What is a consecrated cathedral? Church rites. Prayer chants. About the small consecration of the temple
Ceremony for founding a church
The foundation and construction of a temple can only be carried out by the ruling bishop of the church region or a priest sent from him. Anyone guilty of building a church without the bishop's blessing is subject to certain punishment as someone who despises episcopal authority.
After laying the foundation for the temple, the “Cite for the foundation of the temple” is performed - everything together is called laying the foundation of the church. At the site of the future Throne, according to the instructions of the Trebnik, a wooden cross prepared in advance is placed.
The foundation of the church (if it is stone) is arranged as follows.
1 . Ditches are being dug along the perimeter of the future temple.
2 . Cooking Construction Materials: stones, lime, cement and others necessary for laying.
3 . A special stone with a quadrangular shape is prepared. A cross is carved or depicted on it.
4 . Under the cross (at the request of the bishop) there may be a place for the enclosure of holy relics, and in this case a mortgage inscription is made: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit this church was founded in honor and memory (indicate the name of the holiday or the name of the temple saint), under the Patriarchs of Moscow and All Rus' (his name), at the Presbytery of His Eminence (name of the bishop and his city), and the essence of the saint's relics was placed (his name).
In the summer from the creation of the world (such and such) from the Nativity according to the flesh of God the Word (year, month and day)".
The foundation of a temple can be completed without the placement of the relics of a saint and a mortgage inscription. If the church is wooden, then instead of ditches, two holes are dug: for laying a quadrangular stone under the future altar apse and for installing a cross in place of the Throne. Logs for the foundation must also be prepared.
The ceremony for the foundation of the temple can be performed in two ways.
1 . Abbreviated rite according to the Great Trebnik.
2 . Order according to the Additional Breviary.
Before performing the rite according to the Additional Breviary, the bishop or priest, if he is performing the rite, puts on all the sacred robes of his rank. The religious procession begins when the bishop (or priest) goes to the foundation site of the temple, accompanied by the entire clergy. The bishop (or priest) is preceded by two deacons with censers, priests with crosses, the choir sings lithium stichera for the holiday or saint in whose honor the temple will be founded. At the place of the bookmark, a table with the Gospel and a cross is placed in advance.
Following the rank at the foundation of the temple
Everyday cross and gospel.
Deacon:“Bless, Master.”
Chorus:"King of Heaven..."
Everyday ditches, clergy, people and again the Gospel.
Reader:“usual beginning”, “Come, let us worship...” (three times) Psalm 142: “Lord, hear my prayer...”, “Glory, even now,” “Alleluia” (three times).
Deacon:“Let us pray to the Lord in peace” with special petitions adapted to the subject of prayer.
Chorus:“God the Lord...” and troparia.
Reader: Psalm 50 – “Have mercy on me, O God...”
Consecration water and oil.
Sprinkling holy water to the place where the cross will be erected, with the prayer: “Bless, Lord Jesus our God, with the terrible sign and power of Your Cross...”.
Raising of the cross with the singing of the troparion in the 2nd tone: “The cross was erected on the earth, it fell and did not require the vacillation of the enemies...”.
Prayer in front of the erected cross: “Lord God, the Almighty, prefiguring with the rod of Moses the Honest and Life-giving Cross...”.
Chorus: Psalm 83 – “If Thy village is beloved, O Lord...”, “Glory, even now” and “Alleluia” (three times).
Deacon:“Let us pray to the Lord.”
Chorus:"Lord have mercy".
Bishop reads a prayer over a stone.
Sprinkling stone blessed water with the words: “This stone is blessed by sprinkling sacred water into the unshakable foundation of the temple...”.
Embedding of relics in the foundation stone.
Laying down bishop stones in the ditch with the words: “This church is founded to the glory of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, in honor and memory (the name of His feast day, or the Mother of God, or a temple saint), in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
Pouring oil on the stone.
Chorus: stichera of the 6th tone - “Jacob rose up in the morning and took up a stone...”.
If the foundation of a wooden church is consecrated, the bishop, taking an ax, hits it three times on the middle altar log with the words: “This work begins in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in honor and memory (name of a holiday or saint). Amen".
Sprinkling the foundation of the temple on four sides, starting from the north, against the sun, with the singing of psalms: 86, 126, 121 and 131, with the reading of a special prayer and repetition on each side of three blows with an ax to the middle log with the above words.
Singing in front of the erected cross, facing the east, prayers invoking the Holy Spirit “To the Heavenly King...”.
Deacon:“Let us pray to the Lord.”
Chorus:"Lord have mercy".
Bishop – prayers: “Lord our God, who has slain in this place...” and kneeling: “We praise Thee, O Lord God of hosts...”.
Deacon – special litany: “Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy...”
The bishop's exclamation:“Hear us, O God...”
Consecration of a newly built or rebuilt church
Upon completion of the construction of a new church or major repairs of the existing one, it is necessary to consecrate it. There are two types of temple consecration.
1. Complete (great), set out in the Trebnik under the title “The rite of consecration of the temple, created by the bishop.”
2. Incomplete (small), consisting only of the blessing of water and sprinkling of the temple and church buildings with holy water.
Complete consecration occurs when
1) the temple is newly built or completely renovated;
2) the church premises were desecrated by its use for non-liturgical purposes;
3) the church premises were used by non-Orthodox communities;
4) the Throne in the temple was moved or damaged.
The right to consecrate churches belongs only to the bishop. According to the rules of the Universal Church, if a temple is not consecrated by a bishop, services there are equated to schism and those guilty of this are subject to prohibition.
If the bishop does not have the opportunity, for one reason or another, to consecrate the temple on his own, then he consecrates one antimension, on which he makes an inscription for which temple it is intended, and sends it there with a special courier. Having accepted the antimension and the indication of who should perform the consecration, the church begins to prepare for it. Usually in this case the temple is consecrated by the local dean, but the bishop may assign this to some other priest. Complete consecration of the temple cannot be produced at all times church year. It is prohibited to carry out his on the following days:
1) when the memory of a saint or sacred event is celebrated, in the name or in honor of which this temple was built;
2) on the days of the Lord, the Mother of God holidays, as well as on the days of remembrance of great saints, who are required, according to the Charter, to perform the polyeleos service;
3) churches in the name of the Resurrection of Christ are supposed to be consecrated only on Sundays, but not on Sundays of Great Lent, Easter, Pentecost; not on Sundays dedicated to the memory of the “holy forefathers” and “holy fathers,” and also not on those Sundays when the feasts of the Mother of God are celebrated.
Incomplete consecration occurs when
1) the reconstruction carried out in the altar did not involve moving the Altar;
2) the church was desecrated by some uncleanness that violated its sanctity;
3) a person died in the temple;
4) the temple was stained with human blood.
Great consecration of the temple by the bishop
A newly built temple is an “ordinary” building until the rite of consecration is performed on it. After the perfect rite, the temple acquires new qualities and becomes the receptacle of the greatest shrine.
The following is being prepared for the consecration of the temple.
1 . The throne is on four pillars, about 100 cm high. If the temple is consecrated by a bishop, then in the center of the altar space there should be a fifth pillar 35 centimeters high with a box for relics. The width of the Altar should be proportionate to the area of the altar.
2 . At the top of the throne pillars, recesses (“containers”) 1 centimeter deep for the wax mastic are cut out, and at the bottom, 10 centimeters from the floor, cuts are made to fix the rope. The same cuts are made around the altar board.
3 . At the four corners of the altar board and in the corresponding places of each pillar, holes are drilled of such a size that the nail connecting them fits completely into them without protruding above the surface.
4 . Four nails for the Altar and a few, optionally, for the altar.
5 . Four smooth stones for driving nails.
Reading the 22nd Psalm.
The bishop’s repeated exclamation: “Blessed is our...”.
Sprinkling holy water on nails and stones.
Installation (“affirmation”) of the Throne - nailing the top board to the pillars.
Protodeacon: “Back and back, bend the knee...”
Kneeling prayer read by the bishop: “God without beginning...”.
II. Washing and anointing of the Throne with Holy Chrism
Protodeacon - Great Litany with special petitions.
Anointing of the Throne and Antimension with Holy Chrism.
Reading Psalm 132.
III. Vestment of the Throne and Altar
Dressing the Throne in srachika with the singing of the 131st Psalm.
Tying the Throne with rope.
Dressing the Throne in indium with the singing of the 92nd Psalm “The Lord reigns, He is clothed in beauty...”.
The clergy place the iliton, antimension, altar cross and Gospel on top and cover them with a shroud.
Vestment and decoration of the altar.
Sprinkling the altar with holy water.
Ceiling of the Throne, the altar, the altar and the entire temple with the singing of the 25th Psalm.
IV. Sprinkling of holy water and anointing of the entire temple with Myrrh
Sprinkling with holy water and anointing the inner walls of the temple with Myrrh.
Deacon - small litany.
The prayer said by the bishop: “Lord of heaven and earth...”.
The rite of the great blessing of water
Great Blessing of Water must be done
1) at the end of the Liturgy, after the prayer behind the pulpit at the very Epiphany day or in eve of the holiday, when it happens in any other except Saturday and Sunday day of the week;
2) at the end of Vespers, after the litany “Let us fulfill our evening prayer...” on the eve of Epiphany, if it is on Saturday or Sunday.
On the very day of Epiphany (January 6), the blessing of water is performed with a procession of the cross, called the “procession to the Jordan.”
Consequence of the Great Blessing of Water
At the beginning of the ceremony priest or bishop in full regalia censes the honorable cross three times on one side - in front, and clergy leaving the altar through the Royal Doors. Primate, preceded by two priests and deacons with censers, carries a cross on his head, and also one of the clergy carries the Holy Gospel. Approaching large vessels pre-filled with water, the primate removes the cross from his head and overshadows the worshipers with it on four sides and puts it on the covered table. Everyone lights candles and rector, preceded by a deacon with a candle, He censes the table, icons, clergy and worshipers three times.
The choir sings troparia:
“The voice of the Lord cries on the waters, saying: Come, all of you, receive the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of the fear of God, Christ who has appeared.” (three times);
“Today nature is sanctified by waters...” (twice);
“Like a man came to the river...” (twice);
“Glory, even now” - “To the voice of one crying in the wilderness...”.
Then three parimations are read from the book of the prophet Isaiah (35; 1–10, 55; 1–13, 12; 3–6), in which the Old Testament prophet predicts the Baptism of the Lord from John.
Then read the letter of the Apostle Paul(), which talks about the mysterious prototype of the baptism of the Jews and about spiritual food in the desert.
The Gospel is being read from Mark (1; 9–12), telling about the Baptism of the Lord “in the streams of the Jordan.”
Then follows Great Litany:“Let us pray to the Lord in peace...” with special petitions for the blessing of water, after which the priest reads two prayers(secret and vowel), and the deacon censes water. Further the priest blesses three times water by hand, saying: “Thou Thyself, Love for Mankind, O King, come now by the influx of Thy Holy Spirit, and sanctify this water” and immerses the cross in water three times holding it straight with both hands and making cross-shaped movements.
Great blessing of water in the temple
Choir at that time sings the troparion of the Feast of Epiphany:“In the Jordan I was baptized to You, O Lord, Trinitarian adoration appeared: for the voice of your parents testified to You, naming Your beloved Son, and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, announced to Your words the statement: Appear, O Christ God, and the world of enlightenment, glory to You.”
Having consecrated the water, the priest sprinkles a cross on four sides.
After when singing the stichera“Let us sing, faithfully, of God’s blessings upon us, Majesty...” The priest sprinkles the entire temple.
Sung:“Blessed be the name of the Lord from now to eternity” (three times) And the priest administers the dismissal:“He who was willing in the Jordan to be baptized by John...”
Worshipers approach the priest to kiss the cross, A he sprinkles them blessed water.
Small water blessing
If the Great Blessing of Water is performed only twice a year, the Lesser Blessing of Water can be performed almost all year round and in different places: in a church, in the homes of Christians or in the open air, when this is provided for by the rules.
The Church has established days on which the small blessing of water is supposed to be performed.
1. On rivers, springs and other bodies of water August 1st, on the feast of the Origin (Destruction) of the venerable trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord and on Friday of Easter week.
2. In temples– on Wednesday in the fourth week after Easter – on the day of Midsummer, and also in days of temple holidays. In some churches, the small blessing of water is performed according to tradition in Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In addition, parishioners who need it periodically order a prayer service for water in the church.
3. In the open air or in Christian homes a small blessing of water is being performed when laying the foundation or consecrating a new home.
Preparation for the ritual is that
1) in the temple- a covered table is placed on which a holy cup filled with water is placed, and a cross and the Gospel are placed. Candles are lit in front of the bowl;
2) in the open air- the table is placed at the place where the prayer service will be held, and the priest begins the procession to the place of consecration, carrying a cross on his head from the altar.
Consequence of the Lesser Blessing of Water
The small blessing of water begins with the exclamation of the priest“Blessed are we, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages,” after which Psalm 142 is read:“Lord, hear my prayer...”
Then sung:“God is the Lord...” with troparia: “Today we are diligent to the Mother of God...” (twice) and “Let us never be silent, Mother of God...”. While singing troparions The priest censes water in a cross shape.
Psalm 50 is read:“Have mercy on me, O God...” The sequence of the lesser blessing of water does not contain a canon, so here troparia are sung:“Rejoice as you received as an angel...” (twice) and the troparions that follow.
The deacon proclaims:“Let us pray to the Lord,” and the priest says:“As you are holy, our God...”
During the subsequent singing of troparions “Now has come the time that sanctifies everyone...” and others the deacon censes a church or house, in which the blessing of water is performed.
At the end of the troparions Prokeimenon is pronounced, Apostle is read(), after him - Alleluary and Gospel:
There is also a pool in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which had five covered passages. In them lay a great multitude of sick, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the movement of the water, for the Angel of the Lord from time to time went into the pool and disturbed the water; and whoever first entered it when the water was stirred recovered, no matter what disease he was possessed by().
After the Gospel reading The Great Litany is pronounced, - supplemented by petitions for the blessing of water, during which they perform censing water.
Then priest reads a prayer for the blessing of water: “God, our God, Great in Council...”, and then secret prayer -“Incline, O Lord, Thy ear...”
In practice almost always another prayer is read:
“Great God, work miracles, they are countless! Come now to Your servants who pray to You, O Master, and eat of Your Holy Spirit and sanctify this water: and grant to those who drink from it and to Your servants who receive and sprinkle themselves with it, change from passion, remission of sins, healing from illness, and liberation from all evil, and affirmation and sanctification of the house and cleansing of all filth, and driving away the slander of the devil: for blessed and glorified is Thy most honorable and magnificent Name, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen".
Then the priest takes the cross With the crucifix towards you and its lower part makes a cross motion on the surface of the water, after which the entire the cross is immersed in water. In this moment troparia are sung:“Save, O Lord, Thy people...” (three times) and “Thy gifts...”.
After the blessing of water took place The priest kisses the cross and sprinkles all those present and the entire temple, while singing troparions:“Source of healings...” and “Listen to the prayer of Thy servant...”.
The rite ends abbreviated strictly litany:“Have mercy on us, O God...”, consisting of only two petitions, after the first of which “Lord, have mercy” is sung three times, and after the second - 40 times.
Then a prayer is read“Master is Most Merciful...”, included in the rite of the lithium laid out at the all-night vigil.
The dismissal is performed, the worshipers venerate the cross, and the priest sprinkles on everyone who comes up.
Orders of prayers
Prayer service(prayer singing) - a special service in which they ask the Lord or His Most Pure Mother, the Heavenly powers or the holy saints of God for gracious help in various needs, and also thank God for receiving benefits, expected or not.
The structure of the prayer service is close to that of Matins. In addition to the church, prayer services can be performed in private homes, institutions, on the street, in the field, etc. Prayer services in the church should be performed before the Liturgy or after Matins or Vespers. As already noted, different types prayers can refer either to public(during temple holidays, during natural disasters, drought, epidemics, during invasions of foreigners, etc.), or to private (about blessing various items, about the sick, about travelers, etc.) for divine services.
Usually on temple holidays, prayer services are performed with ringing.
Prayer services differ from each other by the presence or absence of certain components in their order:
1) prayer services with reading the canon;
2) prayer services without reading the canon;
3) prayer services without reading the Gospel;
4) prayer services with the reading of the Apostle and the subsequent reading of the Gospel.
Canons are sung in the rites of the following prayers:
2) during a destructive epidemic;
3) during lack of rain (absence for a long time rain);
4) during dry periods (when it rains for a long time).
Without canon prayer services are performed:
1) for the New Year ( New Year);
2) at the beginning of training;
3) for soldiers during military operations;
4) about the sick;
5) thanks:
a) about receipt of the petition;
b) about every good deed of God;
c) on the day of the Nativity of Christ;
6) with blessing:
a) going on a trip;
b) going on a journey across the waters;
7) with elevation of the panagia;
8) with the blessing of the bees.
Without reading Gospels the following rites are performed:
1) blessings of a warship;
2) blessings of a new ship or boat;
3) to dig a treasure trove (well);
4) blessings of a new well.
The grace poured out by the Lord through prayers heard at molebens sanctifies and blesses:
1) elements: earth, water, air and fire;
2) spiritual and physical health of a person;
3) home and other places of residence of Christians;
4) products, household and household items;
5) the beginning and completion of any activity (“good deed”);
6) the time of human life and human history in general.
The rites for prayers are contained in the Book of Hours, the Great Trebnik and in the book “The Sequence of Prayer Songs.”
The order of the general prayer service
The prayer service begins with the exclamation of the priest “Blessed are we, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” Begins first part of the prayer service – the invocation of the Holy Spirit is sung -"King of Heaven..." and read"normal start" Read then Psalm 142 does not sound at all prayer services. The basic principle of including psalms in a particular rite is that the meaning of the psalm be correlated with the subject of the petitions contained in the prayer.
Then deacon proclaims“God the Lord...” with the prescribed verses, and the choir "sings":“God is the Lord and he has appeared to us, blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.” After that are sung following troparia to the Virgin Mary, voice 4th:
“Now we are diligent to the Mother of God, sinners and humility, and let us fall, calling in repentance from the depths of our souls: Lady, help us, having had mercy on us, struggling, we are perishing from many sins, do not turn away your slaves, for you are our only hope.” (twice).
“Glory, even now” - “Let us never be silent, O Mother of God, in speaking Your strength to unworthiness: If You had not stood before us, praying, who would have delivered us from so many troubles, who would have kept us free until now? We will not retreat, O Lady, from You: for Your servants always save you from all evil ones.”
After the troparia read penitential Psalm 50 and this ends the first part of the prayer service. Second his Part opens Canon to the Blessed Virgin Mary the eighth tone, which should be sung without irmos, although they are printed in the sequence of the prayer service. The chorus of the troparions of the canon varies depending on who the prayer is offered to. Thus, in the canon of the Most Holy Trinity, the refrain is: “Most Holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee”; in canon
To the Life-Giving Cross: “Glory, Lord, to Your Honest Cross”; in the canon to St. Nicholas: “St. Father Nicholas, pray to God for us,” etc. In this canon – “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”
After the 3rd song of the canon, the deacon proclaims a special litany:“Have mercy on us, O God...”, where he remembers those for whom the prayer service is served: “We also pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, visitation, forgiveness and prosperity of the servant of God ( or servants of God, name) The troparion is sung: “The prayer is warm and the wall is insurmountable...”
And on the 3rd and 6th songs troparia are sung:
“Save Thy servants from troubles, O Mother of God, for we all run to You according to God, as for an unbreakable wall and intercession.”
“Look with mercy, O all-sung Mother of God, on my fierce body, and heal the illness of my soul.”
According to the 6th song small litany, ending with the same exclamation as at Matins: “For you are the King of the world...”. Then the kontakion to the Mother of God is read or sung, voice 6th:
“The intercession of Christians is not shameful, the intercession to the Creator is immutable, do not despise the voices of sinful prayers, but advance, as the Good One, to the aid of us who faithfully call Thee: hasten to prayer and strive to entreat, ever interceding, the Mother of God, those who honor Thee.”
After the 6th song at the general prayer service The Gospel is read, preceded by the prokeme:“I will remember Your name in every generation and generation” and its verse – “Hear, Daughters, and see, and incline Your ear”:
And Mary arose in those days, and went with haste to the hill country, to the city of Judah, and entered the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried with a loud voice, and said: Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb! And where does it come from for me that the Mother of my Lord came to me? For when the voice of Your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped joyfully in my womb. And blessed is she who believed, because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled. And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior, because He has respected the lowliness of His Servant, for from now on all generations will bless Me; that the Mighty One has done great things for Me, and holy is His name; and His mercy throughout all generations is upon those who fear Him; He showed the strength of His arm; He scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble; He filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich with nothing; He received His servant Israel, remembering mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, toward Abraham and his seed forever. Mary stayed with her for about three months, and returned to her home. ().
At the end of the Gospel reading sings:
“Glory” - “Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Merciful One, cleanse our many sins.”
“And now” - “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity.”
Then Kontakion, tone 6:“Do not entrust me to human intercession, Most Holy Lady, but accept the prayer of Your servant: for sorrow will support me, I cannot endure demonic shooting, I have no protection, below where I will resort to the accursed, we always win and I have no consolation, except for You, the Lady of the world: hope and the intercession of the faithful, do not despise my prayer, make it beneficial.” AND Litany.
Then the three remaining songs of the canon are read, after which – "It's worthy to eat." The second part of the prayer ends stichera:“The highest of the heavens and the purest of the solar lordships...”, etc.
In the final third part of the prayer service sounds Trisagion according to “Our Father...” with the exclamation of the priest“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”
Then troparia are read, which are part of the evening prayers: “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us...”. Further the deacon proclaims a special litany:“Have mercy on us, O God...” and the priest reads a prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos: “Oh, Most Holy Lady, Lady Theotokos, you are the highest Angel and Archangel of all and the most honorable of all creatures. You are the Helper of the offended, the hopeless, the Intercessor of the wretched, the comfort of the sad, the Nurse of the hungry, the clothing of the naked, the healing of the sick, the salvation of sinners, the help and intercession of all Christians.
O All-Merciful Lady, Virgin Mother of God, Lady, by Thy mercy save and have mercy on Thy servants, the Great Master and Father of our Holy Patriarch (name), and Your Eminence metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, and the entire priestly and monastic rank, our God-protected country, military leaders, city governors and Christ-loving troops and well-wishers, and all Orthodox Christians, through Your honorable robe, protect us, and pray, Lady, from You without the Seed of the incarnate Christ our God, may He gird us with His strength from above against our invisible and visible enemies.
Oh, All-Merciful Lady, Lady Theotokos, raise us from the depths of sin and deliver us from famine, destruction, from cowardice and flood, from fire and sword, from the presence of foreigners and internecine warfare, and from vain death, and from enemy attacks, and from the corrupting wind, and from deadly plagues, and from all evil. Grant, O Lady, peace and health to Thy servant, all Orthodox Christians, and enlighten their minds and the eyes of their hearts to salvation, and make us, Thy sinful servants, worthy of the Kingdom of Thy Son, Christ our God, for His power is blessed and glorified, with His beginningless Father and with His Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen". The prayer service ends with dismissal.
Consecration of a warship
The rite of general prayer can be an example of the structure of any prayer singing. In prayer services for various needs, this order of prayers changes slightly: readings of the canon and the Gospel are included or not; petitions are added to litanies (depending on the subject of prayer); the closing prayer changes. Thus, knowing the sequence of the general prayer service, you can navigate in the order of performing any prayer singing. Next, the features of some of the most frequently performed prayers will be given.
Brief charter-scheme of the general prayer service, part I
Part I
“King of Heaven...”
Psalm 142: “Lord, hear my prayer...”
“God the Lord...” with verses.
Troparion: “Today we are diligent to the Mother of God as a priest...”
Psalm 50.
Part II
Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos (irmos “Water passed through...”).
After the 3rd song: “Save your servants from troubles, Mother of God...”.
Troparion: “Warm prayer and an insurmountable wall...”
After the 6th song: “Save your servants from troubles, Mother of God...”.
Litany small.
The exclamation of the priest: “For you are the King of the world...”
Kontakion: “The representation of Christians is shameless...”
Prokeimenon: “I will remember Your name in every generation and generation” with verse.
Gospel of Luke (1; 39–56).
“Glory” – “By the Prayers of the Mother of God...”.
“And now” - “Have mercy on me, O God...”.
Kontakion: “Do not entrust me to human intercession...”
Litany: “Save, O God, Thy people...”
According to the 9th song: “It is worthy to eat...”.
Stichera: “Highest Heaven...”.
Part III
Trisagion according to “Our Father...”.
Exclamation: “For Thine is the kingdom...”
Troparion: “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us...”
Litany: “Have mercy on us, O God...”
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Prayer service for the New Year
The Church sanctifies everything that accompanies a Christian in his Everyday life. Some things and everyday phenomena are given more attention, others less, but everything that surrounds a person should be blessed by God. Prayer singing for the New Year is aimed at asking for God's blessing for the period of a person's life covered by the annual liturgical circle.
Features of the ceremony for the New Year are as follows.
1 . Instead of Psalm 142, Psalm 64 is read: “A song befits you, O God, in Zion...”.
2 . The litany “Let us pray to the Lord in peace” is supplemented with special New Year’s petitions:
“Let us pray to the Lord to graciously accept the present thanksgiving and prayer of us, His unworthy servants, into His heavenly altar and graciously have mercy on us”;
“For our prayers to be favorable and to forgive us and all His people all the sins, voluntary and involuntary, that we committed in the past summer, let us pray to the Lord”;
“To bless the firstfruits and passing of this summer with the grace of His love for mankind, and to grant us times of peace, good air and sinless life in health with contentment, let us pray to the Lord”;
“Let us pray to the Lord to turn away from us all His anger, moved righteously against us for our sakes”;
“Let us pray to the Lord to drive away from us all stifling passions and corrupt customs, and to plant His Divine fear in our hearts, so that we may fulfill His commandments”;
“Let us pray to the Lord to renew the right spirit in our wombs and strengthen us in the Orthodox faith and hasten to do good deeds and fulfill all His commandments”;
5 . The litany “Rtsem all...” is supplemented with the following New Year’s petitions:
“Giving thanks with fear and trembling, as a servant of Thy mercy, our Savior and Master, Lord, for Thy good deeds, which Thou hast poured out abundantly on Thy servants, and we fall down and offer praise to Thee, as to God, and cry out with emotion: deliver the servants from all troubles Yours and always, as the Merciful, fulfill the good desires of all of us, we diligently pray to You, hear and have mercy”;
“To bless the crown of the coming summer with Your goodness and to quench in us all enmity, discord and internecine strife, to give us peace, firm and unfeigned love, a decent structure and a virtuous life, we pray to You, All-Good Lord, hear and have mercy”;
“Oh, the countless iniquities and our evil deeds that happened in the past summer will not be remembered, and will not reward us according to our deeds, but will remember us in mercy and generosity, we pray to You, Merciful Lord, hear and have mercy”;
“For the good season of the rains, the early and the late, the fruitful dew, the measured and beneficial winds, and the warmth of the sun to shine, we pray to You, O All-Bountiful Lord, hear and have mercy”;
5 . After the Gospel there is a special litany “Have mercy on us, O God...”, supplemented by a special petition:
“We also pray to the Lord our God to look mercifully on these youths, and send down into their hearts, minds and mouths the spirit of wisdom, reason and piety and His fear, and enlighten them with the light of His prudence, and give them strength and strength , to quickly accept and hastily become accustomed to the Divine Law, His punishment, and all good and useful teaching; May they prosper in wisdom and intelligence, and in all good deeds to the glory of His Most Holy Name, and grant them health, and create them with longevity for the creation and glory of His Church, all saying: Lord, hear and graciously have mercy.”
6 . The priest reads a special prayer adapted to the subject of the prayer service:
“Lord God and our Creator, honor people with Your image, teaching Your chosen ones to marvel at those who listen to Your teaching, Who revealed wisdom as a child; like Solomon and all who seek Thy wisdom, teach, open the hearts, minds and lips of these Thy servants, to receive the power of Thy law, and to successfully learn the useful teachings taught by them, to the glory of Thy Most Holy Name, for the benefit and building of Thy Holy Church, and understand Your good and perfect will. Deliver them from every tax of the enemy, keep them in Orthodoxy and faith, and in all piety and purity all the days of their lives, so that they may succeed in understanding and in fulfilling Your commandments; Yes, such preparations will glorify Your Most Holy Name, and there will be heirs of Your Kingdom. For You are mighty in mercy, and good in strength, and all glory, honor and worship is due to You, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, amen.”
Prayer singing for the sick
Health, physical and mental, is God’s greatest gift to His creation. Healthy man can direct the powers bestowed upon him to various good deeds: prayer, helping the weak, improvement of churches, and other works of mercy. But it often happens that a person is overcome by various ailments, which prevent him not only from performing good deeds, but also from fulfilling the necessary duties of his job and home. According to the teachings of the Church, there is a direct dependence of a person’s bodily illnesses on the sins he commits. Therefore, to cure any disease, it is important to first of all pay attention to the root of the disease - this or that passion, which is the cause of sin. You need to treat a disease from its root - fighting passions and supplementing this with medical help.
But any spiritual work is impossible without prayer to God for help in existing problems. Therefore, first of all, a Christian must repentantly ask the merciful God for the cleansing of his sins, and then for the healing of ailments that are the result of these sins. Prayer singing for the sick is based on precisely this sequence of requests for healing. The rite of this prayer service has its own characteristics.
1 . Instead of Psalm 142, Psalm 70 is read: “In Thee, O Lord, have I trusted...”.
2 . Then the patient, if he is able to do so (and if not, the priest), reads.
3 . In the great litany, after the petition “For the peace of the whole world...”, special petitions for the sick are added:
“For this house and those who live in it, let us pray to the Lord” (if the prayer service is performed at home);
“To forgive every sin, voluntary and involuntary, of His servants (His servant, namename) and be merciful to him (him), let us pray to the Lord";
“Oh, the hedgehog of mercy for the sake of His mercy, youth and ignorance of them (him) cannot be remembered; but mercifully grant them (him) health, let us pray to the Lord”;
“O Lord, do not despise the diligent prayers of Your servants (His servant), who are now praying with us (the one praying); but to hear mercifully, and to be kind, and to be kind, and to be kind to him (him), and to grant him health, let us pray to the Lord”;
“For the hedgehog, as if sometimes weakened, by the word of His Divine grace, He will quickly raise His ailing servants (His ailing servant) from the bed of illness, and create healthy (health), let us pray to the Lord”;
“To visit them (him) with the visitation of His Holy Spirit; and let us pray to the Lord to heal every ailment, and every disease nesting in them (in him)”;
“Oh, mercifully, like the Canaanite, hear the voice of prayer, us, His unworthy servants, crying out to Him, and like that daughter, have mercy and heal His sick servants (His sick servant, name), Let us pray to the Lord";
4 . After the litany they read troparion:“The One quick in intercession, Christ, quick from above, show your visitation to Thy suffering servant (Thy suffering servant), and deliver from ailments and bitter diseases, and raise up the praise of Thee, and glorify Thee unceasingly, with the prayers of the Mother of God,
One is the Lover of Humanity" and kontakion:“On the sickbed of those lying (lying) and wounded with a mortal wound (wounded), as you sometimes raised up, O Savior, Peter’s mother-in-law, and the weakened one carried on the bed; and now, O Merciful One, visit and heal the afflicted (the afflicted): for Thou art the only one who has borne the ailments and illnesses of our race, and is all that is able, as if He is abundantly merciful.”
5 . The Apostle is read from the Council Epistle of the Holy Apostle James, beginning 57th () and the Gospel of Matthew, beginning 25th ().
6 . Then a special litany for the sick is pronounced:
“I am a physician of souls and bodies, with tenderness in a contrite heart we fall to You, and groaningly cry out to You: heal illnesses, heal the passions of the souls and bodies of Your servants (the soul and body of Your servant, namename), and forgive them (him), as you are merciful, all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and quickly raise them from their sick beds, we pray to You, hear and have mercy”;
“Do not want the death of sinners, but rather turn and be alive, have mercy and have mercy on Your servants (Thy servant, namename), Merciful: forbid illness, leave all passion and all illness, and stretch out Your strong hand, and like Jairus’ daughter, raise up from the bed of illness and create healthy people, we pray to You, hear and have mercy”;
“You healed the fiery illness of Peter’s mother-in-law with Your touch, and now the fierceness of Your suffering servants (the fierceness of Your suffering servant, namename) heal the disease with Your mercy, quickly giving them (him) health, we diligently pray to You, Source of healing, hear and have mercy”;
“Hezekiah’s tears, Manasseh’s and Ninevites’ repentance, and David’s confession accepted, and soon having mercy on them; and accept our prayers offered to You with tenderness, O All-merciful King, and as you generously have mercy on Your sick servants (Thy sick servant), granting health to them (him), with tears we pray to You, Source of life and immortality, hear and quickly have mercy”;
7 . Then the Priest reads a special prayer for the sick:
“O Lord Almighty, Holy King, punish and do not kill, strengthen those who fall, and raise up those who are cast down, correct the bodily afflictions of people, we pray to Thee, our God, Thy servant ( namename) visit the weak with Thy mercy, forgive him every sin, voluntary and involuntary. To her, Lord, send down Your healing power from heaven, touch the body, extinguish the fire, tame passion and all lurking infirmity; be the physician of Your servant (name), raise him up from the bed of pain, and from the bed of bitterness, whole and all-perfect, grant him to Thy Church, pleasing and doing Thy will. For it is Thine to have mercy and to save us, O our God, and to Thee we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, amen.”
Rite of blessing for travel (“prayer for travelers”)
One of the most frequently performed prayer services in our churches is the ceremony of blessing for a journey. We all have to periodically make various trips - short or long distances, of varying duration. Travel always involves a certain risk: mechanical means of transportation or the paths that are used for this sometimes become unusable under the influence of various external circumstances. Traffic safety is often affected by natural disasters, as well as the physical and psychological state of people responsible for transportation. All of these factors can lead to serious injuries and even death on the road.
5 . Then a special litany is pronounced about those setting off on the journey:
“Correct the feet of men, O Lord, look mercifully upon Thy servants (or against Your servant, namename)
and, having forgiven them every sin, voluntary and involuntary, bless the good intention of their advice, and correct the exits and entrances along the journey, we diligently pray to You, hear and have mercy”;
“You gloriously freed Joseph from the bitterness of his brethren, O Lord, and guided him into Egypt, and through the blessing of Your goodness made him prosperous in everything; and bless these Thy servants who wish to travel, and make their journey serene and prosperous, we pray to Thee, hear and have mercy”;
“You sent an Angel companion to Isaac and Tobiah, and thus made their journey and return peaceful and prosperous, and now, Most Blessed, the Angel is peaceful to Your servant, we who prayed to You ate, in order to instruct them in every good deed, and to deliver them from enemies, visible and invisible, and from every evil situation; Let us return healthily, peacefully and safely to Your glory, we earnestly pray to You, hear and have mercy”;
“Luca and Cleopas traveled to Emmaus and joyfully returned to Jerusalem by Your glorious knowledge, having created, travel with Your grace and Divine blessing, and now Your servant we diligently pray to You, and in every good work, to the glory of Your Most Holy Name, hasten well, in health and well-being observing and returning in good time, like an all-generous benefactor, we pray to You, quickly hear and mercifully have mercy.”
6 . In conclusion, the priest reads a special prayer for those traveling: “Lord Jesus Christ our God, the true and living Path, you willed to travel with your imaginary father Joseph and the Most Pure Virgin Mother to Egypt, Luca and Cleopas to Emmaus; and now we humbly pray to Thee, Most Holy Master, and let Thy servant travel with Thy grace. And like Thy servant Tobias, they ate a guardian and mentor angel, preserving and delivering them from every evil situation of visible and invisible enemies and instructing them in the fulfillment of Thy commandments, peacefully, and safely, and healthily, and returning them safely and serenely; and grant them all their good intentions to please You safely and fulfill them for Your glory. For it is Yours to have mercy and save us, and we send up glory to You with Your Originless Father, and with Your Most Holy, and Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.”
Thanksgiving prayer
(“Thanksgiving for the receipt of the petition and for every good deed of God”)
For a person who asked and received what he asked for, it is natural to feel gratitude. There is the following parable in the Gospel: And when He entered a certain village, ten lepers met Him, who stopped at a distance and said in a loud voice: Jesus Mentor! have mercy on us. When He saw them, He said to them: Go, show yourself to the priests. And as they walked, he was cleansed. One of them, seeing that he was healed, returned, glorifying God with a loud voice, and fell prostrate at His feet, thanking Him; and it was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed?” where is nine? how did they not return to give glory to God, except this foreigner? And he said to him: get up, go; your faith saved you ().
The obvious condemnation of ungrateful people is the direct content of this Gospel passage. The book “The Sequence of Prayer Songs” indicates how a Christian should behave if he has been blessed by the Lord: “Having received some benefit from God, he should resort to the church, and the priest should ask him to give thanks to God from him...” A prayer of thanksgiving may be included in the rite of the Divine Liturgy, but much more often it is performed as a separate service. The rite of thanksgiving prayer, performed outside the Liturgy, has the following features.
1 . Instead of Psalm 142, Psalm 117 is read: “Confess to the Lord that it is good...”.
2 . After the petition “For sailors, travelers...”, the great litany is joined by special petitions of gratitude:
“O mercifully this present thanksgiving, and let us pray to the Lord to accept the prayer of us, His unworthy servants, into His heavenly altar, and graciously have mercy on us”;
“Oh, let us not be disdainful of the thanksgiving of us, His indecent servants, for the blessings we have received from Him, we offer in a humble heart; But as fragrant incense is made, and the fat burnt offering is acceptable to Him, let us pray to the Lord”;
“Oh, even now, listen to the voice of prayer of us, Your unworthy servants, and the good intention and desire of the faithful
Let us always fulfill our own for good, and always, as He is generous, do good to us, and to His Holy Church, and to every faithful servant of His, let us pray to the Lord”;
5 . The litany “Have mercy on us, O God...” includes additional petitions:
“Giving thanks with fear and trembling as a servant of Thy indecency, O our Savior and Master Lord, for Thy blessings which Thou hast poured out abundantly upon Thy servants, we fall down and offer praise to Thee as to God, and cry out with emotion: deliver Thy servants from all troubles , and always as if you are merciful, fulfill the good desires of all of us, we diligently pray to You, hear and have mercy”;
“As now You have mercifully heard the prayers of Your servants, O Lord, and You have shown to them the compassion of Your love for mankind, without despising here and before, fulfill for Your glory all the good desires of Your faithful, and show us all Your rich mercy, despising all our sins : we pray to You, hear and have mercy”;
“It is auspicious, like a fragrant incense and like a fat burnt offering, may this, O All-merciful Master, be our thanksgiving before the majesty of Thy Glory, and always send down, as Thy generous servant, Thy rich mercies, and Thy bounty, and from all the resistance of visible and invisible enemies, Thy Holy One ( this monastery, or this city, or Deliver all this, and grant to all Your people sinless longevity with good health, and grant success in all virtues, we pray to You, O All-Bountiful King, mercifully hear and quickly have mercy.”
6 . The priest then reads a special prayer of thanksgiving:
“Lord Jesus Christ our God, God of all mercy and generosity, whose mercy is immeasurable, and whose love for mankind is an unsearchable abyss; falling to Your Majesty, with fear and trembling, as an unworthy servant, thanksgiving to Your compassion for Your good deeds on Your former servants, now humbly offering, as the Lord, Master and Benefactor, we glorify, praise, sing, and magnify, and fall again We thank Your immeasurable and ineffable mercy, humbly supplicating. Yes, just as now You have accepted and mercifully fulfilled the prayers of Your servants, and in the past, in Your sincere love and in all virtues, Your blessings will be received by all Your faithful, Your Holy One, and this city (or all this, or this monastery) delivering from every evil situation, and thus granting peace and tranquility, to You, with Your Originless Father, and Your Most Holy, and Good, and Your Consubstantial Spirit, in the One Being, glorified God, always bring thanksgiving, and with all your blessings you are worthy to speak and sing "
About other existing rites of prayer singing
The Church also performs some rites of prayer singing, designed to ask for God's help in certain human needs. The rites for these prayers are given in the above-mentioned liturgical books. Since in the recent past humanity was engaged almost exclusively in agricultural activities, most prayer rites were compiled with a focus on the problems of farmers and livestock breeders. The reason for intense prayers are also such “universal” problems as wars and epidemics. In short, the Trebniks contain the following basic rites for prayer chants:
against adversaries(“following the prayer song to the Lord God, sung during the battle against the adversaries who come against us”) - a prayer service performed during the invasion of foreigners;
during a destructive epidemic(“prayer singing during a destructive pestilence and deadly infection”) - prayer services performed during the terrible devastation of the Earth infectious diseases, such as plague, cholera, typhoid, malaria, smallpox, diphtheria, polio and others. Despite the fact that most of these diseases are practically brought under strict medical control and local cases do not reach epidemic levels, there are now problems with other, no less dangerous infectious diseases;
when it hasn't rained for a long time(“following the prayer song sung during rainlessness”) - a prayer service that is performed during droughts that are catastrophic for farmers, and therefore for all people. Apparently, now, as a result of the development of irrigation methods in agriculture, the severity of the problem has been removed, but climate changes observed in the most last years, have already led to a noticeable shortage of agricultural products in the world;
Consecration of the "chariot"
when it rains for a long time(“following prayer singing to the Lord our God Jesus Christ, sung during times of drought, when a lot of rain falls hopelessly”) - prayer singing, performed, like the previous one, when problems arise with growing crops due to unfavorable weather conditions;
thanksgiving on Christmas day(“the succession of thanksgiving and prayer singing to the Lord God, sung on the day of Christmas, the hedgehog according to the flesh, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the remembrance of the deliverance of the Church and the Russian State from the invasion of the Gauls and with them twenty languages”) - everything said about the thanksgiving prayer itself , is also applicable to this order. The difference is that thanksgiving to God is sent in memory of one of the most important historical events in the life of Russia - its liberation from the troops of Napoleon and his satellites;
going on a journey across the waters(“the rite of blessing for those who want to sail on the waters”) - a prayer for travelers, which has small features determined by the method of movement;
blessing of a warship or blessing of a new ship or boat– two rites, in which one of the important means of conducting combat operations, movement, transportation of goods and other things necessary for human activity is consecrated;
for digging a treasure (well) or blessing a new well- two prayer services - the most important rites for people of recent times, which have not completely lost their meaning in modern world, especially against the backdrop of existing environmental problems;
prayer for flood the rite of prayer performed during the real danger of this natural disaster;
for the consecration of the “chariot”– rite of prayer performed over cars and other wheeled vehicles.
Ceremony of consecration of a new house
Before consecrating a newly built house, the priest can perform a small consecration of water in order to use it in the ritual. If there is no small blessing of water, he brings holy water and a vessel of oil with him. Before starting the ceremony, the priest depicts a cross with oil on each of the four walls of the house. A table covered with a clean tablecloth is provided in advance in the house, a vessel with holy water is placed on it, the Gospel and cross are placed, and candles are lit.
Brief charter-scheme of the ceremony of blessing a new home
The exclamation of the priest: “Blessed are we...”
Prayer for invoking the Holy Spirit: “O Heavenly King...”
“Ordinary beginning”: Trisagion after “Our Father...”.
"Lord have mercy" (12 times).
"Glory, even now."
“Come, let us worship...” (three times).
Psalm 90: “Alive in the help of the Most High...”.
Troparion: “Like the house of Zacchaeus...”
Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ our God...”
Secret priestly prayer: “Master, Lord our God...”
The exclamation of the priest: “It is yours to have mercy and save us...”
Blessing of the oil with the reading of the prayer over it: “Lord our God, look now mercifully...”
Sprinkling water on all the walls of the house.
Anointing the walls of the house with oil with the words: “This house is blessed by the anointing of holy oil in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Lighting candles in front of each cross depicted on the walls of the house.
Stichera: “O Lord, bless this house...”
Gospel of Luke (19; 1–10).
Psalm 100: “I will sing to You of mercy and judgment…” and incense at home.
Litany: “Have mercy on us, O God...”
The exclamation of the priest: “Hear us, O God, our Savior...”
Many years.
The meaning and purpose of the prayers of the rite can be understood from its individual fragments. So in the troparion for the 8th tone the following petition sounds:
“As unto Thy house of Zacchaeus, O Christ, salvation was the entrance, and now also the entrance of Thy sacred servants, and with them Thy saints, Thy angel, grant Thy peace to this house and graciously bless it, saving and enlightening all who wish to live in it...”
In a prayer read some time later, the following is asked: “Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who deigned to bring salvation to that and to all his house under the shadow of Zacchaeus the publican, Who Himself has now desired to live here, and who are unworthy of us to pray to You and bring supplications from all evil.” Keep them unharmed, blessing them and this abode and keep their belly unharmed (always) and abundantly give them all Your goodness for their benefit. For all glory, honor and worship are due to You, together with Your Beginning Father and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen".
And finally, after everyone bows their heads, the following prayer is read:
“Sovereign Lord our God, who lives on high and who is humble, who blessed the house of Laban at the entrance of Jacob and the house of the Pentephrites by the coming of Joseph, who blessed the house of Abedarin by bringing in the ark, and in the days of the coming in the flesh of Christ our God, granted salvation to the house of Zacchaeus, bless this house too. and protect those who want to live in it with Thy fear, and preserve those who oppose them unharmed, and send down Thy blessing from the height of Thy dwelling upon them, and bless and multiply all that is good in this house.”
Taking monastic vows
The monastic path is a special path of salvation, characterized by the fact that the monk takes upon himself a burden that exceeds that which a Christian bears in the world. Monks(from Greek monakos - lonely, hermit), or monks, take vows, the fulfillment of which is one of the most important components of their feat:
1) virginity;
2) voluntary poverty, or non-acquisitiveness;
3) renunciation of one’s own will and obedience spiritual mentor.
Monasticism has three degrees.
1 . Three-year art or degree novice, characterized by the fact that the “candidate,” without making irrevocable monastic vows, lives a monastic life to test his determination and ability to “live like the angels.” For this period, the novice dresses in a cassock and kamilavka, and therefore this degree is also called Rassophorus.
2 . Small angelic image or mantle.
3. Great angelic image, or schema.
Dedication of oneself to monastic vows is called tonsure, which is performed by a bishop if the tonsured person is a clergyman, and by a hieromonk, abbot or archimandrite if the tonsured person is a layman. White clergy cannot tonsure monks, according to the Nomocanon, which says: “Let no lay priest tonsure a monk, according to the will of the Holy Council at Nicaea. What will he give to another, which he himself cannot have” (chapter 82).
The sequence of attire, cassock and kamilavka, small schema or mantle, as well as the rite of tonsure into the great schema are not the subject of study in this collection. Those wishing to receive complete information on these issues can refer to the “Handbook of the Clergyman.”
The Council of Bishops, held in Moscow on November 29 - December 2, 2017, addressed a message to the clergy, monastics and all faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Beloved in the Lord, all-honorable fathers, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters!
The consecrated Council of Bishops, held from November 29 to December 2, 2017 in the city of Moscow, in the Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the Savior, addresses all of you with the words of apostolic greeting: “God<…>may he grant you patience and comfort to be of one mind with one another, according to the teaching of Christ Jesus, so that with one accord and with one mouth you may glorify God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:5-6).
Giving praise to the Creator, Provider and Giver of all blessings, we prayerfully remember the most important events in the history of our Church, the centenary of which is celebrated this year. This is the opening of the Holy Council of the Orthodox Russian Church of 1917-1918 and the restoration of the Patriarchate there.
One of the main acts of the Council - the election of St. Tikhon to the Moscow Patriarchal throne - coincided with the beginning of cruel persecution of the Church of God. Our land is stained with the innocent blood of the first martyrs of modern times. Soon lawlessness and arbitrariness towards the Church became widespread. In these persecutions and sufferings for the name of Christ, many faithful children of the church demonstrated the highest feat of faith and courage, accepted death and unfading crowns of glory (1 Pet. 5:4). It was an era of terrible trials for all the peoples of the Fatherland. As a result, the country was on the verge of destruction. But through the prayers of St. Tikhon, the host of new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church, the Lord inclined His mercy to people and did not allow evil to triumph completely. Now, with gratitude to God, we exclaim along with the psalmist: “The Lord chastened me, but he did not give me over to death” (Ps. 118:18).
Remembering the tragic events of the twentieth century and reflecting on their causes, we must testify with deep humility and sincere conviction to those near and far about the main lesson of the past century: without God, no state or social construction will lead to prosperity. History has shown that revolutionary sentiments generated by political provocations, including those using a request for social justice, are destructive for states and disastrous for people. Representatives of all sectors of society must make efforts to avoid repeating the mistakes that led to the suffering and death of many people and the destruction of statehood in the last century.
We testify to the immutability of the mission of the Church, which the Savior acquired with His honest Blood (see Acts 20:28) for the sake of bringing people to unity with God. All workers in the Vineyard of Christ must remember that the cornerstone of church preaching from the holy apostles until the end of time is the joyful news of salvation given through the Cross and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The main service to which every shepherd is called is the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, since offering the Bloodless Sacrifice of thanksgiving for everyone and everything is the greatest and most important of all possible deeds on earth.
With one mouth and one heart glorifying the Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, we, members of the Consecrated Council, testify that through the prayerful intercession of the new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church before the Throne of the Almighty, the work of many bishops, clergy, monastics and laity continues to develop the work of church building . Destroyed shrines are being restored, new churches are being built, numerous inhabitants of Orthodox monasteries are performing monastic feats, the number of church charitable undertakings is increasing, and church work to support the family, motherhood and childhood is intensifying. Of particular joy are the successes in the field of work with youth, including the development of volunteerism in dioceses and parishes, as well as in introducing children to the faith through Sunday schools and other church educational projects.
The days of the Council of Bishops brought us the joy of communicating with the Primates and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches who arrived in Moscow to participate in the celebrations on the occasion of the centenary of the Patriarchal enthronement of St. Tikhon. This visible expression of Orthodox unity is of particular importance today, when many Christians, being persecuted for their faith, need our fervent prayer and effective intercession. We value Christian solidarity because we know how important and necessary it is for those who now have to endure adversity and trials, just as the support of all people of good will was important for us during the oppression of the faith and the Church in our Fatherland. Yes, by the grace of God we have again erected majestic cathedrals, our churches are being decorated and landscaped. However, we must not forget about those who are expelled from churches, who are blown up and killed by terrorists. We are called to courageously and firmly defend Christian values, which are being squeezed out of the lives of many peoples today. An example of the early Christian communities founded by the apostles, the wealthier of which directed financial assistance less well off, calls us to take care of those Orthodox Christians who are poor and suffering from war or terrorism.
During the work of the Council, we became acquainted with the preliminary results of research carried out to identify the “Ekaterinburg remains”. We express the hope that upon completion of these investigations the truth will be revealed regarding the identity of the said remains.
With gratitude to God's good provision, the Council testifies to the appearance of a whole host of saints for church-wide veneration.
Remembering the trials our fathers experienced and the trials many Christians are now experiencing, let us preserve the unity of the Church, praying at every service for the well-being of the saints Churches of God and the unification of all, just as Christ prayed for the unity of Christians and their observance in the world.
May the Lord of peace Himself always give you peace in everything. The Lord is with you all!(2 Thess. 3:16). Amen.
In the 17th century In public administration, together with the sovereign, the Boyar Duma, the Zemsky Sobor, the Consecrated Cathedral headed by the Patriarch and the people participated. What role did each of the management subjects perform? In the Code of Laws of 1550, Article 98 established the procedure for the adoption of laws and government decisions, which included the initiative of the tsar, the collective decision of the boyars and the subsequent approval of the tsar. In the 17th century the circle of subjects of legislation expanded and began to include service people, merchants and other categories of the population, or “ranks,” who submitted collective petitions, or petitions, as well as zemstvo councils to the sovereign. This is evident from the form of royal decrees of the 17th century, which contained a sacramental indication that this decree is a response to the petition of the people or is the result of a meeting of the tsar with the Boyar Duma, the Consecrated Cathedral, or adopted by the Zemsky Sobor. What were the Boyar Duma, the Zemsky Sobor and the Consecrated Cathedral?
Neither the Code of 1649 nor other legislative acts formally defined the rights of the Duma by law, as well as the rights of the sovereign, but they can be judged by its activities, which were reflected on the pages of the Code and other sources. The Boyar Duma, along with the tsar and under his auspices, was primarily a legislative body. The Code contains indications that the source of many, and the most important, laws were the verdicts of the Tsar together with the Boyar Duma. An analysis of the legislative acts that followed after 1649 showed that on all important issues there were also sentences of the Duma, while on less important issues the tsar’s decrees were issued without the sentences of the Duma. The Duma was the highest judicial and appellate authority after the tsar; a number of court cases were under its full competence. In these functions, the Boyar Duma acted as a non-bureaucratic body that limited the power of the tsar.
The size of the Duma during the 17th century. gradually grew. In 1613 it included 29 people, in 1675 - 66, in 1682 - 131 people. Among the members of the Duma were boyars (19, 23 and 66 people, respectively), Duma nobles and Duma clerks. The main role belonged to the boyars, many of whom were descendants of former appanage princes, whose lands were annexed to the Moscow principality. According to V.O. Klyuchevsky, the boyars looked at themselves as the rulers of the Russian land. Only their ancestors ruled the Russian land in parts and alone, and now their descendants, having gathered in Moscow in the Boyar Duma, began to rule the entire state and all together. The boyars were in the hands of central and local government; the most titled part of the boyars constituted the Boyar Duma. All significant matters in the 17th century. were decided “according to the boyar verdict and decree of the sovereign,” that is, the tsar ordered to consider or resolve this or that issue, and the boyars worked out and made a specific decision. Unanimity was required in the decisions of the Duma.
The relationship between the tsar and the Duma was, in principle, determined by custom and tradition, but other contributing factors were also important: the actual balance of power between the tsar and the Duma, the state of the country, and the personality of the sovereign. Since the significance of these factors changed not only from reign to reign, but also from year to year, the importance of the Boyar Duma either rose or decreased. This gave some researchers the basis to assign it only an advisory role. However, the Duma actually limited the power of the tsar even when it descended to performing a purely advisory role. And under favorable circumstances for the boyars, it acquired clearly defined political rights. For example, the first of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, gave the boyars a subscription (“record”) that the Duma would participate in governing the state, and he kept his promise. The Duma limited the power of the sovereign throughout the 17th century. According to V. O. Klyuchevsky, “she was the institution that created the Moscow state and public order and he was led." This explains the fact that Peter I, who aspired to become an absolute sovereign, was burdened by the power of the Boyar Duma and dissolved it at the first opportunity.
In the XVI-XVII centuries. a sovereign without a thought and a thought without a sovereign, from the point of view of the people of that time, were equally abnormal phenomena. The Code of 1649 recognizes boyar sentences as legislative sources on a par with sovereign decrees. The inseparability of the tsar and the Duma was reflected in the general legislative formula “the tsar indicated and the boyars sentenced.” The Duma and the sovereign became so fused with each other that the boyars shared with the tsar not only all state concerns, but also participated in all the everyday acts of his life - they went to church with him, dined, etc.
The power of the sovereign was limited by another institution - localism. This institution guaranteed the boyars, as well as to a large extent two other “ranks” - service people in the fatherland (nobles) and guests (rich merchants) - the right to take a place in the civil or military hierarchy according to their origin, nobility, nobility and rank ancestors, which together was included in the concept of “honor”. To take a place in the service hierarchy below “honor” was considered the greatest insult. Until the abolition of localism in 1682, the institute limited the sovereign in official appointments and protected the boyars, nobles and guests from his arbitrariness. True, the remnants of localism made themselves felt back in the 19th century. In 1809, in protest against the promotion of Barclay de Tolly to infantry general, a group of military leaders who exceeded him in ranks, positions and awards and to whom Barclay had been subordinate in previous campaigns resigned. Secretary of State E. A. Peretz recorded the following episode in his diary. At a dinner with the Princess of Oldenburg, held on December 27, 1880, the Moscow Governor-General, Full General Prince V.A. Dolgorukov, expressed displeasure at the fact that he was seated on the left, and not on the right hand from the hostess, i.e. on the less honorable side of the table. In her justification, the princess had to give an exact statement about the time of Dolgorukov’s promotion to the rank, while telling E.A. Peretz: “You think this is nothing, but it is not so. Few, like Dolgorukov, directly declare their seniority. But if they do not follow his example, this does not at all prove that they did not think about their seniority.”
At the most important moments in the life of the state, the activities of the Boyar Duma were supplemented by zemstvo councils, which were as important as the Duma, only temporarily, at the time of their work. The Zemsky Sobor did not oppose either the Tsar, or the Boyar Duma, or the Consecrated Cathedral; it included all these subjects of government and was supplemented by “elected” ones. The term elective meant not only those elected by the population, but also “ the best people", appointed by governors. At the council, the elected representatives represented the service ranks of the population and locality. The presence of state peasants was recorded only at two of the 57 zemstvo councils. But regarding the representation of peasants, it is necessary to take into account two circumstances: a) the city in the administrative sense in the 16th-17th centuries. had not yet separated from the village, b) the townspeople - the urban tax-paying population - in their occupations differed little from the peasants (for both of them, agriculture was the main source of livelihood), and in their personal rights - from the state peasants. Therefore, the electors from the townspeople could also represent the interests of the peasants, but only partially, since in addition to common ones they also had different interests. All classes of the population and all localities were rarely represented at the councils. But, according to the ideas of the people of that time, the council was legitimate when it sufficiently represented the thought and will of the land. The “elected” were either elected by the population themselves, or, when the population showed indifference and absenteeism, they were appointed governors from among the wealthiest and most influential part of the population. In the first case, a written act of election and instructions were drawn up - the “mandate” of voters.
The rights of zemstvo councils were determined by custom and tradition, as were the rights of the tsar and the Boyar Duma. Councils were convened on the initiative of the tsar or by the “ranks” themselves during the interregnum. There was no regularity in the convening of zemstvo councils; in just the second half of the 16th-17th centuries. L.V. Cherepnin recorded 57 cathedrals, including 46 cathedrals in the 17th century. The competence of the councils was very broad: they elected or approved sovereigns for the kingdom, authorized major judicial, administrative, financial and military reforms, and considered issues foreign policy and taxes. The Zemsky Sobor of 1598 elected Boris Godunov to the throne. The conciliar determination in legislative form secured power for the new dynasty and justified the choice by divine providence, the desire of Ivan the Terrible and Fyodor Ivanovich to transfer the throne to Boris, the personal qualities of the latter, the practice of other states where persons who did not belong to the royal family were elected to the throne, as well as those that Boris was elected by the competent body in response to the popular expression of will: “according to the petition of the boyars, all service people, and guests, and merchants, and black people, and all the countless folk Christianity, from end to end of all the states of the Russian kingdom.” Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich several times turned to the cathedral with a request to “give money” and then collected it in the amount determined by the cathedral, referring to its verdict, which, according to V.I. Sergeevich, “goes beyond a simple meeting.” In his opinion, other facts speak about the same thing: “Alexey Mikhailovich puts the most important legislative act of his reign in the form of a conciliar code.<...>The officials of the cathedral of 1648 signed the code. But what does it mean to sign something, or, as they said then, to put your hand in? To have a hand in a matter means to take part in its completion, in this case - to agree. This is exactly how the people of the Moscow state understood the meaning of the signature.<...>The abolition of localism was also accomplished with the participation of elected officials general council everyone."<...>The significance of the Moscow councils is not limited to the concept of a deliberative institution: it goes further, although no decree formally recognized for them the position that they actually enjoyed. The concept of absolute power, in all its theoretical clarity and consistency, finally took shape among us only during the reign of Peter I.” Petitions from zemstvo councils meant for the sovereign the indisputable voice of the people and certainly led to the issuance of appropriate legislation. “Zemstvo Sobors seem undoubtedly useful as a means of direct communication between the sovereign and the land: from the petitions of elected people, the sovereigns directly became acquainted with the needs of the country, the shortcomings of governance and the abuses of administrative bodies.”
The elected officials played the role of informants, consultants, advisers to the sovereign, expressed public opinion population and, in addition, performed an observation and control function. According to the Russian people of that time, in order for the decision of the supreme power to be legal and valid for the entire country, it had to be public. The presence of the people served as a guarantee that everything - election to the throne, coronation, drawing up a code of law, declaration of war, etc. - was done in accordance with tradition, in compliance with the prescribed ritual, which legalized this act, event or decision.
For the 17th century. and of earlier times it was generally characteristic Active participation people in the life of the sovereign's court. The christening of children, the wedding, the election to the kingdom, the coronation, name days, funerals took place surrounded by the people, the same Consecrated Cathedral, the Boyar Duma, elected from all ranks from each city, as well as the “mob” who were not present at the cathedrals. These events were accompanied by feasts and mutual gifts, as well as prayers, the king and queen visiting monasteries, churches, almshouses, prisons, forgiveness of criminals and distribution of alms, money, gifts, which cost huge amounts of money from the sovereign's treasury. The same people, the same elected officials and in the same number as at the Zemsky Sobor, were present at the coronation and wedding, only as guests. Their presence was a requirement of the ritual and was considered necessary condition the legality and reality of the event. People in ceremonies modern look, played a decorative role. Perhaps this was what happened in calm times, when the people did not care who would take the throne, who the king would marry, who would become close to him. However, when the people had complaints against the authorities and did not sympathize with the contenders and favorites, it was possible to gain the approval of the people only by making concessions and satisfying their demands. If there were serious contradictions among influential people around the king, the rival parties sought to enlist the support of the common people of the capital and used it as a powerful argument in the political struggle.
As can be seen from the above, despite the significant differences between the Zemsky Sobor and the estate-representative institutions of Western European countries, it was a representative body that limited the power of the sovereign. Zemsky Sobors were not the direct successors of the ancient veche, but they dated back to approximately the time when the veche ceased to exist. There is information about veche meetings in Moscow in 1547, in Pskov in 1534 and at the beginning of the 17th century. Veche traditions made themselves felt in Moscow and Novgorod during the urban movements of the mid-17th century. Without a stretch, we can say that popular representation in Rus' had a centuries-old history. The important role of zemstvo councils and elected officials in public administration suggests that at least service people and the urban population were subjects of public administration in the 16th-17th centuries. The very fact that popular approval was a prerequisite for the legitimacy of the most important state events shows that the people were considered the subject of government. This is also evidenced by the swearing of allegiance to the new king by every man of the state.
The subjects of state administration were also the Moscow Patriarch and the Consecrated Cathedral (a meeting of the highest church hierarchs). Since the entire life of the Russian people of the 17th century, not excluding the royal palace, was highly ritualized, the Consecrated Cathedral was an indispensable participant in all important events in life royal family, the sovereign's court and the country. The clergy surrounded the tsar every day and hourly, without the participation of the clergy, which was by no means formal, the tsar did not start a single enterprise, did not perform a single action, or a single important deed. As for the patriarch, he performed an extremely important role. ABOUT great importance The patriarch is evidenced by the very official form of the tsar’s address to him - the tsar called the patriarch father, which, according to the concepts of that time, meant the highest authority and recognition of a certain dependence and subordination. The patriarchate as an institution represented great power: it relied on the moral authority of Christianity, stood at the head of a powerful organization - the Russian Orthodox Church, controlled the white clergy and monasteries that played in the social and economic life of the country big role, had significant material resources (a huge land fund and 12.5% of peasants), its own courtyard and service people.
The patriarch was not a servant or subject of the king; only other patriarchs could judge him. In a word, the patriarchate was a state within a state. This gave the patriarch, as the head of the church, enormous social and state weight. If the patriarch turned out to be a major personality, he acquired importance and weight in the state, almost not inferior to the importance and weight of the tsar, as happened with patriarchs Filaret in 1619-1658. and Nikon in 1651-1658. Both of these patriarchs were even called Great Sovereigns, that is, they had the same title as the king himself. Although the tsar participated in the selection of the patriarch, the final word remained with the church hierarchs: the tsar nominated several candidates, whose names were written down on paper, sealed in wax and sent to the church council, which made the election. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich recognized that he alone, without a church council, could not change the patriarch, even if he adhered to heresy.
So, if it seemed necessary to the tsars to regularly convene zemstvo councils and invite the people to them for advice and to make important state decisions, it means that there was an urgent social need. If the tsars in their decrees referred to participation in the decision-making of the Boyar Duma or the Consecrated Council, and when carrying out domestic and foreign policy - to the resolutions of zemstvo councils, it means that the full power did not belong to the sovereign, otherwise the references would have been unnecessary. It is no coincidence that in Russian writing from its very origins until the end of the 17th century. “There was not a single theory that would establish the complete unlimitedness of royal power.<...>The concept of unlimitedness is unknown in Russian literature.”
Although some kings, such as Ivan the Terrible, claimed unlimited power.
It is fitting for a Christian who has dedicated himself to serving God to sanctify all his good undertakings by invoking God’s help and blessing, since “unless the Lord builds a house, those who build it labor in vain” (Ps. 126:1). Much more should we call upon God at the foundation of the house of God, where the throne of God will be erected.After laying the foundation (foundation) for the temple, the “rite for the foundation of the temple” is performed, which is usually called the laying of the temple. At the same time, the erection of the cross also occurs. Since the rules of the Church (Apostolic Canon 31; Council of Antioch, pr. 5; Chalcedon, 4; Double, 1, etc.) decreed that the construction of the temple should begin with the blessing of the bishop, the rite for the foundation of the temple is performed either by the bishop himself, or by someone sent from him and the archimandrite, or presbyter, or priest who received the blessing. The rite of worship for the foundation of the temple is placed in the Great Trebnik. The service for the foundation of the temple of God consists, after the usual beginning and initial psalms, in censing around the foundation while singing the troparion to the saint in whose name the temple will be erected. Then the abbot reads a prayer in which he asks the Lord to keep the builders of the temple unharmed, and the foundation of the temple unshakable and perfect to show the house to the praise of God. After the prayer, dismissal is performed, at which the saint in whose name the temple is being built is mentioned. Upon dismissal, the abbot, taking a stone and drawing a cross with it, puts it in the foundation, saying: “Foundations A and (his) Most High, God is in his midst and does not move, God will help him in the morning.” Then the abbot erects a cross in the place where the holy meal (throne) will be, while saying a prayer in which he asks the Lord to bless and sanctify this place with the power and action of the Honest, Life-giving and Most Pure Tree of the Cross to drive away demons and everything that is contrary.
At the site where the temple was founded, a metal board is usually placed, on which an inscription is made in honor of what holiday or saint the temple was consecrated, under what patriarch and bishop, what year, month and date. The stated rite of laying and hoisting the cross is usually performed after a prayer service with the blessing of water.
Note.
In the Additional Trebnik this rite is set out in more detail. If the temple is made of stone, then ditches are dug at the site of the foundation of the temple, stones are prepared, and on one of them - a quadrangular one - a cross is carved, under which, if the bishop or his deputy pleases, a place is made for placing the relics. Then a board is prepared with the inscription when, in whose name the temple was consecrated, under which patriarch and bishop the foundation stone of the temple was completed. In addition, a large wooden cross is prepared and a ditch is dug in the place where the throne should be built (for erecting the cross at this place). If a wooden church is being built, then the logs on which it will stand are prepared. After preparing all these supplies, the bishop or priest leaves from the nearest church, preceded by deacons with censers, accompanied by other priests in full vestments, with a cross and the Gospel, presenting icons and singing sacred hymns in honor of the future temple, and come to the foundation site . Here, after the usual beginning, while singing “Heavenly King,” the abbot censes at the site of the foundation of the temple. After the reading of the 143rd psalm, the great litany is pronounced with petitions for the sanctification and blessing of the foundation of the church and the successful completion of the work begun. After the exclamation, “God is the Lord” is sung and troparions to the feast or saint of the temple and the foundation. After the 50th Psalm, a prayer is read for the consecration of water and the cross is immersed in the water with the singing of “Save, Lord”; a prayer is also read for the blessing of the oil, in which Jacob poured out the oil on the stone on which he slept and saw the ladder. After the consecration of water and oil, the rector sprinkles holy water on the place where the cross will be erected, and reads a prayer for the consecration of this place by the power of the cross, and while singing the holy. With a song, the priests erect the holy cross on the site of the future throne. Then the abbot goes to the moat in the eastern part of the temple, sprinkles the main stone with holy water and the place where it should lie, saying: “This stone is blessed by sprinkling sacred water into the unshakable foundation of the temple, created in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". Then, placing a board with an inscription in the recess, he covers it with a stone, pronouncing the words: “This church is founded for the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ... in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The priest pours consecrated oil onto the placed stone and sprinkles holy water on all sides of the foundation of the temple while reading prayers and singing psalms. Moreover, if a wooden church is being built, then as a sign of the beginning of the work, the abbot strikes the prepared logs with an ax several times in a cross shape. After sprinkling the entire foundation, the priest stands before the erected cross, sings “Heavenly King” and reads a prayer for the strengthening of the builders and for keeping the foundation of the temple unshakable. Then he reads another prayer with the kneeling of all those praying for a blessing on this place of the altar for the offering of a bloodless Sacrifice. Then a special litany is proclaimed, to which three petitions are attached for the founders and for the successful construction of the temple. After the exclamation: “Hear us, O God...” there is a proclamation of many years to the builders and benefactors of the newly built temple and dismissal. The procession returns to the church while singing stichera to the temple or other hymns to the glory of God (Additional Breviary, Chapter 1. Rite for the founding of the church and the erection of the cross).
PLACEMENT OF A CROSS ON THE TEMPLE
For Christians, everything is sealed and sanctified by the image and sign of the cross. The cross is supplied not only to St. temples and in houses, but it overshadows and crowns the temple itself (St. John Chrysostom).
The cross on the temple is supplied for the splendor and decoration of the temple, as a cover and solid fence, deliverance and preservation by the power of the cross from all evil and troubles, from visible and invisible enemies - the temple and all the faithful who enter the temple with faith and reverence, and to the honest cross looking and bowing to the Lord Jesus Christ crucified on the cross with faith and love.
In the Additional Trebnik (chapter 2) there is a special “Rite of prayer for placing a cross on top of the roof of the newly created church.” This rite is performed like this. The priest, having put on the vestments and censing, pronounces the initial exclamation: “Blessed is our God...”, and after the usual initial prayers the troparia are sung: “Save, O Lord, Thy people...”, “Glory”: “He who ascended to the Cross by will...”, “And now": "Representation of Christians...". The priest reads a prayer in which, remembering Moses placing a copper serpent in the desert, which saved people from the bite of snakes and served as a prototype of the Cross, he asks the Lord to bless the sign of the cross for the splendor and decoration of the temple, to protect those who enter the temple with the power of the cross and worship the Son crucified on the Cross. God and have mercy on all who look at this sign and remember the saving death of the Lord. After the prayer, the priest sprinkles the cross with holy water, saying: “This sign of the cross is blessed and sanctified, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, by sprinkling this holy water, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.” After singing: “He ascended to the Cross by will,” the dismissal of the temple is pronounced, and the builders, taking the cross, place it in place, at the top of the church.
BLESSING OF THE BELL
Before hanging the bell on the bell tower, it is hung near the church so that it can be sprinkled on top and inside, and the bell is blessed according to a special rite: “The rite of blessing of the campana, this is the bell, or ringing” (Chapter 24 of the Additional Breviary).
This rite is performed as follows: the bishop or priest leaves the church and comes to the bell, near which there is consecrated water and sprinkler on the table, and proclaims the usual beginning. The clergy sings: “To the Heavenly King,” the Trisagion and Our Father are read and psalms of praise are sung (Ps. 148-150), a great litany is pronounced, to which 4 petitions are attached for the blessing of the bell.
After the litany and the 28th psalm, a prayer is read for the blessing of the bell, and another prayer, bowed on the head, is read secretly. The petitions of the litany and prayers contain a prayer for the blessing of the bell, for the sending of grace to the bell, so that all “those who hear its ringing day and night will be aroused to glorify the holy name of the Lord and to do the commandments of the Lord”; a prayer is also offered that “at the ringing of the blessed campan, all windy storms, evil-dissolved air, hail, whirlwinds, terrible thunder and harmful lightning, hopelessness will subside, and all the slander of the enemy will be driven away.”
After the prayers, the priest sprinkles the bell with holy water on 4 sides, on top, around, and inside, saying three times: “This campan is blessed and sanctified by sprinkling this holy water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.”
After sprinkling, the priest burns incense around the campan, inside and outside it, while the clergy sings the 69th psalm: “God, come to my help.” Then a parable is read about Moses constructing sacred silver trumpets to call the people to prayer and sacrifices to God (Num. 11,
1-10). After the proverb, three stichera are sung and the day's leave is pronounced.
ORIGIN OF CONSECTION OF THE TEMPLE BY THE BISHOP
Consecration, or “renewal,” of the temple. A built church can be a place for the Divine Liturgy only after its consecration. The consecration of the temple is called “renewal”, because through consecration the temple from an ordinary building becomes holy, and therefore completely different, new. According to the rules of the Orthodox Church (IV Ecumenical Council, 4th Rights), the consecration of the temple must be performed by the bishop. If the bishop himself does not consecrate, then he sends the antimension consecrated by him to the newly created church, where, after the priest has established and consecrated the altar, the antimension is placed on it. This consecration of the temple - bishop and priest - is called great.
Existing rites of the great consecration of the temple:
The temple is consecrated by the bishop himself- at the same time he sanctifies the antimension. The rite is set out in a special book and in the Additional Trebnik (or in the Trebnik in 2 parts, part 2): “The rite of the consecration of the temple from the bishop created.”
The bishop sanctifies only the antimension. “The question of how to consecrate the antimensions to the bishop” is found in the “Officer of the Bishop’s Priesthood”, as well as in the mentioned “Rite of the consecration of the temple from the bishop created.”
The priest consecrates the temple, who received from the bishop a consecrated antimension for a position in the church. The rite of worship is in the Great Trebnik, ch. 109: “The order is to place a consecrated antimension in the newly built church, given from the bishop to the archimandrite or abbot, or protopresbyter, or presbyter chosen for this and skilled.”
The prayers and rites of consecration of the temple raise our gaze from temples made with hands to temples not made with hands, members of the spiritual body of the Church, which are all faithful Christians (2 Cor. 6:16). Therefore, when consecrating a temple, what is done is similar to what is done for the sanctification of every person in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation.
The consecration of the temple, performed by the bishop, is the most solemn.
All-night vigil on the eve of the consecration of the temple. On the eve of the day of consecration, small vespers and an all-night vigil are served in the newly created church. The service is performed for the renovation of the temple (stichera and canon) from the Great Book of Breviaries in conjunction with the service of the temple, that is, the saint in whose name the temple was built. Both Little Vespers and the Vigil are sung before the altar with the royal doors closed.
Note.
The consecration of the temple should not be performed on the very day on which the memory of the saint or the event in whose name the church was built is celebrated, for the reason that the service of consecrating the temple should not be confused with the temple service in honor of the holiday. The consecration of the temple must be completed before the temple festival.
Temples in the name of the Resurrection of Christ are consecrated only on Sundays, because it is not appropriate to sing the Sunday service on simple (weekly) days.
The temple in the name of the Resurrection of Christ and the temples of the Lord, the Mother of God and the saints are not allowed to be consecrated on the Sundays of Pentecost, Pentecost, the Forefather's Week, the Father before Christ, on the Sunday after Christ and after the Enlightenment, as well as on those Sundays , on which the feasts of the Lord, the Mother of God and the polyeleos saints occur, “before (in these days) there is great oppression in the stichera and in the canons.” For the same reason, the consecration of the temple to the saint (or saint) is not carried out on all the feasts of the Lord, the Mother of God and the polyeleos saints.
IN Lent On weekdays, the consecration of the temple also does not take place (for the sake of fasting).
Preparation for the consecration of the temple. On the eve of the day of consecration, the relics are brought to the newly created temple. The holy relics are placed on the paten under a star and a veil in front of the image of the Savior on a lectern, and a lamp is lit in front of them. A table is placed in front of the royal doors, on which the accessories of the throne are usually placed: the Holy Gospel, the honorable cross, the holy. vessels, clothes for the throne and for the altar, nails, etc., and lighted candles are placed at the four corners of the table. In the altar, closer to the high place, a table is placed, covered with a shroud, and on it are placed the Holy Myrrh, church wine, rose water, a pod for anointing with Myrrh, sprinkles, and stones for nailing.
On the very day of the consecration of the temple (before the bell rings), the relics are carried with reverence to a nearby temple and placed on the throne. If there is no other temple nearby, then the relics stand in the consecrated temple in the same place near the local icon of the Savior. On the very day of the consecration of the temple, a prayer service is sung and a small consecration of the water is performed, after which the clergy participating in the consecration of the temple put on all sacred clothes, and on top of these clothes, for their protection, they put on white protective aprons (aprons) and belt them. After vesting, the clergy bring in a table with prepared utensils through the royal doors and place it on the right side of the altar. The royal doors are closed, and the laity cannot be in the altar, to avoid crowding.
The rite of consecration of the temple includes:
arrangement of the throne (holy meal);
washing and anointing him;
vestments of the throne and altar;
consecration of the walls of the temple;
transfer and position under the throne and in the antimension of the relics;
closing prayers, short litia and dismissal.
The structure of the throne is done this way. First of all, the bishop, having blessed his co-servants, sprinkles holy water on the pillars of the throne and pours boiling wax over its corners in a cross shape, and the priests cool the wax with a breath of their lips. Wax mastic, otherwise mastic (i.e., a composition of wax, mastic, crushed marble, dew incense, aloe and other fragrant substances), serving together with nails as a means for attaching the throne board, at the same time marks the aromas with which the body was anointed Savior taken from the Cross.
After a brief prayer that the Lord would grant the consecration of the temple without condemnation, the bishop sprinkles the upper board of the throne on both sides with holy water, and it rests on the throne pillars while singing (in chorus) the 144th and 22nd psalms. Then the bishop sprinkles four nails and, placing them in the corners of the throne, strengthens the board on the throne pillars with stones, with the help of the clergy.
After the confirmation of the throne, the royal doors, hitherto closed, are opened for the first time, and the bishop, turning his face to the people, kneeling along with the believers, reads a lengthy prayer at the royal doors, in which, like Solomon, he asks the Lord to send down the Most Holy Spirit and consecrate the temple and the altar this, so that the bloodless Sacrifice offered on it would be accepted into the heavenly altar and from there would bring down upon us the grace of heavenly overshadowing.
After the prayer, the royal doors are closed again and the great litany is proclaimed, accompanied by petitions for the consecration of the temple and altar. This ends the first part of the rite of consecration of the temple - the arrangement of the holy meal.
Washing and anointing the throne Holy Peace. After approval, the throne is washed twice: the first time with warm water and soap, and the second time with rose water mixed with red wine. Both ablutions are preceded by the bishop’s secret prayer over water and wine for the blessing of the Jordan and the grace of the Holy Spirit to be sent down upon them for the consecration and completion of the altar. When washing the throne with water, the 83rd Psalm is sung, and after washing, the throne is wiped with towels. The secondary washing of the throne consists of pouring on it three times red wine mixed with rose water (rodostaminaya). At each pouring of the mixture, the bishop says the words of the 50th psalm: “Sprinkle me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow,” and after the third pouring the remaining verses are read until the end of the psalm. The priests rub the rodostamina, rubbing it with their hands into the upper board of the throne, then each priest wipes the “meal” with his lip.
After washing the meal, the bishop, with the blessing of the name of God, begins to mysteriously anoint it with holy Myrrh. First, he depicts with the World three crosses on the surface of the meal: one in the middle of the meal, and the other two on both sides of it a little lower, indicating the places where the Holy Gospel, paten and chalice should stand during the liturgy; then he depicts three crosses on each side of the pillars of the throne and on the ribs; finally, on the antimension he depicts three crosses with the Holy Myrrh. At the same time, at each anointing the deacon exclaims: “Let us attend,” and the bishop three times says: “Alleluia.” At this time, the choir sings Psalm 132: “Behold, what is good or what is red.” After the anointing of the throne, the bishop proclaims: “Glory to Thee, Holy Trinity, our God, forever and ever!”
Vestment of the throne. After anointing with Myrrh, the throne is clothed in robes sprinkled with holy water. Since the throne marks the tomb of Christ and the Throne of the Heavenly King, two clothes are placed on it: the lower one - “srachitsa” and the upper one - “indity”. Having put the lower garment (“srachitsa”) on the throne, the clergy will gird the throne three times with vervia (rope) so that a cross is formed on each side of it. When girdling the throne, Psalm 131 is sung. After vesting the throne in the undergarment, the bishop exclaims: “Glory to our God forever and ever.” Then the outer garment of the throne (indity) is consecrated, and the throne is clothed with it while the 92nd Psalm is chanted: “The Lord reigns, clothed with beauty,” then after sprinkling with holy water, the orithon, the antimension, the Gospel, the cross are placed on the throne, and all this is covered with a shroud.
Having given glory to God (“Blessed is our God...”), the bishop commands the eldest presbyter to clothe the altar in sacred clothes, sprinkling it with holy water, place consecrated vessels and covers on it and cover them with shroud. The altar is a place only for the preparation of a sacrifice, and not for its consecration, and therefore it is not consecrated like a throne. When dressing the altar in clothes and placing vessels and coverings on it, nothing is said, only the sprinkling of holy water occurs, and then everything on the altar is covered with a shroud. The cuffs from the bishop and priests are removed, and the royal doors are opened.
After the consecration of the altar, the entire temple is consecrated with incense, prayer, sprinkling of holy water and anointing of the walls. The bishop, having censed in the altar, goes out and censes the entire church, preceded by the protodeacon with a candle, and the bishop is followed by the two oldest presbyters, one of whom sprinkles holy water on the walls of the church, and the other anoints them crosswise with holy myrrh, first over the high place, then over gates - western, southern and northern. During this circumambulation, the choir sings the 25th Psalm (“Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my kindness”), in which the royal prophet pours out his joy at the sight of the splendor of the house of the Lord.
After the return of the spiritual council to the altar, a short litany is pronounced, and the bishop, having removed his miter, reads a prayer before the throne, in which he asks the Lord to fill the new temple and altar with glory, shrine and splendor, so that in it it will be offered bloodless Sacrifice for the salvation of all people, “for the forgiveness of voluntary and involuntary sins, for the management of life, for the correction of good living, for the fulfillment of all righteousness.” After this prayer, the bishop, with those present bowing their heads, reads a secret prayer in which he thanks the Lord for the continuous outpouring of grace that descended to him from the apostles. After the exclamation, the bishop lights the first candle with his own hands and places it on a high place near the throne, and until this time not a single candle had been lit in the altar.
Transfer and placement of holy relics under the throne after the consecration of the temple. From the church being consecrated there is a solemn procession of the cross to another church for the relics, if they were placed in the nearest church. If the holy relics were in the church being consecrated, then the bishop, having distributed the Gospel, cross, holy water and icons in the altar to the presbyters, and candles on the pulpit to the laity, after censing the holy relics and the litany, raises the holy relics to the head, exclaiming: “In peace let us go out,” and everyone walks with crosses and banners around the entire church while singing troparions in honor of the martyrs: “Who is Thy martyr throughout the whole world” and “Like the first fruits of nature.”
When the relics are carried around the consecrated church, the troparion is sung: “Who created Thy Church on the rock of faith, O Blessed One.” During this procession, one of the priests, coming forward, sprinkles holy water on the walls of the temple. If the terrain does not allow the relics to be carried around the temple, then they are carried around the throne.
After the procession of the cross, when they come to the western gates of the temple, then the singers sing troparia: “Holy Martyrs” (twice) and “Glory to Thee, Christ God” (once), and go to the temple, the western gates are closed behind the singers, and the bishop with the priests remain outside in the vestibule, places the paten with the relics on the prepared table, venerates them, overshadows the priests standing with the Gospel and icons at the table in front of the doors, facing west, and following the exclamation: “Blessed are you, Christ our God,” exclaims : “Lift up the gates, your princes, and lift up the everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in.” The singers inside the temple sing: “Who is this King of glory?” The bishop, after censing the shrine, repeats these words again and the singers again sing the same words. Then the bishop, having removed his miter, reads aloud a prayer in which he asks the Lord to establish the consecrated temple unshakably until the end of the century in order to bring worthy praise to the Most Holy Trinity. Then, with everyone bowing, he secretly reads the prayer of entry, which is read at the liturgy at the entrance with the Gospel.
After the prayer, the bishop, taking the paten with the holy relics on his head, marks the gates of the temple with them in the shape of a cross and says in response to the inquiring choir: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” The choir repeats these words. The temple opens, the bishop and the clergy enter the altar, while the singers sing the troparion: “Like the highest firmament of beauty,” and places a paten with holy relics on the throne. Having honored the holy relics with veneration and incense, the bishop anoints them with the holy Myrrh and places them in a casket with wax, as if for burial. This reliquary, with the blessing of the bishop, is placed by the key under the throne in its middle pillar as at the base of the throne.
After placing the relics under the throne, the bishop, having anointed a particle of the relics with the Holy Myrrh, places it in the antimension and strengthens it with wax. After reading the prayer: “Lord God, Who also gives this glory,” the bishop, kneeling, reads a prayer for the creators of the temple (while kneeling and all the people). In these prayers, petitions are offered that the Lord would send down the grace of the Holy Spirit on us, grant unanimity and peace to everyone, and forgiveness of sins to the creators of the temple.
Closing prayers, short litany and dismissal. After this prayer, a small litany is said, after which the bishop and the clergy go to the place of the clouds (or to the sole). The protodeacon pronounces a short, intense litany. After the exclamation, the bishop overshadows those standing on all four sides with the cross three times, and the protodeacon on each side, before the overshadowing, exclaims (standing in front of the bishop): “Let us pray to the Lord, with all our faces,” and burns incense to the cross. The choir sings: “Lord, have mercy” (three times). Then follow the usual prayers preceding the dismissal, and the dismissal, which the bishop pronounces on the pulpit with a cross in his hands. The protodeacon proclaims many years. The bishop sprinkles holy water on the temple (on all four sides), the clergy and the people.
After the consecration of the temple, the (3rd and 6th) hours are immediately read and the Divine Liturgy is performed.
In the newly consecrated church, the liturgy must be performed for seven days in a row for the sake of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who from now on is always present in the church (Simeon of Thessalonica). The newly consecrated antimensions must also remain on the throne in the temple for 7 days.
CONSECTION OF THE TEMPLE BY THE PRIEST
The priest consecrates the temple through the position (on the throne) of the antimension with holy relics, consecrated and sent by the bishop. Therefore, during the consecration of a temple, the priest does not perform everything that relates to the consecration of the antimension; as a result, the rite itself is distinguished by greater brevity and less solemnity. Otherwise, the sacred rites during the consecration of a temple by a priest, with a few exceptions, are the same as those that occur during the consecration of a temple by a bishop.
Features when consecrating a temple by a priest. The priestly consecration of the temple differs from the bishop’s in that:
prayers for the confirmation of the throne, which were read by the bishop during the consecration of the antimension, are not read;
lower throne clothes (“srach And tsa") is tied with a rope (cord) around the throne simply, like a belt, and not crosswise;
instead of relics, an antimension is surrounded around the temple; Holy relics are not placed under the altar, but only the antimension is placed on it.
According to the ancient practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, which came to us from the Greek Church, during the consecration of the temple by the priest, the throne and walls of the temple were anointed with holy Myrrh, and only in the Synodal period, starting from1698 until 1903, this sacred act was forbidden to be performed by a priest, considering that only the bishop had the right to perform it.
But at the beginning of the 20th century. (since 1903) the ancient practice of consecrating the altar by a priest through anointing with Holy Chrism was again restored.
On the eve of the day of consecration, before the all-night vigil, at the local icon of the Savior, the priest places a paten with a consecrated antimension on the table, over which he places a star, and covers everything with air. A lamp is lit in front of the holy antimension and must burn all night.
In the altar, on a special table near the high place, sprinklers and stones for nailing and other items necessary for the consecration of the temple are placed.
A table is placed in the middle of the temple, and the sacred objects of the altar are placed on it: the clothes of the throne and altar, sacred vessels, the Gospel, the cross, the Holy Chrism and the pod, etc. (see more details in the Appendix).
In front of this table, on two lecterns, three consecrated icons are placed: the Savior, Mother of God and temple.
The all-night vigil is celebrated before these icons in the middle of the temple, and not in the altar. (The Royal Doors and the veil are closed.) All services are performed for renewal and the temple.
On the very day of the consecration of the temple, a small blessing of water is performed, after which the priests bring in holy water and a table from the holy. objects into the altar through the royal doors and place them right side throne.
The priests participating in the consecration of the temple must be dressed in full priestly vestments, over which they put on protective cuffs.
Having brought in the table, they close the royal doors, after which they begin to consecrate the throne and the temple.
Like the bishop's consecration of a temple, the rite of consecration of a temple by a priest includes:
arrangement of the throne (meal);
washing him and anointing him with holy Myrrh;
clothing the throne and the altar with robes;
consecration of the entire temple;
transfer of the antimins and its position on the throne;
closing prayer and short litany.
The structure of the throne. After the table with the priest is brought into the altar. objects, the royal doors and the curtain are closed. The priests take the top board of the future throne, the primate sprinkles it with holy water on both sides, without saying anything. The singers begin to sing Psalm 144. The board is installed on the pillars so that the holes drilled in it and in the pillars for nails coincide.
Wax is poured into the holes drilled for the nails and cleaned with knives. The singers sing the 22nd Psalm. They also bring four nails and place them at the meal. The primate sprinkles them with holy water and places them in the holes in the corners of the board. The priests, taking four stones, hammer nails into the pillars, thus attaching the table to its base.
Washing and consecration of the throne. Warm water is poured onto the altar, and the priests rub it with their hands, and then rub the meal with soap. Then water is poured again to wash off the soap and the throne is wiped with towels. The Primate again sprinkles holy water on the meal.
After this they bring red wine mixed with rose water; the primate pours crosswise on the meal three times (in the middle and on the sides a little below the middle). The priests, together with the primate, rub the wine with the rodostamina over the altar and rub it dry with sponges. (The singers sing Psalm 83.)
Finally, the primate anoints the throne with holy Chrism. (The singers sing Psalm 132.) According to ancient practice, the priest, consecrating the altar, anoints the table with a cross in the middle and at the four corners. At each anointing, the deacon says “Vonmem,” and the primate at each anointing says “Alleluia” three times.
After this is done vesting the throne and altar in their garments.
The primate sprinkles the lower garments of the throne (outside and inside) with holy water, and they put it on the throne; then he sprinkles the cord with holy water, and they tie it around the altar “simply” (Great Trebnik), that is, around the altar - in a circle, and not crosswise, as during the bishop’s consecration of the temple; Usually the primate holds the end of the cord in his hand at the upper right corner of the altar (in the place of the recess for the cord - at the end of the board), and the deacon encircles the altar with the cord three times, after which a knot is tied at the right pillar of the altar (Additional Breviary). At this time, Psalm 131 is read.
Then, while singing the 92nd Psalm, outer clothing sprinkled with holy water (“Indium”) is put on the throne. After this, the Gospel, the cross and the tabernacle are placed on the throne, with holy water sprinkled, and everything is covered with a shroud.
In the same way, with the sprinkling of holy water, they put clothes on the altar, and after consecration with holy water, sacred vessels and shrouds are placed on it, and covered with a shroud.
Consecration of the altar and the entire temple. Having finished dressing the throne and the altar, all the priests remove the cuffs. The royal doors are opened, and the primate and two other senior priests consecrate the altar and the entire temple. The rector, preceded by the deacon with a candle, censes the altar and the entire temple; the priests following him - one sprinkles holy water on the altar and the entire temple, and the second anoints the walls of the temple with Myrrh in a cross shape: above the high place, above the western, southern and northern doors of the temple. At this time, the singers sing the 25th Psalm.
After the consecration of the temple, entering the altar, the primate lights a candle with his own hands and places it in a high place near the altar. (Until now, not a single candle was lit in the altar).
Transfer of the antimins and its position on the throne. At this time, the altar cross and banners are placed in the middle of the temple. The priests take the Gospel, the cross and the temple icon, the deacons take the censer; the second priest takes the sprinkler. The primate proclaims: “We will go out in peace.” And all the clergy go to the middle of the temple (the younger ones are in front, as in a procession of the cross). The choir follows the banner bearers. The primate, going out onto the solea, censes the antimension lying on the paten in front of the icon of the Savior, bows, takes the paten with the antimension on his head and follows the procession around the temple. The second priest goes ahead of the procession and sprinkles holy water on the temple and people. The deacons, periodically turning around, incense the antimension worn by the primate at the head, and also incense the temple on its southern, northern and western sides.
During the circumambulation, the singers sing troparia: “Who is on the Stone of Faith,” “Holy Martyr,” “Glory to Thee, Christ God.”
When the procession reaches the western doors, the singers enter the temple and the doors are closed (or curtained). The primate removes the paten from his head, places it on the table in front of the church gates and venerates the relics three times. Four candles are burning at the corners of the table. (Those carrying the Gospel, cross, icons and banners stand at the table in front of the doors facing west.)
The primate, standing in front of the relics (antimins) facing the east, proclaims: “Blessed art thou, Christ our God...”. Singers (inside the temple): Amen.
After this, the primate says: “Lift up the gates, your princes, and lift up the eternal gates, and the King of glory will come in.” The singers respond to these words by singing: “Who is this King of glory?”
The primate, leaving the singers' question unanswered, reads the entrance prayers (one out loud, the other secretly).
After the prayer, the primate answers the question of the singers: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” The singers repeat the question: “Who is this King of glory?” The Primate again proclaims: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” After which, taking the paten, he blesses (the doors) crosswise with the paten with the antimension lying on it - the doors open, and everyone enters the temple while the singers sing the troparion: “Like the heavenly firmament is the splendor.”
The primate with all the clergy enters the altar and places an antimension on the throne, places the Holy Gospel on it and, having bowed, reads a prayer with kneeling. (The deacon exclaims: “Back and back on bended knee.”)
After the prayer, the deacon pronounces a small litany: “Intercede, save, have mercy, raise up and preserve us, O God,” and the priest pronounces a special exclamation: “For You are Holy, our God, and you rest upon the saints who suffered for You, the honorable martyrs...”
After the exclamation, the primate, taking the cross, goes out with the council of clergy to the middle of the temple. The deacon, standing before them, exclaims: “Let us pray to the Lord, with all our voices,” and censes the cross. Singers (and people): “Lord, have mercy” (3 times). The primate makes the sign of the cross three times to the east. Then, in the same order, it overshadows three times to the west, south and north. After this there is no release and many years; the primate and the clergy (and then the people) kiss the cross with sprinkling of holy water. Then the hours are read and the Divine Liturgy is served.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RITES INCLUDED IN THE RITE OF THE GREAT CONSECTION OF THE TEMPLE
The actions performed during the consecration of the temple have a mysterious sign and ancient origin. The rite of consecration begins with prayer and invocation of the Holy Spirit, because the altar is dedicated to the Almighty. The establishment of the throne spiritually indicates the indwelling of the Lord among believers for their sanctification. The throne board is supported by four nails to remind of the nailing of the Savior to the cross. The corners of the throne, marking the tomb of Christ, are fastened with a special fragrant composition (wax mastic), to signify the fragrant ointment with which Nicodemus and Joseph anointed the body of the Savior taken from the Cross. After the confirmation of the throne, its washing is performed, which is an ancient and sacred action. An example of the cleansing of the temple of God and the altar was prescribed in the Old Testament (Lev. 16, 16-20). The throne is washed first with warm water and soap, and then with rose water and red wine, in remembrance that the Church has been washed and sanctified by the Blood of Jesus Christ, which was typified by the sacrificial blood poured out by Moses on the altar at the consecration of the tabernacle (Lev. 8:24).
The Throne is anointed with Myrrh as a sign of the outpouring of God's grace. Confirmation of the throne and the temple has been used since ancient times. God Himself commanded Moses to consecrate the altar in the tabernacle with anointing oil, and Moses anointed the altar and consecrated it (Numbers 7:1).
After anointing the throne, two clothes are placed on it, corresponding to the spiritual significance of the throne as the Holy Sepulcher and the Throne of the King of Heaven. The lower garment is girded with a rope to remind of the bonds with which the Savior was bound and brought to the high priests Annas and Caiaphas.
After the consecration of the throne, altar and utensils, the entire temple is sanctified by incense, prayer, sprinkling of holy water and anointing the walls of the temple with holy Myrrh. The bishop's chopping of the entire temple depicts the glory of God, in the form of a cloud covering the Old Testament sanctuary (Ex. 40, 34; 1 Kings 8, 10). The anointing of the walls with Myrrh marks the consecration of the temple by the grace of God.
After the spiritual council returns to the altar, the bishop reads a prayer, lights the first candle with his own hands, and places it near the altar in a high place. A lit candle indicates that the throne has become the true altar of Christ, and depicts the Church of Christ, shining with the light of grace and giving light to the whole world.
After the consecration of the temple, there is a solemn procession of the cross with holy relics around the temple or to another, nearby temple to transfer the relics to the newly consecrated temple. This last action means that the grace of consecration is transferred and taught through the first temples and that the new temple is dedicated to the patronage and protection of the holy intercessors of the former temple. So in the Old Testament, during the consecration of the Temple of Solomon, the arks of the covenant were removed from the tabernacle and placed in the Holy of Holies. The bringing of the relics (or the antimension with the relics) means the dedication of the temple to the Most High forever, and their bringing into the temple marks the entry into the newly created church of the King of glory Jesus Christ Himself, who rests among the saints. During this procession, the outer walls of the temple are sprinkled with holy water.
Before bringing the relics into the temple, the bishop places the paten with the relics on a special table in front of the closed gates of the temple and proclaims: “Take up the gates, your princes,” and so on. And the singers inside the temple sing: “Who is this King of glory?” These words of the psalm, according to the explanation of St. Justin the Martyr and St. John Chrysostom, are related to the circumstances of the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. When Christ ascended into heaven, then the highest ranks of angels established by God were commanded to open the gates of heaven, so that the King of glory, the Son of God, the Lord of heaven and earth, would enter and, having ascended, sit at the right hand of the Father. But the Heavenly Powers, seeing their Lord in human form, asked in horror and bewilderment: “Who is this King of glory?” And the Holy Spirit answered them: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” And now, when at the entrance to the consecrated temple, which marks heaven, with holy relics or antimins, these words are pronounced, before the eyes of Christians the same event, which was witnessed by the inhabitants of heaven, is repeated. The King of Glory enters the temple with the holy relics, on which, according to the faith of the Church, the glory of the Crucified One, “resting among the saints,” rests invisibly.
Holy relics are brought into the altar and placed under the altar, or in the antimensions, on the basis that in the first three centuries Christians performed divine services on the tombs of the martyrs, through whose blood the Church was founded, established and strengthened throughout the world. On the Seventh Ecumenical Council it was determined that churches should be consecrated only with the placement of the relics of martyrs in them (7 rights).
ANCIENTITY OF TEMPLE CONSECTION
The consecration of the temple and its dedication to God is an ancient and everlasting custom of the Church of God. Patriarch Jacob consecrated a stone for the house of God by pouring a libation of oil on it (Gen. 28: 16-22). Moses, at the command of God, consecrated the tabernacle and its accessories (Gen. 40:9). Solomon consecrated the temple he had newly created and celebrated the consecration for seven days (2 Chron. 7, 8-9). After the captivity of Babylon, the Jews under Ezra renovated the second temple (1 Ezra 6:16), and after the cleansing of the temple from the persecution of Antiochus, they established the annual seven-day festival of Renewal. The tabernacle and temple were consecrated by bringing in the ark of the covenant and the singing of the holy. song, sacrifice, pouring out sacrificial blood on the altar, anointing with oil, prayer and a national holiday (Ex. 40; 1 Kings 8 ch.).
During the period of persecution, Christians usually built churches over the tombs of martyrs, by which the temples were already consecrated, but there could not yet be a solemn and open consecration of churches. Temples had to be built with the blessing of the bishop. Thus, the custom, which later received the force of law, gradually established the custom of consecrating places of prayer meetings of Christians by placing relics in churches and by episcopal blessing. When, with the multiplication of churches, the bishops did not have the opportunity to consecrate all the churches themselves, they consecrated only the throne, or its top board, and left the consecration of the building itself to the presbyters. This served as the beginning for the construction of portable thrones, which were already in the troops of Constantine the Great, and then antimins.
The solemn and open consecration of churches began with the end of the persecution of Christians. During the time of Constantine the Great, the consecration of churches was already an ordinary matter and was performed solemnly, with the participation of a council of bishops. Thus, the temple erected by Constantine the Great in Jerusalem at the tomb of the Savior was consecrated by a council of bishops, whom Constantine the Great convened for this purpose first in Tire, and then in Jerusalem in 335 (September 13). Likewise, the temple in Antioch, founded by Constantine the Great and completed by his son Constantius, was consecrated by the Council of Antioch in 341.
The most important actions in the consecration of churches were: the erection of a cross at the site of the throne; anointing the walls with sacred oil and sprinkling the walls with holy water; reading prayers and singing psalms. From the 4th century. The prayer of St. Ambrose of Milan for the consecration of the temple has been preserved to us, similar to the current prayer pronounced at the consecration of the temple after the establishment of the throne.
ABOUT THE SMALL CONSECTION OF THE TEMPLE
The rite of the great consecration of a temple through the placement of relics or a consecrated antimension in it occurs not only after the creation of the church, but also when:
the church is desecrated by pagan or heretical violence (Teaching Notice in the Service Book) and
when, during the repair and restoration of the temple, the throne is damaged or shaken. This consecration of the temple is also called great.
In addition to this rite, there is the rite of small consecration of the temple. It is performed in the case when, during the repair of the temple inside the altar, the altar was not damaged and was not moved from its place. In this case, it is prescribed, without making a great consecration of the temple, to sprinkle holy water on the altar on all sides, then on the altar and the entire temple. To do this, a small consecration of the water is usually performed, after which two prayers are read for the “renewal of the temple” (Bolshoi Trebnik, chapter 93). One of them: “Lord our God” is the same one that is read at the end of the great consecration.
Minor consecration of the temple also occurs when the altar is desecrated only by the touch of unconsecrated hands (as, for example, during a threatening fire), or when the temple has been desecrated by some uncleanness that violates the shrine, or human blood has been shed in the church, or someone has died. here by violent death. In these cases, special prayers are read “for the opening of the church” (Great Trebnik, chapters 40, 41 and 42).
Patriarch Tarasius of Constantinople owns the “Prayer for the opening of the temple from the desecrated heretic,” written by him after the restoration of icon veneration for the cleansing of churches desecrated by the wickedness of the iconoclasts.
CONSECTION OF INDIVIDUAL CHURCH ICONS AND THINGS PERFORMED NOT AT THE CONSECTION OF THE TEMPLE
When the temple is consecrated, all its accessories are consecrated, including the iconostasis and other icons located in the temple.
Church icons and things new or renewed are consecrated separately before their use in an already consecrated church. In the Additional Trebnik (and in the 2nd part of the Trebnik in 2 parts) there are special rites for the consecration of the iconostasis, individual icons, several icons together, the cross, church vessels and clothes, vestments of the throne and other newly constructed utensils for the temple.
The consecration of these sacred objects and icons is carried out according to the following rite.
The things to be blessed are placed on a table in the middle of the church. The priest, having put on the epitrachelion and phelonion, proceeds through the royal doors to the table and, looking at it from all sides, begins as usual: “Blessed is our God.”
Singers: “Amen. Heavenly King." Then the Trisagion is read according to Our Father, Lord have mercy (12 times) and a special psalm, depending on which saints. objects are sanctified. After the psalm: Glory even now. Alleluia (three times).
The priest reads special prayers for the consecration of a given icon or thing and after the prayer sprinkles it with holy water three times, saying each time:
“These vessels (or these clothes, or this icon, or this image) are sanctified by the grace of the Most Holy Spirit, by sprinkling this holy water, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.” If an icon is consecrated, then the corresponding troparion is sung in honor of the person depicted on the icon.
After this, the priest administers the dismissal.
In the prayer read at the consecration of the cross, the Church prays to the Lord to bless and sanctify the sign of the cross and to fill with the strength and blessings of the tree on which the most pure body of the Lord was nailed.
During the consecration of the icons of the Lord, a prayer is offered for the blessing and consecration of the icons of the Lord and the granting of healing power to them and for the fulfillment of their blessing and the strength of the Image Not Made by Hands.
When blessing the icons of the Most Holy Theotokos, a prayer is read to the Lord, incarnate from the Ever-Virgin Mary, for the blessing and consecration of the icon and for giving it the power and strength of miraculous action.
When blessing the icons of saints, a prayer is said for the blessing and consecration of the images in honor and memory of the holy saints of God, so that the faithful, looking at them, glorify God, who glorified them, and try to imitate the life and deeds of the saints.
“The priests take the table of the meal, and the leader sprinkles holy water on the pillars or the single pillar, without saying anything, and strengthens the table of the meal, like a mold, and washes himself with warm water... and waters it with Rodostamna (“goulaf water”), whether there is wine or not, I mean wine. The initial priest will also anoint St. meal in Peace. The holy table will be anointed with the great Holy Myrrh: he will create a cross in the middle of the table of the refectory, and on the four corners of the cross he will create” (Officer of His Holiness Cyrus Paisius, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria. Translation into Slavic language, sheet 12; see also Great Book of Breviaries Kyiv, 1862).
See Church. Gazette 1903, No. 39, Article 1500, part unofficial. Wed. Great Trebnik. Kyiv. 1862; Official. M. 1798; Trebnik, 1677. In the Official Book of Paisius, Patriarch of Alexandria, translated. to the glory Yaz, it is said: “The (priest) also sprinkles the altar and the entire church with St. with water and anoints with Myrrh - first to the east, on the altar wall above the high place. The second is above the western doors, cross-shaped on the walls” (sheet 12).
“Princes” are the upper doorposts. The meaning of these words is: “Doors, lift up your heads, lift up the eternal doors, for the King of glory (Lord) is coming in.”
There are no prayers listed in the Trebnik for the consecration of the Gospel. The Gospel, as the word of God, is holy, and therefore it is not sanctified. Only the new binding with icons of the Holy Gospel is consecrated according to the rite of consecration of various icons (see Additional Breviary).
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On Tuesday, October 21, the annual Consecrated Council of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church opened on Rogozhsky. We publish below his decisions, comments from the official website and our observations.
His Eminence Metropolitan Korniliy goes to the Council, accompanied by clergy and laity
For the first time, the meeting was held not in one of the churches of Rogozhskaya Sloboda, but in the cathedral hall of the recently restored House of Clergy.
The Pricht House received so many guests for the first time As an update to the article, here are the published on the official site decisions of the Council, and below we will place our vision of how it took place, as well as the corresponding story of the Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Decisions of the Consecrated Council of the Russian Orthodox Church
1. About candidates for bishops.
1.1. Submit the candidacy of Priest Sergius Chalovsky (Ust-Kamenogorsk) for approval by the Council of Bishops.
1.2. To propose to His Eminence Metropolitan Korniliy to consider the possibility of ordaining Reader Georgy Zakalyukin (Pristan), Reader Vsevolod Stanichev (Moscow), and Ustanovnik Alexander Antonov (Bor) as deacons.
1.3. Invite His Grace Bishop Siluyan to consider the possibility of ordaining Reader Vasily Korobeinikov (Tomsk), Reader Dimitry Pronin (Krasnoyarsk).
2. About communion. Current practices and violations.
2.1. Take note of the report of His Eminence Bishop Siluyan.
2.2. Encourage the laity to receive communion at least once a year with appropriate preparation, after personal confession and a blessing from the spiritual father before each communion.
3.1. The composition of the Council of Deans will be formed by His Eminence Euthymius, Bishop of Kazan-Vyatka.
3.2. The decisions of the Council of Deans are approved by the Council of the Metropolis, and, if necessary, submitted to the Consecrated Council.
3.3. The Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolis is to publish the approved Decisions of the Council of Deans in church periodicals.
4. About changing the boundaries of dioceses.
4.1. Remove the territory of the Republic of Mordovia from the Kazan-Vyatka diocese and include it in the Samara and Saratov diocese.
4.2. Continue consideration of the issue of diocesan affiliation of the territory of Crimea at the next Consecrated Council.
5. About the spiritual care of Old Believers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
5.1. Bring the issue of caring for the Old Believers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to a joint bishops' meeting with the Belokrinitsky Metropolis.
6. About the situation in Uralsk.
6.1. Encourage Christians to do pilgrimage trips to the relics of St. Arseny, Bishop of Ural (Uralsk), and also make donations for the community of Uralsk to support the temple in which the relics of the saint rest.
7. About the situation in the Nativity of Christ parish in Sydney, Australia.
7.1. To ask His Eminence Metropolitan Cornelius to send a priest to temporarily care for the Nativity of Christ community in Sydney.
7.2. To ask His Eminence Euthymius, Bishop of Kazan-Vyatka, to consider the possibility of ordaining Deacon Valery Timofeev as a priest.
8. About the situation in Chuvashia.
8.1. Take note of the message from Deacon Valery Timofeev.
9. About the appeal of Metropolitan Leonty for the return of the staff of Metropolitan Ambrose.
9.1. To propose to His Eminence Leonty, Archbishop of Belokrinitsky and all ancient Orthodox Christians, the Metropolitan, to consider at the General Council of the two Metropolises the question of the permanent residence of the rod and relics of St. Ambrose, Metropolitan of Belokrinitsky.
10. About the situation in the Far Eastern diocese.
10.1. Take note of the report of His Eminence Patermufios, Bishop of Irkutsk-Amur and all Far East.
10.2. Divide the Irkutsk-Amur and the entire Far East diocese into Irkutsk-Transbaikal and Khabarovsk and the entire Far East.
10.3. Include in the Irkutsk-Transbaikal diocese: Irkutsk region, Republic of Buryatia, Chita region, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Amur region.
10.4. Include the dioceses of Khabarovsk and the entire Far East: Primorsky Territory, Khabarovsk Territory, Magadan Region, Jewish Autonomous Region, Chukotka autonomous region, Kamchatka region, Sakhalin region.
10.5. Appoint His Eminence Bishop Patermufiy as the ruling bishop of the Irkutsk-Transbaikal diocese.
10.6. To entrust Metropolitan Cornelius with the temporary care of the Irkutsk-Amur diocese and the entire Far East.
11. On the norms of representation at the Council.
11.1. All serving priests and deacons are considered delegates of the Consecrated Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
11.2. Establish a norm of representation at the Consecrated Council for the laity: one delegate from each community.
11.2. Invite one delegate from significant church organizations and departments of the Metropolis to the Consecrated Council with the blessing of the Metropolitan.
12. On the financial situation of the Metropolis.
12.1. Take note of the message from the Chief Accountant of the Metropolis N.E. Smirnova.
13. About the situation in the Ukrainian diocese.
13.1. Take note of the report of His Eminence Savatius, Archbishop of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
13.2. Call on Christians to intensify prayer for peace in Ukraine and collect charitable assistance for those affected by the conflict.
13.3. Call on Christians to assist refugees from the conflict zone.
14. On amendments to the charter of the diocese.
14.1. State clause 1.1 of the charter of the Kazan-Vyatka Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church in the following wording: “Name: Religious organization Kazan-Vyatka Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church.”
14.2. In the standard statutes of the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, use the following name of the diocese: “Religious organization (name) diocese of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church.” Adopt the model charter of the diocese in a new edition.
15. On amendments to the standard community charter.
15.1. Provide a standard community charter. in accordance with the requirements of current legislation.
15.2. For the period between the Consecrated Councils, transfer to the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' the authority to approve changes to the charters of dioceses and local religious organizations in accordance with the requirements of the justice authorities.
16. About the service of black clergy in secular parishes and the service of widowed priests.
16.1. Take note of the report of Priest Gleb Bobkov.
17. About the attitude towards barbering.
17.1. Call on bishops and spiritual fathers to pay attention to appearance Christians, including clergy, forcing them, including with appropriate punishments, to observe church canons on the inadmissibility of the sins of barber shaving and hair cutting.
17.2. Do not allow those susceptible to these sins to enter the Holy Altar.
17.3. Remind pastors of the Council Resolution of 1908: “Recognizing barber shaving as a sin and a heretical act, the Consecrated Council makes it an indispensable duty for priests to convince with all care those subject to this vice to leave it, and if they do not listen, then, according to what the Apostle said, after the second and third suggestion, to excommunicate such people from Communion and other sacred things, at the discretion of the priest.”
17.4. Call on the communities and the mandate commission of the Consecrated Council to more accurately implement paragraph 6.2 of the resolutions of the Consecrated Council of 2007: “Persons of clearly vicious behavior and appearance cannot be elected to the Consecrated Council” and not allow barbers to attend the Consecrated Council.
Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' CORNELIUS
Archbishop of Kyiv and All Ukraine SAVATIY
Bishop of Novosibirsk and All Siberia SILUYAN
Bishop of Don and Caucasus ZOSIMA
Bishop of Chisinau and all Moldavia EUMENIUS
Bishop of Irkutsk-Transbaikal PATERMUFIY
Bishop of Yaroslavl-Kostroma VIKENTY
Bishop of Kazan-Vyatka EUTHEMY
At the beginning of the first day, delegates who came from all over the world discussed the agenda of the Council, and after lunch they began to consider the approved list of issues on the merits.
Delegates of the Consecrated Council in the new hall of the cathedrals of the House of Priests. Photo by Father Alexey Lopatin, www.rpsc.ru The path to the second floor was blocked by Cossacks from the Rogozh Cossack village.
At the entrance in the cold, almost the entire staff of the DCH BI, which had gone into discord, was on duty, whose letter with an appeal to the cathedral members with a request to “repent” was once again submitted for consideration.
Representatives of the DCH BI, “recognizing the Belokrinitsky hierarchy” When he saw me, Father Alexander Chernogor promised to soon submit a refutation to the investigation of the site, which we are now looking forward to...
For seven years now, the tireless fighters for the “purity of Orthodoxy” cannot imagine life without those from whom they separated... The meeting of the first day ended after 20:00, ordinary participants headed for a meal, and the bishops proceeded to the building of the Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church for the Bishops' Council.
In addition to the Consecrated Council, bishops also participate in the Council of Bishops and the Bishops' Court Many, even from afar, arrived in Moscow for personal transport, since the Council is also an occasion to buy books, church literature and calendars for the next year.
Foreign cars on Rogozhsky are not a sign of prosperity, but a consequence of the death of the domestic automobile industry Last year, one of the bishops, together with a local priest, arrived in a very “seasoned” 9th model Zhiguli, and this year he was seen driving a budget Renault with plastic upholstery. The rest of the cars also represented the middle and lower middle class, which, although depressing, arouses great respect.
This year the Church of the Intercession was given over to worshipers, of whom there were also more than usual. Consecrated Cathedral. Results of the first day. RPSC.RU
In the spiritual center of the Moscow Metropolis, which is on Rogozhsky, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Cornelius of Moscow and All Rus', the annual Consecrated Council of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church is being held these days. 171 delegates arrived at the council, 69 of them were laymen.
Bishops at the Consecrated Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. photo by Father Alexey Lopatin, www.rpsc.ru The dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church at the opening Council are represented by eight bishops: Metropolitan Cornelius of Moscow and All Rus', Archbishop Savatiy of Kiev and All Ukraine, Bishop Siluyan of Novosibirsk and All Siberia, Bishop Zosima of the Don and Caucasus, Bishop Evmeniy of Chisinau and All Moldova, Bishop of Yaroslavl and Kostroma Vincent, Bishop of Irkutsk-Amur and the entire Far East Patermufius, Bishop of Kazan-Vyatka Euthymius.
Throughout the day, Rogozhsky was quiet and deserted For the first time, the meetings of the Council are held in the new cathedral hall of the restored building of the House of Clergy. The opening of the meeting, according to tradition, was preceded by a prayer service to the Most Holy Trinity in the Intercession Cathedral, then His Eminence Metropolitan Cornelius made a report to the cathedral members.
Report of His Eminence Metropolitan Cornelius at the Consecrated Council in 2014. Photo by Father Alexey Lopatin, www.rpsc.ru In his report, Bishop Cornelius spoke about the results of church life and the activities of the Metropolis over the past year. In particular, the bishop noted that this year considerable attention was paid to familiarizing himself with the situation on the ground, resolving issues in the life of communities and dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. Since the last Council, archpastoral trips have been made to the territories of most of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church. During these visits, meetings of dioceses, the consecration of churches, the ordination of clergy, and the resolution of other issues of local church life were organized. During this year, five priestly ordinations, two deacons, and one elevation to the rank of archpriest were performed in the Russian Orthodox Church.
On September 29, 2013, in the city of Khmelnitsky (Ukraine), Metropolitan Cornelius of Moscow and All Rus', together with Archbishop Savatiy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, consecrated a newly built church in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George.
On October 24, 2014, in memory of the Apostle Philip, a new church was consecrated in the village of Egorovka (Moldova) in honor of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The rite of consecration and the divine liturgy were led by Metropolitan Cornelius and Bishop Evmeniy of Chisinau and All Moldavia.
On May 11, 2014, the church was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas, the miracle worker of Myra-Lycia, in the city of Kovrov, Vladimir region. This church was built at the beginning of the 20th century and was recently transferred to the Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church.
On June 5, 2014, the consecration of the temple took place in the village of Ilet, Republic of Mari El. The rite of consecration was performed by His Grace Evfimy (Dubinov), Bishop of Kazan-Vyatka.
On August 17, 2014, the consecration of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary took place in the city of Morshansk, Tambov region.
This year for the first time in the newest church history a trip was made by the Primate of the Church to parishes with shrines, dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh. The icon with a particle of the relics of the saint visited the city of Bor, Nizhny Novgorod region, the Kostroma and Yaroslavl diocese - the cities of Kostroma, Rybinsk, and the Old Believer Nikolo-Uleiminsky monastery.
Many meetings were also held with federal officials, regional and municipal leaders. One of the most significant meetings of this kind took place on October 29, 2013 in the city of Kazan. At a meeting with the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov, Bishop Korniliy discussed the completion of the restoration of the Kazan Cathedral, the main church of the Kazan-Vyatka diocese.
On April 24, 2014, at the invitation of the Presidential Administration, Metropolitan Korniliy of Moscow and All Rus' took part in a meeting of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation.
On July 28, a meeting took place with the Governor of the Altai Territory, Alexander Bogdanovich Karlin. Issues regarding the completion of construction were discussed. Old Believer Church in Barnaul.
At the end of the report, the Bishop blessed those gathered to begin the work of the Consecrated Council. In the first half of the day, the participants of the Council elected leaders - Fr. Nikola Dumnov and Fr. Gennady Chunin and approved the agenda. Among the issues discussed are the following:
Agenda for the Council:
– About candidates for bishops
- About communion. Existing practices and violations (report by His Grace Bishop Siluyan of Novosibirsk and all Siberia)
– On the procedure for forming the Council of Deans and approving its decisions (report by His Grace Bishop Euthymius of Kazan-Vyatka)
– On changing the boundaries of dioceses: on the transfer of the Republic of Mordovia from the Kazan-Vyatka diocese to the Samara and Saratov diocese (report by His Grace Bishop Euthymius of Kazan-Vyatka)
– On the diocesan affiliation of the territory of the Republic of Crimea
– On the financial situation of the Metropolis
– About the situation in Uralsk
– About the situation in the Nativity of Christ parish in Sydney, Australia
– About the state of affairs in the parishes of Chuvashia
– On amendments to the charter of the diocese
– On the spiritual nourishment of Old Believers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
– On the situation in the Ukrainian diocese (report by Archbishop Savatiy)
– On the situation in the Far Eastern diocese (report by His Eminence Bishop Patermufius)
– On the ministry of black clergy in secular parishes and the ministry of widowed priests
– On the attitude towards barbering
– On the norms of representation at the Council
Second day meeting:
The second meeting of the delegates of the Consecrated Council of the Russian Orthodox Church opened on the morning of October 22. Several issues on the agenda were devoted to the borders of dioceses located in the territories of Mordovia, the Far East and the Republic of Crimea.
The question of church care for Mordovia did not cause any difficulties. The Council decided to withdraw the territory of the Republic of Mordovia from the Kazan-Vyatka diocese and include it in the Samara and Saratov diocese.
A lengthy discussion among council members was caused by the discussion of the church-canonical borders of the Republic of Crimea. The fact is that after this peninsula joins Russia, the boundaries of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church must also change. However, at the Council it was decided that the problem of annexing this region was complex and depended on many political circumstances. As a result of the discussion, it was decided to postpone the discussion of this issue to the next Consecrated Council.
The discussion of the situation in the Irkutsk-Amur diocese also became difficult. Bishop of the diocese, Bishop Patermufy (Artemikhin) and rector of the Khabarovsk parish, Fr. Alexander Chukalenko was told that the diocese needs to significantly intensify work to strengthen existing communities and create new ones. Due to the enormous distances between the cities, representatives of the diocese petitioned the Council for its division in order to more efficiently manage the church areas. The Council met the requests of delegates from the Far East and decided to create two new church regions in place of the Irkutsk-Amur diocese: Irkutsk-Transbaikal and Khabarovsk and the entire Far East diocese. The Council decided to include in the first diocese: the Irkutsk region, the Republic of Buryatia, the Chita region, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and the Amur region. The Khabarovsk diocese included the Primorsky Territory, the Khabarovsk Territory, the Magadan Region, the Jewish Autonomous Region, the Chukotka Autonomous District, the Kamchatka Region, and the Sakhalin Region.
The next item on the agenda was a discussion of the current situation of the Old Believer community in the city of Uralsk (Kazakhstan). Archpriest Valery Shabashov spoke about the difficult situation of the community of this ancient center of the Old Believers. On the one hand, the city has a large temple with a shrine of a recently canonized Old Believer saint - St. Arseny of Ural, who is revered by almost all residents of the city. On the other hand, the maintenance of this temple is very expensive, and the community is on the verge of ruin. O. Valery called for the creation of a fund to help this community. The consecrated Council called on all children of the Church to make pilgrimage trips to the relics of St. Arseny, Bishop of Ural (Uralsk), and also to make donations for the community of Uralsk to support the temple in which the relics of the saint rest.
A separate issue on the agenda was the spiritual care of Old Believers living in the Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Groups of Christians of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy are located in various regions of this region; the largest registered community in the Baltics is considered to be the parish in the city of Jekabpils, where Fr. Vasily Volkov, ordained by Archbishop Sophrony (Belokrinitsky Metropolis). The council members decided to bring the issue of caring for the Old Believers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to a joint bishops' meeting with the Belokrinitsky Metropolis.
A similar decision was made regarding the appeal of the Spiritual Council of the Belokrinitsky Metropolis, which expresses a request to return the bishop's staff, which once belonged to St. Ambrose, the founder of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy. The Council proposed to consider the question of the permanent location of the staff of St. Ambrose, as well as his relics, transferred in the late 90s from Trieste to Braila - at the General Council of the two Metropolises.
Then the discussion began on the question of the norms of representation at the Consecrated Councils. This topic was preceded by a speech by Bishop Cornelius, in which he noted the absence of clergy at the Council who were not rectors of churches. The Bishop noted that not only the rector, but all priests and deacons should be delegates to the Council and represent at the Council the communities in which they serve. The councilors supported the metropolitan's proposal, allowing all clergy without exception to attend the Consecrated Councils. A standard of representation was established for the laity - one delegate from each community.
The third day of the Consecrated Council opened with a discussion of the situation in the Kyiv and all Ukraine diocese. Brief story the situation in the diocese was spoken by Archbishop Savatiy of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The Bishop noted that the situation in Ukraine is very tense, but the Old Believers are not touched, since their influence on social life not much.
Then a parishioner of the Intercession Old Believer Cathedral on Rogozhsky A.V. spoke. Sidyakin. He spoke about his trip to the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. As it turned out, the Old Believer community in the village. The settlement is now located in a war zone. Almost every day there is massive artillery shelling in the area. However, thanks to the constant prayer of the village residents in the church and the almost daily liturgy in the Assumption Church, none of the Old Believers of the village died, although in the surrounding villages everything was destroyed and there were many casualties. Famine is gradually setting in in the village, since it is impossible to work in the fields due to shelling and mining. Sidyakin proposed to start collecting humanitarian aid for disadvantaged residents of the Lugansk region. This proposal of his was supported by the Consecrated Council.
Representatives of Old Believer communities from Western Ukraine also spoke. They said that the situation in the communities themselves is calm, but some political forces are trying to involve the Old Believers in this civil conflict. For the most part, Old Believers, like other residents of Bukovina and the Danube region, have no desire to participate in the civil war. They do not understand the goals and meaning of this bloody confrontation. At the end of the discussion, the Consecrated Council called on Christians to intensify prayer for peace in Ukraine and to collect charitable assistance for those affected by the conflict.
Then the councilors listened to the request of representatives of the Kazan diocese, which has state registration. In recent years, authorities have put forward new requirements for the registration of documents of religious communities. To harmonize the statutory documents in accordance with the norms of Russian legislation, it is necessary to make certain changes to the very name of the diocese. The Council blessed to change the name of the Old Believer dioceses. Now it is formulated as follows: “Religious organization (name) diocese of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church.” It was also decided to bring the standard community charter into compliance with the requirements of current legislation.
The last issue of the third day of the Council was a discussion of the sin of barber shaving. During the long and difficult discussion, many opinions were expressed. There were proposals to recognize barber shaving (as well as barber cutting) as heresy and to deprive those who sin of this sin of the right to enter the choir or approach the cross. Other participants in the Council spoke about the inadmissibility of such harsh measures.
As a result of the discussion, the Council reminded those shaving or trimming their beards and mustaches about the decree of 1908, which allows spiritual fathers to excommunicate such people, according to reasoning, from any church shrine, and decided not to allow those susceptible to these sins to enter the holy altar.
