Icon "Trinity" Russia, Moscow, Church of Nikon in the Pillars, behind the Tretyakov GalleryMiraculous icon of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity written in the 15th century by Andrei Rublev. This is the most revered shrine of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. She is also one of the most

Icon and Cross 71. If you, emperor, reject the veneration of the icon, and consider the cross worthy of veneration, then, firstly, I cannot understand this, because the veneration of one and the other is inextricably linked together (for together the icon and together the cross, because the appearance of the Lord

Troparion to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in front of his icon, called "Zaraiskaya", tone 4 Most radiant temple of the Holy Spirit, God-wise Father Nicholas, sanctify our souls with the grace of heaven, intercede and cover with your all-honorable omophorion, you received it from the hands of the Most Pure Virgin, and enlighten

The icon of the patron saint in general and the measured icon in particular It is very good to hang the icon of his patron saint in a red corner or over a crib. And often turn to her with a prayer to this saint of God. Simply, in your own words, in passing, with or without

The history of one of the oldest Russian cities - Zaraysk, the first mention of which dates back to 1146, is closely connected with the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas of Zaraisk. For a long time, the icon of Nicholas of Korsun (later called "Zarasskaya" and "Zaraiskaya") was located in the city of Korsun (Chersonese Tauride), in the church of the Apostle Jacob. In this church, at the end of the 10th century, Grand Duke Vladimir received Holy Baptism. Numerous miracles and healings emanated from the miraculous image of St. Nicholas.

Famous literary monument Ancient Rus'“The Tale of Nikol Zarazsky” (which, according to academician D.S. Likhachev, “ belongs to the outstanding phenomena of ancient Russian literature") talks about bringing in 1225 " image of the great Wonderworker Nikola of Korsunsky from the glorious city of Chersonesos to Ryazan, to the region of the right-believing Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Ryazansky".

According to legend, Saint Nicholas himself appeared in a vision to the priest Eustathius and commanded: “Eustace, take my miraculous image of Korsun, your wife Theodosius and your son Eustathius and go to the land of Ryazan. I want to stay there and work miracles and glorify the place". Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared to this priest three times, and only when he was punished with blindness for disobedience and, having repented, received healing, did he set off.

About a year Evstafiy traveled with his companions to the Ryazan land. At the same time, Nikolai Ugodnik appeared in a dream to the specific prince Fedor Yuryevich, who reigned in the city of Krasny (now Zaraysk) and announced the arrival of his miraculous image. Fedor Yurievich “I took a miraculous image and brought it into my region.” And he immediately sent a message to his father, Grand Duke Yuri Ingvarevich of Ryazan ... The Grand Duke took with him Bishop Euphrosyn the Svyatogorets and immediately went to the region to his son ... And he saw great and glorious miracles from the miraculous image and was filled with joy. And he created a temple in the name of the holy great miracle worker Nicholas of Korsun. And Bishop Euphrosynus consecrated it, and triumphed brightly, and returned to his city". At the place of meeting (meeting) of the icon, a source of spring water, called the White Well, which has survived to this day, clogged from under the ground.

As the chronicles describe, the icon appeared in Krasny on July 29 (old style), 1225, and since then St. Nicholas took the city and its inhabitants under his heavenly cover.

The chronicle connects the change of the name of the icon with the death of the wife of Prince Fyodor - Evpraksia and her young son Ivan. Princess Evpraksia in 1237, during the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus', after the death of her husband at Batu's headquarters, preferred death to Tatar captivity. Not wanting to become the concubine of the khan and the forced renunciation of the Christian faith of her son, she threw herself with the child from the high princely tower and broke to death. “And for that reason the icon of Zarazskaya, the great wonderworker Nikola, is called, that the blessed princess Evpraksia with her son Prince Ivan infected (smashed) herself in that place.”

And the city eventually began to be called Zarazesk, Zarayesk, Nikola Zarazskaya on Osetra, the city of Nikola Zarazsky Posad and, finally, from the 17th century - Zaraysk.

About the events associated with the stay of the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas of Zaraysk in the city of Kolomna and about the miracles that occurred there, tells the "Legend of bringing the image of St. Nicholas of Korsunsky from Zarazsk to Kolomna" (which is part of the "Tales of St. Nicholas of Zarazsky"). The construction of a stone fortress - the Zaraisky Kremlin in 1528-1531 is also connected with the stay of the miraculous image in neighboring Kolomna and its miraculous return to Zaraisk. On its territory was the ancient Nikolsky Cathedral. The current building of St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in 1681 on the site of the former one.

For centuries, the holy miraculous image was in the cathedrals of the Zaraisky Kremlin: Nikolsky (specially built for her) and John the Baptist. For many centuries, the icon was the main shrine of the Zaraisk region, and every year on July 29 (Old Style) city-wide celebrations were held in Zaraysk. In the Kremlin churches, all the clergy served the Divine Liturgy in a conciliar manner and made a procession to the holy spring White Well.

In 1892, a small book entitled "The Miraculous Image of Nikolai Zaraisky" was published in Ryazan. Its author is a native of Zaraysk, writer Vasily Selivanov. This is how he begins the story of the shrine: “In the Zaraysk Nicholas Cathedral there is a miraculous image of St. Nicholas, brought to Zaraysk in 1225 from the Greek city of Korsun by presbyter Evstafiy. In the middle of this image, the full image of the Saint is written in paints, in priestly cross-shaped vestments with an omophorion on the shoulders (shoulders), on the head of the miter with the image of the Holy Trinity in black, his right hand is stretched out for blessing, and with his left he holds the Gospel in a shroud. On its right side, on the clouds, the Savior is depicted, blessing the Saint with his right hand, and giving him the Gospel with his left; on the left side is the Mother of God, holding an outstretched omophorion in her hands.

This image, with seventeen images of the life and miracles of the Saint, is twenty-five and a half inches long and twenty and a quarter inches wide. The painting on the image is ancient, high-style Byzantine, which is especially evident from the expression of spirituality communicated to the features of the face of the Saint, which almost only Byzantine artists were able to give to the images of saints.

The following is a description of the valuable salary in which the miraculous image was placed: “The robe on the image of pure gold, with semi-precious stones, was arranged by Tsar Vasily Shuisky in 1608, as can be seen from the inventory of the Zaraisk Cathedral and the following inscription, inscribed in script on a special board (plate) at the bottom of the salary: “By the command of the Blessed Great Sovereign, the Tsar and Grand Duke Basil Ioannovich of All Russia, this salary was made for the image of the great Wonderworker Nikola Zarazsky in the second summer of his State, summer 7116 (1608) "The salary, arranged by the zeal of Tsar Shuisky, consists of a riza covering the clothes of the Saint and everything else up to the side images of his miracles, also from miter, crown, gospel and cat. The setting on the margins in the form of a frame around the entire image is gilded silver, made by Shuisky himself, as well as gold rims over the faces and gold plates with patterns, induced by black, depicting miracles. The most miracles are covered with silver gilded robes in later times.

People from all over Russia came to the Zaraysk shrine: peasants and artisans, merchants and soldiers, cultural and art figures. Rev. Sergius of Radonezh, the Grand Dukes of Moscow Ivan III, Vasily III, Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Vasily Shuisky, the heir to the Russian throne, the future Tsar Alexander II with his teacher V.A. Zhukovsky, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and many others prayed before the miraculous image of St. Nicholas of Zaraisk. .

A special page in the history of Zaraysk is the era of the Time of Troubles. At that time, the future savior of the Fatherland, Prince D.M. Pozharsky, served as the Zaraisk governor. Through the prayers of the rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest Demetrius and Prince D.M. Pozharsky, before the miraculous image, the city of Zaraysk remained faithful to the legitimate authorities and did not swear allegiance to the impostor False Dmitry. In gratitude to the Wonderworker, Tsar Vasily Shuisky decorated the Zaraysk icon with a valuable salary. Archpriest Demetrius participated in the meetings of the Zemsky Sobors of 1613 and was part of the embassy to Kostroma, to the elected Tsar Mikhail Romanov.

After the closure of the temples of the Zaraysk Kremlin in the 1920s, the icon was taken to the local museum of local lore. In 1966, Moscow art critics, having visited the museum, announced that the ancient icon needed urgent restoration and took it to Moscow, to the Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art. Andrei Rublev. At the same time, the museum staff made an examination and set the date of writing the icon. In their opinion, one of the earliest lists of the ancient icon of St. Nicholas of Zaraisk, tentatively from the end of the 15th-beginning of the 16th centuries, was kept in Zaraysk. After a long restoration, the icon became an exhibit of the Museum. Andrei Rublev.

With the revival of church life, believers, with the blessing of Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, began to seek the return of the shrine to Zaraysk. Repeatedly made appeals, collected signatures, sent petitions to different authorities. The idea of ​​returning the icon has always been supported by the authorities of the city and the region. The leaders of the Moscow Region, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, deputies of the State and Moscow Regional Dumas, activists of many Russian parties and movements, prominent figures of culture and art spoke out for the return of the icon.

Only once, during many decades away from Zaraysk, the icon was brought to our region. This happened in 1996, during the celebration of the 850th anniversary of the city, thanks to the joint efforts of the city administration, the deanery of Zaraisk and broad public support. For 2 days, the icon was exhibited in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in the Zaraisk Kremlin, and thousands of believers were able to pray in front of the holy image.

However, then the icon was again taken to Moscow, and new appeals from the Zarayans upon the return of the icon met only with a negative response. Their refusals the leaders of the Museum. Andrei Rublev and the Ministry of Culture were motivated by the lack of necessary conditions in Zaraysk for the preservation and preservation of the ancient image.

But the Zarayans do not lose hope, and do everything possible to return the shrine. The problem of the return of the miraculous image is constantly discussed by the print media, radio and television. Brochures about the Zaraisk shrine are published, the issue of the return of the miraculous icon is raised at regional scientific-practical and theological conferences.

The ancient tradition of the district festival on August 11 and processions of the cross to the holy spring White Well has been revived. In 1997, a list (exact copy) of the icon of St. Nicholas of Zaraisk was made. It stands in a place of honor - at the central altar of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and divine services are performed in front of it. A decade and a half was the restoration of the Cathedral of John the Baptist, desecrated in Soviet times and served as a cinema. Now all the conditions have been created in it to take the ancient miraculous image under its arches.

Cathedral of Nicholas the Wonderworker in Zaraysk- Orthodox church of the Moscow diocese.

The common name is Nikolsky Cathedral; Nicholas Cathedral; Nicholas Cathedral; St. Nicholas Cathedral; Nicholas Cathedral of Mirliki; St. Nicholas Cathedral; St. Nicholas Cathedral.

The cathedral is located in Zaraysk, Zaraisk district, Ryazan province (now Zaraisky district of the Moscow region), the Kremlin. Status - active.

Story

Period before 1917

The initial foundation of the church in honor of St. Nicholas in the city of Zaraysk, which was once called the city of "Red", refers to the first quarter of the 13th century and is contemporary with the bringing of the icon of St. Nicholas from the city of Korsun to the Ryazan Territory.

The Grand Duke of Ryazan, Yuri Igorevich, is narrated in a legend about the bringing of the icon of St. Nicholas,

"having heard the arrival of the miraculous image, taking with him Bishop Euphrosynus the Holy Mountaineer, he went to the region of his son, and seeing great and glorious miracles from the miraculous image, in the city called Red, ordered to create a temple in the name of the great miraculous Saint Nicholas. With the help of God, the temple was soon created and consecrated by Bishop Euphrosynus. In that temple, the image of Korsun was placed and the noble Grand Duke, together with Bishop Euphrosynus, departed with great joy for his city of Ryazan. "

The time of construction, instead of the wooden, stone church of Nikolai, is not known with accuracy, but in the books of the Zaraisk city to the landing and Chernoslobodsky people of 1625 - the cathedral church

"In the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Zaraz"

is listed as stone, and at the same time it is noted that according to the words of Archpriest Nikita in

“Last 1622, by the Sovereign’s decree, sent from Moscow from the order of the Grand Palace, the clerk Bogdan Desyatov, and the clerk Oleksy Bludov, and by God’s grace, images and books, and the great church building were copied into the census books of the Moscow order of the Grand Palace.”

Not having at hand the description of the cathedral compiled by Bogdan Desyatov, we can only assume that its sending from Moscow is directly connected with the construction of the stone St. Nicholas Cathedral, in which any church building

"from of old it was the Sovereign."

The current Nikolsky Cathedral was built in 1681 according to the charter of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, given from the order of the Grand Palace.

In its external appearance, the cathedral represents the figure of an oblong quadrangle, 34 arshins long, 20 wide and 24 arshins high, with 5 domes on which crosses are octagonal, through with a crown at the top and a crescent at the bottom. The external view of the cathedral with the expansion of windows, which until that time were narrow and small, completely lost the character of antiquity, the porch near the western side of the cathedral, which looks like a tent, on 14 round stone pillars with capitals and bases, suffered less from redistribution.

An exact indication of the time of the device inside the cathedral, the three-tiered iconostasis located there, has not reached us; but it can be attributed, if not to the beginning of the 19th century, then without a doubt to recent years the last century.

In 1848, the iconostasis, which threatened to fall, was dismantled and reinstalled again, and the gilding on it was cleaned, the icons were corrected; among them there are quite a few - the ancient style, but thanks to the diligence of home-grown painters, it is difficult to come to any conclusion about their antiquity.

The wall painting also did not retain its original antiquity and was renewed twice, as can be seen from the inscription above the western doors of the temple, which tells:

“In 1760, this cathedral church was renewed with murals under Archpriest Jeremiah Timofeevich to the brethren of this city of Zaraysk, merchant Nikolai Mikhailov Zaitsevsky. In 1849, the walls were renewed with internal and external writing.

According to the state of 1873, an archpriest, 1 priest-assistant, 1 deacon and 2 psalmists were placed in the clergy.

Period after 1917

The twentieth century for the Orthodox people has become a time of bloody trials and sorrows. Zaraisky district, which until then had almost a hundred Orthodox churches, turned into a spiritual desert in Soviet times. All churches, except for one Annunciation in the city, were closed, more than half were destroyed.

At the most difficult moment in the history of St. Nicholas Cathedral, its rector was Archpriest John Smirnov. According to the explanations of the employees of the Historical-Architectural, Artistic and Archeological Museum "Zaraisk Kremlin", Father John, despite the prohibitions, carried the icon of St. Nicholas in the surrounding villages, served prayers, urging not to forget the Pleasant of God Nicholas. The priest, together with faithful parishioners, tried by all possible means to prevent the closure of St. Nicholas Cathedral and other Orthodox churches.

However, in 1922, St. Nicholas Cathedral was taken away from believers, and seven years later, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was also closed. The Kremlin temples were ruthlessly plundered: hundreds of pounds of gold and pounds of silver were taken away. The most valuable salary, donated by Tsar Vasily Shuisky, disappeared from the icon without a trace, ancient church books and gifts from Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, and other church antiquities disappeared.

In 1937, in the wake of mass repressions, Archpriest John Smirnov, slandered in counter-revolutionary activities, was arrested. After a short trial, he was sentenced to death. The priest accepted martyrdom at the Butovo training ground. In 2000 he was glorified as the New Martyrs Confessors of Russia.

The St. Nicholas Cathedral remained desecrated and desecrated until the 1990s. It first housed a museum exposition, then an archive and a warehouse.

In the years Soviet power when the temple was in desecration, the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas was taken out of Zaraysk. In 1959-1961. the outer forms of the cathedral were restored.

In the 70s of the last century, in order to further improve the protection of architectural monuments, St. Nicholas Cathedral in the city of Zaraysk was classified as an architectural monument of the RSFSR, subject to protection and of national importance.

Divine services in the cathedral have been resumed since January 1992. There is a Sunday school. The church parish conducts publishing activities. The parishioners improved the holy spring "White Well" at the site of the appearance of the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas; Nikolskaya chapel and bathing place are consecrated here. Every year on August 11, a city-wide celebration is held in honor of the bringing of the icon of St. Nicholas of Zarazsky. Currently, St. Nicholas Cathedral is classified as an architectural monument protected by the state as a national property.

Famous church treasures

Miraculous icon of St. Nicholas

Of the sacred objects of antiquity, which were in St. Nicholas Cathedral, deserves special attention main shrine Cathedral - the miraculous temple icon of St. Nicholas, brought in 1224 from the city of Korsun to the Ryazan limits by the priest Eustathius.

This icon is with seventeen images of the miracles of the saint and fields, 25, and 20 ¼ vershoks wide, and without miracles 15 ½ vershoks high and 10 vershoks wide; St. Nicholas is depicted on it in full growth, in cross-shaped vestments, with an omophorion, the right hand of the saint is stretched out for blessing, and in his left he has the gospel, to the right in a small circle is depicted the Savior, with his right hand blessing the Hierarch, and with his left hand giving him the gospel, to the left in the same circle - the Mother of God with an omophorion outstretched in her hands.

According to its painting, this icon belongs to the ancient Byzantine style, but undoubtedly it was repeatedly renewed, which is proved by the brightness of the colors and the inscription on the icon:

"This miraculous image was repaired by the Moscow merchant Nikita Levontiev in 1797."

In 1608 the icon of St. Nicholas by Tsar Vasily Ivanovich was decorated with a setting of pure gold, with stones and pearls, as can be seen from the inscription on a special plate attached at the bottom of the setting, in which it is written in script:

“by the command of the Blessed Great Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich of All Rus', this salary was made on the image of the great miracle worker Nicholas of Zaraisk in the second year of his state, summer 7116 (1608).”

The riza arranged by Shuisky covers only one image of the Saint, and the image of his miracles is covered with a silver-gilded salary at a later time, although the gold plates were made by the same Shuisky.

In the salary on [the icon of pure gold, about six pounds, one hundred and thirty-three multi-colored stones, three Burmitz grains and one thousand six hundred large and medium pearls.

The salary, arranged by Shuisky, completely retained the character of antiquity, despite the amendments made in 1793 and 1881.

Other church antiquities

In addition to the icon of St. Nicholas, in the cathedral, in pre-revolutionary times, quite a few antiquities were kept, partly belonging to the 15th, partly to the 17th century, of which the most remarkable are:

1. Shroud of the 15th century, embroidered with gold and blue silk fabric, superimposed on krashenina. On it is embroidered with silver and silk the most pure body of the Savior, laid in a coffin. Near the head of the Mother of God, clinging to the face of the Savior and the myrrh-bearing woman, John the Theologian, Joseph and Nicodemus are depicted at the feet. In the corners of the shroud are four angels with bells, above the body of the Savior in a small circle the Holy Spirit is depicted.
2. The gospel, printed in 1606 and attached to the cathedral by Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky.
3. Gospel printed in 1689 and remarkable in size. It is 16 inches long and 11 inches wide. Its rims and spine are covered with a massive gilded silver setting. The whole gospel with a salary weighs 1 pood 25 pounds. On the top board of the centerpiece, decorated with 8 crystals, the descent of Christ into hell is depicted, in the corners of the image of the four evangelists, as well as the centerpiece, chased work. On the sides of the centerpiece in four hallmarks are depicted: the crucifixion of the Lord, the removal from the cross, the position in the tomb and the last supper. On the same board, above and below, are the inscriptions:

   "Brought to the Cathedral of the Great Wonderworker, Bishop of God Nicholas in the blessed city of Zaraysk, at the expense of the priest Trofim Vasilyevich in the summer of 1724 in the month of December on the 6th day under Archpriest Alexei Eliseevich in memory of his parents."

   Another inscription lists the names of the deceased parents and relatives of the depositor.
4. Altar cross, silver-gilded, renewed under Archpriest Demetrius in 1617, as can be seen from the inscription on the cross.
5. The altar cross, arranged in 1624 by Anthony, Archbishop of Ryazan.
6. A water-sanctified silver bowl, donated, as can be seen from the inscription along its edges, by Dmitry Ivanovich Godunov in 1604.
7. Silver-gilded lampada, arranged in 1671.
8. Two silver dishes donated to the cathedral by Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Khvorostin, arranged, as can be seen from the inscription, in 1700.
9. Two silver-gilded dishes donated by Prince Fyodor Ivanovich Mstislavsky.
10. Ladle silver, oval shape with an inscription

    "Kolomensky and Kashirsky this ladle of lord Varlam" XVII century.

11. Gold medal, with the image on one side of the cross with the inscription in a circle:

    "IN HOC SIGNO VINCES" ("THE SIGN OF VICTORY"),

    and on the other - the coat of arms of the Portuguese with two circular inscriptions:

    EMMANUIL R. PORTUGALIE AL. G.V.L. IN. O.C+C. ETHIOPIA ARABIA PERSIAE IN. C.H." ("Emanuel, King of Portugal, Caesar of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persian, etc.),

    belonging to the end of the XV century. and donated to the cathedral, probably by the same Prince Mstislavsky.

Famous priests of the temple

Photo gallery of Nikolsky Cathedral