Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neo-Caesario. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neo-Caesarean Prayer St. Gregory the Wonderworker

“Give her as soon as possible what she wants, so that she leaves us without bothering us any more.”.

“Omniscient and Almighty God, look at this hour on me and on Gregory, and make effective consecration to Thy grace”.

“God's representative, we inflame with zeal, anointing you, Fedim, not having come, father, having faithfully trusted God to lead all kinds of things, and hoping for your honest life, God-speaking Gregory” .

“One God, Father of the Living Word, Hypostatic Wisdom,Power and Image of the Eternal, Perfect Parent of the Perfect, Father of the Only Begotten Son. There is one Lord, the One from the One, God from God, the Image and Image of the Deity, the effective Word, the Wisdom that embraces the composition of everything that exists, and the creative Power of all creation, the True Son of the True Father, the Invisible, Imperishable, Immortal and Eternal Son of the Invisible, Imperishable and Eternal Father. And there is only one Holy Spirit who has a being from the Father. And there is only one Holy Spirit, who has a being from the Father and is revealed to people through the Son, the Perfect Image of the Perfect Son, Life, the Cause of all living things, the Holy Source, the Shrine, giving sanctification, in which God the Father reveals Himself, Who is above everyone and in everything, and God the Son, Who is through all, the Trinity is perfect, with glory, eternity and kingdom, indivisible and inalienable. So, in the Trinity there is nothing created, or service, or brought in, as if it had not been before, but later arrived. So, the Son did not lack anything before the Father and the Holy Spirit before the Son, but the same Trinity is always unchanging and unchanging.”.

“We cannot enter where the wanderer was last night, who was walking from the desert to Neocaesarea!”

“My God is so almighty that he commands the demons, and he gave me such power over them that they will listen to me even against their will.”.

“There is only one true and all-powerful God, preached by Gregory,and there is none other than Him”- and immediately believed in Him, and spread the news of this event everywhere so quickly that in Neocaesarea the people learned about the miracles of Gregory and about his power over demons before Gregory himself arrived there. The whole city knew about his arrival, and a multitude of people came out to meet him, wanting to see him, because they heard that he moved the great stone to another place and what commands their gods, and they listen to him.

“Why are you, as if outside the protection of God, worrying about where you can calm your bodies? Does God really seem like a small house to you, even though we live and move and we are in Him? Or is the heavenly shelter small for you, why are you looking for, besides this, another dwelling? May you be concerned about that only one house, which is the property of everyone, which is built by virtues and erected in height; we must take care of him alone, so that such a dwelling is not unsettled among you ...”

(~213 - after 270)

On the Path to the Priesthood

Gregory of Neocaesarea (Wonderworker) came from a famous, wealthy family; was a descendant of Greek settlers.

The exact date of his birth is unknown. It is believed that he was born around the year 213, in the Pontic Neocaesarea. According to legend, he was originally called Theodore, and the name Gregory probably received at baptism.

Theodore's father, far from the Orthodox worldview, raised his son as a pagan pagan. Being a man not poor, he sought to give him a good secular education. Meanwhile, at the age of fourteen, Theodore lost his father, and much in his proposed career began to depend on his loved ones and on himself, but most importantly, on the All-Wise God.

For some time, Theodore studied at the grammar school, then at the rhetoric school, then plunged into jurisprudence; preparing to become a lawyer, he studied laws and law, and, of course, the language of laws used at that time was Latin. Wanting to learn the basics of Roman law, he intended to go to Rome. But according to the Providence of God, his life did not turn out the way he and the pagan father had once thought.

Accompanying his sister to Caesarea, whose husband received from the authorities a position of adviser to the governor of Palestine, Theodore, who arrived there with his brother, Athenodorus, had the opportunity to continue his education in Berytus, where at that time a well-known law school was located in the region.

But here something happened that none of the relatives even imagined. At that time, a theological school operated in Caesarea, Palestine, organized through the efforts of the famous Christian teacher a. Having settled down upon arrival, Theodore, together with his brother, either purposefully or out of curiosity, wanted to hear the sermons of a.

Soon they met (it is believed that Bishop Firmilian contributed to this). The meeting grew into a personal acquaintance, which influenced the fate of Theodore in the most decisive way. Theodore, having heard ardent, eloquent instructions, was imbued with sympathy and respect, and, in turn, offered to take him as a student. Theodore was followed by his brother, Athenodorus.

There is a tradition that Gregory received the text of this summary of the dogmas of faith before being elevated to the Neocaesarian see. Once, when he was in prayer and contemplation in a deserted desert, two unusual people approached him: a handsome old man and a luminous Wife. According to the word of the Wife, her companion taught Gregory the Symbol, which, subsequently, he introduced in the Neo-Caesarian community. By the Wife who appeared from ancient times is meant the Mother of God, and by the elder - the Evangelist John the Theologian.

It is unlikely that there will be at least one resident of the capital who would not know where the church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea is located. “On the Polyanka” - this is how passers-by answer tourists, although many know it under a different name - as the Red Church. This is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Moscow. The Church of Gregory of Neocaesarea (in Polyanka) is the only church named after this saint. It is located in Zamoskvorechye. The temple has an unusual history and a completely unique appearance. A monument of Russian architecture with an “oriental, spicy flavor” - this is exactly what experts say about the temple of Gregory of Neocaesarea.

About the saint after whom the church is named

St. Gregory was born in the north of Asia Minor in the city of Neocaesarea around the third century after the birth of Christ. Having received an excellent education in Alexandria from Origen himself, he returned to his homeland. But soon, having retired to the desert, he began to lead his holy life there in prayers and fasting in order to receive from God the gift of prophecy. The bishop of Amasia learned about the ascetic. He decided to put him in his native Neocaesarea as a spiritual leader. St. Gregory agreed and, before the consecration, fervently prayed to God to reveal to him the true worship of the Holy Trinity. And he had a wonderful vision: the Most Holy Theotokos herself and the Apostle John the Theologian appeared before Gregory. It was from the latter that the saint received knowledge of the true and worthy confession of the Holy Trinity. It was on this Revelation that Orthodox teaching was later based. Gregory of Neocaesarea himself did not live to see this. He died about 266.

Where is the temple located?

The place where the Red Church stands today was called "Derbitsy" in ancient times. This name was due to the mossy, very marshy land of the area. At first the church was wooden. It is known for certain that it was built by order of the Grand Duke of Moscow, grandson of Dmitry Donskoy Vasily the Dark. According to some reports, being in Tatar captivity, he made a vow that if he gains freedom, he will definitely build a temple. Moreover, he will build it exactly on the spot from which he will see the Moscow Kremlin upon his return. And the prince promised to dedicate it to that saint, on the day of memory of which this event will take place. This is how the wooden church on Polyanka appeared.

Once upon a time there was a wilderness along which the highway leading from Novgorod to the city of Ryazan passed. The name "Polyanka" officially appeared only in the eighteenth century. At the time when the Red Church was founded in honor of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea, large fields stretched in this place. It was they who gave the name to this old street in Zamoskvorechye.

At first, only peasants and artisans lived in this unsightly damp area, but already from the sixteenth century settlements of archers began to appear here. There was also a palace settlement of coopers - royal kadash, who made wooden tubs and barrels incredibly necessary for those times in the economy. Since the 18th century, Moscow merchants began to slowly populate Zamoskvorechie and Polyanka Street.

Church history

Tourists are told a lot of interesting things about the temple of Gregory of Neocaesarea. Indeed, it has a very ancient history. The church was originally built from wood. According to legend, the construction was started as a token of gratitude to God for getting rid of the Mongol-Tatar captivity of Prince Vasily the Dark. The grandson of Dmitry Donskoy was destined to see the fortress walls of Moscow on November 30, 1445. On this day, according to the Orthodox calendar, the memory of St. Gregory of New Caesarea. This circumstance determined the fate of the future church.

New life

The wooden church existed until the seventeenth century. Later, in the then temple of Gregory of Neocaesarea, there was a fire and it completely burned down. The building was restored, but again it was made of wood. Gradually, the church fell into disrepair, this became especially noticeable after the plague. And only in 1667, the sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich gave an order to build a new, already stone, church. The works were supervised by the best architects of those times, Ioann Kuznechik and Karp Guba.

Alexei Mikhailovich gave considerable funds for the construction, he personally controlled its progress. The material was delivered from the famous quarries near Moscow, from where the stone was also taken for the walls of the Kremlin. Nine thousand tiles with the so-called "peacock's eye" were made by the famous master Stepan Polubes, and the images for the iconostasis were made by the royal iconographer Ushakov. Construction was completed twelve years later. On March 1, 1679, the consecration and the first service took place in the church of Gregory of Neocaesarea. The ceremony was performed by Joachim - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' in the presence of the new Tsar Fedor Alekseevich.

hard years

Since then, the Red Church, striking in its beauty, has, as it were, received the status of a court church. And to this day, the crosses of all heads in the church of Gregory of Neocaesarea are crowned with crowns. The church endured the hardships of 1812 without loss. Napoleon liked her so much that during a fire in Moscow, he ordered that nothing happen to the church on Bolshaya Polyanka. The French emperor lamented that he could not, "putting this building in the palm of his hand," take it to Paris. It must be said that in 1812 neither the decoration, nor the utensils of the church, nor its books were damaged. What can not be said about subsequent times.

If at the beginning of the twentieth century Grand Duchess Elizabeth herself came to services in the church of Gregory of Neocaesarea, then after the revolution, their own Muscovites, unlike foreign invaders, did not spare anything in the church. Almost all valuables were seized from it. It was not possible to save the hipped bell tower, which allegedly interferes with pedestrians. In the late 30s of the last century, the temple was completely closed. And only in the nineties, the church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea in Polyanka was returned to believers.

Return to the bosom of the Church

The updated look of the Red Church was due to the efforts of Patriarch Alexy II. A large-scale reconstruction was carried out, church decor was highlighted, crosses were gilded and unique bells were recreated. According to the surviving fragments, the ancient paintings on the walls were also restored. Even the current iconostasis was "copied" from the original, which was once famous for the church (in Polyanka) of Gregory of Neocaesarea. The schedule of services, which are still performed daily in the church today, could be seen for the first time four years after the start of restoration work. On November 30, 1996, the main altar was consecrated within the walls of the renovated church.

Church of Gregory of Neocaesarea - service schedule

On Saturdays at nine in the morning, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in the Red Church on Bolshaya Polyanka. All-night vigil begins at seventeen o'clock.

On feast days and on Sundays, the Divine Liturgy is served at half past ten in the morning. The schedule of services should be specified both in the temple itself and on its website.

Publication date 12/15/2009

Life of St. Gregory, Bishop and Wonderworker of Neocaesarea.

Saint Gregory came from the glorious and great city of Neocaesarea from pagan parents. He lost them at a young age. Having taken up the study of the Hellenic wisdom, he began to comprehend the most perfect wisdom, which consists in the knowledge of the One True God - from the creations he knew the Creator and tried to please Him with a gentle and chaste life. Having become acquainted with the holy gospel teaching, he immediately became a follower of it and, having been baptized, tried to live according to the commandments of Christ, in purity and non-possession, renounced all worldly vanity, riches, pride, glory and temporary pleasures.

Refusing to please the flesh, Gregory remained in great abstinence, mortifying his will, and guarded the purity of his virginity so strictly that throughout his life, from the womb of his mother to his blessed death, he did not know carnal sin and kept himself from filth in order to be pleasing To the One Pure and Sinless, born of the Sinless Virgin, Christ God. Having surrendered to Him from youth, with His help he succeeded from strength to strength, from virtue to virtue, and walked the path of life blamelessly: for this God loved Him and good people, but hated the evil ones.

When, while still a youth, he studied philosophy and the art of medicine in Alexandria, along with many young men who flocked there from all countries, his chaste and immaculate life aroused the hatred of his peers. Being intemperate and enslaved by passions, they lived uncleanly, entering the houses of harlots, as was the custom among pagan youths; and Saint Gregory, as a Christian youth, turned away from this pernicious path, avoided impurity and hated iniquity; like a creen among thorns, so among the unclean he shone with his purity.

Many knew about his pure and immaculate life, and for this many worthy philosophers and citizens greatly revered and glorified him; peers, not being able to look at the young man, who in abstinence and purity surpassed not only young people, but also old ones, planned to spread a bad rumor among people that he lived as uncleanly as others, and thereby darken that good reputation, which he justly enjoyed among men. They taught some harlot to slander and spread a bad rumor about an innocent and pure-hearted youth.

Once, when the saint, in full view of everyone, was talking with worthy philosophers and the foremost teachers, a harlot, taught by the saint's peers, approached him, shamelessly asking him for the due payment for the carnal sin allegedly committed with her. Everyone heard this and was surprised: some were tempted, considering it to be true; while others, knowing the purity and purity of Gregory, did not give faith to the words of the shameless harlot and drove her away. She, shouting loudly, bothered the saint so that he would pay the price for committing fornication. Oh, how ashamed Saint Gregory felt when he heard such shameless and unjust censures of a woman, obviously a sinner, in the presence of so many honest people! Like a pure girl, he reddened his face; however, being gentle and meek, he did not say anything harsh to the harlot, did not show the slightest anger, did not make excuses or present witnesses to his innocence, but meekly said to one of his friends:

Give her as soon as possible the wages you require, so that she leaves us without bothering us any more.

The friend immediately gave her as much as she wanted, redeeming the innocent Gregory from shame. But God, the faithful Witness in heaven, revealed this untruth in the following way. He allowed an unclean spirit to the shameless harlot, and when she accepted the unrighteous reward into her hands, she immediately accepted a fierce punishment: for the demon attacked her and began to torment her in front of everyone. The harlot fell to the ground, screamed in a terrible voice, trembled all over, gnashed her teeth and became stunned, emitting foam, so that all those present were filled with great fear and horror, seeing such a quick and fierce vengeance for an innocent youth. And the demon did not stop tormenting her until the saint made a diligent prayer to God for her and thereby drove the demon away from her. This was the beginning of the miracles of the young Gregory, whose virtues marveled even the elders.

Gregory had a prudent and good-natured friend named Firmian, a native of Cappadocia. Having revealed to him his cherished thought - to leave everything and serve the one God, Gregory found that Firmian had the same thought and wished to follow the same path. By mutual advice, both of them left worldly philosophy, left pagan schools and began to study Christian wisdom and the mysteries of Divine Scripture. At that time, the famous Origen was famous among the teachers of the Church of Christ. Coming to him together with his friend Firmian, Saint Gregory began to study with him and, having stayed with him for quite some time, he returned to his homeland, to Neocaesarea.

The citizens of Neo-Caesarean and all who knew him, seeing his great wisdom, wanted him to be honored among fellow citizens and to assume the duties of a judge and city governor. But Gregory, avoiding pride, the empty glory of man and those numerous nets with which the enemy entangles the world, left his father's city and, settling in the desert, lived in deep solitude, for God alone - in what exploits and labors, only One creator knows about it. on one heart, and understand all our deeds (Ps. 32:15).

When Saint Gregory was in the wilderness and was practicing the thought of God, the blessed Thedymus, bishop of the Cappadocian city of Amasia, learned about him, and wanted to lead him out of the wilderness to serve the Church of Christ, to make him a saint and teacher; for he foresaw in him the grace of God and that he would be a great pillar of the Church and a foundation of faith. Saint Gregory also had the gift of clairvoyance and, having learned that the bishop wanted to take him out of the desert to serve the Church, he hid from him, considering himself unworthy of such a dignity, and moved in the desert from place to place so as not to be found. Blessed Fedim diligently sought him and called him to him from the desert with prayer, but, not being able to separate the desert-lover from his desert and bring him to Amasia for consecration, he committed a deed, apparently, strange and unusual. Moved by the Spirit of God and inflamed with zeal for the holy Church, he did not find it difficult that Gregory did not come to him and that there was a considerable distance between them - from the city of Amasia to the desert in which Gregory lived, it was a three-day journey; Bishop Fedim did not find it difficult to find such a distance between them and consecrated Gregory, who was far from him, as a bishop of the Neocaesarian church. Turning his gaze to God, he said:

Omniscient and Almighty God, look at this hour on me and on Gregory and make effective consecration to Thy grace.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa testifies to this, describing the life of this saint; This is also confirmed in the Menaine canon, which tells about it this way:

God's representative is inflamed with jealousy, the anointing of Fedim did not come, father, piously trusting God to lead all kinds of things, and hoping for your honest life, God-speaking Gregory.

Thus did Blessed Thedym make an unusual consecration to Gregory, and Saint Gregory, though against his will, obeyed to take over the church government: for how could he resist the will of the Lord? First of all, he resorted to prayer, asking for help from above for such a thing.

At that time, the heresy of Sabellius and Paul of Samosata began to spread. Saint Gregory was at a loss about her and diligently prayed to God and the Mother of God for the revelation of the true faith to him. When one night he prayed especially diligently about this, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him, shining like the sun, with John the Theologian, dressed in bishop's clothes. Pointing her hand at Gregory, the Most Pure One commanded John the Theologian to teach him how to believe in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. And, at the command of the Mother of God, Saint Gregory was taught by Saint John the Theologian, for a short time, the great Mysteries of God and drew Divine knowledge from the inexhaustible depth of Wisdom. The words of revelation spoken by John the Theologian were as follows:

There is one God, the Father of the Living Word, the Wisdom of the Hypostatic Power and the Image of the Eternal, the Perfect Parent of the Perfect, the Father of the Only Begotten Son. There is one Lord, the One from the One, God from God, the Image and Image of the Deity, the effective Word, Wisdom, embracing the composition of everything that exists, and the Creative Power of all creation, the True Son of the True Father, the Invisible, Imperishable, Immortal and Eternal Son of the Invisible, Imperishable and Eternal Father. And there is only one Holy Spirit, Who has a being from the Father and is revealed to people through the Son, the Perfect Image of the Perfect Son, Life, the Cause of all living things, the Holy Source, the Sanctuary that gives sanctification, in Whom God the Father reveals Himself, Who is above all and in everything, and God the Son, Who is through all, the Trinity, perfect in glory, eternity and kingdom, Indivisible and Inalienable. Thus, in the Trinity there is nothing created, or of service, or brought in, as if it had not been before, but later arrived. Thus, the Son did not lack anything before the Father and the Holy Spirit before the Son, but the same Trinity is always unchangeable and unchangeable.

After this vision, Saint Gregory wrote down with his own hand the words spoken to him by Saint John the Theologian, and this writing of his was preserved in the Neocaesarian church for many years.

After that Saint Gregory went to Neocaesarea. Then all of Neocaesarea was in the darkness of idolatry: there were a great many idols and temples of idols in this city. Many sacrifices were made to idols every day, so that the whole air was full of stench emanating from animals being slaughtered and burned as sacrifices, and only 17 believers were in the crowded city.

When St. Gregory was going to Neocaesarea, on the way he had to pass by one idol temple. It was evening and heavy rain was coming; out of necessity, the saint and his companions had to enter this idol temple and spend the night there. There were many idols in that temple, demons lived in them, who appeared to their priests and talked with them. After spending the night there, Saint Gregory performed his usual midnight and morning hymns and prayers and marked the air defiled by demonic sacrifices with the sign of the cross. Frightened by the sign of the cross and the holy prayers of Gregory, the demons left their temple and idols and disappeared. In the morning, Saint Gregory and his friends set off on their further journey, and the idol priest entered the temple according to his custom, wishing to sacrifice to the demons, but did not find the demons, for they fled from there. The demons did not appear to him even when he began to offer sacrifices to them - as before they usually appeared; and the priest wondered why his gods left their temple. Earnestly he begged them to return to their place, and they cried out from afar:

We cannot enter where the wanderer was last night, who was walking from the desert to Neocaesarea.

The priest, hearing this, hurried after Gregory, overtook him, stopped him, and with anger began to shout at him, reproaching him for the fact that the gods hated this place because of him and left; threatened him with a royal court, intending to immediately lead him by force to his tormentors. Saint Gregory, appeasing the priest's wrath with meek and wise words, finally said:

My God is so almighty that he commands the demons, and he gave me such power over them that they will listen to me even against their will.

The priest, hearing this, subdued his anger and begged the saint to command the pagan gods to return to their temple. The saint, tearing out a small sheet from his book, wrote on it the following words: “Gregory - to Satan: come in,” and gave this sheet to the priest, commanding him to put it on the altar of his wicked gods. And immediately the demons returned to the temple and conversed with the priest, as before. The priest was horrified, marveling at the divine power of St. Gregory, with the help of which he commands the demons by word, and they listen to him; hurried after him again, overtook him when he had not yet reached the city, and asked where he had such strength that the pagan gods were afraid of him and listened to his commands. Saint Gregory, seeing that the priest's heart was receptive to faith, began to instruct him about the One True God, who created everything by His Word, and passed on to him the secret of the holy faith.

While they, talking, were on their way, the priest began to implore Saint Gregory to show some kind of miracle for a visible confirmation of his faith. And then they saw a huge stone, which, as it seemed, no force could move from its place; but Gregory in the name of Christ ordered him to move from his place, and the stone moved and moved to another place where the priest wanted. Fear seized the priest at the sight of this glorious miracle, and he confessed:

There is one True and Almighty God, preached by Gregory, and there is no other besides Him, - and immediately believed in Him, and spread the news of this event everywhere so quickly that in Neocaesarea the people learned about the miracles of Gregory and about his power over demons earlier, than Gregory himself came there. The whole city knew about his arrival, and a multitude of people came out to meet him, wanting to see him, because they heard that he moved the great stone to another place with a word and that he commands their gods, and they listen to him.

Entering the great city for the first time in an unusual situation for him, Saint Gregory was not amazed at such a multitude of people who had gathered for him, but, walking as if in a desert, he looked only at himself and at the road, not addressing any of those gathered around him. . And this very thing seemed to the people even higher and more amazing than the miracle performed by the saint over the stone. Gregory entered the city, crowded from everywhere by his escorts, as if the whole city had already honored his hierarchship. But, freeing himself from every burden of life, the saint paid no attention to it. When he entered the city, he did not even have a house anywhere to calm down, neither a church one, nor his own, and his companions were in confusion and anxiety about where to land and from whom to find shelter. But their teacher, God-wise Gregory, reassuring them and at the same time, as if reproaching them for cowardice, said:

Why are you, as if outside the protection of God, worrying about where you can calm your bodies? Does God really seem like a small house to you, although we live and move and have our being in Him? Or is the heavenly shelter small for you, why are you looking for, besides this, another dwelling? May you be concerned about that only one house, which is the property of everyone, which is built by virtues and erected in height; we must take care of him alone, so that such a dwelling is not unsettled among you ...

When St. Gregory was instructing his companions in this way, one eminent and wealthy citizen named Musonius, who was at the same time, seeing that many had the same desire and concern, how to receive the great husband into their homes, warning others, turned to Gregory with a request stay with him and honor his house with your entrance. Others asked the saint about the same, but he, fulfilling the request of the first, stopped at the house of Musonius. When Gregory entered Neocaesarea, he found only seventeen believers there, but the whole city worshiped soulless idols and served demons, then Gregory began to pray to God in the secret of his heart: may He look upon His creation and such a multitude of erring and perishing people, may He enlighten and turn to the path of salvation. Staying in the house of Musonius, Saint Gregory began to teach unbelievers the knowledge of the true God. Those who heard his word were at first few in number, but before the day ended and the sun went down, so many of them joined the first meeting that they were already crowds of people.

God's help helped him so much that not a single day passed without the acquisition of human souls for the Church of Christ. A multitude of people with their wives and children gathered at the house of Musonius to Saint Gregory to listen to his teaching and to see miraculous healings from him: for he drove away evil spirits from people, healed all kinds of diseases, and day by day the believers joined the Church, and their number multiplied. In a short time, at the expense of people who believed in the Lord, Gregory created a marvelous church; they gave the saint everything they had for the building of the church, and opened their treasuries, so that he would take as much as needed for the splendor of the Lord's house, for feeding the orphans and ministering to the sick.

Thus, the Word of God grew in Neocaesarea, the holy faith spread, polytheism of idols was destroyed, their vile temples fell into desolation, idols were crushed, and the Name of the One Almighty God and our Lord Jesus Christ was magnified and glorified in Neocaesarea, and by the power of God through St. and terrible miracles. The following miraculous phenomenon, according to the testimony of St. Gregory of Nyssa, especially contributed to the establishment of the Church of Christ in Neocaesarea and the increase in the number of believers there.

In the city, according to ancient custom, a certain national pagan holiday was held in honor of one local deity; Almost the entire region flocked to this holiday, as the villagers celebrated together with the city. During the holiday, the theater was crowded with those gathered, everyone rushed closer to the stage, wanting to see and hear better, which caused a great noise and confusion, as a result of which a general cry erupted among the people - everyone cried out to the honored deity to give them space. "Zeus - exclaimed the infidels - give us a place." Hearing this reckless prayer, Saint Gregory sent one of his servants to say that they would soon be given scope even more than what they were praying for.

These words of his turned out to be a sad verdict: following this nationwide festival, a destructive plague spread in the city, lamentation mingled with cheerful songs, so that fun for them turned into grief and misfortune, and instead of the sounds of trumpets and applause, the city resounded with a continuous series of lamentable songs. The disease, having appeared in the city, spread more quickly than could be expected, devastating the houses like fire, so that the temples were filled with those infected with the plague, who fled there in hope of healing; around springs, springs and wells crowded thirsty in a helpless illness; but even the water was powerless to quench the painful heat. Many themselves went to the cemetery, since there were not enough survivors to bury the dead.

And this disaster struck people unexpectedly, as if some kind of ghost approached first the house where the infection was to appear, and then death followed. After the cause of the disease had thus become clear to all, that the demon called by them angrily fulfilled their request, delivering this ill-fated expanse to the city through the disease, they all turned to Saint Gregory, imploring him to stop the spread of the disease by the power of God preached by him, Who is the only one. they now confess the True God, Dominating over all.

And as soon as that ghost appeared, foreshadowing the appearance of an ulcer in the house, those who were subjected to such a disaster had only one means of salvation, so that the saint would enter that house and, by prayer, repel the disease that had entered the house. When the rumor about this from those who were among the first to be saved from the plague in this way very soon spread among everyone, everything that they had resorted to because of their foolishness was abandoned: oracles, purifications, staying in the temples of idols, since everyone converted their eyes to the great saint, and everyone tried to draw him to himself for the salvation of his family.

The reward for him from those who were saved was the salvation of souls, for when his piety was witnessed by such an experience, there was no reason for those who actually knew the power of faith to delay accepting the sacrament of Christ. And to the extent that during their health they were sickened by their thoughts regarding the reception of the sacrament, to that extent they were strengthened in the faith by bodily illness. When, thus, the error of idolatry was denounced, everyone turned to the name of Christ: some - being led to the truth by an illness that had befallen them, others - having resorted to faith in Christ, as a preventive medicine against an ulcer.

After this, the universal reverent respect for St. Gregory was even more strengthened in Neocaesarea. The inhabitants of both the city itself and its environs, struck by the apostolic miracles of the saint, believed that everything he says and does, he does and says by Divine power. Therefore, even in controversial worldly matters, no other court was known above him, but every dispute and all intractable complicated cases were resolved by his advice. From here, through the blessed influence of St. Gregory, justice and peace were established in the city, and no evil violated mutual agreement.

Two brothers, having inherited a lot of property after the death of their father, peacefully divided it among themselves. But they had one large lake, about which they argued strongly, because both wanted to completely own it. They chose the wonderworker Gregory as their judge. Coming to them on the lake, he made great efforts to reconcile them, but had no success; both brothers were stubborn, and one did not want to give up his part in the lake to the other. After many strife and strife, they already wanted to enter into battle with each other, for both had many supporters, and the saint could hardly dissuade them that day from fighting. Evening came, everyone went home, postponing the battle until morning, and the saint remained alone by the lake and, spending the whole night in prayer, commanded the lake in the Name of the Lord that it all dry up, so that not a single drop of water, not even moisture, remained. and to make the land suitable for plowing and sowing.

And it happened according to the word of the saint: suddenly, no one knows where - the water disappeared, and the earth became dry. In the morning, both brothers with many armed men came to the lake in order to take possession of it by means of a battle, and they did not find a single drop of water in the place where the lake had been: the ground turned out to be so dry and covered with plants, as if there had never been water there. Struck by such a miracle, the brothers involuntarily reconciled with each other, yet people glorified God. Such was the righteous judgment created by the miracle worker: where there could not be peace between brothers, but battle was coming, there he destroyed the very reason for battle, drying up the water lake so that brotherly love would not dry out.

In the direction of that flowed a river named Likoz. In springtime, it protruded from its banks and, overflowing widely, drowned nearby villages, fields, vegetable gardens and orchards, causing death to crops and great damage to people. The people who lived along the banks of that river, having heard about St. Gregory, the miracle worker of Neocaesarea, that he has power over the waters (for he commanded the great lake - and it dried up), they all gathered, from young to old, and, having come to the saint, fell at his feet , begging him to have mercy on them and tame the flood of the river: for then this river unusually filled with water and drowned many villages. The saint said to them:

God Himself put a limit on the rivers, and they cannot flow otherwise, but only as God commanded them.

They implored the saint with even greater zeal. Seeing their sorrow, the saint got up, went with them to that river, and, having come to those banks in which the very stream of the river flows, when the river is not flooded, he hoisted his staff there, saying:

My Christ commands you, river, so that you do not cross your limits and do not spill your waters further, but flow harmoniously in these banks of yours.

Immediately, the rod, erected by the saint, grew into a great oak, and the waters gathered in their channel between the banks, and from that time that river never overflowed its banks, but when the waters increased and approached the oak, they immediately returned back and did not drown the labors of people. .

The holy miracle worker wished to build a church in one beautiful place near the mountain. When he began to lay the foundation, the place turned out to be cramped, and it was impossible to make it more spacious, since the mountain interfered. Then the saint began to pray and, having prayed, commanded the mountain in the name of Jesus Christ to move and retreat from its place, as far as it was necessary for the spread of the church - and immediately the mountain shook, moved and retreated further, making the place sufficient for the spacious foundation of the church. Such was the faith of this saint of God that she moved mountains! Many infidels, seeing this miracle, turned to the Lord and received baptism from the saint. The fame of him spread everywhere because of the great miracles, which are from him the power of God, with which he was filled.

The rumor of such miracles spread throughout the country, and everyone believed that they were produced by the power of faith in Christ, and wished to be partakers of this faith, evidenced by these miracles. Therefore, from one neighboring city of Comana, an embassy came to the saint with a request to establish a church for them and appoint a worthy bishop for them. Saint Gregory fulfilled their petition and stayed with them for several days, confirming them in faith and piety. When the time came for the election of a bishop, the saint, to the surprise of everyone, pointed out as worthy of this high honor one pious and charitable man named Alexander, who had previously been a simple coal miner. Thus, St. Gregory the Wonderworker appeared as a benefactor to the city, discovering a treasure hidden among the inhabitants of Comana, which became an adornment of the church.

When Saint Gregory was returning from there, some unbelieving Jews wanted to laugh at him and show that he did not have the Spirit of God in him. They did this: on the path where the saint was supposed to go, the Jews laid one of their own, as if dead, naked, and they themselves began to weep over him. When the miracle worker walked past them, they began to pray to him that he would show mercy to the deceased and cover the body with his clothes. He took off his outer clothing and, giving it to them, went on.

The Jews began to joyfully mock and swear at the saint, saying: “If he had the Spirit of God in himself, he would know that a man is not dead, but alive,” and they began to call their comrade to get up. But God repaid them for such reproach by creating their comrade actually dead. They, thinking that he had fallen asleep, pushed him in the ribs to wake him up, and loudly cried out over him, but there was no answer, for he fell into an eternal sleep. Seeing him dead, they began to weep in reality; so their laughter turned to weeping, and the dead buried their dead.

On the further way, in one place of that country, a pious assembly of believers was formed under the open sky, and everyone was amazed at the teachings of St. words. When, after the dissolution of the assembly, they brought a boy to him, the miracle worker told those present that the boy was possessed by an evil spirit, and immediately, removing the omophorion and putting his mouth to the breath, placed it on the young man. Then the young man began to fight, shout, throw himself on the ground, rush about here and there, as happens with demoniacs. The saint laid his hand on him - and the young man's seizures ceased: the demon left him, and, having come to his former state, he no longer said that he saw someone talking about St. Gregory, and received complete healing.

When the persecution of Christians began in the reign of the wicked Decius, and the royal command went out everywhere to force Christians to worship idols, and to torture and destroy those who disobeyed, then Saint Gregory gave advice to his flock, so that anyone who does not have the strength and gift of God to endure fierce torments, take refuge; so that someone, boldly surrendering to the tormentors, would not be afraid later at the sight of terrible torments and, feeling unable to endure them, would not fall away from God. “It’s better,” said Gregory, “to hide for a short time and wait for God’s call and help to the feat of martyrdom.” Giving such advice to the faithful, he himself, taking one of his deacons, withdrew into the wilderness and hid there from the infidels. The tormentors sent from the king, having come to the city of Neocaesarea, first of all looked for Gregory as the representative of all Christians and the shepherd of the verbal sheep in that country.

One of the infidels, having learned that he was hiding in that mountain, announced this to the soldiers and brought them to that mountain; but they hurried up the mountain, like dogs in pursuit of prey in the hunt, and like wolves who want to snatch a sheep. Saint Gregory, seeing that the soldiers were approaching and that it was impossible to run and hide from them, raised his hands to heaven, entrusting himself to the protection of God, and commanded his deacon to do the same. Both stood with outstretched hands and prayed, and the soldiers all over the mountain diligently searched for the saint and did not find him, for they could not see him even when they passed by several times. After many searches, they returned without success and, descending from the mountain, they said to the one who brought them:

We did not find anyone on this mountain, we only saw two trees standing not far from one another.

And he, realizing that there had been a miracle, leaving them, he himself went to the mountain and, finding the saint and the deacon standing at prayer, fell at the feet of Gregory, expressing the desire to be a Christian, which he was honored with, and from the persecutor became a servant of Christ and became hide with other Christians.

One day, while offering up his usual prayers to God, Saint Gregory became embarrassed and for a long time stood in fear in silence, as if looking at some touching sight. When sufficient time had elapsed, he brightened up his face and, filled with joy, began to thank God with a loud voice and sing a solemn song, crying out:

Blessed be the Lord, who will not give them to be caught with their teeth.

The deacon asked him:

What is the reason, father, for such a change with you, that now you are joyful?

The saint replied:

I saw, child, a wondrous vision: a small youth struggled with the great devil and, having overcome him, threw him to the ground and won.

The deacon did not understand the meaning of what was said. Then the saint said again:

Now a certain Christian youth named Troadius was brought to the judgment of the tormentor, after many severe torments for Christ he was killed and triumphantly ascends to heaven. At first I was embarrassed, for I was afraid that torment would not overcome him and that he would reject Christ, but now I rejoice, seeing that he has completed the feat of torment and ascends to heaven.

The deacon, hearing this, marveled at the fact that the saint sees near what is happening far away. Then he began to beg his God-bearing teacher to let him see with his own eyes and learn about what had happened and not forbid him to visit the very place where this wonderful event took place. To Gregory's warning that it was dangerous to go to the murderers, the deacon answered with faith that, despite the fact, he boldly decided, hoping for the help of his prayers.

Entrust me to God, - he said to the saint, - and no fear of enemies will touch me.

And when Gregory, by his prayer, sent down to him, as it were, some kind of companion, God's help, the deacon confidently made his way, not hiding from anyone he met. Arriving in the city in the evening and tired from the journey, he considered it necessary to alleviate his exhaustion by bathing in the bath. A certain demon lived in that place, the destructive power of which acted on those approaching here during the darkness of the night and killed many, which is why they did not go to this bathhouse and did not use it after sunset.

Approaching the bath, the deacon asked the bailiff to open the door for him and allow him to take a bath in the bath; but he assured him that none of those who dared to bathe at that hour came out unharmed, but that after the evening a demon took possession of everyone here and that many, out of ignorance, had already undergone incurable diseases, returning, instead of the expected relief, with weeping and wailing. But the deacon became even more firmly established in his intention, and the bailiff, yielding to his inexorable desire, gave him the key, having himself retired a long distance from the bathhouse.

When the deacon, undressed, entered the bath, the demon used various fears and horrors against him, showing all kinds of ghosts in the form of fire and smoke, animals and people. But the deacon, defending himself with the sign of the cross and invoking the name of Christ, went through the first section of the bath without harm to himself. When he entered the inner part, he was surrounded by even more terrible visions. But with the same weapon he dispelled these real and apparent fears. Finally, when he was already leaving the bathhouse, the demon tried to keep him by force closing the doors. But, with the help of the sign of the cross, the door was opened. Then the demon cried out to the deacon in a human voice, so that he would not consider as his own the power by which he was delivered from death, for he was preserved unharmed by the voice of the one who entrusted him to the protection of God.

Having escaped in this way, the deacon amazed the attendants of that bathhouse. After this, he told them about everything that happened to him, learned that the valiant deeds of the martyrs were accomplished in the city exactly as St. Gregory the Wonderworker foretold about it, and returned to his mentor, leaving for the people both his time and the next, a common protective measure, consisting in the fact that everyone entrusts himself, through the mediation of the priests, to God.

When the persecution ended, Gregory returned to his pulpit and, having gathered his flock, began to restore the disturbed order again. First of all, he established the celebration of the memory of the holy martyrs who suffered during the former persecution. The glory of Christ spread, and demonic polytheism perished through the efforts of St. Gregory, who did not leave the gospel of Christ until his very death, leading the inhabitants of Neocaesarea and its environs to God by teaching and miracles, and led her to the true faith, cleansed her of idol sacrifices, sanctified her with a bloodless sacrifice. At the end of his days, he, along with his brother Athenodorus, bishop of Pontus, was present at the council against Paul of Samosata.

Finally, having reached a ripe old age, he approached a blissful death. At his death, he asked those who were coming:

How many unbelievers are there in Neocaesarea?

They answered him:

Only seventeen adhere to idolatry, but the whole city believes in Christ.

Saint said:

When I came to Neocaesarea for the bishopric, I found the same number of Christians - seventeen in all, and the whole city was demonic: now, at my departure to God, there remain as many infidels as at first there were faithful, the whole city of Christ.

Having said this, he gave his soul into the hands of God. Thus Saint Gregory, the miracle worker of Neocaesarea, spent his life pleasingly, and died piously. With his holy prayers, may the Lord give us a good end. Amen.

TROPARIUS, VOICE 8.

WAKE UP IN PRAYERS, SUFFERING MIRACLES, THESE HAVE CORRECTIONS: BUT PRAYING TO CHRIST GOD, FATER GRIGORIO, TO ENLIGHTEN OUR SOULS, NOT WHEN WE WILL SLEEP IN DEATH.

KONDAK, VOICE 2.

MIRACLES OF MANY RECEPTION ACTIVITY, TERRIBLE SIGNS DEMONS TERRIBLE ESI, AND ILLNESS EXPLOITED ESI HUMAN, ALL WISE GREGORY: THE WONDERWORKER IS THE SAME CAMERA, THE RANK OF WORK RECEPTION.

ABOUT THE MOST HOLY AND HOLY HEAD AND THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FILLED, SAVING WITH THE FATHER THE HOUSE, GREAT BISHOP, OUR WARM INTERCESSOR, SAINT GREGORY! STANDING AT THE THRONE OF ALL THE KINGS AND ENJOYING THE LIGHT OF THE UNEXISTENT TRINITY AND THE CHERUVIMS OF THE ANGELS SAYING A SONG TO THE THREE-HOLY, THE GREAT AND UNSTUDYED BOLDING, HAVING TO THE ALL-MERCIOUS LORD, Pray that the Flock of Christ be saved TO THE PEOPLE, HELP OUR FATHERLAND IN BATTLE, AND CONQUER YOU AGAINST ENEMIES, LIVING PEACELY AND SERELY ESTABLISH: THE WELFARE OF THE HOLY CHURCHES APPROVE: BISHOPS WITH THE BLESSING OF HOLYHOLY DECORATE: MONAKERS TO THE FEAT OF GOOD STRENGTHEN: THIS CITY AND ALL CITIES AND COUNTRIES GOODLY SAVE, AND THE FAITH OF THE HOLY IMMACULATE PLEASE PLEASE: THE WHOLE WORLD BY YOUR REPRESENTATION DIE, DELIVER US FROM HAPPINESS AND DAMAGE, AND SAVE FROM THE ATTACK OF THE FOREIGNERS, THE OLD CONFIDENCE, THE YOUNG INSTRUCTIONS, THE CRAZY WIDOWOMAN, HAVE PARTY, THE ORPHANS INTERCEED, THE BABIES GROW UP, THE CAPTIVES RETURN, THE WEAKLY HEAL, AND EVERYWHERE WARMLY CALLING YOU AND WITH FAITH FLOWING TO YOU AND DEMANDING AND PRAYING TO YOU FROM ANY DIFFICULTY AND TROUBLE INTERCESSING YOUR FREEDOM. PRAY FOR US THE ALL-CHARGE AND HUMAN-LOVING CHRIST OUR GOD, AND ON THE DAY OF HIS TERRIBLE COMING FROM SHUIYAGO STANDING HE WILL DELIVER US, AND THE PARTICIPANTS WILL MAKE THE JOY OF THE HOLY PARTICIPANTS WITH ALL THE SAINTS FOREVER.

Prayers to St. Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea, Wonderworker

O most honorable and sacred head and filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, the abode of the Savior with the father, the great bishop, our warm intercessor, Saint Gregory! Standing at the throne of all the Tsar and enjoying the light of the consubstantial Trinity and cherubim with the angels proclaiming the trisagion song, having great and unexplored boldness to the all-merciful Master, pray that the flock of Christ be saved by the people, help our fatherland in battles, and subdue all the enemies that oppose us, peaceful and serene arrange our residence: affirm the well-being of the holy churches: decorate the bishops with the splendor of hierarchy: strengthen the monastics with the feat of a good current: preserve this city and all our cities and countries well, and implore us to keep the holy immaculate faith: die the whole world with your intercession, from gladness and destruction deliver us, and save us from the attack of foreigners, console the old, instruct the young, be wiser, have mercy on widows, intercede for orphans, grow up, return captives, heal the weak, and everywhere warmly call on you and with faith flow to you and diligently fall down and pray to you from all misfortunes and troubles by your intercession of freedom. Pray for us the all-merciful and philanthropic Christ our God, and on the day of his terrible coming, he will deliver us from the shuiyago standing, and the joys of the saints, the communicants will create with all the saints forever and ever. Amen.

Troparion to Saint Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea, Wonderworker

Troparion of St. Gregory, tone 8

Staying awake in prayers, enduring miracles, / the namesake acquired corrections, / but praying to Christ God, Father Gregory, / enlighten our souls, but not when we fall asleep in death.

Kontakion of St. Gregory, tone 2

The reception of many miracles, / you frightened the demons with terrible banners / and drove away human ailments, all-wise Gregory, / you are called a miracle worker, / the title of deeds is received.