Saint Aleksandra, su-pru-ga im-pe-ra-to-ra Dio-kli-ti-a-na, was a secret chri-sti-an-koy. Seeing the firmness of the faith of St. George during his torment, she decided to open the witness about his faith in Jesus Christ. She went to the place where St. Ge-or-gia, fell to the feet of the ve-li-to-mu-che-ni-ka and announced herself in front of everyone as a Christian. The embittered Dio-kli-ti-an drove Tsa-ri-tsu to death. Saint Alexandra courageously accepted this speech and meekly went to the place of execution, praying for casting your gaze to the sky. On the way, she, having become tired, woke up and again allowed her to rest a little. Leaning against the wall of a building, she quietly died. Her peaceful end after April 21, 303, but they commemorate her one day since the Great -ko-mu-che-ni-kom Ge-or-gi-em, 23 ap-re-la according to the church-cov-no-mu ka-len-da-ryu.
The Complete Life of the Martyr Alexandra, Roman Empress
Holy Tsar Aleksandra, about my supposed death, someone was for-pi-sa-but in the holy acts of -th Ge-or-gia, created immediately after his death, s-up-to-beat, one-on-one, much-nothing- a crown a few years later, in 314.
Over the years, many events have happened. Im-pe-ra-tor Dio-kli-ti-an in 305 resigned from the throne, and power passed to his co-grand-vi-te-lyu Mak -si-mi-a-nu Ga-le-riu (305-311), fa-na-ti-ku of the language, rude-bo-mu and same-to-wo-and-nu . His wife was the daughter of the holy queen Alek-san-dra - the holy mu-che-ni-tsa Va-le-ria, whom Dio-kli-ti-an you married her against her will back in the years of your reign. Saint Alexandra raised her daughter in Christian goodness. When Ga-le-riy died, the em-per-ra-tor Mak-si-min began to reach out for her hand. Having received a refusal, he sent Saint Va-le-ria to Syria, where she lived with her mother. After the death of Mak-si-mi-n in 313, mother and daughter arrived in Niko-mi-dia, hoping at the mercy of them-per-ra- to-ra Li-ki-niya (313-324). Together with the holy equal of Tsar Kon-stan-ti-n, he signed the Edict of Milan, which was granted to the -sti-a-we have freedom of faith, but secretly remained an enemy of Christianity. Li-ki-niy came to the Kaz-thread of the holy queen Alek-san-dru and her daughter Va-le-ria. They were decapitated, and they were thrown into the sea.
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Most often, the day of remembrance of a saint is the day of his earthly death, i.e. transition to eternity, meeting with God, to join Whom the ascetic sought.
How to determine the name day
In the church calendar there are several days of commemoration of the same saint, and many saints also bear the same name. Therefore, it is necessary to find in the church calendar the day of remembrance of the saint of the same name as you, closest to your birthday. These will be your name days, and the saint whose memory is remembered on this day will be your heavenly patron. If he has other days of memory, then for you these dates will become “small name days”.
If we want to name a child strictly according to church tradition, then it will be the name of a saint, whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day after the child’s birth. Cm.
When determining a name day, the date of canonization of a saint does not matter, because it only records a fait accompli. In addition, as a rule, it is performed dozens of years after the saint’s transition to the heavenly abodes.
The name received by a person at baptism not only remains unchanged throughout his life (the only exception is the case of accepting monasticism), but also remains after death and passes with him into eternity. In prayers for the deceased, he also remembers their names given in baptism.
Name day and Angel Day
Sometimes name days are called Angel Day. This name day name recalls the fact that in the old days heavenly patrons were sometimes called the Angels of their earthly namesakes; It is incorrect, however, to confuse saints with angels. Name day is the day of remembrance of the saint after whom a person is named, and Angel Day is the day of baptism, when a person is assigned by God. Each baptized person has his own Guardian Angel, but we do not know his name.
Veneration and imitation of one's patron saint
The saint wrote about the prayerful help of the saints: “The saints, in the Holy Spirit, see our lives and our deeds. They know our sorrows and hear our fervent prayers... The saints do not forget us and pray for us... They also see the suffering of people on earth. The Lord gave them such great grace that they embrace the whole world with love. They see and know how exhausted we are from sorrows, how our souls have dried up, how despondency has bound them, and, without ceasing, they intercede for us before God.”
Veneration of a saint consists not only of praying to him, but also of imitating his feat and his faith. “Let your life be according to your name,” said the monk. After all, the saint whose name a person bears is not just his patron and prayer book, he is also a role model.
But how can we imitate our saint, how can we at least follow his example in some way? To do this you need:
- First, know about his life and exploits. Without this, we cannot truly love our saint.
- Secondly, we need to turn to them in prayer more often, know the troparion for him and always remember that we have a protector and helper in heaven.
- Thirdly, of course, we must always think about how we could follow the example of our saint in one case or another.
According to the nature of Christian deeds, saints are traditionally divided into faces (categories): prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, saints, righteous, holy fools, saints, etc. (see).
The person named confessor or martyr, may well fearlessly profess his faith, act as a Christian always and in everything, without looking back at dangers or inconveniences, in everything he pleases, first of all, God, and not people, regardless of ridicule, threats and even oppression.
Those named after saints, can try to imitate them, exposing errors and vices, spreading the light of Orthodoxy, helping their neighbors find the path to salvation both by word and by their own example.
Reverend(i.e. monks) can be imitated in detachment, independence from worldly pleasures, maintaining purity of thoughts, feelings and actions.
Imitate holy fool- means, first of all, to humble yourself, cultivate selflessness, and not get carried away by acquiring earthly riches. The continuation should be the education of will and patience, the ability to endure the difficulties of life, the fight against pride and vanity. You also need the habit of meekly enduring all insults, but at the same time not being shy about exposing obvious vices, telling the truth to everyone who needs admonition.
Names in honor of Angels
A person can also be named in honor of (Michael, Gabriel, etc.). Christians named after the archangels celebrate their name day (November 8, Old Style), on the day of the Celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers.
If the name is not in the calendar
If the name you were given is not in the calendar, then at baptism the name that is closest in sound is chosen. For example, Dina - Evdokia, Lilia - Leah, Angelica - Angelina, Zhanna - Joanna, Milana - Militsa. According to tradition, Alice receives the name Alexandra in baptism, in honor of St. passion-bearer Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, who before accepting Orthodoxy bore the name Alice. Some names in the church tradition have a different sound, for example, Svetlana is Photinia (from the Greek photos - light), and Victoria is Nike, both names mean “victory” in Latin and Greek.
Only the names given at baptism are written.
How to celebrate a name day
Orthodox Christians on their name days visit the temple and, having prepared in advance, visit the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
The days of “small name days” are not so solemn for the birthday person, but it is advisable to visit the temple on this day.
After communion, you need to keep yourself from all fuss so as not to lose your festive joy. In the evening, you can invite your loved ones for a meal. It should be remembered that if the name day falls on a fast day, then the holiday treat should be fast. During Lent, name days that occur on a weekday are moved to the next Saturday or Sunday.
Cm. Natalya Sukhinina
What to give for name day
In celebration of the memory of the patron saint, the best gift for the birthday boy will be something that can contribute to his spiritual growth: an icon; vessel for, container for and; beads; high-quality wax candles or lamp for home prayer; books, audio and video recordings of spiritual content; a scarf and headscarf (this is the headdress of married women); a trip to a pilgrimage.
Prayer to your saint
We should remember the saint in whose honor we receive a name not only on name day. There is a prayer to the saint in our daily morning and evening prayers, and we can also turn to him at any time and in any need. The simplest prayer to the saint:
Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.
Your saint also needs to know.
In addition to the icons of the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Mother of God, it is advisable to have your own saint. It may happen that you have some rare name, and the icon of your heavenly patron will be difficult to find. In this case, you can buy an icon of All Saints, which symbolically depicts all the saints glorified by the Orthodox Church.
Patristic sayings about name days
“We began to choose names not according to God. In God's way, this is how it should be. Choose a name according to the calendar: either on what day the child will be born, or on what day he will be baptized, or within three days after baptism. Here the matter will be without any human considerations, but as God wills, for birthdays are in the hands of God.
saint
History and symbolism of the name day celebration
Like many other religious traditions, the celebration of name days was forgotten in Soviet times, moreover, in the 20-30s of the twentieth century it was subject to official persecution. True, it turned out to be difficult to eradicate age-old folk habits: they still congratulate the birthday boy on his birthday, and if the hero of the occasion is very young, they sing a song: “how on ... the name day we baked a loaf.” Meanwhile, name day is a special holiday, which could be called a day of spiritual birth, since it is associated primarily with the sacrament of Baptism and with the names that our heavenly patrons bear.
The tradition of celebrating name days has been known in Rus' since the 17th century. Usually on the eve of the holiday, the birthday boy’s family brewed beer and baked birthday rolls, pies and loaves. On the day of the holiday itself, the birthday boy and his family went to church for mass, ordered a prayer service for health, lit candles and venerated the icon with the face of his heavenly patron. During the day, birthday pies were distributed to friends and relatives, and often the filling and size of the pie had a special meaning, determined by the nature of the relationship between the birthday person and his loved ones. In the evening a festive dinner was held.
The royal name day (Name Day), which was considered a public holiday, was celebrated especially magnificently. On this day, boyars and courtiers came to the royal court to present gifts and take part in a festive feast, during which they sang for many years. Sometimes the king himself distributed the pies. Huge birthday rolls were distributed to the people. Later, other traditions appeared: military parades, fireworks, illuminations, shields with imperial monograms.
After the revolution, a serious and systematic ideological struggle began with name days: the rite of baptism was recognized as counter-revolutionary, and they tried to replace it with “Oktyabriny” and “Zvezdiny”. A ritual was developed in detail, in which the newborn was congratulated in strict sequence by an October child, a pioneer, a Komsomol member, a communist, “honorary parents”, sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in a trade union, etc. The fight against “remnants” reached anecdotal extremes: for example, in the 20s, censorship banned K. Chukovsky’s “Tsokotukha Fly” for “name day propaganda.”
Traditionally, name days are attributed to the day of remembrance of the named (namesake) saint, which immediately follows the birthday, although there is also a tradition of celebrating name days on the day of memory of the most famous named saint, for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Apostle Peter, St. Alexander Nevsky, etc. d. In the past, name days were considered a more important holiday than the day of “physical” birth, in addition, in many cases these holidays practically coincided, since traditionally a child was baptized on the eighth day after birth: the eighth day is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. , to which the baptized person joins, while the number seven is an ancient symbolic number denoting the created earthly world. Baptismal names were chosen according to the church calendar (saints). According to the old custom, the choice of name was limited to the names of the saints whose memory was celebrated on the day of baptism. Later (especially in urban society) they moved away from this strict custom and began to choose names based on personal taste and other considerations - in honor of relatives, for example.
Name days turn us to one of our hypostases - to our personal name.
Perhaps to the ancient motto “Know thyself” we should add: “Know thy name.” Of course, a name primarily serves to distinguish people. In the past, a name could be a social sign, indicating a place in society - now, perhaps, only monastic (monastic) names stand out sharply from the Russian name book. But there is also a now almost forgotten, mystical meaning of the name.
In ancient times, people attached much more importance to a name than it does now. The name was considered a significant part of a person. The content of the name was correlated with the inner meaning of a person; it was, as it were, put inside him. The name controlled fate (“a good name is a good sign”). A well-chosen name became a source of strength and prosperity. Naming was considered a high act of creation, guessing the human essence, invoking grace.
In primitive society, a name was treated as a part of the body, like eyes, teeth, etc. The unity of the soul and the name seemed undeniable; moreover, it was sometimes believed that as many names as there were, there were as many souls, so in some tribes before to kill an enemy, it was supposed to find out his name in order to use him in his native tribe. Often names were hidden to prevent weapons from being given to the enemy. Harm and trouble were expected from mistreatment of the name. In some tribes it was strictly forbidden to pronounce (taboo) the name of the leader. In others, the custom was practiced of assigning new names to elders, which gave new strength. It was believed that a sick child was given strength by the name of his father, who was shouted in his ear or even called by his father’s (mother’s) name, believing that part of the parents’ vital energy would help defeat the disease. If the child cried especially a lot, it means the name was chosen incorrectly. Different nationalities have long maintained the tradition of naming “deceptive”, false names: the true name was not pronounced in the hope that death and evil spirits, perhaps, would not find the baby. There was another version of protective names - unattractive, ugly, frightening names (for example, Nekras, Nelyuba and even Dead), which averted adversity and misfortune.
In Ancient Egypt, the personal name was carefully guarded. The Egyptians had a “small” name, known to everyone, and a “big” one, which was considered true: it was kept secret and pronounced only during important rituals. The names of the pharaohs were especially respected - in the texts they were highlighted with a special cartouche. The Egyptians treated the names of the dead with great respect - mishandling them caused irreparable harm to the otherworldly existence. The name and its bearer were one whole: a typical Egyptian myth is that the god Ra hid his name, but the goddess Isis managed to find him out by opening his chest - the name literally ended up inside the body!
For a long time, a change in name corresponded to a change in human essence. New names were given to adolescents upon initiation, that is, upon joining adult members of the community. In China, there are still children's "milk" names, which are abandoned with maturity. In ancient Greece, newly-minted priests, renouncing their old names, carved them on metal tablets and drowned them in the sea. Echoes of these ideas can be seen in the Christian tradition of giving monastic names, when someone who has taken monastic vows leaves the world and his worldly name.
Among many peoples, the names of pagan gods and spirits were taboo. It was especially dangerous to call evil spirits (“cursing”): in this way one could call out the “evil force.” The ancient Jews did not dare to name the Name of God: Yahweh (in the Old Testament - this is the “unspeakable Name”, a sacred tetragram, which can be translated as “I am who am.” According to the Bible, the act of naming often becomes God’s work: the Lord gave names to Abraham, Sarah , Isaac, Ishmael, Solomon, renamed Jacob Israel. The special religious gift of the Jewish people was manifested in a variety of names, which are called theophoric - they contain God’s “ineffable Name”: thus, through his personal name, a person connected with God.
Christianity, as the highest religious experience of mankind, takes personal names very seriously. A person’s name reflects the mystery of a unique, precious personality; it presupposes personal communication with God. During the sacrament of Baptism, the Christian Church, accepting a new soul into its bosom, binds it through a personal name with the name of God. As Fr. wrote. Sergius Bulgakov, “human naming and name-incarnation exists in the image and likeness of divine incarnation and naming... every person is an embodied word, a realized name, for the Lord himself is the incarnate Name and Word.”
The purpose of Christians is considered to be holiness. By naming a baby the name of a canonized saint, the Church tries to guide him on the true path: after all, this name has already been “realized” in life as a saint. The one who bears the holy name always keeps within himself the exalting image of his heavenly patron, “helper”, “prayer book”. On the other hand, the commonality of names unites Christians into one body of the Church, into one “chosen people.”
Reverence for the names of the Savior and the Mother of God has long been expressed in the fact that in the Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give names in memory of the Mother of God and Christ. Previously, the name of the Mother of God was even distinguished by a different emphasis - Mary, while other holy wives had the name Maria (Marya). The rare monastic (schema) name Jesus was assigned in memory not of Jesus Christ, but of the righteous Joshua.
The Russian Christian name book has evolved over centuries. The first extensive layer of Russian names arose in the pre-Christian era. The reasons for the emergence of a particular name could be very different: in addition to religious motives, the circumstances of birth, appearance, character, etc. played a role. Later, after the Baptism of Rus', these names, sometimes difficult to distinguish from nicknames, coexisted with Christian calendar names ( up to the 17th century). Even priests sometimes had nicknames. It happened that one person could have as many as three personal names: a “nickname” name and two baptismal names (one obvious, the other hidden, known only to the confessor). When the Christian name book completely replaced pre-Christian “nickname” names, they did not leave us forever, moving into another class of names - in surnames (for example, Nekrasov, Zhdanov, Naydenov). Some pre-Christian names of canonized Russian saints subsequently became calendar ones (for example, Yaroslav, Vyacheslav, Vladimir).
With the adoption of Christianity, Rus' was enriched with the names of the entire human civilization: with the Byzantine calendar, Greek, Jewish, Roman and other names came to us. Sometimes images of more ancient religions and cultures were hidden under the Christian name. Over time, these names became Russified, so much so that the Hebrew names themselves became Russian - Ivan and Marya. At the same time, one should keep in mind the lofty thought of Fr. Pavel Florensky: “there are no names, neither Jewish, nor Greek, nor Latin, nor Russian - there are only universal names, the common heritage of mankind.”
The post-revolutionary history of Russian names developed dramatically: a massive campaign of “de-Christianization” of the name book was carried out. The revolutionary obscurantism of some sections of society, combined with tough government policies, was aimed at restructuring, and therefore at renaming the world. Along with the renaming of the country, its cities and streets, the people were renamed. “Red calendars” were compiled, new, “revolutionary” names were invented, many of which now sound simply like curiosities (for example, Malentro, i.e. Marx, Lenin, Trotsky; Dazdraperma, i.e. Long live May Day, etc. .). The process of revolutionary name-making, characteristic of ideological revolutions in general (it was known in France at the end of the 18th century, and in Republican Spain, and in the countries of the former “socialist camp”) did not last long in Soviet Russia, about a decade (20-30s ). Soon these names became part of history - here it is appropriate to recall another thought about. Pavel Florensky: “you can’t think of names,” in the sense that they are “the most stable fact of culture and the most important of its foundations.”
The change in the Russian name also went along the line of borrowing from other cultures - Western European (for example, Albert, Victoria, Zhanna) and common Slavic Christian names (for example, Stanislav, Bronislava), names from Greek and Roman mythology and history (for example, Aurelius, Aphrodite , Venus), etc. Over time, Russian society again returned to calendar names, but “de-Christianization” and a break in tradition led to an extraordinary impoverishment of the modern naming book, which now consists of only a few dozen names (the general property of “mass cultures” also played a role - the desire for averaging, standardization ).
Hieromonk Macarius (Markish):
Since ancient times, the custom has been established to give a newly accepted member of the Church the name of a saint. Thus, a special, new connection arises between earth and Heaven, between a person living in this world and one of those who have worthily walked their life’s path, whose holiness the Church has witnessed and glorified with its collective wisdom. Therefore, every Orthodox Christian must remember the saint in whose honor he is named, know the basic facts of his life, and, if possible, remember at least some elements of the service in his honor.
But the same name, especially the common ones (Peter, Nicholas, Mary, Helen), was borne by many saints of different times and peoples; therefore, we have to find out in honor of which saint who bore this name the baby will be named. This can be done using a detailed church calendar, which contains an alphabetical list of saints revered by our Church with the dates of celebration of their memory. The choice is made taking into account the date of birth or baptism of the child, the circumstances of the saints’ life feats, family traditions, and your personal sympathies.
In addition, many famous saints have several days of remembrance throughout the year: this could be the day of death, the day of the discovery or transfer of relics, the day of glorification - canonization. You have to choose which of these days will become the holiday (name day, name day) of your child. It is often called Angel Day. In fact, we ask the Lord to give the newly baptized his Guardian Angel; but this Angel must under no circumstances be confused with the saint after whom the child is named.
Sometimes some difficulties arise when naming a name. There are many Orthodox saints known in history, but not included in our calendars. Among them are the saints of Western Europe, who lived and were glorified even before the fall of Rome from Orthodoxy (until 1054, the Roman Church was not severed from Orthodoxy, and we also recognize the saints revered in it by that time as saints), whose names were acquired from us popularity in recent decades (Victoria, Edward, etc.), but are sometimes listed as “non-Orthodox”. There are also the opposite situations, when the usual Slavic name does not belong to any of the Orthodox saints (for example, Stanislav). Finally, there are also frequent formal misunderstandings related to the spelling of the name (Elena - Alena, Ksenia - Oksana, John - Ivan) or its sound in different languages (in Slavic - Svetlana and Zlata, in Greek - Photinia and Chrysa).
If necessary, the child can be given a baptismal name different from the one recorded on the birth certificate, choosing it, for example, according to consonance (Stanislav - Stakhy, Carolina - Kaleria, Elina - Elena). There is nothing flawed in this: among the Serbs, for example, almost everyone has one name in everyday life and another in baptism. Let us note that in the Russian Church, unlike some other Orthodox Churches, the beloved name Maria is never given in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, but only in honor of other saints who bore this name. You should also know that since 2000, our Church has canonized many of our countrymen and fellow citizens - new martyrs and confessors
St. Alexandra's Day is celebrated according to the church calendar simultaneously with the feast of the Great Martyr George - April 23. This date has been known since the 10th century; it was recorded in the Typikon of the Great Church. The date is associated with the death of the saint on April 21, 303, but commemoration began two days later.
Life of the Holy Martyr Alexandra
Orthodox Saint Alexandra is mentioned in the life of the Great Martyr George the Victorious as the queen and wife of the Roman Emperor Diocletian (303) - an ardent follower of idolatry and persecutor of Christianity, according to whose orders all churches were to be destroyed, church books were to be burned, and church property was to go to the state. Every Christian had to make sacrifices to the emperor and the pagan gods. Refusal was subject to torture, imprisonment and death penalty.
At a meeting between the king and the princes about the murder of innocent Christians, Saint George was not afraid to speak out against this outrage. The spears with which they drove the saint out of the meeting became soft as tin and did not harm the martyr. Georgy was sentenced to ride on the wheel. After the execution of the sentence, the Angel of the Lord healed his wounds. Each time, after the sophisticated tortures and torments that Diocletian invented for St. George the Victorious in revenge for his strong Christian faith, the great martyr was miraculously healed, calling out to God in prayer. With God's help, he raised the dead and cast out demons from idols. Observing the exploits of St. George the Victorious, Saint Alexandra believed in Christ and began to openly confess her faith. At the feet of the martyr, she boldly ridiculed how she had incurred the wrath of her husband.
For refusing to serve idols, Diocletian imposed a death sentence on Christ's confessors in the form of beheading by the sword. Saint Alexandra meekly followed George, reading prayers to herself and looking at the sky. On the way, she asked for rest and, leaning on the building, died quietly. This happened on April 21, 303 in Nicomedia.
Patroness of Russian monarchs
Saint Alexandra was especially revered in the family of Russian monarchs as the patroness of two empresses: Alexandra Feodorovna - the wife of Nicholas I, Alexandra Feodorovna - the wife of Nicholas II. During their reign, a number of churches were built and consecrated in Moscow in the name of Queen Alexandra.
Temple in honor of the Great Martyr in Peterhof
In 1854, construction began on the Church of St. Alexandra on Babi Gon. At the ceremonial laying on August 11, with the participation of Emperor Nicholas I, a stone was laid from the holy banks of the Jordan. In the future, this temple will become a favorite place for prayer for the imperial family. The five-domed stone church was distinguished by its unique beauty. One of the most beautiful elements of ancient Russian architecture - “kokoshniks” - was used in the architecture of the temple.
The carved wooden iconostasis - a gift from Emperor Nicholas I - was a real decoration of the church. A lot of money was spent on the construction of the temple. Transporting materials up the mountain required significant costs. Nicholas I and members of the royal family were present at the solemn consecration of the Church of the Holy Martyr Alexandra. In his speech at the end of the Divine Service, the emperor thanked everyone who participated in the construction.
The Church of St. Alexandra on the Babigon Heights was designed for approximately 500 people praying. The church had a tabernacle made of red Siberian jasper, utensils made of precious stones, gold and silver.
Temple destruction
Divine ceremonies in the name of St. Alexandra took place until 1940, when a proposal was made to turn this holy place into an entertainment club. But the war did not allow the plans to be implemented. The temple was repeatedly shelled, and bomb attacks caused significant damage to the church.
After the war, the temple was transferred to the state farm workshop, and the basement was adapted for a vegetable storage. Only in 1991 the building was returned to the diocese. By the beginning of the restoration, the Church of the Holy Martyr Alexandra was a sad sight: the five-domed completion was lost, the head of the large dome and small domes were missing, the bell tower tent with the dome was demolished, the picturesque decoration of the temple and the carved iconostasis disappeared, neither windows nor doors were destroyed.
Restoration of the temple
In 1998, for the first time after such a long break, a Divine service was performed in the Church of the Holy Martyr Alexandra. This significant event took place on the patronal holiday. And a year later, from April 1999, services in the temple began to be held regularly. Work is still underway to restore its original appearance.
Other temples in the name of St. Alexandra
In St. Petersburg there is also the Putilov Church, built in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the martyr Queen Alexandra. In 1925 it was closed, the domes and crosses were demolished. Later, the church was turned into a club, in 1940 it was transferred to the regional motor transport school, and after the war - to a haberdashery enterprise.
In the 90s, the process of returning the Russian building began. In 2006, the 100th anniversary of the Putilov Church was celebrated. In the same year, the first service after an 80-year break was held. Now in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Martyr Queen Alexandra, services are held regularly.
In honor of the holy martyr, many military schools in the capital were consecrated before the revolution. On Znamenka there used to be the Alexander Military School. Its church was built in honor of Saint Alexandra. In 1833, the temple at the Alexandrinsky Palace in Neskuchny Garden was consecrated in the name of Alexandra of Rome.
In 1895-1899, the Church of the Holy Martyr Queen Alexandra was erected in the village. Muromtsevo, Vladimir region. There are also temples consecrated in her honor abroad. For example, in Armenia, Ukraine, Germany, Finland, Hungary.
Icons
Saint Alexandra, whose icon is located in St. Petersburg in Peterhof, in the Resurrection of Christ (Savior on Blood), the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery, in the State Tretyakov Gallery, in the St. Nicholas Monastery in Saratov and in other churches in Russia and beyond beyond its boundaries, she was an example of love for God and piety.
The Great Martyr is usually depicted on icons in royal clothes and a crown, often with a cross in her hand. There are many single images.
We also see the face of Queen Alexandra on other icons and church paintings. Thus, the martyr is depicted on the “Selected Saints” icon, which is located in the Central Museum. Andrey Rublev. The icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and Saint Queen Alexandra is located in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The image of the martyr is in Bryullov’s mosaic in the main iconostasis of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (Savior on Spilled Blood) and in other places.
What does the saint help with?
They pray to Empress Alexandra of Rome for the salvation of the soul and deliverance from all evil, strengthening faith. The Great Martyr will help all those who suffer, seeking answers to complex life questions, and will protect them from betrayal. The strong marital effect of icons depicting a saint, which helps to strengthen the bonds of marriage and maintain good relationships in the family.
At the dawn of Christianity, feats of faith were performed not only by men, but also by women. One of them was the wife of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Alexandra, who secretly professed the new Faith.
Spiritual feat of the Roman queen
At the beginning of the 4th century, the emperor of the Roman Empire was Diocletian, a persecutor and tormentor of Christians. He was the main tormentor of St. George the Victorious. From his life, the name of the emperor’s wife, who secretly professed Christianity, became known.
Holy Martyr Queen Alexandra
Queen Alexandra witnessed many miracles that were revealed in response to the prayers of the Great Martyr George. Seeing the fortitude, courage and fortitude of the holy warrior, accepting suffering for his Faith, the emperor’s wife made her way through the crowd of onlookers to the place of torture of the former Roman soldier, fell at his feet and publicly confessed her commitment to the Christian Church.
Death of the Holy Martyr
To this day, specialists continue to debate about the time of death of the crowned martyr. One version says that Diocletian, becoming enraged, ordered his wife to be executed along with the martyr George the Victorious. On the way to the place of execution, the exhausted queen sat down against the wall of the house and died quietly. These events took place in 303.
However, modern researchers believe that Alexandra of Rome suffered martyrdom in 314. In the 20th century, a version appeared about the imaginary death of the Roman queen and her flight to Syria, where she lived with her daughter, the holy great martyr Valerius, until 314.
Martyr Alexandra of Rome
After the signing of the Milan Agreement, which granted the right to profess any faith, including Christianity, to the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, Alexandra and Valeria decide to return to their native land. However, the ruler of the western Roman lands, Licinius, in fact continued to persecute Christians. He ordered the execution of mother and daughter. They were beheaded and their bodies thrown into the sea.
Interesting: in early sources Alexandra is not called the wife of Emperor Diocletian. Historians of the 20th century identified the Christian holy martyr with the wife of the Roman ruler Prisca, who also secretly professed the new Faith.
Iconography
The iconography of the holy martyr Queen Alexandra of Rome includes several common types:
In most images the saint is dressed in royal robes. The head is crowned. The empress's right hand is occupied by a cross, and her left is either pressed to her chest or with her palm facing the audience. Most often, single images of the queen are located on a golden background. In some icons, city walls and a river can be seen in the background.
Multi-figure compositions with the participation of the holy martyr Alexandra can be seen in the following museums and churches:
- full-length mosaic image in the iconostasis of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg;
- mosaic in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood;
- icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Queen Alexandra of Rome in the Hermitage;
- The icon “Selected Saints”, kept in the Andrei Rublev Museum of Ancient Russian Art.
What do they ask Saint Alexandra of Rome to do?
The Martyr Alexandra is asked in her prayers for the following:
- about the gift of courage and determination in various difficult situations;
- about protection from evil thoughts and aggressive actions;
- about protection from betrayal and deception;
- about the salvation of the soul;
You can also ask the saint for help in family quarrels, establishing organic marital relationships, maintaining mutual understanding and respect between spouses.
Where to place the icon and how to pray
The icon of St. Alexandra is not a talisman or a magical object, so it is not necessary to hang it over the bed of girls named by this name or carry it with you. An icon of any size is placed in a place convenient for prayer.
Icon “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Holy Queen Alexandra”
You can receive help and protection from the patron saint only through sincere prayer. Before prayer, you should cleanse your soul and thoughts from evil, forgive all insults to loved ones and open your heart to goodness, calmness and humility.
Patroness of the House of Romanov
Saint Alexandra received special veneration in Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The wives of Emperors Nicholas I and Alexander II bore her name. Both ladies were distinguished by their pious and calm disposition and were exemplary spouses and mothers. They devoted a lot of time to charity and helping disadvantaged people.
During their reign, many churches were built dedicated to the royal great martyr:
- church at the convent in Irkutsk (built 1855-1880);
- Church of St. Alexandra Rimskaya in Irkutsk (1910);
- a temple erected on the Babigon Heights near St. Petersburg (1854);
- Putilov Church in St. Petersburg (1901-1906).
The icon of the holy martyr Queen Alexandra of Rome is intended to remind of the courage and fortitude of the defenders of the Christian Faith. Prayer to her strengthens fortitude, bestows courage and perseverance.
Icon of Alexander of Rome
Only two times was the Holy Trinity revealed to man: at the Oak of Mamre to Saint Abraham, and in Rus' the Monk Alexander of Svirsky was honored with this miraculous appearance.
His earthly journey began in 1448; at birth, the saint’s parents, Stefan and Vassa, named him Amos. They came from a peasant family who revered the Lord Jesus Christ and raised their children in love for Him. When the time came for Amos to start a family, his parents began to insist on this, but the young man dreamed of something else - about life within the walls of the Valaam Monastery, about prayer, solitude and serving the Lord God.
Once he met the Valaam monks, inspired by the conversation with them, Amos went to “northern Athos.” On the road to Valaam, when he was crossing the Svir River, the monk heard a voice that indicated that it was here that he should create a monastery.
In 1474, the abbot of the Valaam Monastery tonsured the novice Amos, who was 26 years old at the time, as a monk with the name Alexander. Monk Alexander was distinguished by his very zealous service.
One day, the father of Alexander Svirsky arrived at the monastery and was able to find his son. The monk talked to him and was able to not only calm him down, but also convince him to become a monk. This is what he and his wife did. Alexander Svirsky's mother took monastic vows with the name Varvara, and his father with the name Sergius. Meanwhile, Alexander continued his monastic work in the holy monastery. The severity of his life amazed even the strictest Valaam monks. So 10 years passed in fasting and prayer. On the holy island the cave in which the Monk Alexander prayed has been preserved. It is very narrow, even one person can fit there with great difficulty. Many pilgrims today can also see the fossilized grave that Alexander Svirsky made for himself.