are watching the Patriarch in tense silence.

The patriarch takes off his clothes and, wearing one long, flowing chiton, enters, after a thorough search by the police, who are looking for anything that can produce a fire.

The Primate of the Church on his knees in front of the Sepulcher prays to the Lord for the sending down of the Holy Fire. Prayer sometimes lasts a long time, but sooner or later the Holy Fire necessarily descends and only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

And lo and behold - on the marble slab of the Coffin suddenly appears, as it were, fiery dew in the form of bluish balls. The patriarch touches them with cotton wool, and it ignites. His Holiness lights a lampada and candles with this cool fire, which he then takes out to the temple and passes to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the people. At the same moment, dozens and hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple.

The crowd of many thousands is seized with jubilation - people sing, shout, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole Temple is on fire.

Truth or fiction

At different times, this wonderful phenomenon had many critics - they are trying to prove the artificial origin of fire. Catholic Church acted among those who disagreed - Pope Gregory IX spoke in 1238 with disagreement about the miraculousness of the Holy Fire.

Some Arabs, who did not even witness the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, not understanding its true origin, tried to prove that the fire was produced using any means, substances and devices, but they do not have direct evidence.

Modern researchers also tried to study the nature of this phenomenon - in their opinion, it is possible to make fire artificially. Spontaneous combustion of chemicals and mixtures is also possible.

But none of them is similar with the appearance of the Holy Fire, especially with its amazing property - not to burn in the first minutes of its appearance.

Theologians from various denominations, including the Orthodox Church, have stated more than once that the burning of candles and lamps in the Temple from the supposedly "sacred fire" is a falsification.

So, for example, in the middle of the last century, Nikolai Uspensky, professor at the Leningrad Theological Academy, stated that fire was lit in Kuvuklia from a secret hidden lamp, the light of which did not penetrate into the open space of the Temple, where at that time all candles and lamps were extinguished.

Uspensky at the same time argued that "the fire lit on the Holy Sepulcher from a hidden lamp is still a sacred fire received from a sacred place."

And the Russian physicist Andrey Volkov, as they say, was able to carry out some measurements at the ceremony of the convergence of the Holy Fire a few years ago. Volkov said that a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Kuvukliya, a device that fixed the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave impulse in the temple, which no longer manifested itself. Volkov believes that there was an electric discharge.

And while scientists are trying to find scientific confirmation of this phenomenon, the miracle of the convergence of the Holy Fire is an observed fact every year, in contrast to the complete unsubstantiated claims of skeptics.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire is accessible to everyone - not only pilgrims and tourists can see it - it happens in the face of the whole world and is broadcast regularly on television and the Internet, as well as on the website of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate.

Several thousand of those present in the Temple annually see how the patriarch enters Kuvuklia, checked and sealed, with a bunch of candles, after a special personal search, and leaves it with a burning torch of 33 candles - this is an indisputable fact.

Therefore, today there can be only one answer to the question of where the Holy Fire comes from - this is a miracle, and everything else is just unconfirmed speculation.

The Holy Fire is a gift of God, confirming the promise that the Savior gave to the apostles after the Resurrection: "I am with you all the days until the end of the age."

There is an opinion that when Heavenly fire does not descend on the Holy Sepulcher, this will be a sign of the onset of the power of the Antichrist and the imminent end of the world.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

The Holy Fire is an unsolvable and mysterious mystery for scientists around the world. But not for Christians! We know that the Holy Fire is an Easter symbol that the Lord himself gives us from heaven! And the convergence of this great and beautiful gift from God has been going on since ancient times.

The Holy Fire has appeared in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem for more than a millennium. The earliest references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the resurrection of Christ are found in Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Sylvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. They also contain descriptions of earlier convergences.

On the eve in the temple, all candles, lamps, chandeliers are extinguished. As early as the beginning of the 20th century. this was carefully observed: the strictest search was carried out by the Turkish authorities inside the chapel; on the slander of Catholics, they even reached the revision of the pockets of the clergy metropolitan, the vicar of the patriarch ... because of suspicion, the patriarch is forced to undress himself to his cassock, so that it can be seen that he does not bring matches into the cave or anything that can light a fire. During the reign of the Turks, close "control" of the patriarch was carried out by Turkish Janissaries, who searched him before entering the Kuvukliya, at the present time the Jewish policemen examine the patriarch.

Shortly before the arrival of the patriarch, the priest brings into the cave a large lamp, in which the main fire and 33 candles should flare up - according to the number of years of the savior's earthly life. Then the Orthodox and Armenian patriarchs (the latter also undresses before entering the cave) enter inside. They are sealed with a large piece of wax and a red ribbon is placed on the door; Orthodox ministers put their seals. At this time, the lights in the temple are turned off.

After the sealing of the Kuvuklia, Orthodox Arab youth runs into the temple, whose presence is also an obligatory element of the Easter celebrations. Young people sit on each other's shoulders like riders. They ask mother of god and gentlemen, that he bestow the Holy Fire on the Orthodox. "There is no Faith other than the Orthodox Faith, Christ is the True God," they chant. For European parishioners, accustomed to other forms of expression of feelings and calm worship, it is very unusual to see such behavior of local youth. However, the Lord reminded us that he also accepts such a childishly naive, but sincere appeal to him. During the time when Jerusalem was under the British Mandate, the English governor once tried to ban these "Savage" dances. The patriarch prayed in the Kuvuklia for two hours: the fire did not come down. Then the patriarch, by his own will, ordered the Arabs to be let in .... And the fire descended. "The Arabs, as it were, are addressing all peoples: the Lord confirms the correctness of our faith by bringing down the Holy Fire on the eve of Orthodox Easter. What do you believe in?

All the people in the temple are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with fire in his hands. However, in the hearts of many people there is not only patience, but also awe of expectation: in accordance with the tradition of the Jerusalem church, it is believed that the day when the Holy Fire does not come down will be the last for the people in the temple, and the temple itself will be destroyed. Therefore, pilgrims usually take communion before coming to Holy place. AT different years the agonizing wait lasts from five minutes to several hours.

Before the descent, the temple begins to be illuminated by bright flashes of blessed light, small lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion, it is clearly seen that they come from different places in the temple - from the icon hanging over the cuvuklia, from the dome of the temple, from windows and from other places, and fill everything around with bright light. In addition, here and there, between the columns and walls of the temple, quite visible lightning flashes, which often pass without any harm through standing people.

A moment later, the whole temple turns out to be belted with lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading over the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, candles are lit at those standing in the temple and on the square, the lamps themselves are lit; "And suddenly a drop falls on the face, and then a cry of delight and shock is heard in the crowd. The fire in the altar of the catholicon is burning! The flash and flame are like a huge flower. And the cuvuklia is still dark. Slowly, slowly, by candlelight, the fire from the altar begins to descend towards us And then a thunderous cry makes you look back at Cuvuklia. It shines, the whole wall shimmers with silver, white lightning streams through it. The fire pulsates and breathes, and from the hole in the dome of the temple a vertical wide column of light descended from the sky on the coffin." The temple or some of its places are filled with an unparalleled radiance, which is believed to have first appeared during the resurrection of Christ. At the same time, the doors of the coffin open and the Orthodox Patriarch comes out, who blesses the audience and distributes the Holy Fire.

However, not everyone lights a fire from a patriarchal candle; for some, it lights up on its own. “Brighter and stronger flashes of heavenly light. Now the blessed fire began to fly all over the temple. It scattered in bright blue beads over the cuvuklia around the icon of the Resurrection of the Lord, and one of the lamps flared up, burst into the temple chapels, onto Golgotha (lit on her also one of the lamps), sparkled over the stone of chrismation (the lamp was also lit here. Someone's candle wicks were charred, someone's lamps, bunches of candles flared up by themselves. One of the witnesses notes how a woman standing next to him lit candles three times, which she twice tried to put out.

The first time - 3-10 minutes, the lit fire has amazing properties- does not burn at all, regardless of which candle and where it will be lit. You can see how the parishioners literally wash themselves with this fire - they drive it over their faces, over their hands, scoop it up in handfuls, and it does no harm, at first it does not even scorch their hair.

Indeed, this is one of the greatest miracles of both past centuries and the modern 21st century! The Lord shows all his followers, all Christians, that he is with us!

In Russia, the Holy Fire is delivered to many, many cities for the Paschal service, and the joyful feast of Easter is intensified and ascends to heaven, to the birthplace of the Holy Fire!

The convergence of fire can be seen only once a year and in the only place on the planet - the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection. Its huge complex includes: Calvary, a cave with the Cross of the Lord, a garden where Christ was seen after the resurrection. It was built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine and the Holy Fire was seen there during the first service on Easter. Around the place where this happened, they built a chapel with the tomb of the Lord - it is called Cuvuklia.

At ten o'clock in the morning of Great Saturday, all candles, lamps and other sources of light are extinguished in the temple every year. The highest church ranks personally monitor this: Kuvuklia passes the last test, after which it is sealed with a large wax seal. From that moment on, the protection of holy places falls on the shoulders of the Israeli police officers (in ancient times, the Janissaries handled their duties Ottoman Empire). They also put an additional seal over the seal of the Patriarch. What is not proof of the miraculous origin of the Holy Fire?

Edicule

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, a procession of the cross begins to stretch from the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate to the Holy Sepulcher. It is headed by the patriarch: having bypassed Kuvuklia three times, he stops in front of her doors.

“The patriarch dresses in white clothes. With him, at the same time, 12 archimandrites and four deacons put on white vestments. Then clerics in white surplice with 12 banners depicting the Passion of Christ and His glorious Resurrection come out of the altar in pairs, followed by clergy with ripids and a life-giving cross, then 12 priests in pairs, then four deacons also in pairs, the last two of them in front of the patriarch they hold bunches of candles in their hands in a silver stand for the most convenient transfer of the holy fire to the people, and, finally, the patriarch with a rod in right hand. With the blessing of the patriarch, the singers and all the clergy, while singing: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and make us on earth glorify you with a pure heart” go from the Church of the Resurrection to the Kuvuklia and bypass it three times. After the third circumambulation, the patriarch, the clergy and the chanters stop with the banner-bearers and the crusader in front of the holy life-giving tomb and sing the evening hymn: “Quiet Light”, reminiscent of the fact that this litany was once part of the rite of evening worship.

The Holy Fire is one of the most powerful and significant symbols of faith among Orthodox Christians and a phenomenon higher powers its truth to all believers. Once again, he will descend from heaven this year on Saturday, April 7, on the eve of Holy Easter in Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the earthly path of Jesus Christ was completed. About the natural essence of the phenomenon, about how the Holy Fire comes down, how science is trying to explain it, we will talk with you today.

Holy Fire: the mystery and essence of the phenomenon

Scientists and atheists have been trying to explain the nature of the Holy Fire for a long time, but so far to no avail. True believers do not need to explain anything, they accept Fire as God's grace. Skeptics, atheists, scientists with available data, scientific ways through experiments, they also want to reveal the nature of the phenomenon from a scientific point of view, perhaps they will someday succeed .... But so far only a mystery hidden from explanation.

On the eve of Orthodox Easter, we will also touch on this phenomenon.

Where and when the Holy Fire descends

The Holy Fire descends in one place, only in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in Israel, in Jerusalem, and only on the eve of Orthodox Easter.

This phenomenon has been observed year after year for more than a millennium. The first mention dates back to church historians in the 4th century.

I will give a description full of the feelings experienced by Archimandrite Savva Achilles in the book “I saw the Holy Fire.” For more than 50 years he was the main novice at the Holy Sepulcher. Here are his impressions:

“... the patriarch bowed low to approach the Life-Giving Tomb. And suddenly, in the midst of dead silence, I heard some kind of quivering, barely perceptible rustle. It was like a thin breath of wind. And immediately after that, I saw a blue light that filled the entire inner space of the Life-Giving Tomb.
Oh, what an unforgettable sight it was! I saw this light whirl like a strong whirlwind or storm. And in this blessed light, I clearly saw the face of the Patriarch. Big tears were running down his cheeks...
… the blue light has returned to a state of motion. Then it suddenly turned white... Soon the light took on a rounded shape and in the form of a halo stood motionless above the head of the Patriarch. I saw how His Beatitude the Patriarch took bundles of 33 candles into his hands, raised them high above him and began to pray to God to send down the Holy Fire, slowly stretching his hands to the sky. As soon as he raised them to the level of his head, all four beams suddenly lit up in his hands, as if they were brought close to a flaming furnace. At the same moment, the halo disappeared from the light above his head. Tears flowed from my eyes from the joy that engulfed me .... "

Holy Fire in Jerusalem. Story

The Holy Fire has been in the temple for more than a millennium. The earliest references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ are found in Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Sylvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. They also contain descriptions of earlier convergences. According to the testimony of the Apostles and Holy Fathers, the uncreated Light illuminated the Holy Sepulcher shortly after the Resurrection of Christ, which one of the apostles saw: and the night was, however, two images I saw internally - sensually and sincerely, ”we read from the church historian Gregory of Nyssa. “Peter appeared before the Sepulcher and the light in the tomb was terrified in vain,” writes St. John of Damascus. Eusebius Pamphilus narrates in his " church history”, that when one day there was not enough lamp oil, Patriarch Narcissus (II century) blessed to pour water from the Siloam font into the lamps, and the fire that descended from heaven lit the lamps, which then burned throughout the entire Paschal service. Among the early mentions of the testimony of Muslims, Catholics. The Latin monk Bernard (865) writes in his itinerary: “On Holy Saturday, which is the eve of Easter, the service begins early and after the service is completed, Lord have mercy until, with the coming of an Angel, light is kindled in the lamps hanging over the tomb."

Video IS IT TRUE? Holy Fire

Holy fire truth or fiction. Holy Fire is false or true?

This apparent miracle has been repeated for many centuries, since ancient times.
What is this “manifest miracle”? On the eve of Orthodox Easter in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, God creates an amazing miracle accessible to any child - he lights a fire. This fire, however, does not “ignite spontaneously” in front of everyone! The principle here is the same as for all other tricks: the disappearance or appearance of an object is not carried out directly in front of the astonished public, but under the cover of a handkerchief or in a dark box, that is, hidden from the audience.
Two high-ranking priests enter a small stone closet, which is called a cuvuklia. This is a special room inside the temple, like a chapel, where supposedly there is a stone bed on which the body of the crucified Christ lay. Having gone inside, two priests close the door behind them, and after a while they take out fire from the cuvuklia - a burning lamp and bunches of flaming candles. Crowds of fanatics immediately rush to them to light candles brought with them from the blessed fire. It is believed that this fire does not burn in the first minutes, so the pilgrims, who had languished in anticipation for many hours before, “wash” their faces and hands with it.
“Firstly, this fire does not burn, which is proof of a miracle,” write hundreds of believers in dozens of forums. “And secondly, how, if not by God’s miracle, can one explain that with such crowding of people and such an amount of fire, there has never been a fire in the Temple?”
Doesn't it burn?.. Were there any fires?.. The temple has already burned several times, which is not surprising given such an old building. During one of the fires in the temple, 300 people burned alive. And another time, due to a fire near the temple, the dome even collapsed, seriously damaging the cuvuklia with the “grave” of Christ.
Nevertheless, the story that the “wonderful” fire does not burn continues to circulate among believers.

Descent of the Holy Fire.

Every year, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, a colorful church ritual of the descent of the Holy Fire takes place. This event takes place on the Saturday before Easter.

It is believed that the first witness of the convergence of fire was the Apostle Peter. Having learned about the resurrection of Christ, he went to the tomb of Jesus and saw a light in the place where the body of the Savior had previously lay. In 1810, a chapel was erected over the Holy Sepulcher - Cuvuklia. It is here that the Patriarch of Jerusalem, accompanied by the Armenian archimandrite, enters on Great Saturday on the eve of Easter. Before entering Cuvuklia, the patriarch undresses to his cassock. Prior to this, other church ministers inspect the premises - they check that there are no matches and lighters in the chapel. The patriarch takes a bundle of unlit candles with him.

After some time, he appears before the faithful with already burning candles. Lighting their lamps and candles from them, believers pass the Holy Fire to each other. In a matter of seconds, the fire spreads throughout the temple. It is believed that in the first minutes this fire does not burn, therefore those gathered in the temple “wash themselves” with it. Immediately, lampadas are lit from the Holy Fire, which are transported to different parts of the world.

The Holy Fire from Jerusalem is delivered to Moscow on Saturday evening by a special flight. The icon-lamp is brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for the main Easter service in Russia.

According to legend, if the fire does not come down, it will mean the imminent end of the world.

Scientists have tried to challenge the "divine" nature of the Holy Fire many times. They put forward many versions - from an electrical impulse to a chemical reaction that causes combustion. About a month ago, the representative of the Armenian Patriarchate in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Samuil Agoyan, added fuel to the fire, saying that there was no mysticism in the “descent”. The priest said that he personally saw how candles are lit from an ordinary oil lamp. “God works miracles, but not for the amusement of people,” Agoyan added.

The descent of the Holy Fire or Holy Light takes place on Great Saturday on the eve of Easter. The ceremony takes place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. According to legend, on the day when the Holy Fire does not descend to earth, the Apocalypse will come. The miracle is that the fire appears in the chapel of the temple without the help of any flammable means. The descent of the Holy Fire symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the victory of spiritual life over death and frailty of the body.

The descent of the Holy Fire how it happens: what is the miracle of the appearance of the Holy Light

Christians believe that the Holy Fire appears by the will of God. According to sacred sources, divine light accompanied the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his exit from the Tomb. The first mention of a miracle dates back to the 4th century. Today, the descent of the Holy Fire takes place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on Holy Saturday between 13:00 and 15:00 local time.

The fire in the closed chapel of the Temple appears without the help of incendiary means and is accompanied by inexplicable miraculous phenomena. This is a symbol of God's forgiveness of human sins and resurrection from death.

The convergence of the Holy Fire as it happens: a service in honor of the Holy Fire

The church ceremony preceding the miraculous event begins on Good Friday. Those wishing to see the miracle gather near the walls of the temple in the evening. The service is strictly regulated, each patriarchy has its own rights and obligations in it at a time strictly defined by the ceremony. It is mandatory to attend the head Orthodox Church Jerusalem, ascetic monks from the last of its kind, the ancient Lavra of Sava the Sanctified, and Arab Orthodox youth.

The movement of the ceremony towards the temple is unusually noisy and numerous. When the temple is filled with believers, all candles and lamps are extinguished. A large lamp is brought into the cave, in which the Holy Light should light up, as well as 33 candles according to the number of years of the life of Jesus Christ. After checking the chapel for the absence of sources of fire, the doors are closed and sealed.

Then the prayer ritual of the Orthodox Arabs begins. Young guys riding each other break into the temple, beat drums, stomp and shout out ancient prayers with requests for the descent of the Holy Light. They turn to Jesus, the Virgin Mary and George the Victorious. Young people praise God and the Christian faith.

After that, the procession begins along the memorable places where Christ suffered torment and to the place of his crucifixion. At the end of the ceremony, the Orthodox patriarch, wearing only a white shirt, so that it can be seen that he has nothing to light the fire with, enters the chapel, from where he should appear with fire in his hands. Waiting for the convergence of fire can last several hours. The appearance of fire is preceded by inexplicable flashes of bluish light, reminiscent of lightning bolts.

When the light comes on inside the chapel, the bells begin to ring, notifying the faithful of the descent of the Holy Fire. The patriarch from the windows of the chapel gives burning candles, which disperse among the parishioners. The lamps in the temple themselves light up, and then the entire chapel of the Temple is illuminated with a bright light.

The convergence of the Holy Fire how it happens: The Holy Fire diverges throughout the world

After the patriarch takes out the sacred fire, the attendants from his candles set fire to other candles and quickly carry them around the temple, where pilgrims try to touch the miraculous fire and even “wash themselves” with it. The first minutes the fire has wonderful properties - it does not burn the skin, clothes and even hair. People feel an unprecedented spiritual uplift and joy. One can often observe miracles of healing the sick and the infirm who have touched the Holy Fire.

Later, the sacred fire spreads throughout all the temples of Jerusalem. It is delivered by special flights to different countries of the world, including Russia.

The convergence of the Holy Fire how it happens: scientists tried to study the appearance of the Holy Fire

Scientists have often wondered about the nature of the origin of this miracle. Russian physicist from Kurchatovsky scientific center attempted to study the phenomenon by smuggling scientific equipment into the temple ceremony.

A device that fixes electromagnetic radiation was placed by a physicist in a case and imperceptibly carried into the temple. A few minutes before the priest took the Holy Fire out of the chapel, the scientist already knew about this, because his equipment recorded a strong electromagnetic pulse, which was no longer repeated.

The physicist believes that the phenomenon really exists. Since the phenomenon has material traces that can be measured, it is not a hoax or a hoax. The Holy Fire is not at all created by human hands. This is an amazing phenomenon that requires further study.

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