Sergius and Bacchus occupied high military positions under Emperor Maximian (according to St. Demetrius of Rostov - they were dignitaries at court king Maximian). This went on until Maximian was informed that they did not worship pagan gods. The emperor, in order to ascertain the validity of the denunciation, ordered Sergius and Bacchus to sacrifice to idols, but they refused, answering that they honor the One God and only worship Him, after which the emperor ordered that the signs of their military dignity be removed from the martyrs, dressed in women's clothes and led by city ​​with iron hoops around his neck, to ridicule the people. Having humiliated them, the emperor again called Sergius and Bacchus and tried to turn them away from the Christian faith, but the saints were adamant. Then Maximian ordered to send them to the ruler of Syria, Antiochus, who hated Christians. Antiochus obtained the position of ruler with the help of Sergius and Bacchus and asked the confessors to leave Christianity. Having received a refusal, the enraged Antiochus ordered Bacchus to be beaten with whips, after which he died, and Sergius was taken to court in another city, where he was beheaded with a sword.

The Catholic English version of the lives of these saints recounts the events in a similar way, but in this version Maximian is called caesar and not the emperor.

The death of the martyr Sergius, according to the life, occurred in a city called Resafa (Dimitri of Rostov in his life of the holy martyrs calls this city Rezafa, or Rozafa). It was subsequently renamed Sergiopol.

The Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus suffered death, according to various sources, around the year 300, or around the year 303, or in the year 305.

Historicity

Some researchers question the historicity of the life of Sergius and Bacchus, setting out the following considerations.

Criticism

As David Woods points out, the story of the saints is told in a Greek text called "The Passion of Sergei and Bacchus." This text contains, in his opinion, many anachronisms and contradictions that make it difficult to determine the exact time of writing this text, but it can still be attributed to the 5th century AD. e.

Further, Woods notes, The Passion is filled not only with historical anachronisms, but also with supernatural events. Apparently, because of this, they are recognized by him as an unreliable historical source: the text was dated to the middle of the fifth century AD, there is no evidence of the veneration of Sergei and Bacchus before 425 (more than 100 years after the described death of these martyrs), and therefore there is great doubt in the historicity of their personality.

In addition, he argues, there is no definite evidence that the scholia of Sergei and Bacchus were used by the emperor Galerius or any other emperors before Constantine I. It is known, he says, that the persecution of Christians began in the army long before it began everywhere, so it is doubtful that even secret Christians were able to rise to high ranks in the army. Also, there is no evidence of the existence of monks at that time, as described in the life: there the monk finds the body of Sergei on the banks of the Euphrates.

The Italian historian Pio Franchi De Cavalieri argues that the "Passion of Sergei and Bacchus" is based on the previously lost "passions" of Juventus and Makiminus - these are two saints who were executed under Emperor Julian II the Apostate in 363. He notes that it was under Julian that Christian soldiers were punished by dressing in women's dresses for show to everyone. David Woods also supports this idea by pointing to the historian Zosimus, who in his Historia Nova describes the case when Julian punishes the apostate soldiers in this way, thereby confirming that the author of The Passion of Sergei and Bacchus borrowed material from the stories of the martyrs of the time of Julian rather than Galerius.

Possible objections

Criticism of David Woods requires detailed analysis. Nevertheless, his willingness to recognize the "Passion" as an unreliable historical source due to the mention of miracles in them causes serious bewilderment: we also read about miraculous events in the lives of those Christian saints who are much closer to us in time, for example, Sergius of Radonezh, the historicity of the person which was not called into question even in Soviet times. We will also meet many miracles in the life of Seraphim of Sarov, the historicity of whose existence is beyond doubt.

glorification

Banner of the Hassanids with the image of the face of St. Sergei

After the death of the martyr Sergius in Resafa, this city became a place of pilgrimage for Christians who worshiped the relics of the martyr Sergius, which is why the city itself also began to be called Sergiopol. Since the 5th century, Resafa has become the seat of a bishop. In the same century, Bishop Alexander of Hierapolis built a magnificent church in honor of these martyrs. The memory of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus has been greatly revered throughout the East since ancient times, and many made pious journeys to their relics.

relics

The relics of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, originally located in Resafa, have long since left this deserted city (it was abandoned by the inhabitants in the 13th century). The relics are currently in Venice.

The imperishable heads of the martyrs were kept for some time in Constantinople, where they were seen by Russian pilgrims: monk Anthony (1200) and Stefan of Novgorod (c. 1350).

temples

Temples dedicated to the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus appeared in various parts of the Roman Empire. Even the ruins of the basilica dedicated to them in Resaf make a considerable impression (see photos of the temples of Sergius and Bacchus in Resaf (Syria), Maaloula (Syria), Cairo (Egypt), Bosra (Syria), Istanbul (Turkey) and other places).

In Russia at present, apparently, there are no temples dedicated to the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus. At one time, however, the temple of the village of Kuzmichi, Smolensk region, was dedicated to them, which is now consecrated in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, and its left chapel is dedicated to the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus.

Memorial Day in the Russian Orthodox Church

misunderstandings

Martyr Sergius the Roman, who suffered in Resafa, is also called Sarkis (in particular, the monastery named after him in

The image is reproduced from the publication: To the Origins: Early Christian Icons: [Calendar Book for 2010]. Minsk: Intern. societies. Association "Christian Educational Center named after. Sts. Methodius and Cyril"; Milano: La Casa di Matriona, 2009.

Memory Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus takes place in the Orthodox Church on October 20 according to the new style.

Saints Sergius and Bacchus carried out military service under the emperor Maximian, whose reign took place at the end of the third - beginning of the fourth century. The pagan ruler had no idea that the saints of God were Christians, so he appointed them to high positions in the army. Soon after the promotion, people suffering from the disease of envy appeared, who informed the pagan ruler that his military commanders Sergius and Bacchus did not perform sacrifices to pagan idols.
The ruler was an adherent of paganism, and refusal to worship idols was considered a state crime, for which there could be a death penalty. Sergius and Bacchus knew about this, but remaining faithful to the Lord was dearer to them than temporary well-being. In order to check how true the denunciations of these military commanders were, Maximian gave the command that Saints Sergius and Bacchus worship pagan idols. The martyrs boldly defended the fidelity of their convictions and firmly expressed their Christian position. The saints said that they could not worship soulless idols, but that all honor should be given to the One God, who created everything in heaven and on earth.
In order to punish the warriors who were unfaithful to the pagan dogma, Emperor Maximian gave the order to remove the signs of their military dignity from the guilty, dress them in women's outfits, and hang metal hoops around their necks. In this form, the saints of God were taken along the central streets of the city so that its inhabitants could ridicule these people and their refusal to obey the emperor. After that, the ruler began to talk with the soldiers Sergius and Bacchus, affectionately urging them to abandon their Christian beliefs and worship idols. Seeing the firmness of the hope of the holy warriors in God, the ruler ordered that the martyrs be sent to the governor Antiochus, who ruled the eastern part of Syria and was distinguished by his especially vicious attitude towards Christians. As it turned out, the ruler Antiochus began to occupy such a high position in society thanks to the help of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, so he began to beg them in a friendly manner to perform a pagan sacrifice in order to avoid the death penalty prescribed by law. The saints of God were not afraid of the death penalty, explaining that the life for them is the Lord Jesus Christ, and they understand death for the Lord as gain. Hearing such speeches from the soldiers, Antiochus was furious: he gave the command that Bacchus be beaten to death with special scourges, and Sergius, in metal boots with sharp nails inside, was taken to another city, where they beheaded with a sword.
The death of the saints of God followed about the year 300.
The Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus showed the sincerity of their faith even in the face of death. Their courage was manifested not only in the valiant military service to the earthly ruler, but shone with an unquenchable ray in the Kingdom of Heaven. They carried their official duties with great zeal until the moment when their performance did not come into conflict with the service of the One True God. An example of the life of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus is a vivid confirmation of the fact that between the achievement of prosperity in a temporary earthly life and the heritage Heavenly Kingdom with the Lord, the Christian must always choose to serve the Lord, even if it means harming his health and taking his life. A Christian is required to fulfill his obligations to the earthly authorities responsibly, to the extent that this does not interfere with the service of the Lord.

Troparion, tone 5:
Fertilizer of Christ's passion-bearers / and the eyes of Christ to the Church, / eyes enlighten our souls, / Sergius the long-suffering and Vakshe the most glorious: / pray to the Lord, / that we may flee the darkness of sin / and the Light will appear as a companion of the non-evening / / by your prayers, saints.

Kontakion, tone 2:
Having masculinely armed the mind against the enemies, / destroy all those flattery, / and receive victory from above, martyrs of all-praise, / unanimously blatantly // it’s good and red to be with God.

Greatness:
We magnify you, passion-bearers of Christ, and we honor your honest suffering, even for Christ you have endured in nature.

Holy mu-che-ni-kov Ser-gius and Vak-ha im-pe-ra-tor Mak-si-mi-an (284-305) meant-chil to you-so-should-but -sti in the army, not knowing that they are Christians. It’s not good-ro-the-la-te-whether it was Mac-si-mi-a-well that his two in-the-first-no-ka-no-chi-ta-yut language che-sky gods, and this was considered a state-state crime.

Im-pe-ra-tor, wanting to give-to-believe-sya in the right-whether-to-no-sa, pri-ka-zal to Ser-gii and Vak-hu pri- do not sacrifice to idols, but they from-ve-ti-li that they honor God One-no-go and only worship Him.

Mak-si-mi-an p-ka-hall to remove from mu-che-ni-kov the signs of their in-s-so-san-on, put on women’s clothes and drive in the city with irons on the neck, in a mixture of on-ro-du. Then, again, he called Ser-gius and Vak-ha to himself and other-ski-so-ve-to-val not to be flattered by hri-sti-an-ski-mi bass-nya- mi and ob-ra-tit-sya to the Roman gods. But the saints would be adamant. Then they-pe-ra-tor instructed them to send them to the right-vi-te-lu in the waste part of Syria An-tio-hu, lu-to-mu nena -wist-nee-ku hri-sti-an. An-tioch received this position with the help of Ser-gius and Vak-ha. “Fathers and b-go-de-they are mine!” he said to the saints, “be kind-lo-sti-you not only to yourself, but also to me: I would not want to pre-da-vat you mu-che-no-yam. The holy mu-che-no-ki from-ve-ti-li, that for them life is Christ, and death for Him is a blessing. Once-angry-van-ny An-tioh came to beat Wak-ha bi-cha-mi without mi-lo-ser-diya, and the holy mu-che-nick went to the Lord du. Ser-gii was shod in iron sa-po-gi with on-be-you-mi nails in them and from-ve-whether to court in another city, where he was truncated with a sword (c. 300).

Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus- one of the oldest surviving churches of Constantinople, which served as a prototype for the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna (centric temple) and (domed basilica) (hence the second name - "Small Hagia Sophia"). Apparently, the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus is the work of the same masters who built Hagia Sophia - Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Trall. According to another version, the architect Anthemius from Tralles worked on the temple, who was better known as a mathematician and author of the book on the burning of the mirror "Paradoxographia".

The temple is dedicated to the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, it strikes no less strongly than the famous Hagia Sophia itself, and this is not an exaggeration. The church is like a sister of the Hagia Sophia. It is not so majestic because of its relatively modest size, but sincerely impresses and surprises with its “live” kind, clean, deep light energy. You are captured by a wave of surprise and a joyful understanding that you are in one of the most ancient and amazing places of Byzantine Constantinople. And this very understanding comes without any preliminary explanations for oneself. By the way, I got here intentionally and with curiosity - without consulting the guidebook, I intuitively found the Small Hagia Sophia easily and naturally.

Since the church itself fascinated me so much, I took a large number of photographs both externally and in the internal volume of the temple. So there will be two posts about the church of Sergius and Bacchus. One is about the external appearance of the church, the history of its creation, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, and the second is about its internal spaces that left the strongest impression. Despite the fact that the famous golden Byzantine mosaics were not preserved in the church, they can be quite imagined if you visit which belongs to approximately the same period as the Lesser Hagia Sophia. So this immersion in the history of Orthodox Byzantium turned out to be very rich in impressions, which I will try to convey.

The church (now a working mosque) is located in the historical center of Istanbul in the Sultanahmet district, almost on the coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara. You can get to the Little Hagia Sophia without much effort, you only need a desire.

We are now at one of the most iconic sights of Istanbul - the historical Sultanahmet Square or the location of the famous.
02.

From the Hippodrome Square in its southern part, passing the Egyptian obelisk, the Obelisk of Constantine we go around the Marmara University on the left, which is attached to the former rounded southern part of the Hippodrome base - the sfenda - the place of the spectator stands, once located in a semicircular amphitheater, repeating the southwestern turn of the running track.
03.


Marmara University and Obelisk of Constantine in Sultanahmet Square

Now we will go around this building on the left and start going down the narrow streets to the Sea of ​​Marmara. On the right, we will soon have the impressive ruins of sfenda. This is all that remains of the once famous Constantinople Hippodrome.

04.

Having examined the sfenda, then we take to the left, we go down to the sea along the narrow streets of Istanbul ...
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And in 3-4 minutes we are already in place - at the Church of the Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus.
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The most luxurious palaces of the City were once located in this area, including the houses of the Pulcheria and the Fock family, as well as the so-called house of Darius (according to legend, its owner was one of the eight patricians whom Constantine the Great brought with him from Rome). None of these buildings are long gone. The greatness of the palaces standing here is evidenced by the numerous local underground cisterns that fed them with water (and own water is a sign of wealth). None of them are currently publicly available.
07.

Many Russian pilgrims, including Anthony of Novgorod, mentioned the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus: “Beyond the foothills there is a church of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus: and their heads lie here, and the hand of Sergius and his blood.” Alexander the Deacon is attached to another landmark: "Near the Tsar's Kostyantinov Palace there is a monastery of St. Sergius and Bacchus."
08.

In addition, the dome at Sophia looks more like a smooth hemisphere, at Sergius and Bacchus - more like a ribbed “shell”. It is divided into sixteen lobes, eight of which are flat and cut through with windows, and eight others alternating with them, concave, correspond to the corners of the octagon. This gives the dome (its height is 16.33 m) a wavy outline, which is clearly visible when viewed from the height of the First Hill. In general, the treatment of both space and light in Sergius and Bacchus was extremely innovative.
20.

Let's take a closer look at this church.
21.

Now the Church of Sergius and Bacchus is a functioning mosque (its founder Hussein Aga is buried in a mausoleum to the north of the temple, in the photo below on the right). You can enter the mosque either before or after prayer.
22.

Dome of the church from the northeast.
24.

We are now walking along the north wall of the church.
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And now we will enter the courtyard of the church of Sergius and Bacchus.
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North wall of the Church of Sergius and Bacchus

This is the main entrance to the church from the north.
31.

Inner courtyard of the church.
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North gate and wall of the church from the inside.
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In general, the building has undergone minimal alterations: for example, those windows that are now on both sides of the entrance were formerly doors, as in Hagia Sophia.
39.