Miraculous icon of Peter and Fevronia. Patron saints of lovers, Saints Peter and Fevronia, or a Slavic alternative to Valentine's Day

Blessed Prince Peter, monastically David, and Princess Fevronia, monastically Euphrosyne, Murom

The good-faithful Prince Peter was the second son of the Mu-ro-prince Yuri Vla-di-mi-ro-vi-cha. He ascended the Murom throne in 1203. Several years before this, Saint Peter fell ill with a disease for which no one could cure him. In the dream vision of the prince, it was discovered that he could be healed by the daughter of a bee, fortunately -va Feb-ro-nia, peasant de-rev-ni Las-ko-voy in the Ryazan land. Saint Peter sent his people to that village.

When the prince saw Saint Feb-ro-nia, he loved her so much for her goodness, wisdom and kindness that he made a vow to marry sitting on it after the treatment. Saint Feb-ro-nia married the prince and married him. The holy spouses carried love for each other through all trials. The proud bo-yars did not want to have a princess of simple rank and demanded that the prince let her go. Saint Peter left the hall and drove the spouses out. They sailed on a boat along the Oka River from their native city. Holy Feb-ro-nia under-keep-liv-va-la and comfort-sha-la of St. Peter. But soon the city of Mu-rom suffered the wrath of God, and the people demanded that the prince return along with Saint Fev-ro-ni. to her.

The holy spouses were blessed with goodness and sweetness. They died on the same day and hour, June 25, 1228, having previously received monastic haircut with the names Da-vid and Ev-fro-si -nia. The bodies of the saints were in the same coffin.

Saints Peter and Fev-ro-nia are the example of Christian sovereignty. With their prayers they bestow Heavenly blessings on those entering into marriage.

Holy saints
Prince PETER and Princess FEVRONIYA,
Murom miracle workers (†1227)

The Holy Blessed Prince Peter (monastically David) and the Holy Blessed Princess Fevronia (monastically Euphrosyne) are Russian Orthodox saints, Murom miracle workers.

The life story of the holy princes Peter and Fevronia is a story of fidelity, devotion and true love capable of sacrifice for the sake of a loved one.

The love story of this married couple is described in detail by the greatest author of the 16th century, Ermolai Erasmus, in the ancient Russian "Tales of Peter and Fevronia" . According to the Tale, the couple reigned in Murom at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries, they lived happily and died on the same day.

The blessed Prince Peter was the second son of Murom Prince Yuri Vladimirovich. He ascended the Murom throne in 1203. A few years earlier, Saint Peter fell ill with leprosy - the prince's body was covered with scabs and ulcers. No one could heal Peter from a serious illness. Enduring the torment with humility, the prince surrendered to God in everything.

In a dream vision, it was revealed to the prince that he could be healed by the beekeeper’s daughter, the pious maiden Fevronia, a peasant woman from the village of Laskovoy in the Ryazan land. Saint Peter sent his people to that village.

Fevronia, as payment for the treatment, wished that the prince would marry her after the healing. Peter promised to marry, but in his heart he was lying, since Fevronia was a commoner: “Well, how is it possible for the prince to take the daughter of a poison dart frog as his wife!”. Fevronia healed the prince, but since the beekeeper’s daughter saw through Peter’s wickedness and pride, she ordered him to leave one scab undiluted as evidence of sin. Soon, as a result of this scab, the whole illness resumed, and the prince returned to Fevronia with shame. Fevronia cured Peter again, and even then he married her.

Together with the young princess, Peter returns to Murom.Prince Peter fell in love with Fevronia for her piety, wisdom and kindness. The holy spouses carried love for each other through all trials.

After the death of his brother, Peter became autocrat in the city. The boyars respected their prince, but the arrogant boyars' wives disliked Fevronia and, not wanting to have a peasant woman as their ruler, taught their husbands evil things. The proud boyars demanded that the prince release his wife. Saint Peter refused and the couple were expelled. They sailed on a boat along the Oka from hometown. Saint Febronia supported and consoled Saint Peter. But soon the city of Murom suffered the wrath of God, and the people demanded that the prince return along with Saint Fevronia. Ambassadors arrived from Murom, begging Peter to return to reign. The boyars quarreled over power, shed blood and were now again looking for peace and tranquility. Peter and Fevronia humbly returned to their city and ruled happily ever after, observing all the commandments and instructions of the Lord impeccably, praying incessantly and giving alms to all the people under their authority, like a child-loving father and mother.

The holy spouses became famous for their piety and mercy. Whether they had children - oral tradition did not convey information about this. They achieved holiness not by having many children, but by mutual love and maintaining the sanctity of marriage. This is precisely its meaning and purpose.

When old age came, they took monasticism with the names David and Euphrosyne and begged God to die at the same time. They decided to bury themselves together in a specially prepared coffin with a thin partition in the middle. Marriage vows, even after tonsure, remain valid for them, because they also fulfill their last promise to each other - to die at the same time.

They died on the same day and hour, June 25, 1228 , each in his own cell. People considered it impious to bury monks in the same coffin and dared to violate the will of the deceased. Twice their bodies were carried around different temples, but twice they miraculously turned out to be nearby. So they buried the holy spouses together in one coffin near the Cathedral Church of the Nativity Holy Mother of God. Thus, the Lord glorified not only His saints, but also once again sealed the holiness and dignity of marriage, the vows of which in this case turned out to be no lower than monastic vows.

Peter and Fevronia were canonized on church cathedral 1547. Saints' Day is June 25 (July 8).

Saints Peter and Fevronia are an example of Christian marriage. With their prayers they bring down Heavenly blessings on those entering into marriage.

The holy noble princes Peter and Fevronia are revered by the Church as the patrons of Christian marriage. It is they who should pray for peace to be sent into the family, for strengthening marital ties, and for achieving family happiness. They are placed on a par with the apostles and martyrs and other great saints. And they were awarded such glorification “for the sake of courage and humility” that they showed in keeping the commandments of God regarding marriage. This means that each of those who strive in Christian marriage and follow their example can be placed in this rank and can win the crown that Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom were awarded.

Their the relics are located in the city of Murom in Troitsky convent . In pre-revolutionary times, the Day of Remembrance of the Murom Wonderworkers was one of the main citywide holidays. On this day, a fair was held in Murom, and many surrounding residents flocked to the city. It can rightfully be said that the relics of the holy princes were a citywide shrine and the main Orthodox symbol of the city.

Located in Moscow revered icon of the holy princes Peter and Fevronia with a particle of relics in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord on Bolshaya Nikitskaya(“Little Ascension”), where every Sunday at 17.00 an akathist is served to them.

In 2008, with the support of his wife Russian President Svetlana Medvedeva was established new holiday - Day of Family, Love and Fidelity , falling on July 8 - the day of remembrance of the holy noble princes Peter and Fevronia. This holiday is part of the forgotten tradition of our people. Previously, engagements took place on this day, and after the end of Peter's fast, couples were married in church. The symbol of the holiday was the simple and close chamomile - as a symbol of summer, warmth, comfort, purity and innocence.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

for the Temple Life-Giving Trinity on Vorobyovy Gory

Troparion, tone 8
As you were of pious origin and most honorable, / having lived well in piety, blessed Peter, / so also with your wife, the wise Fevronia, / pleasing God in the world, / and saints' lives be worthy. / With them, pray to the Lord / to preserve your fatherland without harm, / that we may continually honor you.

Kontakion, tone 8
Thinking of the reign of this world and temporal glory, / for this sake you lived piously in the world, Peter, / together with your wife, the wise Fevronia, / pleasing God with alms and prayers. / Likewise, even after death, lying inseparably in the tomb, / you invisibly give healing ,/ and now pray to Christ, // to save the city and the people who glorify you.

Prayer to the Holy Blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia of Murom
O great saints of God and wonderful miracle workers, blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, representatives and guardians of the city of Murom, and about all of us, zealous prayer books for the Lord! We come running to you and pray to you with strong hope: bring your holy prayers to the Lord God for us sinners and ask us from His goodness for all that is good for our souls and bodies: rightful faith, good hope, unfeigned love, unshakable piety, success in good deeds, peace of peace, fruitfulness of the earth, prosperity of the air, health to souls and bodies and eternal salvation. Intercede with the Heavenly King: may His faithful servants, in grief and sorrow cry out to Him day and night, hear the pained cry and may our belly be delivered from destruction. Ask the Church of Saints and the entire Russian Empire for peace, silence and prosperity, and for all of us a prosperous life and a good Christian death. Protect your fatherland, the city of Murom, and all Russian cities from all evil, and overshadow all the faithful people who come to you and worship you with the power of your auspicious prayers, and fulfill all their requests for good. Hey, holy wonderworkers! Do not despise our prayers offered to you with tenderness, but be worthy of us as intercessors to the Lord in your dreams and make us worthy, through your holy help, to receive eternal salvation and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; Let us glorify the ineffable love for mankind of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity we worship God, forever and ever. A min.

Peter and Fevronia (monastically David and Euphrosyne) – Orthodox patrons families. The poetic and instructive story of marital love and fidelity has been considered an example of an ideal Christian marriage since ancient times. They pray to the faithful Peter and Fevronia of Murom for family well-being, happiness in marriage, and the gift of children.

How an icon will protect you and your loved ones
Prayer before the icon of the Holy Blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia will protect your family from disagreements, preserving peace and prosperity. Memory of amazing story the earthly life of Saints Peter and Fevronia, the words of prayer will protect the spouses from a possible wrong step in the relationship, for these saints are intercessors before the Lord God for the strength of marriage, a virtuous life in marriage.

What does an icon help with?
Prayer before the icon of Saints Peter and Fevronia helps to maintain well-being in marriage, love between spouses for a long time, fill your relationships with Christian piety, since a happy and strong family is the basis of a strong and healthy society. In a happy marriage, seeing the love of their parents, children grow up happier. For them, the example of their parents, their way of life will become the model of marriage to which they will strive when the time comes for them to get married.
For girls who want to get married successfully - of course, we are talking here about love and family understanding as the alpha and omega of a good and strong family - prayer in front of the image of Saints Peter and Fevronia also helps. Before him they pray for the strengthening of the statehood of our Motherland, for the strengthening of the faith of Christ in the hearts of Orthodox Christians.
Also, in front of the icon of Saints Peter and Fevronia, they pray for the gift of children, if marriage long time remains infertile.

How to pray in front of an icon
They pray to Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom for family well-being and happiness in marriage.
First prayer
O great saints of God and wonderful miracle workers, blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, representatives and guardians of the city of Murom, and about all of us, zealous prayer books for the Lord! We come running to you and pray to you with strong hope: bring your holy prayers to the Lord God for us sinners and ask us from His goodness for all that is good for our souls and bodies: rightful faith, good hope, unfeigned love, unshakable piety, success in good deeds, peace of peace, fruitfulness of the earth, prosperity of the air, health to souls and bodies and eternal salvation. Intercede with the Heavenly King: may His faithful servants, in grief and sorrow cry out to Him day and night, hear the pained cry and may our belly be delivered from destruction. Ask the Church of Saints and the entire Russian Empire for peace, silence and prosperity, and for all of us a prosperous life and a good Christian death. Protect your fatherland, the city of Murom, and all Russian cities from all evil, and overshadow all the faithful people who come to you and worship you with the power of your auspicious prayers, and fulfill all their requests for good. Hey, holy wonderworkers! Do not despise our prayers offered to you with tenderness, but be worthy of us as intercessors to the Lord in your dreams and make us worthy, through your holy help, to receive eternal salvation and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; Let us glorify the ineffable love for mankind of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity we worship God, forever and ever. Amen.

Second prayer
O saints of God, blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, we come running to you and pray to you with strong hope: offer up your holy prayers for us sinners (names) to the Lord God and ask from His goodness all that is useful to our souls and bodies: faith justice, good hope, unfeigned love, unshakable piety, success in good deeds. And petition the Heavenly King for a prosperous life and a good Christian death. Hey, holy wonderworkers! Do not despise our prayers, but awaken in your dreams to intercede with the Lord, and with your help make us worthy to receive eternal salvation and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; Let us glorify the ineffable love for mankind of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity we worship God forever and ever. Amen

A girl's prayer to the Lord for early marriage
Oh, All-Good Lord, I know that my great happiness depends on the fact that I love You with all my soul and with all my heart, and that I fulfill Your holy will in everything. Rule Yourself, O my God, over my soul and fill my heart: I want to please You Alone, for You are the Creator and my God. Save me from pride and self-love: let reason, modesty and chastity adorn me. Idleness is disgusting to You and gives rise to vices, give me the desire to work hard and bless my labors. Since Your Law commands people to live in an honest marriage, then lead me, Holy Father, to this title, sanctified by You, not to please my lust, but to fulfill Your destiny, for You Yourself said: it is not good for man to be alone and, having created He gave him a wife to help him, blessed them to grow, multiply and populate the earth. Hear my humble prayer, sent to You from the depths of a girl’s heart; give me an honest and pious spouse, so that in love with him and in harmony we glorify You, the merciful God: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Every year on July 8th it is customary to celebrate the day of Saints Peter and Fevronia. It is also a day of family and love. The icon of Peter and Fevronia was painted in 1618. It depicts saints in full height in a monastic robe from the scene of their Lives. Another obligatory element is the image of Christ blessing. Saints may hold a rosary or a scroll in their hands.

What does the icon of Peter and Fevronia mean?

To begin with, it will be interesting to learn about the love story of these saints. There is a legend that in the city of Murom there was Prince Peter, who was bitten by a snake, which is why his body was covered with ulcers. Not a single doctor could cure the prince. In the city there lived a girl, Fevronia, who had the gift of healing. She was able to cure the prince, and the young people fell in love with each other. Peter was forbidden to marry an ordinary girl, but he decided not to betray his love and refused to rule. Murom could not live without a ruler for a long time, and Peter’s marriage was approved. Thanks to their love for each other and for God, Peter and Fevronia became saints, and their love story is an example for everyone.

There are canonical and non-canonical icons of Peter and Fevronia, which have different meaning. The first option implies the correct image, and this image is used in church rituals and in home prayers. A non-canonical icon is an incorrect image that is intended for artistic decoration.

How does the icon of Peter and Fevronia help?

It is believed that these saints have a greater influence on personal life person, so single people who want to find a soul mate and build a strong family turn to them. The icon of Peter and Fevronia helps women get pregnant. Married people who want to strengthen their marriage and improve their marriage turn to the saints. The family icon of Peter and Fevronia has the power of healing. Exists great amount testimonies when, after reading a prayer in front of the image, people got rid of various diseases. It is important to read a prayer in front of the icon of saints not only during difficult situations, but also during happy periods. Saints Peter and Fevronia will help calm emotional worries and find the right path for lost souls. Since ancient times, people have believed that if you give such an icon to a newlywed for a wedding, it will protect them from divorce and various troubles.

What’s interesting is that until 2013 there was no prayer for the icon of Peter and Fevronia. The situation was corrected on May 29 Holy Synod, who approved the text of the prayer with which people can turn to the saints, and it sounds like this:

“Oh, great servants of God and wonderful miracle workers, faithful Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, representatives of the city of Murom, guardians of honest marriage and prayer books for all of us with zeal for the Lord!

During the days of your earthly life, you showed nature the image of piety, Christian love and fidelity to each other even to the grave, and thereby glorified the lawful and blessed marriage of nature.

For this reason, we come running to you and pray with strong zeal: bring your holy prayers to the Lord God for us sinners, and ask us for all that is good for our souls and bodies: rightful faith, good hope, unfeigned love, unshakable piety, success in good deeds, especially in marriage, grant through your prayers chastity, love for each other in a union of peace, like-mindedness of souls and bodies, a bed of hate, a shameless stay, a long-lived seed, grace for your children, houses filled with goodness in life eternal is the unfading crown of Heavenly glory.

Hey, holy wonderworkers! Do not despise our prayers, offered to you with tenderness, but be our intercessors before the Lord and make us worthy through your intercession to receive eternal salvation and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, and let us glorify the ineffable love for mankind of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity we worship God, forever and ever. Amen".

The tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day appeared here relatively recently, but quickly became as popular as in the West. Unfortunately, much fewer people know about another reason to more often confess their love to each other - Orthodox feast of Saints Peter and Fevronia. July 8th proclaimed Happy day of family, love and fidelity, and this holiday is called Slavic alternative to Valentine's Day. Why not organize such holidays twice a year? Moreover, the story of Peter and Fevronia is really very interesting and deserves admiration.

Saint Valentine is the patron saint of all lovers, Peter and Fevronia are the patrons of conjugal love, family and marriage, because they lived their whole lives together in harmony and fidelity, died on the same day and bequeathed to be buried side by side. Their story is known to us thanks to the ancient Russian “Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” written in the 16th century. Ermolai Erasmus. At the same time, in 1547, the Murom spouses were canonized at a church council.

The Old Russian “Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” is a real hymn of marital love and fidelity, in addition, it is a glorification of female wisdom and male self-denial. Peter and Fevronia lived in the 13th century, but their story remains interesting and relevant for our contemporaries.

Peter was the brother of the Murom ruler, Prince Pavel. He helped him get rid of the evil snake that was plaguing their family. Having killed the enemy, he himself suffered - the poisoned blood of the snake fell on Peter's skin, causing it to become covered with scabs. None of the doctors could cure him of this disease.

In search of a healer, the prince went to the Ryazan land, and in the village of Laskovo he found a girl wise beyond her years, the daughter of a beekeeper. She promised to cure the prince if he later marries her. Peter promised, but did not keep his vow - the prince could not marry a peasant woman. After this, the disease returned to him. Peter again turned to Fevronia for help, and she helped him again. This time he kept his word and took her as his wife. So Fevronia became a princess.

Soon Prince Pavel died, and Peter began to rule in Murom. The boyars' wives disliked Fevronia for her simple origin and planned to get rid of her. The boyars told Peter that their wives did not want to obey Fevronia and asked her to leave the city. Then Peter renounced his reign and left with his wife.

When they were sailing in ships along the Oka, Fevronia noticed that one man, whose wife was on the same ship, was looking at her “with thoughts.” Then she asked him to scoop up water from one side and the other of the vessel and tell him whether it tasted different. Of course, there were no differences. Then Fevronia said: “So female nature is the same. Why, having forgotten about your wife, are you thinking about someone else’s?”

Soon the Murom nobles came to ask Peter to return - after his departure, turmoil and strife began. The couple returned and ruled Murom in accordance with the commandments, “they did not like cruelty and money-grubbing, and did not spare perishable wealth.” In old age they took monasticism and agreed to leave on the same day. After their death on June 25 (July 8 according to the new style), they did not dare to put them in one coffin, as they requested. Their bodies were in different churches, but the next morning they found themselves in the same tomb. So love was able to conquer even death, so the holiday began to be celebrated on this day.

The story of Peter and Fevronia has become an example of love, loyalty and reverence family values. Centuries later, she deserves the same admiration as many years ago. Should you celebrate July 8th as the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity? You still have time to think about it, but for now