Riza from other Russian. "clothing, attire" According to Vasmer, it has no reliable etymology. Contents 1 In a Christian cult 2 Other ... Wikipedia

Robe of the Holy Mother of God

Riza (icon)

Riza (salary)- Request "Salary" is redirected here. See also other meanings. The term "Rize" has other meanings. Salary of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God type. GIM, 17th century Robe, or salary (in the southern and western regions of Russia, shata, tsata, Greek ... Wikipedia

Robe (church utensils)- This term has other meanings, see Riza. A riza in an Orthodox church was a cover on the throne, the altar and lecterns, a cover on the chalice, as well as the upper part of the priestly vestment (phelon or kazula). Vestments are stored in special ... ... Wikipedia

Robe of the Holy Mother of God- according to Nicephorus Callistus, in the reign of the Greek emperor Leo the Great (457 474) St. brothers Galvius and Candide, traveling to Palestine to worship St. places, found there, in the house of one Jewish girl, R. the Most Holy Theotokos, ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Riza- (St. Slav. - diaper) - this is how the clothes of priests are called in the Orthodox Church. For the storage of this priestly vestment in churches and monasteries, special rooms are allocated - sacristies. Church utensils are also stored here. The sacristies can… … Fundamentals of spiritual culture (encyclopedic dictionary of a teacher)

riza- RIZA1, s, f Same as salary. The Stepanov family donated to the church an old icon of the Mother of God, in a heavy silver chasuble. RIZA2, s, f Clothes of a priest for worship, a sleeveless cape, richly decorated with gold and silver embroidery, with ... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

The position of the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos- Position of the Robe of the Mother of God (icon of the workshop of Dionysius, c. 1485, Tretyakov Gallery) The Robe of the Mother of God is a relic revered in the Orthodox Church, a garment that, according to legend, belonged to the Virgin Mary. In honor of the relic, a celebration was established “The position of the honest ... ... Wikipedia

Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary- The position of the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Halkopratia (XVII century, Russian Museum) ... Wikipedia

Robe of the Virgin

Robe of the Virgin (Chiton of the Virgin) - an Orthodox shrine, clothes that belonged to the Mother of God. In honor of the relic, a celebration was established - “The position of the honest Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae” ( position), performed on July 15 (N.S.).

Historical digression

The Most Pure Chiton was bequeathed by the Most Holy Theotokos before the Assumption to Her two poor widows in Nazareth, who served Her and received benefits from Her. One of these widows wished that this blessed gift should always be inherited from one maiden to another. Thus, for centuries the sacred tunic was preserved with great reverence in the Holy Land.
In the 5th century, two brothers, noble Greek nobles Galvius and Candide, went to worship holy places in Palestine. In Nazareth, they stopped for the night in the house of an elderly Jewish woman, where they saw a room with many burning candles, continuously burning incense, and many sick people thirsting for healing. When asked why such a veneration of this place is connected, they heard the following story:
Here I keep the robe of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Christ God. When She passed away from earth to heaven, one of my progenitors, a widow, was at Her burial; by the will of the Most Pure Theotokos herself, that honest riza was given to her; she, having received that robe, kept it with reverence all the days of her life; dying, she gave the robe for safekeeping to one of her kind, commanding her with an oath to keep clean for the honor of the Mother of God herself, not only that honest robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, but also her very virginity.
Having had the opportunity to spend the night next to the shrine, the brothers measured the ark in which it was kept, and then in Jerusalem they ordered to make a copy of it and a golden veil on it. On the way back to Nazareth, they replaced the ark with the Robe and brought the relic to Constantinople. Saint Gennady, Patriarch of Tsaregrad, and Emperor Leo the Great (457-471), met the shrine with sacred awe and decided to place it in the best, honorable place. In Blachernae, near the seashore, a new temple was erected in honor of the Mother of God. The temple was located near the palace chambers of the emperor: covered passages connected the temple and the palace. On July 2, 458, Patriarch Gennady, with due solemnity, transferred the sacred robe to the Blachernae Church. Subsequently, Her holy omophorion and part of Her belt were placed in the ark with the robe of the Virgin.

According to the historian Nicephorus Callistus, who lived in the 6th century, “the robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this temple and is still preserved as a protection for the city, giving various healings and conquering nature and time with its miracles.” It was in Constantinople that the first miracle from the tunic of the Most Pure Virgin was revealed.

In the spring of 626, a huge army of Persians and Khazars approached the capital. The emperor of Byzantium, Heraclius, was not in the city at that moment, and the leadership of Constantinople was entrusted to Patriarch Sergius (610–638). The inhabitants of the capital could not offer proper resistance to the enemy, and the Persians broke into the city. Then the Patriarch brought out the chiton of the Most Holy Theotokos and began to pray fervently, asking for protection from the Mother of God. According to a historical source, at that time a terrible hurricane suddenly flew in and destroyed the enemy, who had already reached the Blachernae Church, and all enemy ships sank in the raging sea.

The Position of the Honest Robe

More than once, during the invasions of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city, to which she bestowed Her sacred robe. So it was during the siege of Constantinople by the Avars, Persians, Arabs. The events of 860 are especially significant for the history of the Russian Church. On June 18, 860, more than 200 boats of the Russian fleet of Prince Askold entered the Golden Horn, threatening Constantinople. Russian ships were already clearly visible from the shore, the landed soldiers "passed in front of the city, stretching out their swords."

At this time, Emperor Michael III was on a military campaign. He hastily returned to the capital. All night the emperor prayed fervently, prostrating himself on the stone slabs of the Blachernae Church. Holy Patriarch Photius addressed the people with a sermon, urging them in fervent heartfelt prayer to ask for the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. The danger increased with each passing hour. The city was almost raised on a spear. In the face of this formidable danger, it was decided to save church shrines and, above all, the holy robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church. After a public prayer service, the holy robe of the Mother of God was carried around the city walls with a procession of the cross and its edge was immersed with a prayer in the waters of the Bosphorus, and then transferred to the center of Constantinople - the church of Hagia Sophia. A miracle happened: the Mother of God covered and pacified the furious militancy of the Russian soldiers with Her grace. Having concluded an honorable truce, Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. Russian troops began to retreat, taking with them a large ransom. A week later, the miraculous robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place, in the shrine of the Blachernae Church.

In remembrance of these events, Patriarch Photius established the annual celebration of the Deposition of the Holy Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae (V) on July 2/15. During the Crusades of the XIII century, the tunic of the Virgin Mary did not fall into the hands of robbers: among the sacred relics stolen by the crusaders from the Blachernae Church, only the headdress of the Mother of God, transferred by Heinrich de Ulmen to the monastery in Trier, is mentioned.

The Russian Metropolitan Pimen, who traveled to the Holy Places, mentions in his notes that in 1387 he “on the day of the Laying of the Robe of the Mother of God” was in Blachernae and kissed the holy shrine, in which lay a miraculous tunic and the belt of the Virgin.

In 1434, the Blachernae Church burned down, parts of the clothes of the Mother of God were transferred to different places. Part of the robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus', and was kept in Moscow in the Assumption and Annunciation Cathedrals. The holy robe of the Mother of God, which had previously protected the capital of Byzantium, subsequently saved Moscow from the enemy. In the summer of 1451, the Tatar hordes of Tsarevich Mazovsha approached the walls of Moscow. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, strengthened the defenders of the capital with unceasing prayers and church services. On the night of July 2, according to the chronicle, a great turmoil occurred in the Tatar camp, the enemies abandoned the stolen goods and hastily retreated in disorder. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, the holy Metropolitan Jonah († 1461; Comm. 31 March and 27 May) erected the Church of the Deposition of the Robe in the Kremlin in the same year.

It burned down, but in its place in 1484-1486 a new one was built, also dedicated to the feast of the Deposition of the Robe of the Mother of God and preserved to this day. Now, once a year, on the feast of the Deposition of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae (July 2/15), His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' celebrates the Divine Liturgy and a prayer service before a particle of the Robe of the Virgin in the Church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Moscow Kremlin.

Today, the tunic of the Virgin is kept in the historical museum in Zugdidi (Georgia), located in the palace of the princes of Dadiani. The authenticity of the shrine was attested by Greek and Georgian experts. The Zugdidi Historical Museum stores relics that were confiscated from various churches and monasteries during the period of Soviet godlessness. Among them is the famous robe of the Virgin.

When, under what circumstances was the tunic of the Most Holy Theotokos transferred to Georgia? There are several versions: according to the first, this shrine was brought from Jerusalem at the beginning of the 12th century; according to the second, the chiton of the Virgin was secretly taken out of Byzantium in the 8th century in connection with iconoclasm; According to the chronicle "Kartlis Tskhovreba", the chiton of the Mother of God has been kept for centuries in the Khobi Dormition Monastery in Georgia.

A critical understanding of a diverse range of written sources leads to the following conclusion: the chiton of the Most Holy Theotokos was preserved in the Blachernae Church in Byzantium until 1453, then, due to the tragic events associated with the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, traces of the chiton are lost for two whole centuries. In the 17th century, the tunic of the Mother of God was acquired by the Providence of God in the Khobi Monastery in Mingrelia. In the spring of 1840, Russian ambassadors Fedot Yelchin and Pavel Zakharov visited the court of Levan II Dadiani. They visited the Khobi Monastery, where they were honored to venerate the tunic of the Most Holy Theotokos. Russian ambassadors Alexei Ievlev and Nikifor Tolochanov were in Imereti (Georgia) in 1650-1652. They met with the monks of one of the Athos monasteries, who told them that the tunic of the Mother of God was brought from Constantinople allegedly in the 8th century (during the iconoclastic heresy in Byzantium) and was laid in the Khobi Monastery ... In the 17th century, Patriarch Doteus of Jerusalem tried to take the tunic of the Virgin from Georgia , but unsuccessfully. Then the Mingrelian king Levan sealed the golden casket with the shrine and assigned guards to it. But this did not save the Most Pure Chiton from the robbers. Fortunately, the stolen shrine was found on the second day... Previously, the robe of the Mother of God was kept in the altar of the temple, in a silver casket. According to legend, many miracles and healings are associated with the robe of the Virgin. In Soviet times, the tunic of the Mother of God was forgotten: the great shrine was preserved without due care in the Khob Monastery; it was wet with rain, covered with snow... In 1936 it was transferred to the storerooms of the Zugdidi Historical Museum.

Now the Most Pure Chiton is again open for worship by Orthodox believers. Every year on July 2/15, the Georgian Orthodox Church celebrates Vlakhernoba - a feast in honor of the Robe of the Virgin. On this day, the tunic of the Mother of God is taken from the Zugdidi Museum to the Cathedral of the Blachernae Icon of the Mother of God, located right there on the territory of the museum, where, after the Divine Liturgy, believers can venerate this greatest shrine of the Christian world. Many pilgrims from different countries come to Georgia to bow to the Most Pure Robe of the Mother of God.

Description

Riza at the beginning of our era. in the east they called clothes, dress, military armor.
The chiton of the Most Holy Theotokos, the omophorion (head covering) and the belt are the robes that the Blessed Virgin wore in Her earthly life and, according to Christian traditions, gave the Orthodox Church as a guarantee of Her patronage and intercession.
The tunic is a piece of fabric measuring 150x180 cm. The colors on it have already faded, so now this matter is of a uniform, brownish color.

Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos - on November 28, the shrine left the Russian capital. The belt of the Virgin was first brought to Russia and visited 15 cities in a month. Seeing off the shrine, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' said that "during the stay of the Belt of the Virgin in Russia, according to the most conservative estimates, almost 3 million people bowed to it." And how many believers did not have time, could not bow to this great Orthodox shrine? But do not be upset, because in Moscow there are many shrines, no less significant, but not so often mentioned in the media. Today we will tell about them.

November 23rd. I learned the telephone number of the hotline by heart: I dialed it a hundred times within an hour. And here they answered me.

In a tired patter, a female voice said that the line to the shrine ends on Frunzenskaya Embankment, you can navigate to house 34. Now people who queued yesterday at eight o'clock in the evening are entering the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Are volunteers needed? I could serve tea to people standing in line.

No, they have enough volunteers.

Well, I'm going to Frunzenskaya. It's not even six in the evening, and it's already getting dark outside. That's my goal - in the semi-darkness the name of the street and the numbers I need are glowing - 34. Across the road, along the Moscow River, I see: people are standing, there are a lot of buses, cabins of dry closets. It remains only to wait for the green color of the traffic light and I'm there. Where thousands of believers carry out a feat, standing on the street from early morning, and maybe someone even stands from night and prays to the Queen of Heaven for mercy on themselves, their children, relatives...

Where are you going? The policeman interrupted my thoughts.

In queue!

It won't work here, - the guy in uniform smiles guiltily, - the end of the queue is one and a half to two kilometers from here, closer to Sparrow Hills.

And they told me that...

From the negative nods of the policeman, I understand that it is useless to relay the tired answers of the woman from the hotline.

How fast is the queue moving?

Four hours is one kilometer.

How far to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior?

It's about five or six kilometers from here.

Mathematics is simple: I can’t find the strength in myself to stand in the cold for so long. It seems that I am not the only one who lacks strength: women are coming from the embankment, they have left the queue. Pilgrims from Volgograd - a group of 100 people, arrived here at five in the morning. They say that they went well to the Crimean bridge, then they didn’t move for three hours. I have to go home already, and it became hard to stand.

Were you upset that you could not venerate the shrine?

No, people in front of us stood much longer, and even then they do not grieve. And we will have belts, consecrated on the belt of the Mother of God!

So after all, they are given only to those who kissed the belt ...

And we ourselves bought belts with the prayer "Alive in help ..." and our father went to the temple, he will sanctify them all. So we didn't come in vain.

At first glance, it seems that women are invigorating, restraining themselves from grumbling. But no - they smile, they say that while they were standing in line praying, it was time to think about themselves, their vain life.

We went to the metro together: the pilgrims to their bus, and I went home, and also without grief, because I heard that in some Moscow churches there are shrines: both the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, and a particle of the belt.

So the readers of the Internet portal "Orthodoxy and the World" have prepared a text for those who could not venerate the girdle of the Most Holy Theotokos. We publish it with slight cuts. Dear believers! If you wanted to bow to the belt of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but you did not succeed, do not despair! There are many shrines in Moscow, no less significant, but not so often mentioned in the media. Today we will tell about them.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior

In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior there is always a particle of the Robe of our Lord Jesus Christ and a particle of the Robe of the Virgin. These are no less significant shrines than the belt of the Blessed Virgin. You can come and pray in front of them at any time when the temple is open. According to legend, the Robe of Christ first came to Georgia and was kept there for a long time, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the ancient capital - Mtskheta. After the capture of Georgia in 1617 by the Persian Shah Abbas II, the shrine was at his disposal.

In 1625, the Shah sent a particle of the Robe of Christ as a gift to the Russian Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. Patriarch Filaret carefully studied the historical information related to the Robe, and after such a peculiar scientific research, a particle of the Robe was solemnly laid in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. Fragments were separated from a particle of the Robe to be sent to the major cities of the country: Kyiv, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, St. Petersburg.

After the sad events of October 1917, the Kremlin churches were closed, all items of material value were confiscated, and the ark with a particle of the Robe ended up in the Moscow Kremlin Museums, where it was kept for a long time by employees in the department of precious metals. In 2007, the state returned the shrine to the Russian Orthodox Church.

In the same Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a particle of the Robe of the Virgin, transferred there from the same Kremlin Museums in 2008, is kept. This shrine is of the same importance as the belt of the Most Pure. A piece of the Robe of the Mother of God came to Rus' in the 14th century. It was brought from Constantinople by Dionysius of Suzdal among other relics. There are many miracles associated with the Robe of the Virgin, which occurred both in Byzantium and in Russia. In Soviet times, this shrine, like the Robe of the Savior, ended up in the Kremlin Museums, from where it was returned to the Church safe and sound.

Temple of the Prophet Elijah in Ordinary Lane

There is also a temple in Moscow where a particle of the Virgin's girdle is kept. This is the Church of the Prophet Elijah in Ordinary Lane, which is located next to the Kropotkinskaya metro station, at 2nd Obydensky Lane, house 6. You can come to pray at any time from 8 o'clock in the morning until late in the evening.

A particle of the belt was placed in a reliquary located in the aisle of the apostles Peter and Paul. In addition, in the temple there is a miraculous icon of the Virgin "Unexpected Joy", a particle of the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross, part of the Holy Sepulcher, the relics of many saints.

If you really need a certain item “for prayerful memory”, like a belt, then take a small icon of the Virgin and, after praying, attach the belt to a particle. If you doubt the legality of this act - ask permission from the priest. Usually in the temples of the Russian Orthodox Church this is allowed.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Stary Simonov

There is another temple in Moscow where you can pray before a particle of the Robe of the Mother of God. This is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Stary Simonov, it is located a 10-minute walk from the Avtozavodskaya metro station (exit from the last carriage from the center).

Address: Vostochnaya street, house 6.

The temple is open from 7.30 to 17.00 or until the end of the evening service, if there is one on that day. In the icon "The Position of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae", inside the reliquary, there is a particle of the Robe of the Mother of God. If you cannot find this icon on your own, ask the attendant or the seller from the shop. There are several more revered icons of the Blessed Virgin in the temple.

Serapion Chamber of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

The Serapion Chamber of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra keeps relics of many saints. There is also a part of the robe of the Virgin. The Chamber adjoins the Trinity Cathedral. The entrance to it is from the Trinity Cathedral, the door is next to the tomb of St. Sergius. The door is noticeable - a big black one, there is a hole in it from the core, it is always, if not closed, then covered.

It is necessary to approach the duty monk or a man in a black robe. You can simply ask the monk behind the box in the porch of the temple: “Who is on duty here, can we somehow get into the Serapion Chamber? We from afar (from Moscow) wanted to kiss. If there are no special prohibitions at that time, everyone who asks is allowed. The bans are due to the visits of important guests.

In barrenness they pray...

For example, in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazeh (Pokrovka Street, building 13) there is a venerated icon of St. David of Gareji with a particle of his relics. Many Muscovites (and not only Muscovites) through prayer to this saint were healed of infertility, gynecological diseases, were able to endure and give birth to children. For many years in this temple on Mondays at 17 o'clock a prayer service with water blessing is served. There is evidence of many cases of the miraculous help of the saint.

We offer this option: venerate the shrines available in other churches, and as a physical feat, go there for the Sunday Liturgy, or on weekdays for an akathist or prayer service. Our churches are empty on weekdays, this is no secret to anyone. This will also be a feat, and what else.

Prepared by Yana Besedina

On July 15 (July 2, old style) the Church celebrates the position of the Holy Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae. This day is otherwise called the Feast of the Deposition of the Robe. The veneration of the feast of the Deposition of the Robe has long been known in the Russian Church. At the end of the 14th century, a part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus' by St. Dionysius of Suzdal. The Holy Robe of the Mother of God, which had previously guarded the capital of Byzantium, also saved Moscow from the enemy. Here is the story of finding this great shrine.

During the reign of the pious emperor Leo and his wife Verona, two brothers Galbius and Candide lived in Constantinople, very important dignitaries. Wishing to bow to the holy places of Jerusalem, they set off with the permission of the emperor. When the brothers were passing through Galilee, they went into the small village of Nazareth to bow to the house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary lived and where the angel Gabriel appeared to Her, announcing the birth of the Son of God from Her - the Savior of the world. Galbius and Candide stopped at the poor house of a pious unmarried Jewess, where they saw a room in which there were many candles and incense was smoked, emitting a fragrant fragrance. There were many sick people in this room - lame, blind, deaf... And the brothers began to ask the hostess what kind of shrine was kept in this room. Embarrassed, she replied that the Lord had once appeared at this place.

The astonished brothers began to ask in more detail, and then the hostess said to them this: Pious men! Find out what a great shrine is kept here! By her power, all the sick receive healing from their ailments: the blind begin to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the dumb gain the gift of speech, lepers are cleansed, demons are expelled from people ... And these miracles are performed by the vestments of the Most Holy Theotokos stored here, which I got from the ancestor mine - one of those widows who were at the Assumption of the Mother of God and, according to Her will, received a riza. According to the will of the progenitress, the robes pass from girl to girl, who became famous for her honest and pious life. There are no more girls left in our family besides me, and I reveal this secret to you so that you do not divulge it until my death.

Promising to keep the secret, the brothers were allowed into the room, and they saw there an ark, surrounded by candles and censers, in which lay the most pure vestments of the Virgin Mary. Having asked for permission to stay at the all-night prayer service near this shrine, the brothers, meanwhile, thought about who, after the hostess, would get the funeral clothes of the Most Holy Theotokos. And deciding to have such a priceless treasure in the capital city of Constantinople, they measured the length, width and height of the ark at night and determined what kind of wood it was made of. In the morning they bowed to the most pure robes of the Mother of God and went to Jerusalem, promising the hostess to visit her on the way back.

Having venerated the Holy Cross and the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the brothers called on a carpenter and ordered him exactly the same ark as the one in which the vestments of the Mother of God were kept. When the master fulfilled the order, Galbius and Candide bought a gold-woven coverlet, which they later showed to the Jewish woman. And then they asked permission to cover the ark with this veil and stand next to it for another night in prayer. When everyone in the house fell asleep, the brothers fell to the ground with tears and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos so that they would not be forbidden to take the ark with Her robe and carry it away with them. At midnight, with fear and humility, they took the ark, and put another in its place.

Saying goodbye in the morning to the hostess who did not notice anything, the brothers set off on their way back. Arriving in Constantinople, they did not tell anyone about the acquired shrine, but created in their house a small church in the name of the holy apostles Peter and Mark and placed in it, in a secret place, an ark with a holy robe. However, the miracles that always appeared from such a relic, and the grace that poured out from it on everyone, forced them to go and tell about all the signs to Emperor Leo, his wife and Patriarch Gennady. Filled with spiritual joy, the tsar and the patriarch arrived at the brothers' house church, God-fearingly opened the ark and saw in it the incorruptible robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. Having kissed her, they solemnly transferred the shrine to Blachernae Church, where they laid her in an ark decorated with gold and silver. In memory of the transfer of the vestments of the Most Holy Theotokos, a feast of the Deposition of the Robe was established in honor and glory of the Mother of God, which is solemnly celebrated on July 2 (15).

The miraculous power of the robe of the Queen of Heaven in 626 was experienced by the Persians and Avars, in 673 and 713. - Saracens, and in 866 the knights Askold and Dir. Russian chronicles report that two Varangian knights - Askold and Dir - left Novgorod, captured Kiev and began to reign in it. At first, they, setting off from Novgorod, wanted to get to Tsargrad (Constantinople) in order to enter as soldiers there in a special Varangian squad. Having become the princes of Kyiv, they changed their intention and decided to go to war against Constantinople. Having gathered a large squad, Askold and Dir put their soldiers on boats and sailed to Constantinople. Frightened by the numerous Kyiv army, the Greeks did not hope to repel the enemies, and then the Patriarch of Constantinople, with prayer hymns, took out the Most Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos from the Blachernae Church and, with a prayer, plunged it into the sea. The prayer of the Christians was heard, suddenly a strong storm arose on the sea, which scattered the boats of the people of Kiev in different directions. When the storm passed, the princes Askold and Dir, witnesses of the miracle, adopted Christianity in Constantinople. In holy baptism, Askold was named Nicholas, and Dir - Elijah.

In the 14th century, according to the historian Nicephorus Callistus, "the robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this temple as a protection for the city, giving various healings and conquering nature and time with its miracles." The Russian Metropolitan Pimen mentioned in 1387 that on the Feast of the Deposition of the Robe, he was in Blachernae Church and kissed there the holy reliquary, in which the vestments of the Most Holy Theotokos were kept. After the fire of 1434, which destroyed the Blachernae Church, the location of the Robe is lost.

A particle of the Robe of the Virgin appeared in Russia in the XIV century. It was acquired in Constantinople by Dionysius of Suzdal, among other relics that were included in the "Ark of Dionysius", which became a significant relic of the Moscow Grand Dukes. In honor of the feast of the Deposition of the Robe, many churches and monasteries were built, including in the Moscow Kremlin (the Church of the Deposition of the Robe in the Moscow Kremlin). Another part of the Robe in the 17th century came to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin through the efforts of Prince Vasily Golitsyn. After the seizure of church valuables by the Soviet authorities, the shrine ended up in the museums of the Moscow Kremlin. In 2008, the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, among other relics, part of the Robe of the Virgin was transferred to the Russian Church.

Dear believers, strong believers, believers from childhood, simply churched, not churched, non-strong believers, doubters and simply joined them! Dear, beloved people! If you wanted to venerate the shrine - the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, and when you arrived, you realized that you could not stand it if you were sick or pregnant, or, on the contrary, you want to have children, but it doesn’t work, or if you already have children, but you anyway you need to go to the shrine, then remember:

1. In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior always (!) is the ark with a particle of the Robe of Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This great shrine was donated to the Russian Church by the Moscow Kremlin Museums in 2007. The gospel says that the bleeding wife was healed as soon as she touched "the hem of his garment" in faith (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34). This woman obviously had a serious gynecological disease, she was ill for 12 years, she spent all the money on doctors, but her condition only worsened. Christ not only heals her, but also says: "Be of good cheer, daughter, your faith has saved you." That is, something incommensurably greater than just physical healing, this woman receives according to her faith. How many of us remember that for four years now a piece of the Robe of Christ has been in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in open access to everyone?

One version of the legend says that the tunic of the Savior, received by lot by one of the soldiers present at the Crucifixion, was transferred to Iberia (Georgia) (see John 19:23-24). Another version says that the Robe of the Savior is not a non-sewn tunic, but another outer garment is a cloak (himation). The tunic simply could not be later divided into parts, it would have blossomed, as it was knitted. One way or another, but the shrine of the Christian world - the Robe of Christ - was kept in the ancient capital - Mtskheta, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli.

In 1617, Georgia was captured by the Persian Shah Abbas II, whose soldiers destroyed the temple and handed over the Riza to the Shah. In 1625, the Shah, at the insistence of the Russian ambassador, sent the Robe to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich as a gift. Patriarch of Moscow Filaret (Romanov) collected reliable information about Rize, and only after that she was solemnly laid in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. In honor of this event, the annual feast of the Position of the Robe of the Lord in Moscow was established on July 10, according to the old style (July 23, according to the new one). Subsequently, the fragment of the Robe was divided in order to send particles of the shrine to the major cities of the empire. In 1918, the shrines kept in the altar of the Assumption Cathedral were transferred to the Exaltation of the Cross Monastery, after which the shrines were confiscated from the Church and placed in the collections of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

2. In the same Cathedral of Christ the Savior, another shrine is kept - a particle of the Robe of the Mother of God. It was brought from Constantinople to Rus' by Dionysius of Suzdal in the 14th century. Part of the Robe was among other shrines in the so-called "Ark of Dionysius", which became a significant relic of the Moscow Grand Dukes. After the October coup, the shrine ended up in the Moscow Kremlin Museums, from where in 2008 a particle of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Before this precious particle, as well as before the particle of the Robe of the Savior, anyone in need of spiritual support can pray at any time convenient for him. You just have to wait until the Belt is taken away from the temple. The Robe of the Mother of God is no less sacred than the Belt; these are, let's say, equivalent shrines. They just don't make the news every day. If the Mother of God sends her help to a person, then she can do this by praying in front of the Belt, and by praying in front of the Robe, and by praying in front of any of Her icons, even the simplest, printed in the format of a calendar.

And, in the light of the long queues that arose in the temples where the Belt was, it’s even scary to remind, but still: the Lord, the Mother of God and the saints can help us even after our prayer in an open field, if we really need this help and we ask with faith . Remember how many cases are known in history when the lost found their way after praying to St. Nicholas.