Saint Irina was born at the end of the 1st century in Migdonia. It was a time when Christians were persecuted and died painfully for their faith. The future preacher of Christianity was the daughter of the Thracian ruler of Mygdonia - Licinius. At first, the girl was a pagan, like her parents. But later she converted to Christianity, for which she suffered at the beginning of the 2nd century. Great Martyr Irina is the patroness of missionaries. Now they turn to her in prayers to strengthen faith in persecution, during temptations.
Signs of Christ
The Holy Great Martyr Irina before baptism bore the name given to her by her parents - Penelope. In historical reports it is said that the girl was distinguished by unearthly beauty. The father of the soul doted on his child. When Penelope was 6 years old, he built for her a luxurious country palace. In it, the girl lived with the teacher, whose name was Kariya, and the girls. The girl did not need anything: her every whim was fulfilled by the servants of the ruler. Every day a teacher came to Penelope - Elder Apelian. He taught the girl a variety of sciences. In addition, Apelian was a Christian (secret). He told his student about the Christian virtues and the teachings of Christ.
When Penelope was 12 years old, her father decided to marry her off. It was then that 3 birds flew into the girl's room, in the beak of which there was an interesting burden. The first bird was a dove. He left an olive branch on Penelope's table. The second bird - an eagle - gave the girl a flower wreath, and a raven left a small snake in her chambers. Penelope was very surprised when she discovered such "surprises". But her teacher, Apelian, immediately understood the meaning of these signs. He explained that the dove represented the virtues of Penelope through which she would receive God's grace in Baptism. For this, the Creator will crown her in his Kingdom with a wreath of glory. And the raven that brought the snake to Penelope foreshadowed her persecution and sorrow that the girl would have to experience for her love of Christ.
Christianization
After 3 birds appeared in Penelope's room, and Apelian explained the meaning of these signs, the girl asked her father for 7 days to think. During this time, she had to choose her groom. But instead of thinking about her future family life and choosing a spouse, Penelope decided to be baptized. The Apostle Timothy and his disciple Paul conducted the rite of holy Baptism. The girl converted to Christianity and changed her name. Now her name was Irina. After a while, she publicly called herself a Christian. Licinius - the father of Penelope - was angry with his daughter's behavior and ordered her to be thrown under the hooves of running wild horses. However, not a single horse harmed the girl. On the contrary, one of the horses trampled her father. However, Saint Irene loved Licinius very much, so she began to pray for him. Soon her father was resurrected. After this event, Licinius and all his nobles believed in Christ. All of them were baptized, becoming Christians. Licinius left the ruling post and, together with his wife, moved to his daughter's palace to serve God.
Torment of Saint Irene
After being baptized, Saint Irina moved to the house of her teacher Apelian. There she prayed to the Lord day after day, read the Holy Scriptures and kept a strict fast. During the day, the girl did not eat food at all, only in the evening she allowed herself a little bread and water. Irina also slept little; her bed was an ordinary floor or earth. So Saint Irene spent 3 years in Migdonia. During this time, the girl suffered because of the persecution of the changing rulers of the city. Almost every ruler tried to force Irina to worship pagan gods. But the girl was unshakable. Then Zedekiah threw her into a pit filled with poisonous snakes and left her there for 10 days. But the snakes did not bite Saint Irene, but the angel of God supported her when she was in the ditch. Seeing this, Zedekiy ordered the girl to be cut with a saw, but its edge became dull when the saw was brought to Irina. And the formidable ruler did not stop there. He ordered the girl to be tied to the wheel of the mill. But even then the Lord saved the life of his chosen one: no water flowed under the mill wheel. Thousands of people, seeing such miracles, renounced paganism and accepted Christianity. And when Zedekiy once again expressed his indignation, the inhabitants of the city stoned him. The cruel ruler was replaced by his son, Savakh. He decided to avenge his fatherand gathered a huge army against the townspeople. But the Holy Great Martyr Irina read a prayer, and the army of Savakh, together with their ruler, became blind. After the incident, Savakh began to ask for forgiveness from the girl, praying for healing. The generous Irina forgave him, restored his sight. But Savah broke his promise and subjected the girl to another torment. This time, he ordered nails to be driven into her feet, a heavy bag of sand to be placed on her shoulders, and in this form she was taken out of town. Throughout the difficult journey, the angels accompanied and supported Irina. And Savakh, to the surprise of the inhabitants of Mygdonia, suddenly died.
Miracles of Christ
During her stay in Migdonia, St. Irene preached the Christian faith and worked many miracles. Through prayer, she healed the sick, drove out demons, and cleansed lepers. And once the girl created a real miracle: she resurrected a dead young man, whom his parents mourned. Later, Irina moved from Migdonia to Kalliope, from there to Mesemvria. In every city of Thrace where Irina was, she preached Christianity. But even here it was not without suffering. The city rulers were aggressive towards the teachings of Christ and his followers. They tried to burn the girl on a red-hot grate. But the Lord saved his chosen one from death. The greatest miracle with Saint Irene happened in the city of Mesemvria. The ruler of the city - Prince Savory - ordered to cut off the girl's head. And his orders were carried out. And then they buried the holy martyress outside the city. But the Lord wished that Irina continued to preach Christianity, so he resurrected her. The Almighty ordered hisfollower to return to Mesemvria. The inhabitants of the city could not believe their eyes: in front of them was the deceased Irina. After the incident, Prince Savory and his people believed in the Lord God Christ, having accepted Baptism. It was so hard for the great martyr Irina to introduce people to the true faith.
Last days of Saint Irene
Saint Irene of Macedon died in the city of Ephesus. The girl foresaw her death. A few days before her death, Irina, together with her teacher, Elder Apelian, went out of town, to one of the mountain caves. Entering there, Irina ordered her companions to close the cave entrance with a heavy stone. Here she died in prayer. It happened on May 5th. On the 4th day, Christians came to the cave to take away the body of Saint Irene. But when they rolled away the stone, they saw that there was no one there. People understood that the body of the girl was taken to heaven by the Almighty. During her stay in Ephesus, the follower of Christ did not stop preaching Christianity. Thanks to her, many people believed in the Lord God and were baptized. By the way, the girl was transferred to Ephesus from Mygdonia on a cloud. Some sources say that Saint Irina preached the Gospel among the Slavic people, and was burned in Thessalonica.
Temples
Several beautiful churches were built in Tsargrad in memory of a follower of Christ. In Pokrovsky (Russia, Moscow) you can find the church of St. Irene. The chapel of the holy martyr was added in 1635 to the parish church of St. N. the Wonderworker. In 1790-1792, a church was erected, which hasaisles of the holy martyrs Irina, Catherine. The temple was popularly called "Pokrovskaya Irina the Martyr". In 1891, the church was rebuilt and significantly expanded. During the revolution of 1917, the church was closed, and the building itself was partially destroyed. And only in 1992 the holy building was returned to the church. Now the temple is the only one in Moscow consecrated in honor of St. Irina. Now he has a busy life. A Sunday school has been opened at the church, where theology is taught, a library, computer classes, and a film library are being created. But this is not what the Pokrovsky Church of St. Irina is famous for, but the beautiful incense, which is called "Irinin". Here the priest was able to create a laboratory where he studies ancient recipes for the preparation of incense compositions. The aroma of "Irene's" incense simply fascinates the parishioners. The church in honor of St. Irina can also be found in Volgovo (40 km from St. Petersburg). This village is small, as, indeed, the church itself. Now in Volgovo, work is underway to reconstruct and restore it. In the future, it is planned to open a museum of Orthodox culture there, for which there are plenty of exhibits and materials.
Temple of St. Irene in Istanbul
But the most magnificent church of Hagia Irene is in Istanbul (Turkey). However, it is not dedicated to Irene of Macedon, but to the Great Martyrs Sophia and Irene of Egypt. This is not only the most ancient and beautiful temple of the city, but also the visiting card of a large metropolis. The Byzantine church is located in the center of Istanbul - the Sultanahmet district. The church was erected in the 4th century on the site of an ancient templeAphrodite. Initially, the holy building was considered the main church of Constantinople. In 532 the temple was burnt down, and in 548 it was rebuilt under the holy emperor Justinian. In 740, the church of St. Irene was badly damaged by an earthquake. In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottomans, but the temple was decided not to be converted into a mosque. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the Byzantine church was used to store weapons, and in 1846 it was turned into the Archaeological Museum. In 1869, the temple was transformed into the Imperial Museum, and in 1908 - into a military one. Today, the Byzantine temple serves as a concert hall due to its impressive size and excellent acoustics. In 2000, Faruk Saras, a famous Turkish couturier, organized a model show there, which he dedicated to the history of the Ottoman Empire. The Istanbul Church of St. Irene is unique in that it has been preserved almost unchanged. Thousands of tourists come to see it, most of which are Christians.
What helps Saint Irina
During the years of her missionary work, the holy martyr Irina was able to convert more than 10,000 pagans to Christianity. They included not only ordinary people, but also the rulers of different cities. The icon of St. Irene of Macedon is located in almost every Orthodox church. They turn to her to ask for he alth, vitality, family well-being and confidence. The memory of the Holy Great Martyr Irina is celebrated on May 5 (the day of her death). According to the new style - May 18. In honor of the icon of St. Irene, a manor was built inMoscow, which later went to the Naryshkins. Saint Irina patronizes many. How does she help? The Holy Great Martyr protects from various kinds of misfortunes. Prayer to Saint Irina helps to strengthen family relationships. The Saint also helps to gain confidence and achieve career success.
Icon of St. Irene of Egypt
The early Christian missionaries had a hard road. Saint Irene of Egypt, along with other followers of Christ, carried the good news to the Egyptian people. She preached the Christian faith and performed miracles. Many Egyptians in those days were baptized and believed in the true God. However, the sermon of St. Irene did not last long. In one of the Egyptian cities, she was captured along with another missionary, Saint Sophia. After numerous tortures, the girls were beheaded. Years passed, and only during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, the relics of Saints Sophia and Irene were transported to Constantinople. Subsequently, a temple was built in Byzantium in honor of the great martyrs.
The icon of St. Irene of Egypt helps a person throughout his life. The Holy Great Martyr intercedes for people in their sorrow, thanks the Almighty for the sent down joy. Prayer to Saint Irene of Egypt keeps from troubles, troubles, helps to avoid sinful deeds. The patron saint protects people from evil and disease. For all Orthodox people, the holy martyr Irina prays before the Lord God. Her icon is of great value to a person. Priests recommend having it in the housethose she patronizes. The Orthodox holiday in memory of St. Irene of Egypt is celebrated on September 18 (new style - October 1).
Meaning of the name Irina
Translated from the ancient Greek language, the name means "peace, peace." A girl named Irina has such qualities as independence, mobility, determination, firmness, cheerfulness. The name Irina "endows" its owner with an analytical mindset and a great sense of humor. In adult life, Irina devotes a lot of time to her career. Often they become excellent leaders due to a combination of inner poise, prudence and a sense of humor. Irina are good diplomats and psychologists. They feel the interlocutor well and know how to "tune in to his wave." As a rule, girls named Irina are not limited to household chores. They prefer to combine career and family.
Irina's Orthodox name day
- October 1 is a holiday in memory of St. Irene of Egypt. On the same day - the celebration of the icon of the Mother of God "Healer", which helps the seriously ill.
- May 18 is a holiday in memory of the Holy Great Martyr Irene of Macedon. On the same day - the celebration of the icon of the Mother of God "Inexhaustible Chalice", which heals from alcoholism, drug addiction.
