According to blzh. To Jerome of Stridon, Gregory the Wonderworker originally bore the name "Theodore". Eusebius of Caesarea, reporting that many disciples flocked to Origen in Caesarea Palestine not only from local residents, but also from everywhere, notes that of them he knows as the most outstanding - Theodore, who is identical with the famous among the contemporary bishops of Eusebius, Gregory the Wonderworker, and his brother St. Athenodora.

unknown, Public Domain

The name change was probably associated with baptism. According to A. Kruzel, St. Gregory the Wonderworker was the first Christian to bear the specifically Christian name “Gregory” (“awake, awakened”); the researcher also notes the lack of information that this name was used among pagans, i.e. Gregory the Wonderworker was probably the first person to bear this name.

Origin

The saint came from a noble and wealthy family: his mother wanted to give him the kind of education that children of noble birth received.

The family situation, the nature of education, plans for a career in life, the language of the works indicate the affiliation of St. Gregory the Wonderworker to the descendants of Greek settlers in Neokesarea.

Education

The initial education of St. Gregory the Wonderworker was pagan. At the age of 14 he lost his father. “The loss of his father and orphanhood” was for him “the beginning of true knowledge”: at this time he first “turned to the true and saving Word,” but outwardly his life did not change. Having completed his education at a grammar school, Gregory, at the request of his mother, entered the school of a rhetorician, where he did not agree to make laudatory speeches about anyone if it did not agree with the truth.

Under the influence of a Latin teacher, Gregory refused to move from the school of rhetorician to the school of philosopher and took up jurisprudence. To improve his education, he and his brother Athenodorus went to the city of Wirit (Beirut), where the largest law school in the East was located. The immediate reason for the trip was that the husband of St. Gregory the Wonderworker, appointed advisor to the imperial governor of Palestine in Caesarea, wanted his wife to follow him, taking both brothers with her. Arriving in Caesarea Palestine, the brothers wanted to listen to Origen, who at that time founded a school here similar to the one in Alexandria (see art. Theological schools of the ancient Church). According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, in the acquaintance of St. Firmilian of Caesarea took part in Gregory the Wonderworker with Origen.

Meeting with Origen

The meeting with Origen determined the future life of St. Gregory the Wonderworker. Noticing the brothers' talents, Origen decided to make them his students and convinced them of the benefits of philosophy. According to St. Gregory the Wonderworker, he “first of all made every effort to bind us to himself” and in the end the power of conviction and the charm of Origen’s personality forced Gregory to neglect all matters and sciences:

Like a spark that fell into my very soul, my love kindled and ignited, both for the most sacred, most worthy of love, the Word itself... and for this man, His friend and preacher... One thing was dear and dear to me - philosophy and the leader in it - this divine man.

At first, Origen, using the Socratic method, prepared the ground in Gregory for the perception of the arguments of reason. Then he began to reveal to him various parts of philosophy, primarily logic and dialectics, forcing him to examine the inner essence of each thing and criticize external impressions, individual expressions and turns of speech. Origen also reported natural science information, including geometry and astronomy.

The next stage of education was ethics, and Origen sought, according to the instructions, to form the character and lifestyle of Gregory, making him fall in love with Christian virtues. From the study of pagan philosophers, he gradually led the student to biblical exegesis. According to St. Gregory the Wonderworker,

nothing was forbidden for me... but I had the opportunity to gain knowledge about every teaching, both barbarian and Hellenic... and divine and human.

After completing his 5-year study in Caesarea in Palestine, Gregory and his brother Athenodorus returned to their homeland. Soon he received a letter from Origen, in which he urged him to bring his talents and knowledge to the service of Christianity and engage in a careful study of the Holy Scriptures.

Bishop of Neocaesarea

In Neocaesarea, Gregory decided to move away from the noise of the squares and from all city life and to remain in solitude with himself and through himself with God, but approx. 245 he was installed by Fedim, bishop. Amasia, bishop of Neocaesarea.

unknown, photo: Dimkoa, Public Domain

According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Gregory the Wonderworker at first did not want to accept initiation, fearing that “the concerns of the priesthood, like some kind of burden, would serve as an obstacle to his wisdom.” Therefore, Fedim, after much effort, “not paying any attention to the distance separating him from Gregory (for he was three days away from him), but looking up to God and saying that God at this hour equally sees both himself and Moreover, instead of a hand, he imposes a word on Gregory, dedicating him to God, although he was not present in body, and assigns him this city, which until that time was obsessed with idolatry delusion.” St. Gregory the Wonderworker believed that he could not resist such an appointment, albeit an unusual one. After this, everything that was required by law for consecration as a bishop was done to him.

According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, when St. Gregory the Wonderworker, after his episcopal consecration, spent the whole night meditating on the objects of faith; John the Theologian, who appeared at the request of the Mother of God, spoke to him in harmonious and brief words the secret of faith. Gregory the Wonderworker put this divine teaching into writing, preached on it in the Church and left it as a legacy to his descendants.

Sermons

St. testifies to the power of his sermons. Gregory of Nyssa:

At first there were a small number of those who heard his word; but before the day was over and the sun had set, so many of them had joined the first assembly that the multitude of those who believed was enough to constitute a people. In the morning, people again appear at the door, along with them wives and children, and those who are advanced in years and suffering from demons or from some other ailment. And he, standing in the middle, gave, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to each of those gathered what suited his needs: he preached, reasoned, exhorted, taught, healed.

Sermon of St. Gregory the Wonderworker had such an influence that if before him there were no more than 17 Christians in the city, then at the end of his life he carefully searched throughout the surrounding area to see if anyone else remained alien to the faith, and learned that there were no more than 17 who remained in the old error Human.

Activities of St. Gregory the Wonderworker also extended to neighboring cities. Yes, St. Gregory of Nyssa talks in detail about his appointment of the coal miner Alexander, the future martyr, to the bishop of Pontic Coman.

Persecution

During the persecution of Emperor Decius (250s, see Art. Persecution in the Roman Empire), St. Gregory the Wonderworker, like St. Dionysius, bishop Alexandrian, and St. Kyprianou, bishop Carthage, retired to the nearby mountains, where he miraculously got rid of his pursuers.

At the end of the persecution, St. Gregory “instituted some addition to worship everywhere, legitimizing solemn holidays in honor of those who suffered for the faith. The remains of the martyrs were distributed in various places, and the people, gathering annually at certain times, rejoiced, celebrating in honor of the martyrs.”

unknown, photo: Threecharlie, CC BY-SA 3.0

OK. 254 (Drezeke) or 258 (Rissel) the Borans and Goths invaded the Pontic Church (Scythian War of the 3rd century). St. Gregory the Wonderworker describes this invasion in his “Canonical Epistle”.

From the subsequent life of the saint, the fact of his participation, together with his brother Athenodorus and other disciples of Origen, in the First Council of Antioch against Paul of Samosata (264) is known. According to the testimony of the blessed Theodorit, bishop Kirsky,

Of those gathered, Gregory the Great, the famous one, who performed the miracles that were sung by everyone for the sake of the grace of the Spirit dwelling in him, and Athenodorus, his brother, took precedence.

St. died Gregory the Wonderworker during the reign of Emperor Aurelian between 270 and 275.

Title "Miracle Worker"

The name “Wonder Worker” (Thaumatourgos) was established for him from the 5th century. Before this, the saint was called either “Gregory the Great” (Saints Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory the Theologian, Deacon Basil in the “Acts” of the Council of Ephesus (431), Eusebius of Dorylaeus (448), Eutyches (449), Ebippus of Neocaesarea (c. 457 ), or simply as "Gregory" Rufinus (402), Blessed Jerome of Stridon (392), Socrates Scholasticus (440); Eusebius of Caesarea adds "famous", and Sozomen - "outstanding". M. van Esbroeck, believing that the flourishing veneration of St. Gregory the Wonderworker began in Apollinarian circles, notes the Monophysite context of the origin of the title “Wonderworker”: it appears in the “Refutation of the Council of Chalcedon” by Timothy Aelur, and is also attested by Zechariah of Mytilene and Sevirus of Antioch (letter 507); found in the “Ektesis” Patriarch Mina and the oath of Anthimus of Trebizond (536).

unknown, photo: Shakko, Public Domain

The influence of St. Gregory the Wonderworker on the religious life of the Pontic country is attested by St. Basil the Great, who reports, in particular, that the neo-Caesarians before the 2nd half. IV century

they did not add any action, word, or any mysterious sign beyond those that he left.” According to St. Basil, place of St. Gregory the Wonderworker is among the apostles and prophets, for he “walked in the same Spirit with them, throughout his life he walked in the footsteps of the saints, all his days he thoroughly succeeded in the life of the Gospel... like some brilliant great luminary he illuminated the Church of God.

Theology

In the few original writings of St. Gregory the Wonderworker presents mainly the doctrine of the triune God, important for understanding the theology of the pre-Nicene era.

The quintessence of the triadology of the ancient Church is the “Creed” of Gregory the Wonderworker. Its main provisions are supplemented and revealed in the “Gratitude Speech to Origen”, as well as in the treatise “To Theopompus...”. Of particular interest is the question of the influence of Origen’s teachings on the theological views of St. Gregory the Wonderworker.

Doctrine of God

According to St. Gregory the Wonderworker, “the nature of God is inexpressible and inexplicable, has no similarity with anything”; God is impossible not only to comprehend, but even to sing in a worthy manner. Only God the Word Himself can fulfill the proper measure of praise to the Father. St. Gregory calls God the first Mind (P protoj noaj); This name is given by St. Gregory the Wonderworker is on a par with Origen and the middle Platonists and distinguishes him from the early Christian apologists, who called the Word “Mind”. Also like Origen, St. Gregory develops the doctrine of simplicity, homogeneity, indivisibility and indefinability of the Divine essence, its absolute internal harmony and freedom. At the same time, St. Gregory the Wonderworker is far from the idea that God, enjoying His glory, has no concern for the human race: how can we attribute goodness to someone whose goodness and generosity are hidden from us? Gregory the Wonderworker calls God the Author and Ruler of the universe, who constantly provides for everything and cares for people, both in the greatest and in the most insignificant.

Triadology

The term “Trinity” (Greek - trias), first found in St. Theophilus of Antioch, to the time of St. Gregory the Wonderworker was used by such church writers as Origen, Saints Dionysius of Rome, Dionysius of Alexandria. For Gregory the Wonderworker, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are “the perfect Trinity, in glory and eternity and kingdom, not divided and not alienated.” There is nothing created in the Holy Trinity; She does not have in Herself anything slavish or something that would be brought in later. as alien to Her and that did not exist before, since there has never been a time when the Father was without the Son, or the Son without the Spirit, but She is immutable and unchangeable and is always identical with Herself. Expressing in the “Symbol of Faith” the confession of the unity of the Divine, Gregory the Wonderworker applies the name “one” to all the Persons of the Holy Trinity, thanks to which both the unity of the Divine and the difference of hypostases are affirmed. God is first of all “the Father of the living Word, hypostatic Wisdom and Power, and the eternal Mark, the perfect Parent of the Perfect, the Father of the only begotten Son.” The names of the second Person of the Holy Trinity are Word, Wisdom and Power, borrowed from the Holy. The Scriptures were used in exactly this order by the contemporaries of St. Gregory the Wonderworker (by Saints Dionysius of Rome, Dionysius of Alexandria). The definition of the Word as “living” (or “living and animate”) is consonant with Origen’s idea that the Divine Logos is different from the ordinary human word, which has no real existence separate from the Origen man...

St. Gregory the Wonderworker expressed the doctrine of the Son of God, His hypostatic peculiarity, Divine dignity and equality with the Father, which was quite specific for the theological terminology of that time. The Son is the most perfect, living and animated Word of the first Mind, the Wisdom and Power of the Father of all Himself, the Truth (Ibidem), the Only Begotten and First-Born Word of the Father. St. Gregory the Wonderworker strives to express the idea of ​​the closest unity of the Son with the Father: He is in Him and is directly united with Him; The Father of all things Himself made Him one with Himself. He is God the Word who exists in the Father. The equality of the Son with the Father is manifested, in particular, in the fact that only the Son can send constant thanks to the Father, both for Himself and for everyone. In relation to the world, the Son is the Creator, King, Ruler and Trustee of the universe, an inexhaustible source of all benefits, the Representative of our souls and the Savior. He alone can heal our infirmities.

According to Sagarda’s characterization, if the terminology of Gregory the Wonderworker “does not differ in theological accuracy not only in the thank-you speech, but even in the symbol, where the desire to give full expression to his theological thoughts through the possible greatest number of terms and phrases is noticeable, then... his theological views... do not conclude contains those deviations from the norms of church teaching on the question of the second Person of the Holy Trinity, which are observed in the theology of his teacher.”

According to St. Basil the Great, on the authority of St. Gregory the Wonderworker was referred to by the neo-Caesarean Sabellians: in a letter to Anthimus of Tyana, they convey the words of Gregory the Wonderworker from the “Dialogue with Aelian” that “The Father and the Son, although in the mind they are two, yet in hypostasis they are one.” However, this expression is explained more likely as a consequence of the unclear theological terminology of the 3rd century. (in particular, the non-distinction between the concepts of “essence” and “hypostasis”) and polemical overtones (the desire to prove to the educated pagan Aelian that the confession of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity does not destroy the unity of the Divine), than the supposed Sabellian tendencies in the teaching of St. Gregory the Wonderworker. Indirect evidence of this is provided by other words of St. Basil the Great, addressed to neo-Caesarean Christians: “Do not sweep aside hypostases; Do not deny the name of Christ; Do not misinterpret the words of the Grigorievs.” Regarding the use of St. Gregory the Wonderworker in the same work on the terms “creature” and “work” in relation to the Son, later. used by the Arians, St. Vasily writes: “You will find many words there that now serve as very great reinforcement for heretics, for example: “creature”, “work” and similar words; and those who listen ignorantly to what is written refer to the concept of Divinity and much that is said about union with humanity.”

A condensed expression of the triadology of St. Gregory the Wonderworker serves as a doxology, established by him in the Pontic Church and preserved in it until the time of St. Basil the Great: “To you, God and the Father, honor and glory are with the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Against the use of this formula in the 4th century. pneumatomachs spoke out, seeing in it an expression of the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son.

St. Gregory the Wonderworker had a noticeable influence on the theology of subsequent times, especially on the Cappadocian fathers. St. From an early age, Basil the Great memorized the sayings of St. Gregory the Wonderworker from the words of St. Macrina the Elder, and emphasized that he never changed the concept of God acquired in childhood, but improved the principles taught to him. The most striking expressions of Gregory the Wonderworker were established in the dogmatic views of the Cappodocians. St. Vasily writes:

“We do not call the Spirit, who is placed in a row with the Father and the Son, either created or ministerial.”

St. Gregory the Theologian quotes the words of the “Creed” in the 40th word:

“In the Trinity... there is nothing servile, nothing created, nothing extraneous, as I heard from one of the wise,” the one Power, which is found in the Three differently, “does not increase or decrease through additions and decreases, is equal everywhere, the same everywhere.” .

In the first word of his mysterious chants, the teaching about the hypostases of the Holy Trinity is built according to the scheme of the “Creed” of St. Gregory the Wonderworker using similar expressions (Parent, great Father of the Only Begotten Son, the Only One). St. Gregory of Nyssa writes in the 5th letter:

“We believe that nothing auxiliary, nothing created is included in the Holy Trinity.”

Also, his teaching that the hypostatic feature of the Holy Spirit is that He “comes from the Father without the only begotten and appears through His Son,” reproduces the words of the “Creed” of St. Gregory the Wonderworker. On Sat. Doctrina Patrum (VII - early VIII century) “Creed” of St. Gregory the Wonderworker is located next to the Nicene-Constantinople Creed. St. John of Damascus repeats the words of the “Creed” of Gregory the Wonderworker when he writes: “Neither the Father was ever without the Word, nor the Word without the Spirit” Ioan., and in the treatise “On the Holy Trinity” he reproduces it in its entirety, without naming the name of Gregory the Wonderworker, as an exact expression of the doctrine of the Trinity, which testifies to the high authority of the teachings of St. Gregory the Wonderworker in a later period.

Creations

Literary activity of St. Gregory the Wonderworker was not extensive, which is largely explained by the nature and conditions of his episcopal service. Finding out the true scope of the legacy of St. Gregory is complicated by the lack of a detailed list of his works in ancient monuments (for example, Eusebius of Caesarea), as well as handwritten collections of his works.

Authentic creations

Saying goodbye to the teacher, Gregory the Wonderworker delivered a solemn “Laudatory in honor of Origen” (In Origenem oratio panegyrica). St. Gregory called him " Speech of gratitude" The plan and character of the “Speech” correspond to the category of farewell speeches. For a long time this work was among Origen's manuscripts; it was used by Pamphilus and Eusebius of Caesarea in defense of Origen. The “Speech” is preserved in 6 manuscripts: 1. Vatic., gr. 386 bombycin., fol. 1a-12b, saec. XIII; 2. Paris., gr. 616, membrac., a. 1339, fol. 2a-18b; 3. Venetus Marcianus, gr. 44, chartac., fol. 1a-13b, saec. XV; 4. Palatino-Vatic., gr. 309, chartac., fol. 1a-18b, a. 1545 (based on the edition of D. Hoschel in 1605); 5. Oxoniensis Novi Collegii, gr. 146, chartac., fol. 1a-13b, saec. XIV; 6. Venetus Marcianus, gr. 45, chartac., saec. XIV (damaged). The 7th manuscript (copy of the 1st), which served as the basis for the edition of G. Vossius, has been lost. According to Koechau, manuscripts 4 and 5 represent the lists of manuscript 3, and manuscripts 2 and 3 are copies of manuscript 1. Thus, the main manuscript is Vatic. N 386, is the basis of the publications of Koechau and A. Kruzel.

“Exposition of Faith” (Expositio fidei), or the Creed of Gregory the Wonderworker, is preserved in the copies of the Word of St. Gregory of Nyssa, as well as in numerous Greek manuscripts with the inscription: “Exposition of the Faith according to the Revelation of Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea,” or “Divine Mystery of St. Gregory the Wonderworker,” etc. In later manuscripts it is quoted under the abbreviated title “Revelation of Gregory.” There are 2 Latin, Syriac and Slavic translations. The authenticity of the Symbol has been repeatedly questioned, but after research by K. Kaspari it is recognized (see: Sagarda. pp. 244-281; ​​in the 2nd quarter of the 20th century, the authenticity of the Symbol was questioned by L. Abramovsky and M. van Esbroeck - Abramowsky, 1976; Esbroeck, 1989). Unlike other ancient Symbols, the “Statement of Faith” of Gregory the Wonderworker contains only the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

"Canonical Epistle" (Epistula canonica) by St. Gregory the Wonderworker was written about the invasion of barbarians on Pontus after the defeat of the emperor. Decius (251) to give guidance on how to deal with those responsible for gross misconduct among the Pontic flock.

Metaphrasis in Ecclesiasten Salamonis is a condensed retelling of the Book of Ecclesiastes, based on the translation of the seventy. The reason for its writing, apparently, was the spread of Epicurean-hedonistic views in society in the 2nd half. III century (comments on the Book of Ecclesiastes by the martyr Hippolytus of Rome and St. Dionysius of Alexandria date back to the same time). Most Greek manuscripts attribute this work to St. Gregory the Theologian, however, Rufinus of Aquileia already argued that St. Gregory the Wonderworker wrote a magnificent transcription of Ecclesiastes.

The Syriac translation preserves the treatise of Gregory the Wonderworker “To Theopompus on the possibility and impossibility of suffering for God.” It discusses how to reconcile the idea of ​​an impassive God with His indulgence in suffering and death.

Dubious creations

The letter “To Philagrios on Consubstantiality” in the Syriac translation is inscribed with the name of Gregory the Wonderworker; in the Greek original it is known as the letter “To Evagrius the monk on the Divinity,” attributed in ancient manuscripts to St. Gregory the Theologian (letter 243), St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa. “To Tatian, a short word about the soul” (Ad Tatianum de anima per capita disputatio) contains the main points of Christian teaching about the soul. Nikolai, bishop Mefonsky (XII century), refers to this treatise in op. “Explanation of the “Fundamentals of the Theology” of Proclus,” which in turn goes back to the treatise of Procopius of Gaza “Refutation of Proclus’ Theological Chapters” (beginning of the 6th century). The author of the Word to Tatian is called “the great Gregory the Wonderworker.” Manuscript tradition attributes this work to Gregory the Wonderworker and St. Maximus the Confessor. According to J. Lebreton, the treatise is a compilation of the V-VII centuries. In favor of the authorship of St. Gregory was performed by Rissel, Dreseke, Sagarda.

With the name of St. Gregory the Wonderworker in various collections of fragments from the works of ancient church writers, fragments of dogmatic, exegetical and moral-ascetic content have been preserved.

Inauthentic creations

In “12 chapters on faith” (De fide capitula duodecim) anathematisms of heretical views are given, which the author contrasts with the correct, in his opinion, teaching. In the 2nd part of each chapter a more detailed explanation of the essence of each anathematism is given. The work is anti-Apollinarian in nature and is in close connection with the 2 books “Against Apollinaris,” attributed to St. Athanasius the Great. The "Detailed Exposition of the Faith" survives in the original Greek and in Latin and Syriac translations. For a long time, the work was attributed to Gregory the Wonderworker, but already in antiquity (starting with Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus) evidence appeared that it actually belonged to Apollinaris (the younger), bishop. Laodicean. The content of the work - triadology, Christology, pneumatology - indicates its origin in the 2nd half. IV century.

A special group consists of sermons attributed to Gregory the Wonderworker. There are 11 known sermons (conversations) associated with the name of Gregory the Wonderworker, but none of them belong to him. These include: 3 conversations on the Annunciation (1st also preserved in Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Slavic, Arabic translations, 2nd - in Armenian and Georgian, 3rd in many Greek and Slavic lists attributed to St. John Chrysostom); “Discourse on the Holy Epiphany” (preserved in many Greek manuscripts, in the Syriac translation attributed to St. John Chrysostom); "Conversation on All Saints"; “Conversation on the Nativity of Christ” (preserved in Armenian translation, the Greek original is printed among the works of St. John Chrysostom); a short excerpt from the “Discourse on the Incarnation” (preserved in the same Armenian manuscript as the previous conversation); “Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary” (preserved in the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Greek text is among the inauthentic conversations of St. John Chrysostom entitled “On the Nativity of Christ”); “A word of praise to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary”; “A word of praise in honor of the holy protomartyr Stephen” (both words are also preserved in Armenian manuscripts); “Conversation in honor of the Most Holy Mother of God of the Ever-Virgin” (preserved in the Armenian translation, the Greek original coincides with the conversation attributed to St. Gregory of Nyssa).

Among those attributed to St. Gregory the Wonderworker's works also highlight incantatory prayers over the demon-possessed, contained in some Greek and Slavic manuscripts, in the Trebnik of St. Petra (Grave.

Lost Creations

St. Basil the Great mentions the “Dialogue with Aelian” by St. Gregory the Wonderworker, the text has not survived. Also, the letters of Gregory the Wonderworker, the existence of which can be assumed on the basis of the testimony of the blessed one, have not been preserved. Jerome.

Slavic-Russian tradition of the works of St. Gregory the Wonderworker

With the name of St. Gregory the Wonderworker in the title at least twice translated into Slavic the conversation on the Annunciation (1st), belonging to Severian, bishop. Gavalsky. The first translation, completed no later than the 10th century. (start: “Today the English petitions are illuminated...”), presented in Mihanovich's Homilies. 2nd translation (start: “Today the hymns of the angelic regiment are becoming clearer...”) carried out in the last Thursday XIV century in Bulgaria or in Constantinople by scribes from the entourage of the Tarnovo Patriarch St. Euphemia as part of the so-called Studio collection and contained in large number South and East Slavic manuscripts. In addition, in the South Slavic minea Solemniki con. XIV-XVI centuries “Conversation on the Nativity of Christ” appears with this name (beginning: “Rejoice, O Lord, always. With Paul, the river rejoiced again: “Rejoice,” you will always rejoice...”), translated, probably also as part of the Studio Collection (the Greek original is unknown).

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Helpful information

Gregory the Wonderworker
Gregory the Great
Greek Γρηγόριος ὁ Θαυματουργός
genus. OK. 213, Neokesarea
died approx. 270-275, ibid.

Veneration of St. Gregory the Wonderworker

Eulogies from St. Gregory the Wonderworker St. St. Gregory of Nyssa included St. Gregory of Nyssa in his minological collection. Simeon Metaphrastus.

In Constantinople, to the Church of St. Sophia, St. Gregory the Wonderworker was revered around the 9th century. Anthony, Archbishop. Novgorodsky, describes the column of St. he saw during a pilgrimage (1200). Gregory the Wonderworker in St. Sophia, as well as his icon. According to the archbishop. Anthony, a column covered with copper, was placed on the site of the appearance of Gregory the Wonderworker. Believers applied their chests and shoulders to her and received healing. At this place on the day of remembrance of St. Gregory the Wonderworker was served by the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the relics of the saint, apparently kept in the church of St. Sofia.

The column has been preserved, but to this day. time she is not associated with the name of St. Gregory; it is called the “weeping column” because, according to legend, moisture appears on it, which has healing powers.

Relics of St. Gregory the Wonderworker

Initially they were located in the temple he built in Neokesarea. Later, information appears about their stay in different parts of the Christian world.

The right hand and other particles of the relics of St. Gregory the Wonderworker are in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the left hand is in the Great Meteora Monastery. In Greece, particles of the relics of Gregory the Wonderworker are kept in the monastery of the Great Martyr. Panteleimon (Athos), in the monastery of the First Hour. Stephen (Meteora), in the church of St. Anastasia and in the church of the Great Martyr. George (Athens district of Nea Ionia), in the monastery of Agia Lavra near Kalavryta, in the monastery of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen in Kalamata, in the monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy. Theotokos in Kynouria (Peloponnese), in the monastery of Kehrovunion (Tinos Island), in the monastery of St. John the Evangelist (Patmos Island).

The Acta Sanctorum reports the transfer of the head of St. Gregory the Wonderworker in 1587 in Lisbon (Portugal) (possibly from the village of Staletti), where it is currently kept in the church of San Roque. Particles of the relics of St. Gregory the Wonderworker is also in the Lisbon Church of St. Ignatius and in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

In Moscow, particles of the relics of St. Gregory the Wonderworker are located in the Church of St. Gregory of Neokesariysky on the street. B. Polyanka. Their Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh in 1999.

Veneration in the Slavic tradition

Extensive Life of St. Gregory the Wonderworker, written by St. Gregory of Nyssa, translated into Slavic no later than the 12th century, contained in the Volokolamsk set of Menaions of the Fourth 80s. XV century; in the Menaion of the Cheti of John Milutin of the 40s. XVII century includes a “life in brief” (beginning: “There is a certain glorious city, an elder of Rome...”) and the miracles of Gregory the Wonderworker. It is possible that this text can be traced back to a translation into “simple language” (beginning: “Neokesarea eats a place above the Black Sea, which the Greeks call Euxinopontus...”), completed no later than 1669 and represented by several Ukrainian-Belarusian copies of the 17th century.

Brief Life of St. Gregory the Wonderworker was translated no later than the first half of the 12th century. as part of the Prologue as revised by Constantine, bishop. Mokisiysky, and as part of the Prologue of Stishny in the first half of the 14th century. among the southern Slavs or on Mount Athos no less than twice.

Translation of the service of St. Gregory the Wonderworker was made no later than the 60s. XI century, senior lists as part of the Novgorod Minea of ​​service in 1097 and the XII century; The text was published by I. V. Yagich. A new translation of the service was carried out on Mount Athos or in Bulgaria in the first half of the 14th century. as part of the service Menaion according to the Jerusalem Charter.

Stone church dedicated to St. Gregory the Wonderworker, was built in Moscow by the royal confessor Andrei Savinov Postnikov in the 17th century.

Hymnography dedicated to St. Gregory the Wonderworker

In the cathedral worship of Constantinople in the 9th-12th centuries, according to the Typikon of the Great Church, the memory of St. Gregory the Wonderworker on November 17 was distinguished by solemnity; his follow-up included the troparion of the plagal 4th (that is, the 8th) tone on Psalm 50 of Matins: In vigilant prayers, enduring miracles, special readings of the liturgy (prokeimenon of the “heavy” (that is, 7th) tone from Psalm 63; 1 Cor 16. 13-24; alleluia with a verse from Psalm 91; Matthew 10. 1, 5-8, sacrament (Psalm 33. 1).

In the Studian-Alexievsky Typikon of 1034 (the oldest surviving edition of the Studite Charter, extant in Slavic translation), in memory of St. Gregory the Wonderworker, a weekday service is scheduled with the singing of “Alleluia”.

In the Evergetid Typikon con. XI century the status of this memory is higher: at Matins, instead of “Alleluia”, “God is the Lord” and the troparion to the saint are sung, the canon to the saint is sung at 6, there are several hymns to Gregory the Wonderworker, of the readings of the liturgy, only the Gospel coincides with those indicated in the Typikon of the Great Church (different readings: prokeimenon “ heavy" (that is, the 7th) voice from Psalm 115; 1 Cor 12. 7-11; alleluia with a verse from Psalm 131), involved - Psalm 111. 6b. In the southern Italian editions of the Studite Rule (for example, in the Messinian Typikon of 1131), the service generally coincides with that indicated in the Evergetian Typikon, but the liturgical prokeimenon and alleluia are as in the Typikon of the Great Church.

In the Jerusalem Charter, instructions on the service of St. Gregory the Wonderworker are generally the same as in the Evergetid Typikon. In Slavic manuscripts and printed editions of the Jerusalem Charter, this day is equipped with a holiday sign - 3 dots in a semicircle (black, in manuscripts of the 16th century - red, since a black sign was not used - see article. Signs of the holidays of the month), in the liturgy On the blessed ones, songs 3 and 6 of the canon of St. are indicated. Gregory the Wonderworker. In the Typikon of 1682 and subsequent editions of the Typikon, the charter of the service is the same, but at the liturgy for the blessed only hymn 3 of the canon of St. is left. Gregory the Wonderworker.

Followership of St. Gregory the Wonderworker, contained in modern. Greek and Slavic liturgical books, includes a troparion of dismissal (the same as in the Typikon of the Great Church); the kontakion of the 2nd tone is similar to “Seeking the Highest”: The reception of many miracles; canon of Theophanes in the plagal 4th (i.e. 8th) voice, with an acrostic: Weave praise to the miracle worker Gregory, irmos: To the chariot-driver of Pharaoh, beginning: Your miracles in me, Gregory; cycle of stichera-podnov and 4 samoglas; sedal and luminous.

In the manuscripts there are also other chants of Gregory the Wonderworker: the kontakion of the 3rd tone is similar to “Virgin today”: “Strong with miracles”; canon of the 4th tone, with an acrostic: “I honor Gregory with ringing songs”; in the Trinity and Mother of God acrostics - the name of the author: “humble Gregory”, irmos: “He made the flowing nature of the waters earth”, 1st canto has not been preserved, beginning. 3rd song: “This is how youth is strongest”; canon of the plagal 4th (i.e. 8th) voice, without an acrostic, irmos: I passed through water like dry land, 2nd cycle of stichera-like, etc.

Troparion to Gregory the Wonderworker, bishop. Neocaesarian

By being vigilant in prayer, undergoing miracles by doing miracles, / you have gained the title of correction; / but pray to Christ God, Father Gregory, / to enlighten our souls, / so that we may not fall asleep into death.

Kontakion of St. Gregory

You have performed many miracles, / you have terrified demons with terrible banners / and you have driven away human illnesses, O all-wise Gregory, / you are called a miracle worker, / / ​​the title of reception from work.

Iconography of St. Gregory the Wonderworker

Iconography of St. Gregory the Wonderworker as a bishop - in a phelonion, with an omophorion, with the Gospel in his hands - became widespread in the Middle Byzantine period; isolated images of him are known as a saint in monastic vestments, with a scroll (Church of St. John Chrysostom in Koutsovendis, Greece, 11th century).

One of the early images of Gregory the Wonderworker among the saints was presented on a mosaic in the tympanum of the naos of the Cathedral of St. Sophia of Constantinople (c. 878; not preserved, known from a drawing by G. Fossati). Since the end of the Middle Byzantine period, his image is placed, as a rule, in the vima zone among the images of other saints (for example, the painting of the Church of Panagia Chalkeon in Thessalonica (1028) - images of 4 saints Gregory (Wonderworker, Akragantsky, Theologian, Nyssa) in the altar niche under image of Our Lady of Oranta, between the windows of the apse; mosaic in a small hemispherical northwestern niche in the naos of the katholikon of the monastery of Hosios Loukas (30s of the 11th century) - bust-length, in a phelonion, with the Gospel in a covered hand; mosaic in the apse of the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kiev (1037-1045); mosaic in the deacon of the catholicon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Daphne monastery (c. 1100) - together with St. Nicholas and Gregory of Akragants; painting of the church of Panagia Mauriotissa in Kastoria (late 12th century); painting of the church of the Great Martyr Panteleimon in Nerezi (1164), etc.

One of the rare monuments of icon painting with a single image of St. Gregory the Wonderworker is a Byzantine icon of the Komnenian period, intended for the templon (M. Hatzidakis, Yu. A. Pyatnitsky) or included in the icons with images of saints decorating the apse (T. Velmans) (1st half (2nd quarter). ?) XII century, Constantinople, State University). The saint is presented upright, just below the waist, in a plain ocher phelonion and a white omophorion with black crosses, with the Gospel in his covered left hand, blessing with his right.

In the painting of Russian churches he was depicted (presumably) in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Volotovo Field near Novgorod (not preserved, 1363 (?)) - on the northern wall in the altar, in the Church of the Great Martyr. Theodore Stratelates on the Stream in Novgorod, (80-90s of the 14th century) - in a medallion on the south-eastern pylon in the vime next to 3 Saints Gregory - Nyssa, Akragant and unknown, etc.

The image of the saint is steadily present in the menain cycles, starting with the early illuminated minologies: imp. Basil II (976-1025) - on November 18; Vatican (XI century); from the National Library in Paris (1055-1056); Sinaksare from the Davidgareji Monastery (1030); from the Royal Library in Copenhagen (XI-XII centuries); from the Dochiar monastery on Mount Athos, as well as on the icon (menaion on September, October and November, end of the 11th century, the monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine) - everywhere in full size - and in the wall minologies of a number of Serbian churches: Christ Pantocrator of the Decani monastery (1335-1350), martyr. Demetrius Markov Monastery (c. 1376) - presumably a bust image - St. Apostles in the Patriarchate of Pecs (1561), St. Nicholas in Pelinov (1717-1718), in the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Cozia Monastery in Wallachia, Romania (c. 1386).

The series of minologies is continued by Russian menaion icons and engraved calendars, in which the image of the saint is presented in the same sequence as in Byzantine and Balkan monuments, starting with the earliest surviving menaia: on the menaion icons for November from the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery of 1569 (Tretyakov Tretyakov Gallery) ), XVI century. (GIM), at the annual minimum beginning. XIX century (UKM), etc. Single images of St. Gregory the Wonderworker are rare: a carved stone icon presumably from Novgorod, dating no earlier than the 15th century. (collection of A. S. Uvarov, State Historical Museum) with the composition “Holy Sepulcher” on one side, with a half-figure of the saint with the inscription: Grigori Chudo / TUORDIE / OTSADGOR - on the other, dressed in a phelonion, with an omophorion, in his left hand - the Gospel, with the right he blesses with two fingers; For the appearance of Gregory the Wonderworker, a thick beard of medium length is atypical. A picturesque image of St. Gregory the Wonderworker is presented on the column of the royal gates (Moscow, 2nd half of the 16th century (Tretyakov Gallery)) - upright, full-length, next to the image of St. Basil the Great.

In the Greek iconographic original, beginning. XVIII century - “Erminia” by Dionysius Furnoagrafiot - the appearance of the saint is described as follows: “A curly-haired old man with a short beard”; in Russian tradition, according to the iconographic originals of the 18th century, he is “gray-haired, bald, with a simple brad, the hem of Nikolina (St. Nicholas of Myra), a robe, crosses, a hook, a robe, amphorae and a Gospel.” In the “Guide to the Writing of Icons of the Holy Saints of God” compiled by V. D. Fartusov (1910) about St. Gregory the Wonderworker is told: “A type of Slav from the city of Neocaesarea; a great old man, gray-haired, with a small roundish beard, almost of medium size; bald; thin-faced, but pleasant, meek and loving; clothing - phelonion and omophorion. In his hands is a staff, like an old man’s.”

On the day of remembrance of St. Gregory the Wonderworker also recalls the appearance of the Mother of God to the saint, when, at Her command, the Apostle John the Theologian expounded to Gregory the Wonderworker a short Creed. In the collection of miraculous icons of the Mother of God, collected by Evgeny Poselyanin, under November 17, the story of Her appearance and the text of the Creed are given, but there is no direct indication of the existence of an icon with such a plot. In the church in the name of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea on Bolshaya Polyanka in Moscow, behind the right choir there was an icon of the “Symbol of Faith”, and behind the left was a paired icon of the “Our Father” (both - 1668-1669, now in the State Russian Museum). In the collection of the Poselyanin, another appearance of the Mother of God is mentioned with reference to Gregory the Wonderworker as the narrator of the miracle with the blj. the youthful Muse; The story is related to the saint's memorial day - May 16.

St. Gregory the Wonderworker was born in Pontic Neocaesarea (Sebastia) into a noble pagan family, c. 210 years.

Early acquired knowledge in the field of literature and law. Having received an excellent education, he strove for the Truth from his youth, but the thinkers of antiquity could not quench his thirst for knowledge. The truth was revealed to him only in the Holy Gospel, and the young man subsequently became a Christian. But about this in order...

To further study philosophy and continue his education, Saint Gregory went with his brother to Alexandria, the then famous center of pagan and Christian learning. At that time, inquisitive youth flocked to the Alexandrian Catechetical School, where Presbyter Origen, a famous teacher with enormous mental strength and depth of knowledge, taught. Saint Gregory became a disciple of the presbyter Origen.

Subsequently, the saint wrote this about his mentor: “This man received from God the greatest gift - to be a translator of the word of God to people, to understand the Word of God as God Himself used it, and to explain it to people as they can understand.” Saint Gregory studied for eight years with the presbyter Origen and received Baptism from him.

Saint Gregory’s ascetic life, chastity, purity and non-covetousness aroused the envy of his self-confident and sin-loving pagan peers, and they decided to slander Saint Gregory. One day, when he was talking with teachers in the square, a well-known harlot in the city approached him and began to demand payment for the sin he allegedly committed with her. At first, Saint Gregory meekly objected to her that she was mistaken in mistaking him for someone else. However, the harlot did not stop. Then he asked his friend to give her money. As soon as the harlot took the unrighteous bribe in her hands, she immediately fell to the ground in a fit of madness, and then confessed to the deception. Saint Gregory prayed over her, and the demon left her.

Returning to Neocaesarea, Saint Gregory renounced activities in the world, to which his influential fellow citizens persistently urged him. He retired to the desert, where through fasting and prayer he acquired high spiritual perfection and the grace-filled gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy. Saint Gregory fell in love with desert living and wanted to remain in solitude until the end of his days, but the Lord judged otherwise.

The bishop of the Cappadocian city of Amasia, Fedim, having learned about the ascetic life of Saint Gregory, decided to install him as bishop of Neocaesarea. Seeing in spirit the desire of Bishop Fedim, the saint began to hide from the bishop's envoys, who were instructed to find him. Then Bishop Fedim ordained the saint bishop of Neocaesarea in absentia, asking the Lord that He Himself would illuminate the unusual consecration. Saint Gregory perceived such an extraordinary event as a manifestation of the will of God and did not dare to resist. This episode from the life of Saint Gregory was described by Saint Gregory of Nyssa (January 10). He also reports that Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea received the highest holy rank only after all the required sacred rites had been performed on him.

Saint Gregory, before his consecration, during which it was necessary to pronounce the Confession of Faith, prayed fervently and earnestly, asking God and the Mother of God to reveal to him the true way of worshiping the Most Holy Trinity. During prayer, the Most Pure Virgin Mary appeared to him, shining like the sun, with the Apostle John the Theologian, dressed in bishop's robes. At the command of the Mother of God, the Apostle John taught the saint how worthily and righteously one should confess the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.

Saint Gregory wrote down everything that the Apostle John the Theologian revealed to him. The Mystical Creed, recorded by Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, is a great Divine Revelation in the history of the Church. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is based on it Orthodox Theology. Subsequently, it was developed and revealed by the holy fathers of the Church Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa.

The symbol of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea was considered and approved by the First Ecumenical Council (325), which confirmed its enduring significance for Orthodoxy. Having become a bishop, Saint Gregory went to Neocaesarea. On the way from Amasia, he cast out demons from a pagan temple, the priest of which had turned to Christ.

The convert witnessed another miracle performed by the saint - at his word, a huge block of stone moved from its place. The saint's sermon was active, lively, and fruitful. He taught, working miracles in the Name of Christ: he healed the sick, helped the needy, resolved quarrels and complaints.

When dividing the inheritance, two brothers could not agree on the lake, which was on the estate of their deceased father. Each brother gathered like-minded friends around him. A massacre was being prepared. Saint Gregory persuaded them to postpone the end of the dispute until the next day, and he himself prayed all night on the shore of the lake, which became the cause of the discord. When dawn broke, everyone saw that the subject of the dispute was no longer there - the lake had gone underground.

With the power of prayer, the saint once tamed the flood of the river, defining the boundaries of the flood with his rod. Another time, during the construction of a church, he commanded in the Name of Christ to make room for the mountain and make room for the foundation.

When the persecution of Christians began under the emperor Decius (249-251), Saint Gregory took his flock to a remote mountain. One pagan, who knew the whereabouts of the Christians, pointed it out to the persecutors. The warriors surrounded the mountain. The saint went out into the open, raised his hands to heaven and, commanding his deacon to do the same, began to pray. The soldiers searched the entire mountain, walked past the worshipers several times and, not seeing them, returned back. They told the city that there was nowhere to hide on this mountain: there was no one there, there were only two trees not far from each other. The informer was shocked by the miracle, repented and became a zealous Christian.

After the end of the persecution, Saint Gregory returned to Neocaesarea. With his blessing they were installed church holidays in honor of the martyrs who suffered for Christ. At that time, the false teaching of the heretic Paul of Samosata began to spread (Samosata is a city in Syria). This heretic confused the Essence of the Undivided Trinity with the Essence of the One God the Father, confusing the minds of many Christians with his speeches and writings. The heresy of Paul of Samosata was condemned at the first Council of Antioch, held in 264. At this Council, Saint Gregory occupied a leading place.

With his godly life, heartfelt preaching, miracles, and gracious leadership of his flock, the saint steadily increased the number of those converted to Christ. Before his death († c. 266-270), only 17 pagans remained in the city. And when Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, assumed the see, there were only 17 Christians in the city.

GREGORY OF NEOCESARIAN
Troparion, tone 8

In vigilant prayers, enduring miracles by doing, / you have gained the title of correction, / but pray to Christ God, Father Gregory, / to enlighten our souls, lest we fall asleep into death.

Kontakion, tone 2
You have performed many miracles, / you have terrified demons with terrible banners / and you have driven away human illnesses, O all-wise Gregory, / you are called a wonderworker, / the title of reception from work.

• Akathist to Saint Gregory, Bishop and Wonderworker of Neocaesarea"

In contact with

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 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 Moscow. Temple Gregory of Neocaesarea (on Polyanka) is the only church named after this saint. It is located in Zamoskvorechye. The temple has an unusual history and is completely unique appearance. A monument of Russian architecture with an “oriental, spicy flavor” - this is exactly how experts speak about the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea.

About the saint after whom the church is named

St. Gregory was born in the north Asia Minor in the city of Neokesarea around the third century after 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 prayer and fasting in order to receive the gift of prophecy from God. The bishop of Amasia learned about the ascetic. He decided to appoint him as a spiritual leader in his native Neokesarea. St. Gregory agreed and before his consecration he began to fervently pray to God to reveal to him the true worship of the Holy Trinity. And he had a wonderful vision: she appeared before Gregory Holy Mother of God and the Apostle John the Theologian. It was from the latter that the saint received knowledge of the true and worthy confession of the Holy Trinity. Orthodox teaching was later based on this Revelation. Gregory of Neocaesarea himself did not live to see this. He died around 266.

Where is the temple?

The place where the Red Church stands today was called “Derbitsy” in ancient times. This name was due to the mossy, very marshy soil 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 Dmitry Donskoy Vasily the Dark. According to some information, while in Tatar captivity, he made a vow that if he gained freedom, he would 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 the saint on whose memory day this event would take place. This is how the wooden church appeared in Polyanka.

Once upon a time there was a wilderness here, along which a 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 out in this place. It was they who gave the name to this ancient street in Zamoskvorechye.

At first, only peasants and artisans lived in this unprepossessing, damp area, but already in the sixteenth century, settlements of archers began to appear here. There was also a palace settlement of coopers - royal kadashes, who made wooden tubs and barrels that were incredibly necessary for the household at that time. Since the 18th century, Moscow merchants began to slowly populate Zamoskvorechye and Polyanka Street.

Church history

Tourists are told a lot of interesting things about the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea. And indeed, he has a very ancient history. The church was originally built from wood. According to legend, construction was started as a sign of gratitude to God for delivering Prince Vasily the Dark from Mongol-Tatar captivity. The grandson of Dmitry Donskoy was destined to see the fortress walls of Moscow on November 30, 1445. It was on this day, according to 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, a fire broke out in the then Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea and it completely burned down. The building was restored, but it was again made of wood. Gradually the church fell into disrepair, this became especially noticeable after the plague epidemic. And only in 1667, Emperor Alexei Mikhailovich gave an order for the construction of a new, already stone, temple. The work was supervised by the best architects of that time, John Kuznechik and Karp Guba.

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

Difficult years

Since then, the Red Church, striking with its beauty, has received the status of a court church. And to this day, the crosses of all the chapters in the Church of Gregory of Neocaesarea are crowned with crowns. The church endured the hardships of 1812 without loss. Napoleon liked it so much that during the fire in Moscow, he ordered that nothing happen to the temple on Bolshaya Polyanka. The French emperor lamented that he could not, “putting this building on 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. The same cannot be said about subsequent times.

If at the beginning of the twentieth century Grand Duchess Elizabeth herself came to services in the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea, then after the revolution, their own Muscovites, unlike the foreign invaders, did not spare anything in the church. Almost all valuables were taken from her. It was also not possible to save the tented bell tower, which allegedly interfered with pedestrians. At the end of the 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 Church

The Red Church received a renewed look thanks 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. Using the surviving fragments, the ancient paintings on the walls were also restored. Even the current iconostasis was “copied” from the original, for which the temple (on Polyanka) of Gregory of Neocaesarea was once famous. The schedule of services, which are still held 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 consecration of the main altar was held within the walls of the renovated temple.

Church of Gregory of Neocaesarea - schedule of services

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

On holidays and Sundays, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated at half past nine in the morning. The schedule of services should be clarified both in the temple itself and on its website.

Miracle-working words: Gregory of Neocaesarea, the wonderworker, prayer in full description from all the sources we found.

Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Neocaesarea

Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, was born in the city of Neocaesarea (northern Asia Minor) into a pagan family. Having received an excellent education, he strove for the Truth from his youth, but the thinkers of antiquity could not quench his thirst for knowledge. The truth was revealed to him only in the Holy Gospel, and the young man became a Christian.

To continue his education, Saint Gregory went to Alexandria, the then famous center of pagan and Christian learning. Inquisitive youth flocked to the Alexandrian Catechetical School, where presbyter Origen, a famous teacher with enormous mental strength and depth of knowledge, taught. Saint Gregory became a disciple of the presbyter Origen. Subsequently, the saint wrote this about his mentor: “This man received from God the greatest gift - to be a translator of the word of God to people, to understand the Word of God as God Himself used it, and to explain it to people as they can understand.” Saint Gregory studied for eight years with the presbyter Origen and received Baptism from him.

Saint Gregory’s ascetic life, chastity, purity and non-covetousness aroused the envy of his self-confident and sin-loving pagan peers, and they decided to slander Saint Gregory. One day, when he was talking with teachers in the square, a well-known harlot in the city approached him and began to demand payment for the sin he allegedly committed with her. At first, Saint Gregory meekly objected to her that she was mistaken in mistaking him for someone else. However, the harlot did not stop. Then he asked his friend to give her money. As soon as the harlot took the unrighteous bribe in her hands, she immediately fell to the ground in a fit of madness, and then confessed to the deception. Saint Gregory prayed over her, and the demon left her.

Returning to Neokesarea, the saint abandoned activities in the world, to which his influential fellow citizens persistently persuaded him. He retired to the desert, where through fasting and prayer he acquired high spiritual perfection and the grace-filled gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy. Saint Gregory fell in love with desert living and wanted to remain in solitude until the end of his days, but the Lord judged otherwise.

Bishop. The Cappadocian city of Amasia, Fedim, having learned about the ascetic life of Saint Gregory, decided to install him as bishop of Neocaesarea. Seeing in spirit the desire of Bishop Fedim, the saint began to hide from the bishop's envoys, who were instructed to find him. Then Bishop Fedim ordained the saint bishop of Neocaesarea in absentia, asking the Lord that He Himself would sanctify the unusual consecration. Saint Gregory perceived such an extraordinary event as a manifestation of the will of God and did not dare to resist. This episode from the life of Saint Gregory was described by Saint Gregory of Nyssa. He also reports that Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea received the highest holy rank only after Bishop Redim of Amasia had performed all the required sacred rites on him.

Saint Gregory, before his consecration, during which it was necessary to pronounce the Confession of Faith, prayed fervently and earnestly, asking God and the Mother of God to reveal to him the true way of worshiping the Most Holy Trinity. During prayer, the Most Pure Virgin Mary appeared to him, shining like the sun, with the Apostle John the Theologian, dressed in bishop's robes. At the command of the Mother of God, the Apostle John taught the saint how worthily and righteously one should confess the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Gregory wrote down everything that the Apostle John the Theologian revealed to him. The Mystical Creed, recorded by Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, is a great Divine Revelation in the history of the Church. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity in Orthodox Theology is based on it. Subsequently, it was revealed by the holy fathers of the Church - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa. The symbol of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea was considered and approved by the First Ecumenical Council (325), which confirmed its enduring significance for Orthodoxy. Having become a bishop, Saint Gregory went to Neocaesarea. On the way from Amasia, he cast out demons from a pagan temple, the priest of which had turned to Christ. The convert witnessed another miracle performed by the saint - at his word, a huge block of stone moved from its place. The saint's sermon was active, lively, and fruitful. He taught, working miracles in the Name of Christ: he healed the sick, helped the needy, resolved quarrels and complaints. When dividing the inheritance, two brothers could not agree on the lake, which was on the estate of their deceased father. Each brother gathered like-minded friends around him. A massacre was being prepared. Saint Gregory persuaded them to postpone the end of the dispute until the next day, and he himself prayed all night on the shore of the lake, which became the cause of the discord. When dawn broke, everyone saw that the subject of the dispute was no longer there - the lake had gone underground. With the power of prayer, the saint once tamed the flood of the river, defining the boundaries of the flood with his rod. Another time, during the construction of a church, he commanded in the Name of Christ to make room for the mountain and make room for the foundation.

When the persecution of Christians began under the emperor Decius (249 - 251), Saint Gregory took his flock to a remote mountain. One pagan, who knew the whereabouts of the Christians, pointed it out to the persecutors. The warriors surrounded the mountain. The saint went out into the open, raised his hands to heaven and, commanding his deacon to do the same, began to pray. The soldiers searched the entire mountain, walked past the worshipers several times and, not seeing them, returned back. They told the city that there was nowhere to hide on this mountain: there was no one there, there were only two trees not far from each other. The informer was shocked by the miracle, repented and became a zealous Christian.

After the end of the persecution, Saint Gregory returned to Neocaesarea. With his blessing, church holidays were established in honor of the martyrs who suffered for Christ. At that time, the false teaching of the heretic Paul of Samosata began to spread (Samosata is a city in Syria). This heretic confused the Essence of the Undivided Trinity with the Essence of the One God the Father, confusing the minds of many Christians with his speeches and writings. The heresy of Paul of Samosata was condemned at the first Council of Antioch, held in 264. At this Council, Saint Gregory occupied a leading place.

With his godly life, heartfelt preaching, miraculous works and gracious leadership of his flock, the saint steadily increased the number of those converted to Christ. Before his death (+ c. 266 – 270), only 17 pagans remained in the city. And when Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, assumed the see, there were only 17 Christians in the city.

Icon of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea.

Prayers to Saint Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea, Wonderworker.

O most honorable and sacred head and filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, holy dwelling with the father, great bishop, our warm intercessor, Saint Gregory! Standing at the throne of all the King and enjoying the light of the consubstantial Trinity and cherubically with the angels proclaiming the trisagion hymn, having great and unexplored boldness towards the all-merciful Master, pray for the salvation of Christ's flock people, help our fatherland in battle, and subdue all the enemies that are against us, peaceful and serene Organize our residence: establish the well-being of the holy churches: decorate the bishops with the splendor of holiness: strengthen the monastics with the feat of the good trend: preserve this city and all our cities and countries well, and implore us to maintain the holy, immaculate faith: through your intercession, pacify the whole world, from famine and destruction deliver us, and save us from the attacks of foreigners, comfort the old, guide the young, make the foolish wise, have mercy on widows, stand up for the orphans, grow up the babies, bring back the captives, heal the infirm, and everywhere warmly calling you and flowing to you with faith and fervently falling down and praying to you Freedom from all misfortunes and troubles through your intercession. Pray for us to the all-generous and philanthropic Christ our God, so that on the day of his terrible coming he will deliver us from this evil state, and create the joys of the saints as partakers with all the saints forever and ever. Amen.

Troparion to Saint Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea, Wonderworker.

Troparion of St. Gregory, tone 8

In your prayers, while awake, undergoing miracles by doing miracles,/ you have gained the title of correction,/ but pray to Christ God, Father Gregory,// to enlighten our souls, lest we fall asleep into death.

Kontakion of St. Gregory, tone 2

You have performed many miracles, / you have terrified demons with terrible banners / and you have driven away human illnesses, O all-wise Gregory, / you are called a miracle worker, / / ​​the title of reception from work.

The Life of Our Holy Father Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea Akathist to Saint Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea, Wonderworker

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Gregory the Neo-Caesarean wonderworker prayer

Saint Gregory came from the glorious and great city of Neokesarea, from pagan parents. In his younger years he lost them. Having taken up the study of Hellenic wisdom, he began to understand the most perfect wisdom, which consists in knowing the One True God: from the creatures he knew the Creator and tried to please Him with kindness and a 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-covetousness, renounced all the vanity of the world, wealth, 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 entire life, from his mother’s womb to his blessed death, he did not know carnal sin and preserved himself from defilement in order to be pleasing The only Pure and Sinless One, born of the Sinless Virgin, Christ God. Having devoted himself to Him from his youth, with His help he progressed from strength to strength, from virtue to virtue, and walked the path of life blamelessly: for this reason God and good people loved him, and the evil ones hated him.

Troparion, tone 8:

In vigilant prayers, enduring miracles by doing, you have acquired the title of correction: but pray to Christ God, Father Gregory, to enlighten our souls, lest we fall asleep into death.

Kontakion, voice 2:

You have received many miracles, you have terrified the demons with terrible banners, and you have driven away human ailments to the all-wise Gregory: you are called a wonderworker, the title is received from deeds.

2. By Hellenic wisdom here we mean pagan learning, pagan education. Father St. Gregory of Neocaesarea was a pagan and raised his son in paganism. His father trained him to become a lawyer, and therefore St. Gregory (in the world Theodore) studied the laws well and the then language of laws - Latin, and finally decided to go to Rome to become more familiar with Roman law there. But the Providence of God arranged his life differently: he and his brother had to accompany his sister to Caesarea; From there he later went to study jurisprudence in Berit, and from there he went to Alexandria, which was then famous for its education.

3. Alexandria - the famous capital of Egypt, at that time was famous for its widespread and flourishing education. Philosophy and medicine flourished especially at that time. Along with pagan education, Christian theological education also flourished. The famous Alexandrian school, which counted among its ranks many of the most remarkable scientists of that century, attracted to its walls a mass of listeners not only from Christians, but also from pagans.

4. Krin - white lily - a beautiful flower from the bulbous family. The Lord Himself praises the beauty of the lily and places it above all the magnificent clothes of Solomon (Evangel. Math. ch. 6, v. 28-29. Gospel of Luke, ch. 12, v. 27). Therefore, in St. In Scripture, the lily very often serves as an image of high moral perfections, accordingly, here too the virtuous life of young Gregory is likened to a beautiful lily growing among thorns, which serves in Scripture as an image of wickedness and sin.

5. Origen – the most famous Christian teacher Alexandria Church 254), - a miracle of his age in terms of the enormity of his mind and the depth of his learning - at that time he was an outstanding catechist at the Alexandria Catechetical School. He educated many remarkable fathers and teachers of the Church, some of whom owe him their conversion from paganism to the Christian faith, with which he wanted to harmonize knowledge and philosophy. Particularly remarkable are his works on the study of the Holy Scriptures, on their interpretation, and especially on the restoration and purification of its true text, as well as his writings aimed at defending Christianity against heretics and enemies of Christianity. In general, he did a lot not only for his own time, but also for subsequent times, and all the great teachers of the Church of the 4th century treated Origen with the greatest respect and made significant use of his writings. Origen attracted a lot of listeners to the catechumenate school, among whom were many pagan youths who zealously sought higher education. It was in Alexandria that St. met him. Gregory became his zealous student. Origen, according to Gregory himself, made him first look for the scattered seeds of truth in the systems of philosophers and awakened in him a love of truth; then he began to expound the beginning of the Christian faith and explained St. Scripture. After an eight-year stay with Origen, Gregory received St. baptism and, thanking his mentor with a public word, returned to his fatherland with grief over separation from him. “I think this is what Gregory wrote about his teacher - he said this only at the inspiration of the Spirit of God: in order to be a prophet and explain the prophet, his strength is needed. And no one can understand a prophet unless the Spirit of God Himself imparts understanding to His words. This man received from God the greatest gift - to be a translator of the word of God to people, to understand the word of God as God Himself used it, and to explain it to people as they can understand.”

6. Creations of St. Gregory of Nyssa, Russian. trans., vol. VIII, p. 143. - However, St. Gregory the Wonderworker accepted the highest church-hierarchical power, according to the testimony of the same Gregory of Nyssa, only after he had performed all the legalized sacred rites and asked from the one who elected him to the episcopal see, St. Phaedim, a short time to understand exactly the sacraments of faith.

7. Service of St. Gregory, Canon, canto 5, troparion 2.

8. Sabellius and Paul of Samosata incorrectly taught about the sacrament of the Most Holy. Trinity. The first argued that God is one Person: as the Father, He is in heaven, as the Son, on earth, as the Holy Spirit, in creatures. According to the teachings of Sabellius, these are only known forms in which God appears to people: in the Old Testament, as a legislator, he is the Father; in the New, as the Savior, he appeared as the Son and continues to appear as the Spirit who sanctifies them. Paul of Samosata (by place of birth), Bishop of Antioch, wrongly taught that the Son and the Holy Spirit are in God the Father, just as mind and power (mind and spirit) are in man. Recognizing Christ as a simple man, filled with the Holy Spirit and Divine wisdom, Paul forbade the Church of Antioch from singing verses in honor of Jesus Christ as God and from baptizing in His Name. The followers of this heresy were called patripassians, since, without separating the Persons of the Divine, they attributed the incarnation and suffering to God the Father.

9. St. Gregory of Nyssa, having talked about the miraculous origin of this symbol of faith, adds: “if anyone wants to be convinced of this, let him listen to the Church in which he preached and in which the original, written by the blessed hand, is preserved to this day.” Blessed Macrina, the grandmother of Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, who listened to the miracle worker himself, brought his symbol to Cappadocia and taught her grandchildren, including Basil the Great, according to it. Gregory the Theologian was also guided by this symbol. Rufinus included it in his translation of the church history of Eusebius of Caesarea. And the fifth ecumenical council (623) approved of it. – The symbol of Gregory the Wonderworker is one of the most precious monuments of antiquity. It is not extensive; but it contains an accurate teaching about the Three Persons of the Divine, about Their consubstantiality, Personal qualities and actions in relation to man - and therefore is completely worthy of accurate study.

10. “After this miracle,” says St. Gregory of Nyssa - this man, immediately believing the word (Gregory) and leaving his family, home, wife, children, friends, priesthood, property, instead of all the benefits that belonged to him, chose community with that great man and participation in his labors and in his divine wisdom and teaching. Let all the artificial ingenuity of the writers, whose eloquence exaggerates the magnitude of wondrous deeds, be silenced, for the above-mentioned miracle is not such that the power of eloquence telling about it would make it greater or less than what it is. Who, by saying something beyond what was said, will increase this miracle. The stone is rejected from the stones. the stone becomes a preacher of the divine faith and a guide of the unbelievers to salvation, not by any voice, not by word preaching the Divine power, but by what it did, showing that the one proclaimed by Gregory is God, to whom all creation is equally subordinated and obeys, not just one sentient one. , alive and animated, but besides this, every other one serves Him so slavishly, as if she were not deprived of feelings.”

11. Many miracles performed by St. Gregory of Neoceoaria, he soon acquired the title of wonderworker and another Moses, as St. Gregory testifies about him. Gregory of Nyssa in his sermon on the life of St. Gregory the Wonderworker.

12. The story of this miracle is summarized according to the story of St. Gregory of Nyssa in his word on the life of St. Gregory the Wonderworker.

13. Lykos - from Greek: wolf - a river in Pontus, in the north of Asia Minor, flowing from the mountains of Armenia; received its name for its speed, indomitability and the harm it caused to surrounding residents.

14. “For the river,” says St. Gregory of Nyssa, - this tree served as the limit of the flow, and for the inhabitants of that place it serves as a spectacle and the subject of a historical story; for when this river, overflowing from rains and streams, rushes with rapid impulse and terrible noise, then, hitting the surface of the waves against the trunk of this tree, it again rises up and directs the rush of the waters to the middle (of the channel), and as if afraid to touch this tree, indirectly the current goes around this place. Such is the power of the great Gregory, or better yet, God performing miracles with him! For the nature of the elements, like some kind of slave, changes in any way according to orders - so that the lake changes into a dry land, and the place flooded with water is populated, because the rod made it safe for the inhabitants. The name of this tree even to this day is the rod, and it has always been preserved by local residents as a memory of Gregory’s grace and strength.”

15. Comana (or Konan) Pontic, in the north of Asia Minor, on the river. Irnoe was a famous rich city in ancient times, now the ruins are Gümenek.

16. Subsequently, St. Alexander, Bishop of Comania, became famous for the holiness of his life, fully justifying the hopes placed on him, and, having kindly preserved the flock of Christ, sealed his worthy service with a martyr’s death, at the beginning of the 4th century, during the persecution of the Roman emperor Diocletian. - His memory is celebrated by the Church 12- th of August.

19. St. tells in detail about this miracle. Gregory of Nyssa in his sermon on the life of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker.

20. Blessed death of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea is believed to be between 266-270. Shortly before his death (in 264), he, together with his brother Athenodorus, Bishop of Pontus, was present at the Council of Antioch, against Paul of Samosata. - In addition to the symbol of faith, wonderful in its origin, St. Gregory of Neocaesarea owns the “Canonical Epistles” (concerning the attack on Pontus and all of Asia Minor by the Boreans and Goths and “a word of praise to Origen.” The relics of St. Gregory the Wonderworker were originally located in the Neocaesarea temple, which he created; the head of the saint in 1587 was moved to Ulissipona (Lisbon).