Posts Tagged ‘cathedral church’

Dormition of Saint Methodius excerpt from the Biography letter on Saint Methodius from Saint Clement of Ohrid

Sunday, April 7th, 2024

Saint-Methodius-Dormition-enlightener-of-the-Bulgarian-Slavs-author-of-alphabet

..Both on his father's and on his mother's side, he came not from a simple, but from a very good and honorable family, known first of all to God, and then to the king and to the whole Thessalonica (Solun) region, which was also evident from his appearance. That is why the princes, who loved him since his childhood, held dignified conversations with him.

Finally, the king, learning of his abilities, gave him the rule of a Slavic principality – as if he foresaw, I would say, that he would send him as a teacher and first archbishop of the Slavs, so that he could learn all their customs and gradually come to love them .

Having spent many years in this principality, and seen many tumults and crimes in this life, he exchanged his aspirations for gloomy earthly affairs for heavenly thoughts; for he would not trouble his noble soul with things that do not abide forever.

Having found a suitable occasion, he released himself from the princeship, and going to Olympus, where the holy fathers lived, he cut his hair, put on a black garment, and obeyed obediently, fully fulfilling all the monastic rule and diligently occupying himself with books.

When some occasion arose, the king sent his brother [Constantine] to the Khazars, and he took him with him to help. Because there were Jews there who blasphemed the Christian faith very much.
And he said, "I am ready to die for the Christian faith," and he did not disobey, but went and helped his younger brother as a servant, obeying him.
And so he by prayer, and the Philosopher by word, overthrew the Jews and put them to shame.

...And then God revealed the Slavonic writings to the Philosopher, and he, arranging the letters and composing the [Gospel] discourse, took the road to Moravia, taking Methodius with him. And he again began to obediently obey and serve the Philosopher and teach with him.

… After many days, when the Philosopher was about to appear before [God’s] judgment, he said to his brother Methodius: "Here, brother, we were a pair harnessed to draw a furrow, and I, having finished my day, fall into the fields .
You, on the other hand, love the mountain too much; but do not forsake your teaching for the sake of the mountain, for by it you can better be saved.”

…On all the roads, he fell from the devil into many calamities: in desolate places – among robbers, on the sea – in violent disturbances, on the rivers – in sudden sandy shoals, so that the apostolic words were fulfilled with him: "Misery from robbers, miseries by sea, troubles by rivers, troubles by false brothers; in labors and pains, often in vigils, often in hunger and thirst," as well as other afflictions that the apostle mentions.

Then, putting aside all [life’s] noise, and entrusting all his cares to God, he first appointed from among his disciples two priests, good scribes, and quickly translated from the Greek language into Slavonic all the [Bible] books in their entirety, with except the Maccabees, for six months, beginning in the month of March until the twenty-sixth day of the month of October.

When he had finished, he gave worthy praise and glory to God, who gives such grace and such quick success. And by serving together with his clergy the holy mysterios elevation, he celebrated the memory of Saint Demetrius.
Because before that he had translated together with the Philosopher (Kiril) only the Psalter, the Gospel with the Apostle and selected church services. And now he also translated the Nomocanon, that is, the church rules, and the books of the Fathers…

He took, therefore, that the time was approaching for him to receive rest from his sufferings and a reward for his many labors. … On Palm Sunday, when all the people had gathered, he entered the church and, although weak, pronounced blessings for the king, for the prince, for the clergy and for all the people and said: "Keep me, children, until the third day." So it happened.

On the third day at dawn he said: "Into your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit," and he died in the hands of the priests on the sixth day of the month of April, indict three, in the year six thousand three hundred and ninety-three (6393) from the creation of the whole world, ( 885 A .D.).

His disciples placed him in a coffin, gave him due honors by performing a funeral service in Latin, Greek, and Slavonic, and laid him in the cathedral church. And he joined his fathers and the patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles, and the martyrs. An innumerable people gathered, people who saw him off with candles, weeping for the good teacher and shepherd: men and women, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, widows and orphans, foreigners and natives, infirm and healthy – all [lamented] him who was all things to all, that he might win all.

Excerpt from writtings of
Saint Clement of Ohrid:(St. Kliment Ohridski)
From "Extensive Life of Archbishop Methodius"

Translation of Hristo Kodov based on the text of the Assumption Collection from the 12th-13th centuries.
Old Bulgarian literature. Volume IV. Biographical works. Ed. "Bulgarian Writer", Sofia. 1986
(See the full text in Bulgarian – HERE

 

Troparion of St. Equal to the Apostles Methodius

Through Your Saint Methodius, O Christ, grant mercy to us who perform the bright celebration of his Assumption, open the doors of the Kingdom to us, free us from the chains of our many sins, and through his intercession, Lord, have mercy on us.

Kontaktion

Let us praise the divine and faithful Methodius, people, and praise him with love as a great shepherd of the Slavs, an honest servant of the Trinity and a banisher of heresies: he prays unceasingly for us all.

A living saint in Bulgaria Dqdo (Elder) Dobri of Baylovo village – The living Christ example we Christians should follow

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

elder-dobri-from-baylovo-a-great-saint-like-example-christians-should-follow

In this dark days of humanity, we can rarely find persons who live in a holy way like the saints from the Holy Bible or the Books of the Living of the Saints

Saintship has been slowly disappearing from earth just like it's prophecised by Christ our Saviour and the Holy Apostles and in later times by many monks, Church hierarchs, patriarchs and hermits.

In Bulgaria as in most parts of the Orthodox world the Christian faith apostacy is also clearly seen.
We can no longer see saint hermits like our patron saint of Bulgaria Saint John of Rila

Even in this dark days God still shows mercy to us and still present us some of his saints.
The topic of this article as you have already red in the title is Elder Dobri of the Baylovo village

Elder Dobri of Baylova has been a regular person like all of us with a family and children just until 12 years ago.
About 12 years ago the I would call him The Living saint has decided to let all the earthly passions and sorrows for Christ and his eternal salvation.
He despised the earthly goodness and become a beggar, all the collected money he got were distributed among other poor people or donated to Churches and monasteries belonging to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Day by day and a coin by coin, he has collected thousands of levs (the bulgaria national currency).
The gathered money were given to support the live of monasteries and Churches, by this very date. This old man is the greatest donator for the Cathedral Church St. Alexsander Nevski (situated at the heart of Bulgaria's capital Sofia)

His words spoken just like the saints are full of grace and goodness. One of his famous sayings are:

Man has Always two wills in himself in every moment of his life, the will to do good and the will to do evil
As all the truths his sayings are simple but represent the ultimate truth which was also said in many other forms in The Holy Bible Gospels and God's law.

The external outlook of Dqdo Dobri is also saintly, he has long beard a shining eyes and a national folklore dress.
He looks like he has been out of some old Bulgarian tale.

It's very striking fact that he that this old man is the biggest donator for our Cathedral Temple, we have many millionaires and businessman in Bulgaria but nobody has decided to donate to our Church such a high sum of money.

Elder Dobri's donation for the St. Alexander Nevski's Church is in value 35700 levs (around 19000 euros).
Dqdo Dobri is a beggar for Christ, this is one of the major types of saintship we read about in the living of the saints.
All the collected money from people are given for God's Glory. It's amazing heroism and an example, all we the Christians should follow to fulfill Christ's law of love and inherit the internal salvation.
A friend of mine who has the blessing to see Elder Dobri with her own eyes and have a small talk with him, has shared with me that even though he wears an old ragged clothes, his clothes and body emit a roses like odor!

As the fame about the same has grown these days, the Bulgarian National television has prepared a small video about the saint. I believe the video as a true blessing for us the Christians and will encourage us to persist in the good deads.
Here I present you the videos you can see the living saint, I hope by his holy prayers God will show mercy to all us who watch his graceful words:


The Living Christian Saint from Baylovo Village – Bulgaria


Elder Dobri from Baylovo – Bulgaria

Inteview with Elder Dobri in his house in Baylovo (the interview is in Bulgarian)

St. Maximus The Confessor Holy Relics (incorruptable right hand) is for veneration in Varna

Friday, July 1st, 2011

St. Maximus the Confessor Orthodox Christian icon

Today by God’s gracy I was blessed to go to Varna’s Cathedral Church (“Dorminion of the Theotokos”) on a small pilgrimage trip to venerate the Holy Relics of Saint Maximus the Confessor.

The saint relics which are there for veneration today 30/Jun and 01 of July are the saint’s right hand which was slaughtered in the 7th century. Today 14 centuries later, the saint right hand holy relic is still intact (the skin of the hand is dried but it’s intact!).
This is a great miracle of God who does clearly show the truthfulness of Orthodox Christian faith. The saint’s holy relics are temporary moved from Holy Mount Athos monastery St. Apostol Paul, where kept.
As one can read in saint Maximus biography, st. Maximus is one of the biggest Orthodox Christian martyr from the time before the great Church Schizm.

St. Maximus the Confessor was a Christian monk and a great Church scholar. He became a monk choosing willingly to abandon his great richness and political life because of Christ.

The Saint’s title The Confessor is given because of his great suffering for Christian faith.

Sv. Maxim Izpovednik many miracles icon

Because of the saint’s firm staying in faith during an icon fighting heresy emperor Hiraclious (Iraklii) slandered the saint and he was send to a trial where he was immediately vilified as a state traitor.
A severe beating was ordered to be done on the saint and the whole ground was sprinkled with his blood, the saint’s torturers also cut his tongue and his right hand was chopped off.
The heretical torturers were ordered to slay down his right hand and his tongue in order to prevent the saint to confess/preach and write down about the Orthodox Christian faith.

The descpile of the saint Anasthasius has also faced the same faith. After the butchery the two saints were walked around the city streets to mock them publicly behind the shocked crowds eyes.

Even though the sadistic torments by God’s providence saint Maximus the Confessor did not died immediately but was sent to exile in today’s Dobrudja (Dobrich) region in Bulgaria.

Saint Maximus has died in his old age, aged 82 in August 680 A.D. Even though being a disabled because of the martyrdom, during his exile the saint was able to write a lot of treatise books against heresies and especially against Monotheistic Christian heresy, and a lot of other writting concerning the proper spiritual christian life. The saint’s major works are titled, Ambigua An exploration of difficult passages in the work of Pseudo-Dionysius and Gregory of Nazianzus, focusing on Christological issues and Mystagogy – A commentary and reasoning on the Eucharistic liturgy.

According to Church tradition after the saint’s tongue was cut in order to prevent him to preach the Christian faith correctly, God did a miracle where even without a tongue he preached the Gospel to the masses and he heretical emperor who ordered his suffering and the saint tormentors were publicly disgraced.

Saint Maximus the Confessor is considered a saint also in the Roman Catholic Church.

The saint was canonized officially about 22 years after his death on the oecumenical Church saints assembly in year 682.
After Saint Maximus’s death on his tomb many healing miracles occured.
On the place where he was buried three bright lights looking like candlesticks could be seen burning (a clear miracle atteting of the Holy Trinity) as the thrurthful one God.
God’s great omen on his tomb is also a clear sign that Maximus the Confessor has been accepted in the eternal paradise with God with all the rightous.

Let God always strenthen us and help us, to all us who does venerate the saint. Let God by his Holy prayers deliver us from all heresies and grant us grace to stay firm in the true Orthodox Christian faith now and forever.
Amen!

Bulgarian Orthodox Church canonized the Orthodox Christian Martyrs of Batak and Novo Selo as saints in a Church feast Holy Liturgy

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Today the 3rd of April in the Patrierchal Cathedral Saint Alexander Nevski in Sofia, the Bulgarian Church has officially canonized the martyrs from Batak and Novo Selo.

The Holy Liturgy in Saint Alexander Nevski that’s been held in the st. Alexander Nevski (Largest Cathedral Church in Bulgaria) has been led by the his All Holiness the Patriarch of Bulgaria Maxim.

The holy liturgy canonization has been also transmitted live in the Bulgarian National Television.
The canonization itself took place right in the end of the Holy Liturgy.
Where the bulgarian leading clergy (bishops, metropolitans archimandrites, the Patriarch himself) has officially announced the decision of The Bulgarian Church Holy Synod to Canonize the Martyrs, who had endured martyrship for Christ in Batak and Novo Selo villages during the April’s Bulgarian liberation revolt in May 1876.

The martyrdom and the all the surrounding events that occured has also been widely known in the Bulgarian history under the name The Batak’s Slaughtering / (Batashko Klane as we call it in Bulgarian)

The mini liberation revolt has been extinguished by Ahmed Aga Barutanliqta in the brutal blood-bath according to different historical estimations the murders done by The Turkish mayor Ahmed Aga had been in the range of in between 1750 and 5000 people most of which were an innocent peasants who had voluntary agreed to left behind all their weapons and surrender to the Turkish bashi-bozluk.

Most of the martyrdom of the newly canonized martyrs has happened in the Church “Holy Sunday”

Therein in this Church the terrible blood bath occured. The about 200 peasent, martyrs had stood in the Church for a three days, the turkish has digged small holes in the Church walls and shooted through them to kill them, a fire and gas has been used to kill as many as possible, many of the killed martyrs has been little children with their mothers.
The Turkish soldiers (beasts) couldn’t enter the Church because the Church was so filled with layman that the people were pressing the Church doors.

Holy Sunday Batak a while after the brutal blood bath in the Church
The peasent martyrs had no water in the Church, so they used the float light (icon-lamps) as a drinking liquid and blood of their dead brothers and sisters as a water substitute. The Bashi-bozouk Ahmed Aga ordered that beehives are let in the Church to sting the Martyrs as well as burning straw soaked with gas was throw in stifle the poor peasents.

On the third day all that left alive, went out of the Church, when they found out they’re doomed if they stay in.

All the Batak peasents that rejected to accept the Islam have been beheaded, this are the same saints which has publicly been announced by God’s providence to be venerated as a Church martyr saints Many of the young bulgarian mothers and girls, who have left the Church had been brutally raped and then slaughtered for their faith in Christ.

The Batak blood bath and martyrdom has been so severe and shocking that it horrifyed all Western Europe, Russia and America.

Here is another picture taken in Batak after the brutal butcheries, it depicts the widow wife of the initiator of the revolutionary rebellion
, stading near a writting in cyrilic made of bones reading Remains of 1876 .
Batak Remains of 1876 written with bones of killed peasents

A while after the Martyrdom of the saints in Batak, the turkish army tried to withold the information about the brutal killings, which were absolutely inacceptable for the 19th century.

They tried to burn the Stone Church where they did their bestiality but without any success by God’s providence, next the turkish bashi-bozluks tried to hide about the butchery by burying many of the dead bodies and re-painted the Church laws, however as a miracle of God very soon the martyrs blood which sprinked up the Church laws has appeared on the laws.
A Pilgrim of the newly canonized martyrs could see still the blood of the martyrs preserved there on the Church laws and see the big numbers of relics of the slaughtered martyrs.

Here is the stub used to behead the Batak’s martyrs which is now kept in the Bulgarian National Museum:

Beatiality of Batak the stub of martyr beheadment

The other martyrs which were canonized on the great feast for our Bulgarian Church were brutally killed 8 nuns in a Novo Selo’s nunnery, they endured martyrdom again in 1876, the Novo Selo (a nearby village).

The newly canonized saints is the last canonization that occured in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church since the canonization in the distant year 1964 when the Church decided to canonize (venerate as a saint) saint Sofronii Vrachanski (st. Sophronius from Vratsa)


During the Holy Liturgy, an icons presenting the Batak martyrs and the Novo Selo martyrs had been consecrated by his all Holiness Maxim Patriach and head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The Batak and Novo Selo saints day feast in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church will be celebrated each year on the same day as they endured martyrdom 3rd of April.
His Holiness Patriach Maxim is currently aged 96 and is one of the oldest if not the oldest Orthodox Christian patriarch in the worl today!

A Small chunk of the Batak and Novo Selo’s saints Canonization is available for watching on the address http://www.vbox7.com/play:004f8828

The complete number of canonized saints as martyrs in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is about 700.

On the canonization festive holy liturgy there were Orthodox Christian representatives of the Romanian and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Icon of the newly canonized saints of Batak Bulgaria
Batak saint Martyrs Icon

I pray that the merciful God (The Holy Trinity), be merciful to all us the Bulgarian Orthodox Christians and all the Orthodox Christians around the world and grant us forgiveness of our sins and our Lord Christ grant us be with him and the Father and The Holy Spirit in paradise, Now and Forever and Ever! Amen