Prayers to the holy martyr Vitus. The suffering of Vitus, Modestus and Criscentia Saint Vitus: biography
During the reign of Emperor Diocletian 1, under hegemon Valerian, who persecuted Christians, a twelve-year-old boy named Vitus, the son of a noble and wealthy citizen of Gilas, lived in Sicily. This Hylas adhered to Hellenic wickedness; His son, blessed Vitus, being enlightened from above by the miraculous grace of the Holy Spirit, in his adolescence came to know the one true God, who created heaven and earth; Having believed in Him, he constantly, day and night, prayed to Him, wearing a hair shirt. The young boy was honored to hear a divine voice speaking from above: “Your prayer has been heard! I will show My mercy to you!”
After that miraculous voice, the youth was granted by God the power to perform miracles. And he healed human ailments, exhorted the infidels to know the true God, and taught everyone the right path. For Almighty God wanted to bring praise to Himself through the lips and deeds of this youth to shame idolatrous wickedness. The Lord gave Vitus extraordinary understanding and the gift of working miracles, so that even in his adolescence the blessed one would be a man strong in word and deed, and so that through this God, wondrous in His saints, would be glorified.
When Hegemon Valerian, as a result of the slander and slander of many pagans, learned about this holy youth, he called Father Vitus to him and said to him: “What is this? I hear that your son worships the very God Whom Christians worship? But if you wish see him healthy and unharmed, then try to turn him away from this error.”
Gilas, returning home, began to exhort his son not to abandon the ancient Hellenic service performed to his gods. The blessed youth Vitus answered his father: “I do not know any other god except the one who has existed from eternity, whose Spirit hovered over the waters and separated light from darkness (Gen. 1: 2-4). I serve that God who created the sky and the earth; He is the holy Lord Jesus Christ, the King of angels. This God I confess and will confess all the days of my life.”
Father Vitus was very angry at these words of his son and ordered the boy to be beaten with rods, while he said:
Who taught you to speak like that? Don’t you know that if the hegemon finds out about this, you will die?
The boy, accepting the beatings, answered:
Christ taught me this, I am His servant, and I am not at all afraid of the wrath of the hegemon.
Then Gilas, calling his son’s teacher named Modest, said to him:
Be careful that the boy never mentions Christ in his speeches.
But Saint Vitus neglected the command of his father and constantly bore the name of Christ both in his heart and on his lips, and was consoled by an angelic appearance from Christ the Lord; for an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision, saying:
Do not be afraid, but take courage in the name of Jesus Christ. I have been given to you as a guardian; I will protect you until your death. Know about this mercy of God that you will be given from God everything you ask of Him.
The holy youth was consoled and delighted by this angelic vision and with even greater zeal began to confess and glorify the name of the Lord.
The saint’s father was very sad about the youth, since he was his only son; Therefore, Father Vitus tried with his flattering speeches to lead him to serving the demons. Saint Vitus said to his father:
What gods do you command me to worship?
The father answered:
Don’t you know, my son, our gods Zeus 2, Hercules 3, Juno 4, Minerva 5, Vesta 6, Apollo 7 and others, whom kings and princes worship?
The saint answered his father:
Those you speak of are soulless idols made by human hands; they have mouths, but are dumb; they have eyes, but are blind; have arms and legs, but are immovable. I believe in the one living and omnipotent God, for we " We live and move by it"(Acts 17:28); I believe in the Creator and Provider of all creation, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; I confess the one Redeemer and Savior of the human race, the Son of God, who endured torment for the sake of our sins, through His blood we received salvation .
The father answered the boy with tears:
O my dear child! Listen to the useful and sound advice of your parent and turn away from that insane belief according to which you venerate an unknown dead person in vain; turn away, so that the hegemon, becoming angry, does not destroy you and thereby increase the suffering of my heart.
Blessed Vitus answered:
Oh, if only you, father, knew who and what He is, Whom you, disparaging, call a dead man! Oh, if only you, father, would worship Him with me! For this is Christ, the Son of the living God, the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world.
Gilas said:
Regarding that Christ whom you call God, I know that He, by order of Pilate, who ruled Judea, was beaten, sentenced to death on the cross and crucified on the cross by the Jews and Pilate’s servants.
The holy youth answered:
Yes, it really was as you said, father. But there is a great, wonderful and holy mystery in this matter.
Gilas asked:
If we think truthfully, then it would be more fair to call this matter not a sacrament, but an execution.
The blessed one answered:
Listen to me, father, with meekness and know the truth; the surrender to death and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ is our salvation; and know that no one will ever tear me away from my love for Him through any torment.
Then Gilas stop talking, grieving in your heart for your son.
By the grace of God that dwelt in the youth, many miracles were performed, namely: the blind received their sight, the sick were healed, and demons cast out from people confessed the great holiness of the young youth.
All this could not be hidden from Hegemon Valerian. Having sat down in his judgment seat, in the presence of everyone he said to Father Vitov:
Noble man Gilas! It has now become reliably known to me that your son with all zeal venerates the so-called Christ crucified in Judea; He worships this Christ, but condemns our own gods; therefore he must appear before us for judgment: bring him here.
When the young lad was brought to that wicked court, the hegemon said to him:
Why don't you make sacrifices to your immortal gods? Haven't you heard about the royal commands - to put to death after various executions anyone who dared to honor the crucified?
The blessed youth, filled with the Holy Spirit, was not at all afraid of the hegemon; Having depicted the sign of the cross on himself, he answered:
I do not want to worship demons and I will not honor stone and wooden idols, for I have a living God, Whom my soul serves.
The saint’s father, Gilas, turning to his relatives and friends, exclaimed with great weeping:
Weep with me, my friends, I ask you, for I see that my only son is dying!
Then Saint Vitus cried out loudly, objecting to his father:
I do not perish, but I am honored to be numbered among the host of the righteous and saints of God.
Valerian said to the saint:
Until now I have restrained myself for the sake of your noble birth and for the sake of my disposition towards your father; Until now I have not applied to you the royal orders issued for lawbreakers; but now, having become convinced that you have reached the point of bitterness in your resistance, I will begin to legally torture you, so that, having received punishment, you will abandon your stubbornness.
Having said this, the hegemon ordered the blessed youth to be beaten with sticks.
The saint was beaten for a long time. Then the torturer said to the saint:
Listen to me now and make a sacrifice to the gods.
The martyr answered:
I have already told you, hegemon, that I worship Christ, the Son of God.
Then the hegemon, becoming even more angry, ordered the saint to be beaten with iron sticks. But as soon as the hegemon’s servants wanted to do this, their hands withered; in the same way, the hegemon’s hand, which he pointed out to his servants, suddenly became damaged and became dry, so that he shouted in pain in these words: “Woe is me! I have ruined my hand and now I am suffering grievously.” Then he said to the father of Saint Vitus: “You have not a son, but a sorcerer.”
Saint Vitus cried out loudly:
I am not a sorcerer, but a servant of my Lord Jesus Christ Almighty, who raised the dead, walked on the waters as if on dry ground, calmed the troubled sea and healed all kinds of incurable diseases that happened to people; now He does the same thing by His omnipotent power. I am His servant and therefore I try to fulfill His commandments. The same gods you serve, what power do they have, tell me? Let them heal your hand if they can heal.
Hegemon said:
Can you heal my hand?
The saint answered:
I can in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Make me healthy,” said the hegemon, “so that I can be convinced that you are not a sorcerer, but a servant of the true God, as you say.”
Then the holy martyr, raising his eyes to heaven, said:
God, Heavenly Father! Listen to me, your unworthy servant, for the sake of those present here, so that they may believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, the true and omnipotent God, who reigns with You along with the Holy Spirit. Make it so that for the sake of the name of Your Only Begotten Son the hand of the hegemon will be healed.
As soon as the saint finished this prayer, Valerian’s hand was healed and became the same as before. Then the hegemon handed the boy to his father and said: “Take your son to your house and convince him to make a sacrifice to the gods so that he does not die.”
Having brought his son into the house, Gilas began with much flattery to persuade him to bow to his wickedness: he organized feasts, formed choirs of singers; in front of Vitus they played harmonious musical instruments, cymbals and harps sounded; beautiful maidens danced before the eyes of the saint, young men rejoiced; worldly adulterous songs were sung, many seductive words were spoken, so that through all this the heart of young Vitus would be caught in vanity; but the soul of the youth, hard as adamant, remained unshaken by anything; for he had in his heart a love for God that conquered all worldly love; he paid no attention to anything that was sung before his eyes; in the same way he did not look at what was happening before his eyes; Fixing his eyes to heaven, he sighed from the depths of his heart and said: “Do not despise, O Lord my God, a contrite and humble heart!”
Then Gilas ordered the upper room to be prepared for his son; he filled it with all kinds of riches; the floor was covered with beautiful carpets: the curtains were decorated with pearls, the bed and the whole palace were filled with great splendor; He imprisoned his son in this chamber and ordered the most beautiful maidens to serve him to seduce him. The chaste and holy youth, kneeling down, prayed to the Lord in these words: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, God and Father of Your beloved Servant, my Lord Jesus Christ! Look upon me and have mercy on me, strengthen me with Your power, so that the evil and lawless serpent would not be able to fulfill his desire on me, Your servant, and so that the pagans would not mock Your faithful servant and say where is their God.”
While the saint was praying in such words, suddenly an indescribable light shone in the upper room and luminous faces were visible, fiery, like lamps, twelve in number; an indescribable fragrance was also felt emanating from those faces; This fragrance spread so much in the air that it filled the whole house, so that the father of St. Vitus was surprised and horrified with all his household and cried out: “This is a great miracle. Where does such a fragrance come from, which we have never smelled in the temples of our gods?” Then he said: “The gods have come to my house to my son.” And he began to carefully search for where that fragrance came from. Approaching the door of his son's upper room and entering it, he saw angelic faces that had wings like eagles; At the same time, these faces were filled with unspeakable kindness, they shone brightly and sang: “ Holy, Holy, Holy Lord"(Isa.6:3).
From that strong radiance, Gilas immediately became blind, for he had unclean eyes, unworthy to contemplate the angelic light hidden in heaven; for this light can only be contemplated by those who have pure spiritual eyes.
Blessed Vitus, seeing that his father was blind, was imbued with natural love for him and began to pray to God for him, so that he would have mercy. Finishing his prayer, he added: “But let it be, Master, not my will, but Yours; let it be as You please.”
Gilas, due to severe pain in his eyes, cried out loudly: “Woe is me! I have lost the light for my eyes. I am overcome by a serious illness!”
All his household, male and female slaves, seeing their master suffering greatly with their eyes, wept, so that their cry of weeping was heard in the neighboring houses; and thus the whole city soon learned about what had happened to Gilas. Following this, many citizens began to flock to his house; Hegemon Valerian also came here in haste. Seeing that Gilas was blind, leaning on his slaves and screaming in pain, Valerian asked: “For what reason did he become blind?” He answered: “I saw winged gods in the upper room of my son; their eyes were like stars; the appearance of their faces was like lightning; unable to bear their radiance, I was damaged by my eyes and lost my sight.”
Valerian said: “There is no doubt that those gods you saw are very powerful; therefore you need to pray to them so that they will heal you.”
Then, taking the blind Hylas, Valerian led him to the temple of Zeus. Hylas prayed here in the following words: “Oh, Zeus, omnipotent god! If you heal my eyes, I will bring you countless sacrifices, I will sacrifice to you a calf with golden horns; also to you, O goddess Vesta, I will bring pure virgins, if I receive from help you."
So Gilas prayed to his vain gods, but not only did he not receive healing from them, but on the contrary, he felt even greater pain. Saint Vitus, bending his knees to the Lord, prayed in his upper room for his father, saying: “Master, who enlightened the blind Tobit 8, show mercy to my father if he knows You.”
Finally, Gilas was taken unhealed by his slaves from the idol temple to his home: entering the upper room in which Saint Vitus offered a sacrifice of praise to God, he fell at Vitus’s feet and said:
Beloved son! Heal me!
Saint Vitus said to him:
Do you, father, want to be healthy?
Gilas replied:
Yes, I really wish it.
The saint told him:
If you want to receive healing, then renounce Zeus, Hercules, Juno, Minerva, Vesta and Apollo.
Gilas answered:
How can I renounce them?
Saint Vitus said:
Do not call them gods, but demons; Do not honor the idols that you have hitherto revered, but consider them worthless, as soulless and useless things. And if you promise to do this from your true heart, then your eyes will immediately be healed and enlightened.
Gilas said:
I renounce the gods and promise to do everything you told me.
The saint said:
I know that your heart is hardened and your words are not true; but I will show you the power of my Master, for the sake of those who are coming, so that they may believe and glorify the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, although you are unworthy of this.
Having said this, the saint laid his hand on the painful eyes of his father and prayed to God in these words: “Lord Jesus Christ, who enlightened the eyes of the man born blind (John 9:6-7), having conquered nature, enlighten also the eyes of my father, although he unworthy of this because of his unbelief; but do this for the glory of Your holy name, so that Your enemies may see and be ashamed, and so that all who know and love Your name may be glorified.”
While the saint was praying like this, scabs like scales fell off the eyes of the blind man; he became healthy and could see well with his own eyes. But soon, instead of knowing the true God and giving Him thanks for the healing received from Him, he began to blaspheme his Benefactor, saying to his son: “It was not your God who healed me, but my gods, whom I serve and to whom I promised to make sacrifices.” ".
And he glorified his wicked gods, publicly saying in front of everyone: “I thank my gods who healed me!” Heading to their temples, he began to bring them vile thanksgiving sacrifices, as promised; at the same time, his heart was so hardened by the devil and blinded by malice that he changed his natural love for his son to hatred, intending to kill his son, his holy and innocent youth. The Lord, who protects His servants, sent His angel for protection, for the angel of the Lord in the form of a beautiful and illuminated youth appeared at night to the mentioned Modest, the teacher of Vitov, who believed in Christ, who was already in old age, and said to him:
Take the boy and go with him to the sea; on the shore you will find a small boat; enter it and you will arrive in the country that I will show you.
Modest said to the angel:
God! I don't know the path where I'll go.
The angel answered: “I will lead you!”
And immediately Modest got up, took his youth Vitus, also took his nurse Criscentia, a faithful servant of Christ, and went with them to the sea, following the angel who led them.
When they came to the seashore, they found a boat prepared by the Lord. And the angel said to Saint Vitus, as if tempting him: “Which country will you go to?” Saint Vitus answered: “Wherever the Lord leads us, there we will go with great zeal.”
The angel asked: “Do you have any payment?” The youth answered: “He whom we serve will reward you.” Then, having entered the boat, they sailed from Sicily; Having sailed for a short time, they arrived in one of the Italian countries, named Lucania, to a place called Allectoria. When, having sailed to the shore, they left the boat, immediately the angel of the Lord, who was in the form of a young man with them in the boat, became invisible.
They set out on their journey and came to a river called Silar, which flows into the sea from the country of Lucania; near this river they stopped to rest under a beautiful multi-branched tree. They liked this place very much, and they settled here to live; God sent them food. Just as in ancient times, at the command of God, Saint Elijah 9 was fed by a raven in the desert (1 Kings 17:4), so these saints were fed by an eagle, bringing them food daily. And Saint Vitus began to perform many wondrous miracles; his name became famous throughout that country, with the help of God, who glorifies His servants. The demons expelled by Vitus from people by the power of God shouted: “What is it to us and to you, Vitus! Have you come here ahead of time to destroy us?”
People came to the saint with their sick; and he healed them all with prayer and the sign of the cross, instructing them to know the true God and keep His commandments. And many infidels turned to Christ and received holy baptism.
At that time, the son of King Diocletian was possessed by a demon; At the same time, the demon cried out through his mouth, saying: “I will not leave here unless Vitus of Lucania comes here.”
And the king said:
Where can we find that person?
The demon answered: “You will find him by the river Silara.”
The king immediately sent armed soldiers to Lucania, ordering them to bring Vitus with haste. The soldiers, having arrived at the indicated place, found the servant of Christ praying to God by the river, and asked him:
Are you Vit?
The saint answered:
Yes it's me.
The warriors said:
Emperor Diocletian demands you.
Saint Vitus answered:
I am a little-known and ignorant youth: what use can I be to the emperor?
The warriors answered:
His son is being tormented by a demon, and for this reason he demands you.
Saint Vitus said:
Let us go in the name of the Lord.
And he set off with the soldiers on the road to Rome; Saint Modest also went with him; Blessed Criscentia followed them from afar.
Arriving in Rome, the soldiers announced to Diocletian about the arrival of Vitus; Diocletian ordered him to be brought to him.
When the saint appeared before the king, the latter was amazed at the beauty of the youth: Saint Vitus was truly a handsome young man, his face was as if angelic, his eyes were like the rays of the sun, because he was filled with the grace of Christ. And Diocletian said to him: “Are you Vitus?”
The saint did not give him an answer.
Then the emperor began to question Modest, intending to learn from him about the saint. But Modest, being old for years, in his simplicity could not give an appropriate answer to the king. For this reason, the emperor, having scolded Modest with dishonest words, intended to drive him away from himself: then Saint Vitus opened his mouth and said to Diocletian:
Why do you ask an old man like a young man with such impudence? should you honor him, at least for the sake of his gray hair?
The emperor answered Saint Vitus:
Where did you get this impudence, why do you dare to speak to us with anger, humiliating our dignity?
The saint answered:
We have no anger, for we have received the spirit of gentleness from Christ our Lord, and we are imitators of the dove’s meekness. For our Teacher was good by nature, great in power, kind in disposition, humble and meek; Therefore, His disciples should be meek and humble in heart, and not furious and angry, as you call us.
While the saint was speaking thus, suddenly the demon cried out through the mouth of the king’s son, saying:
Oh Vit! Why are you torturing me so cruelly ahead of time!
The saint did not answer the demon. And Diocletian said to the saint:
Can you heal my son?
“Your son,” answered the saint, “may be healthy, but I cannot give him health: Christ, the Son of God, whose servant I am, if He wishes, can easily deliver him through me, His servant, from the torment of the demon, for He is omnipotent."
Then Diocletian began to beg the saint to heal his son. Approaching the demoniac, the saint laid his hand on his head and said: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, unclean spirit, come out of God’s creation!”
And immediately the demon came out of the king’s son, but not without harm to those who were there; for, by the permission of God, he suddenly killed many infidels who laughed at Saint Vitus in word or thought - and took their vile souls, as his prey, to hell.
The emperor was very surprised to see his son healthy and many of those ahead killed; but instead of knowing the power of the name of Jesus Christ and glorifying the one true God, he thought within himself how to persuade Vitus to his wickedness. Diocletian was also seduced by the beauty of the saint; he began to talk to him with flattery, saying: “Dearest Vitus, listen to me and bring sacrifices to the gods with me; then I will give you half of my kingdom; I will reward you with gold, silver and precious things; I will clothe you in royal clothes, and you will be sincere , my closest friend."
Saint Vitus answered:
I do not need your kingdom or your riches, for I have the Lord and my God; if I serve Him faithfully, He will clothe me with the incorruptible and bright robe of immortality in the Kingdom of Heaven.
“Don’t say that Vitus,” said Diocletian, “but have pity on your life; make a sacrifice to the gods so that you do not die after many different torments of a bitter death.
The saint answered:
I am very willing to accept the torment with which you threaten me; then I will sooner achieve the crown that the Lord promised to His chosen ones.
Then Diocletian ordered Saint Vitus and Modestus to be imprisoned in a gloomy and stinking dungeon, he ordered heavy shackles weighing ten pounds to be placed on each of them and the door and window to be sealed with his royal ring so that no one could give them bread or water - the tormentor intended to destroy their hunger and thirst.
When the saints were shut up in prison, suddenly a light shone there; This light was also seen by the prison guards, huddled close to the well. Saint Vitus loudly exclaimed to God, saying: “God, come to our aid and deliver us from these bonds, as You delivered the three youths from the burning furnace (Dan. 3) and as You delivered Susanna from the lawless false witnesses” (Dan. 13) .
While the saint was praying like this, the foundations of the prison shook, an even greater light shone, and an indescribable fragrance spread everywhere. Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him and said: “Be of good cheer, Vit, be of good courage, and be strong, for I am always with you.”
Having said these words, the Lord became invisible. Immediately the shackles fell off the holy prisoners, Vitus and Modestus, and became like dust. The saints stood up and began to sing: " Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that he hath visited his people and brought deliverance to them"(Luke 1:68).
At the same time, angelic voices were also heard singing along with them; The prison guards, seeing the indescribable light and hearing the voices of angels, were filled with fear and horror and became as if they were dead. Then, having come to their senses, they hurried to the king with fear and told him everything that they had seen and heard. The king, considering all this to be praising Christians, called to him the organizer of public spectacles and ordered him in the morning to prepare a place for the spectacle, at which he wanted to hand over the prisoners to beasts to be devoured. At this he said: “I’ll see if Christ can deliver them from my hands?”
On the morning of the next day, the holy servants of Christ were led out to a shameful place. Saint Vitus strengthened Blessed Modest, his teacher: “Do not be afraid, father, be courageous, do not be afraid of demonic weapons, for our crown is approaching us.”
The people who had prepared to look at that spectacle numbered five thousand people, besides women and children, who were countless.
And Diocletian said to Saint Vitus:
Vit! Where are you now?
The saint, without answering the tormentor, raised his eyes to heaven.
Then the emperor said to him again:
Where are you now, Vit?
The saint answered:
I see myself in a shameful place; but do quickly what you intend to do.
Diocletian said to him:
Have pity on your life, Vit, and make a sacrifice to the great gods.
The saint answered:
May it not be good for you, devil, predatory wolf, seducer of souls: I am amazed at your madness, for you, seeing the power of God, did not know God and are not ashamed to turn me away from my God with your words. But I have already told you more than once that I will not make sacrifices to your gods, or better yet, to demons; however, you again offer me your wicked advice without shame. They say to the dog: get out, and, ashamed, it leaves; but you don't know shame. I have Christ my God, whom I have hitherto served, and to whom I offer the sacrifice of praise from my heart; There is only one thing left for me - for me to be entirely a living sacrifice for Him.
Then the emperor, flying into great rage, instead of releasing animals on the martyrs, ordered to immediately prepare a burning furnace and a large cauldron and ordered tin, sulfur and resin to be melted in it; then he ordered Vitus alone to be thrown into that boiling and bubbling cauldron, saying: “Let’s see if his God will help him!”
Saint Vitus, making the sign of the cross, entered the very middle of the cauldron, which was boiling like the sea. And immediately the angel of the Lord, who appeared to the saint, took away the power from the fire and cooled the heat and boiling of the cauldron; and the holy martyr stood, as if in the middle of a font, singing hymns to the Lord and saying: “Thou, O God, who delivered the Israelites through Moses and Aaron from the heavy slavery of Egypt, show Thy mercy to us, for the glory of Thy holy name.”
Then, looking at the king, he said: “I thank you, Diocletian, and your servants, because you have arranged a very comfortable font for me; there should be soap here too.”
The whole people, looking at everything that was happening, exclaimed loudly: “We have never seen such a miracle! Truly true and great is the God of this youth!”
And the saint came out of the cauldron, having no injury on his body; on the contrary, his body, pure as snow, became even whiter; and he sang, saying: The Lord has tempted me like gold with fire; He has tested me and found nothing (Ps. 16:3).
Then he began to reproach the king in these words: “Shame, devil, with your father Satan, seeing how great the power my Lord shows on me, His servant!”
The king, filled with even greater rage, ordered to bring a terrible, larger and fierce lion, whose roar alone people could not bear. And the king said to the saint:
Will your magic really defeat this too?
The martyr answered:
Crazy and senseless! Have you not understood the power of Christ who is with me, whose angel will soon take me from your tormenting hands?
When the lion headed towards the saint, Vitus overshadowed himself with the sign of the cross, and immediately the lion fell at his feet and began to lick his feet. And Saint Vitus said to the emperor:
Even the beast gives honor to my God, but you do not want to know your Creator; but if you believed in Him even now, you would receive salvation.
The Emperor replied:
Believe in Him, you and your family.
The saint, smiling, said:
You said it right, for I and my entire family, reborn by the bath of holy baptism, hope to receive the crown of life in the Kingdom of our God.
At this time, many people believed in Christ, about a thousand men. The king said to the martyr:
Why is it, Vit, that neither fire nor animals bring you any harm? By what magic do you tame them and surprise the people, so that many believe your sorcery?
The martyr answered:
I do not tame either fire or beast with any sorcery; but all this is done by the power of Christ my God; fire and beast, as creatures of God, obey the will of their Creator, and not me, and honor their Creator, but they cause you great shame: for fire, being a soulless creature, and the beast, being a dumb creature, know the God who created them; But you, who have a rational soul, do not want to know God, so you turn out to be worse than a dumb and soulless creature.
Then the emperor ordered the holy martyrs Vitus and Modest to be hanged on the martyrdom tree, along with them also Saint Criscentia, Vitova’s teacher, who, having come to that place, confessed herself to be a Christian, and denounced the king for his wickedness and torment of the saints; then the torturer ordered the naked bodies of the saints to be whittled with iron tools. At the same time, Saint Vitus said to the king: “You show your strength as weak and worthy of laughter when you torture a woman.”
And the saints were tortured without mercy with cruelty, so that from the planing their flesh was separated, their bones were exposed and their entrails were visible. And Saint Vitus cried out to the Lord: “God, save us and deliver us by Your power.” And immediately the earth shook, thunder and lightning began; the idolatrous temples fell; At the same time, many infidels from among the people who were there died: some were crushed by fallen buildings, others were struck by thunder and lightning: the king himself, filled with fear, fled from the shameful place, striking himself in the face and crying out: “Woe is me, for I am defeated.” such a young lad!" The Angel of the Lord, having freed the holy martyrs from the tree of torment, carried them to Lucania to the river called Silar, and planted them there under the tree under which they had previously stopped when they came from Sicily.
While the saints were under the tree, many Christians who lived there gathered with them. Then Saint Vitus prayed to God, saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God! Receive our souls to You in peace; those who wish to honor the memory of our suffering for Your glory, save them from all the evils of this world and bring them without hindrance into Thy heavenly Kingdom."
When the saint prayed like this, a voice was heard from heaven saying: “Thy prayer is heard!”
Then the saint said, turning to the Christians standing near him: “Brothers, bury our bodies here; after our exodus, we will pray for you to the Lord, so that you may receive for your salvation everything you ask for, and so that Christ will deliver you from demonic enmity."
After these words, the holy martyrs at the same time with joy gave up their souls into the hands of God 10. The faithful took their honorable bodies, wrapped them in shrouds with aromas and buried them with honor in that very place (the place is called Mariana). Saint Vitus suffered along with Saint Modest and Criscentius on the fifteenth day of the month of June, during the reign of Diocletian in Rome, among us Christians, during the reign of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom honor and glory are given forever. Amen.
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1 Emperor Diocletian reigned from 281 to 305.
2 Zeus or Dius is the supreme god of the ancient Greek religion.
3 Hercules or Heracles is a national ancient Greek hero. Hercules acquired great physical strength.
4 Juno was considered by the ancient Greeks and Romans to be the patron goddess of family life.
5 Minerva or Athena - goddess of wisdom.
6 Vesta or Hestia is the patron goddess of the family hearth and sacrificial fire.
7 Apollo from Greek. - destroyer; among the ancient Greeks he was considered the guardian of light forces and the conqueror of dark ones.
8 Tobit is a pious Israeli who was with his family in captivity in Nineveh under the Assyrian king Sennacherib. The story of his healing from blindness can be read in the biblical book named after him.
9 Elijah is the most glorious of the Old Testament prophets, a formidable denouncer of wickedness and idolatry during the time of the wicked king of Israel Ahab and his wife Jezebel. For his zeal for the glory of God's name, Elijah was taken alive into heaven (2 Kings 2:1-15). The history of his life and work is outlined at the end of 3 and the beginning. 4 books Kingdoms His memory is celebrated by St. Church on July 20.
10 The death of the holy martyrs followed approx. 303 The relics of the holy martyr Vitus were at one time in Paris (in Saint-Denis), then they were transferred to Corvey, in Westphalia; currently shown in Prague.
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Prayer to all saints and ethereal heavenly powers
Holy God and rest in the saints, glorified by the thrice-holy voice in heaven from Angels, praised on earth by man in His saints: having given grace to each by Thy Holy Spirit according to the bestowal of Christ, and by that ordaining Thy holy Church to be Apostles, prophets, and evangelists , you are shepherds and teachers, preaching in their own words. You yourself, who act all in all, have accomplished many holiness in every generation and generation, having pleased you with various virtues, and leaving us with an image of your good deeds, in the joy that has passed, prepare, in it the temptations themselves were, and help us who are attacked. Remembering all these saints and praising their godly lives, I praise You Himself, who acted in them, and believing in Your goodness, the gift of being, I diligently pray to You, Holy of Holies, grant to me a sinner to follow their teaching, moreover, by Your all-effective grace, heavenly ones with them be worthy of glory, praising Your most holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome
O holy servant of God, martyr Vita! Having fought a good fight on earth, you have received in Heaven the crown of righteousness, which the Lord has prepared for all who love Him. In the same way, looking at your holy image, we rejoice at the glorious end of your life and honor your holy memory. You, standing before the Throne of God, accept our prayers and bring them to the All-Merciful God, to forgive us every sin and help us against the wiles of the devil, so that, having been delivered from sorrows, illnesses, troubles and misfortunes and all evil, we will live piously and righteously in the present We will be worthy through your intercession, even though we are unworthy, to see good on the land of the living, glorifying the One in His saints, the glorified God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Troparion to the Holy Martyr Vitus of Rome
Troparion to the Martyr, tone 4
Thy martyr, Lord Vitya, in his suffering received an imperishable crown from You, our God, for having Thy strength, overthrow the tormentors, crush the demons of weak insolence, save our souls with your prayers.
Kontakion to the Martyr, tone 6
You appeared as a bright star, the charmless one of the world, proclaiming the Sun of Christ with your dawns, passion-bearing Vita, and you extinguished all the charm, giving us light, praying unceasingly for all of us.
The holy martyrs Vitus, Modestus and Criscentia the Nourisher suffered for Christ during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305). The holy martyr Vitus was the son of a noble Sicilian nobleman, the pagan Hylas. While still a young boy, Saint Vitus was inflamed with fiery love for the Lord Jesus Christ and prayed to Him unceasingly. The Lord gave him the grace of working miracles. He healed the sick and converted many pagans to Christ. Having learned about this, Governor Valerian called Hylas and advised him to turn his son away from faith in Christ. Just at that time, the emperor issued a decree on the persecution of Christians, and therefore not only the youth, but the entire house of Gilas could suffer. But Gilas could not convince Saint Vitus and began to beat the boy. Ruler Valerian learned that Saint Vitus refused to make a sacrifice to the gods, and demanded him to appear before him for trial. Before the trial, the holy youth steadfastly confessed his faith and flatly refused to offer sacrifice to idols. They beat him again. When the ruler, giving orders to intensify the torment, extended his hand, it immediately withered. Through the prayer of the saint, the ruler received healing and, ending the trial, gave the holy youth to Gilas, ordering him to be turned away from faith in Christ at all costs.
To seduce his son into carnal sin, Gilas surrounded him with luxury and brought beautiful girls to him. The saint was served the most delicious food, feasts and entertainment were arranged, but the desired results were not achieved. Saint Vitus did not stop praying and asking for God’s help in temptations. Angels appeared to him and prayed with him. When Gilas entered his son and looked at the Angels, he immediately became blind. Gilas made a promise to renounce idols, and Saint Vitus healed him. But, having hardened his heart, Gilas did not fulfill his promise. His affection for his son turned into hatred, and he decided to kill him. To save the boy, his teacher Saint Modest and his nurse Saint Criscentia, who were Christians, secretly took him away from his parental home. They saw a boat by the river. The angel entered the boat with them and took them to the Italian region of Lucania, where the saints, hiding from their tormentors, lived secretly. The holy youth did not cease to heal the sick and convert pagans to Christianity. Word about him spread here too.
Saints Vitus and Modestus had to appear before Diocletian. Struck by the beauty of the youth, he strongly persuaded him to make a sacrifice to the gods. The holy youth exposed the madness of idolatry and healed the demoniac son of Diocletian. The emperor, under the condition of renouncing the faith of Christ, offered Saint Vitus great honors, fame and wealth. The youth refused and, with the same courage, confessed himself to be a Christian. He was imprisoned together with Saint Modest. When Jesus Christ appeared to the prisoners, strengthening them in their deeds and bestowing His help, the shackles fell from their hands. Considering the miracle to be sorcery, Diocletian ordered that Saint Vitus be thrown into a cauldron of boiling tin. The saint stood in it, as if in cool water, and remained unharmed. Then a huge lion was released on him. The boy made the sign of the cross, and the beast obediently lay down at his feet and began to lick his feet. The holy martyrs were hanged on poles and whittled with iron claws. Saint Criscentia emerged from the crowd of spectators, confessed herself to be a Christian, and reproached the emperor for his cruelty. She was subjected to the same torture. Saint Vitus cried out to God: “God, save us by Thy power and deliver us.” An earthquake began. Many pagans died under the collapsed buildings, Diocletian fled to his palace in fear. An angel removed the martyrs from the pillars and carried them to Lucania. The holy martyr Vitus prayed to God that He would accept their souls in peace and not deprive His benefits to all who would honor their memory. There was a voice from Heaven: “Your prayer is heard.” The saints joyfully gave up their souls to God. The sufferings of the holy martyrs Vitus, Modestus and Criscentia took place around the year 303. These saints are also commemorated on May 16th. The relics of St. Vitus were transferred to Prague. The holy noble prince Vyacheslav of Czech (September 28) created a temple in honor of the holy martyr Vitus, in which he was subsequently buried.
Vitus Siculus(+), martyrThe holy martyr Vitus was the son of a noble Sicilian nobleman, the pagan Hylas. While still a young boy, Saint Vitus was inflamed with fiery love for the Lord Jesus Christ and prayed to Him unceasingly. The Lord gave him the grace of working miracles. He healed the sick and converted many pagans to Christ. Having learned about this, Governor Valerian called Hylas and advised him to turn his son away from faith in Christ. Just at that time, the emperor issued a decree on the persecution of Christians, and therefore not only the youth, but the entire house of Gilas could suffer. But Gilas could not convince Saint Vitus and began to beat the boy. Ruler Valerian learned that Saint Vitus refused to make a sacrifice to the gods, and demanded him to appear before him for trial. Before the trial, the holy youth steadfastly confessed his faith and flatly refused to offer sacrifice to idols. They beat him again. When the ruler, giving orders to intensify the torment, extended his hand, it immediately withered. Through the prayer of the saint, the ruler received healing and, ending the trial, gave the holy youth to Gilas, ordering him to be turned away from faith in Christ at all costs.
To seduce his son into carnal sin, Gilas surrounded him with luxury and brought beautiful girls to him. The saint was served the most delicious food, feasts and entertainment were arranged, but the desired results were not achieved. Saint Vitus did not stop praying and asking for God’s help in temptations. Angels appeared to him and prayed with him. When Gilas entered his son and looked at the Angels, he immediately became blind. Gilas made a promise to renounce idols, and Saint Vitus healed him. But, having hardened his heart, Gilas did not fulfill his promise. His affection for his son turned into hatred, and he decided to kill him. To save the boy, his teacher Saint Modestus and nurse Saint Criscentia, who were Christians, secretly took him away from his parents' home. They saw a boat by the river. The angel entered the boat with them and took them to the Italian region of Lucania, where the saints, hiding from their tormentors, lived secretly. The holy youth did not cease to heal the sick and convert pagans to Christianity. Word about him spread here too.
Saints Vitus and Modestus had to appear before Diocletian. Struck by the beauty of the youth, he strongly persuaded him to make a sacrifice to the gods. The holy youth exposed the madness of idolatry and healed the demoniac son of Diocletian. The emperor, under the condition of renouncing the faith of Christ, offered Saint Vitus great honors, fame and wealth. The youth refused and, with the same courage, confessed himself to be a Christian. He was imprisoned together with Saint Modest. When Jesus Christ appeared to the prisoners, strengthening them in their deeds and bestowing His help, the shackles fell from their hands. Considering the miracle to be sorcery, Diocletian ordered that Saint Vitus be thrown into a cauldron of boiling tin. The saint stood in it, as if in cool water, and remained unharmed. Then a huge lion was released on him. The boy made the sign of the cross, and the beast obediently lay down at his feet and began to lick his feet. The holy martyrs were hanged on poles and whittled with iron claws. Saint Criscentia emerged from the crowd of spectators, confessed herself to be a Christian, and reproached the emperor for his cruelty. She was subjected to the same torture. Saint Vitus cried out to God: “God, save us by Thy power and deliver us.” An earthquake began. Many pagans died under the collapsed buildings, Diocletian fled to his palace in fear. An angel took the martyrs down from their pillars and carried them to Lucania. The holy martyr Vitus prayed to God that He would accept their souls in peace and not deprive His benefits to all who would honor their memory. There was a voice from Heaven: “Your prayer is heard.” The saints joyfully gave up their souls to God. The sufferings of the holy martyrs Vitus, Modest and Criscentia took place around
One of the most visited tourist places in Prague. Naturally, thousands of beautiful photographs have already been posted. But I want to know more and in more detail about this Council. Therefore, if there is a desire, I invite you
In fact, admission to St. Vitus Cathedral is absolutely free. There is not even a ban on photographs. But you can only examine a small part of it, at the entrance. We have a ticket, so we can go deep into the Cathedral. Let's not rush - let's still have a little history. Who is Saint Vitus? This name was absolutely unknown to me. Although "St. Vitus' disease" was widely known. But why is the most luxurious Cathedral in Prague dedicated to him?
There is little information about St. Vitus. He is commemorated together with his teacher Modest and nanny Criscentia on June 15. The cult of St. Vitus originated in the 5th century in Sicily and only reached Central Europe in the 8th-9th centuries.
The youth Vitus (he was from 7 to 12 years old) lived in Sicily during the time of Emperor Diocletian in a rich and noble family. His father “adhered to Hellenic wickedness,” and “the youth was granted by God the power to perform miracles.” He cast out demons and healed the sick. When the emperor ordered the boy to pray to the pagan gods, he refused. For which he was thrown into a cage with the lions, who did not touch him. The poor fellow was then thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. But this was also useless. “Then the emperor ordered the holy martyrs Vitus and Modest to be hanged on the martyrdom tree, along with them also Saint Criscentia, Vitova’s teacher, who, having come to that place, confessed herself to be a Christian, and denounced the king for his wickedness and tormenting the saints; then the torturer ordered the planing the naked bodies of the saints with iron tools. At the same time, Saint Vitus said to the king: “You show your strength as weak and worthy of laughter when you torture a woman.”
Now about the dance of St. Vitus. Since the 16th century, people in Germany and Italy have danced in front of statues of St. Vitus in order to stay healthy for the next year. According to some sources, these dances in Italy then began to be called tarantella, since they allegedly relieved the consequences of a tarantula bite. And then for some reason, a disease of the nervous system - chorea, in which twitching of the whole body occurs, also began to be called St. Vitus' disease.
This turned out to be an interesting Saint with many unknowns. What relationship St. Vitus had with King Charles the Fourth, who began the construction of this cathedral in 1344, I have never found out exactly. Although I read on Wikipedia that Wenceslas (later St. Wenceslas, patron saint of the Czech Republic), who built a small chapel on this site in 905, had a sacred relic - the hand of St. Vitus.
During the reign of King Charles the Fourth, Prague experienced unprecedented prosperity.
But, obviously, all kinds of innovations and decorations of the city, including the construction of the Charles Bridge, did not allow the king to complete the construction of the Cathedral.
The cathedral was consecrated only 6 centuries later - in 1929! This is how the long-term construction turned out. Although looking at the Cathedral you would never say that it was built in the last century.
It was possible to photograph the entire Cathedral only from the Choirs side, i.e. behind. But here you can see how huge it is. The length of the Cathedral is 124 meters.
We approach the central entrance. St. Vitus Cathedral was built for the coronation of kings and for their repose in Eternity.
Do you see the central outlet? It is always placed above the entrance.
On the right are small turrets.
On one of these turrets is the Cockerel. Sometimes St. Vitus is depicted with a rooster.
This is not my photo - this is the famous photographer Phil Douglas. I am always happy when I see such wonderful photographs. Amazing!
The building in the center is the Church of St. George. Do you recognize? We've already been there.
This is already my photo. Do you feel the difference? But you will have to be content with them. Because I really want to show you all the wonders of this neo-Gothic structure.
These are the gargoyles. Of course, these are not the gorules and chimeras of Notre Dame de Paris, about which I wrote >. And their purpose is very prosaic - water drainage. But still impressive.
Just like this incomparable portal - the entrance to the Cathedral.
Let's also go around the Cathedral from the side. There's a lot to see here.
This is the bell tower of St. Vitus. Here, behind this amazing gilded grille, the Sigmund, the heaviest bell in the Czech Republic, has hung since 1549. Its weight is 18 tons.
Here you can also see the stylized letter R - the memory of Emperor Rudolf the First of Habsburg, the ancestor of the entire Habsburg dynasty. (We remember that until 1918 the Czech Republic was part of Austria-Hungary).
And very interesting watches with dials with one hand. The upper clock shows HOURS. And the lower clock shows minutes and quarter minutes.
And here is the famous Golden Gate (Porta Aurea). Future kings passed through these gates on their way to the Cathedral for their coronation.
The incomparable glass mosaic was made by Venetian masters in the 14th century. Commissioned by Charles IV. The picture of the Last Judgment is depicted. On the central mosaic, below, you can see the penitent figures of Charles the Fourth and his wife. Surely, the Last Judgment passed them by.
No less interesting are the bars in front of the golden gate. They depict all the signs of the zodiac. Interesting "solution". This is the first time I’ve seen astrological symbolism on a religious building. It seems that the church does not recognize astrology?
I found my sign. You can make a userpic for yourself... What are these people doing? Looks like he's planting potatoes.
And another very interesting image, thought-provoking.
In the niche of the Golden Gate, I looked at this mosaic Crucifixion. St. Vitus Cathedral is a Catholic church. And the Crucifixion is depicted according to Orthodox canons. After all, there is still a dispute about how many nails were used to nail the Savior - three or four. Here there is a clear indication of four nails, such an image is always in Orthodox churches. Although there is another similar image in the Cathedral of Vitus.
Let's go a little further. We are standing in front of the Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk. She is inside the Cathedral. You and I have already met this Saint when we were in Cesky Krumlov. Let me remind you that John of Nepomuk - Saint John of Nepomuk - is very revered here - he is the heavenly patron of Prague and the entire Czech Republic. And although this name is known throughout Europe, it was here in 1393 that the confessor of King Wenceslas the Fourth tragically lost his life. And this is not a legend.
Why did the confessor displease the Czech king so much? In 1393, three clergymen who disagreed with the superiority of secular power over ecclesiastical power were thrown into Prague prison. Soon the two priests were released, and John of Nepomuk was subjected to terrible torture. After which he was thrown into the Vltava in a bag. The body was found, but the king did not allow it to be retrieved. But when wonderful lights lit up above him, the residents of Prague could not stand it. Realizing that it was a saint, they removed the martyrs and buried them.
When a worthy tomb was made in the Cathedral of St. Vitus, St. John of Nepomuk was placed there.
It is believed that John of Nepomuk did not reveal the secret of confession. And this is precisely what King Wenceslas sought from him. He really wanted to know what his wife repented of before God.
The attributes of St. John of Nepomuk are a cross with a crucifix, a halo of stars around his head and a palm branch. We see all this in this wonderful sculpture.
Since we are standing on the square in front of the Cathedral, let's look at the obelisk. It is interesting for its unfinished construction. The height of the obelisk is 17 meters, installed in memory of the victims of the First World War. Made from a monolithic granite block. At the foot there should have been the grave of the unknown soldier. But to this day the obelisk has not been completed.
The house with pink accents is very interesting. This is the former residence of the Prague bishops, built in the 18th century.
And we also look at the sculpture depicting St. George. It was created in 1373. I won't mislead you - this is just a copy. It is interesting because no one knows what St. George's horse used to look like. This horse was destroyed during one of the tournaments in 1562. The original without the horse was preserved, but for the copy the architect came up with a new horse.
Let's take another look at the wonderful St. Vitus Cathedral.
And now for those who watched my “memoirs” to the end - a surprise.
I suggest you watch this video and relax a little. Because ahead of us lies a tour of the gloomy Gothic pseudo-Gothic Cathedral - the tomb of Saints, kings and persons close to them.
There won't be any fun anymore ....
But interesting and beautiful. I promise .
