St. Nina Equal-to-the-Apostles, Enlightener of Georgia: Icon, Prayer and Monastery

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Almost every country has a righteous man who is considered the patron of his land. There is a favorite and most honorable idol in Georgia. St. Nina's Day - January 27 is a very important event in this region.

Character of the person

The name of this blessed one is as popular in Georgia as Tatyana is in Russia. Moreover, every resident of the country knows exactly when the day of memory of this person is celebrated. The woman is considered the enlightener and patroness of this region.

By nature, the girls who are called by this name are very patient and good-natured. From childhood, they show good manners and tolerance. And this is not surprising. After all, their heavenly protector, at one time, was very merciful to everyone without exception. She helped both Christians and pagans, regardless of religion. In their youth, women with this name try to be wise in all their actions. And in old age they become a role model. Saint Nina possessed many positive qualities. The name day of a lady with such a wonderful name is celebrated on January 27th. It was on this day that the righteous woman left the earthly world and moved to the heavenly one.

On the icon Equal-to-the-Apostles is depicted with a cross on which a vine winds. Also in anotherin her hand she holds the gospel. It was with the word of God that the blessed one walked the world. For her merits and great mission, this woman is equated with the Equal-to-the-Apostles.

The biography of a woman is very touching and interesting. Saint Nina lived an amazing life. But her story began long before the birth of the righteous woman.

Destiny to be a preacher

Immediately after the ascension of Christ to heaven, his disciples gathered to cast lots: who will go in which direction to glorify the name of the Lord. For example, Andrew the Primordial went to the lands where Kievan Rus was subsequently formed. Together with the disciples of Jesus, the Mother of God was there. The Most Pure One, seeing that the best Christians were dispersing around the world to tell the pagans about the Almighty, said that she also wanted to preach. To refuse her such a request, the apostles did not dare. Therefore, Mary fell to the distant country of Iveria, where Saint Nina lived more than two centuries later. Now it is the territory of modern Georgia.

Having received her destiny, the Mother of God was ready to set off. But suddenly an angel appeared before her and told her to wait. He assured the woman that she would definitely fulfill her destiny. However, now is not the right time for that.

And about 280 in the city of Cappadocia, which is located on the territory of modern Turkey, a girl was born, who was named Nina. There were many Georgian settlements near their house. My parents were good Christians. Father is a military man and more than once helped believers avoid death at the hands of pagan kings. His family was very famous and respected. From this family cameGreat Martyr George. Therefore, we can safely say that Saint Nina inherited love for God.

The girl's mother was the sister of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Their family was very respected and enjoyed the favor of the emperor himself.

A touching story

When the girl was twelve, her parents went to Jerusalem and there they decided to devote their lives to serving the Lord. My father went to the desert, and my mother was made a deaconess, so that at the church she would help the poor and destitute. It was a pity to part with the only child to parents. But they knew that a great future awaited her, in which the Mother of God would be a guide. The further fate of mother and father remained unknown to history.

Saint Nina went to the righteous old woman, whose name was Nianfore. The grandmother told the girl about the life of Jesus. The biography of the Son of God touched the child so much that she cried more than once. Within two years, she became a true believer. Then the mentor told the disciple about the crucifixion and torment of the Savior. Nina is interested in history. She was very interested in the fate of the tunic of the Lord. This garment was of great importance to the Christian world. Like all the things of the Messiah, she had an amazing gift of healing.

The girl asked what happened to Christ's chiton. To this, the woman replied that, according to legend, the soldiers who were present at the crucifixion cast lots. Therefore, the clothes went to the soldier. Then a man who was a Georgian bought it. Then he took her to Iberia.

Very touched by thisstories of St. Nina. “Georgian land and the territories that surround it,” added the mentor, “still live in ignorance, and people there obey the pagan gods.”

Great mission

For a long time, the girl thought about how unfairly treated the relic. In her prayers, the righteous woman asked the Virgin Mary to help her get to the distant country of Iveria, in order to find a chiton, and also to preach the truths of the Lord. She was eager to show the people who live there the power of God and guide them to the right faith.

Prayers have been answered. Mary came to the pious virgin in a dream. The Mother of God told the girl to go to a distant country. The Mother of God also explained that she would become her patroness. Then Saint Nina doubted her strength. The cross woven from the vine, which Mary gave her in a dream, was real and in reality. Handing over the relic to the girl, the Mother of God said that this symbol would become her amulet and would drive away trouble.

The next day the righteous woman went to the Patriarch. When he heard about the dream and saw the cross, he blessed Nina for the journey. She went along with other virgins who fled from the Roman pagan king. However, their journey was short-lived. The enemies caught up with the Christians and brutally de alt with them. Only Nina managed to escape the evil fate. Then she hid in the rose bushes. She was led by a higher power. It was hard to watch how cruel pagans deal with Christian women. But not only the picture of death was seen by Saint Nina, the Enlightener of Georgia. She was openmiracle. She watched how the souls of innocent girls are rapturous towards God. Memorial Day for these maidens is September 30.

The power of prayer

The girl continued the hard way alone. Many dangers and troubles awaited her on the way. But miraculously, the righteous was always saved. Along the way, she met Georgian families and studied their traditions. When the Christian woman finally reached the city, where, according to legend, the chiton was hidden, she saw a terrible picture. The pagans sacrificed to idols. This ritual struck the girl so unpleasantly that at the same moment she began to pray to the Lord that he would deprive these people of false faith. At the same moment thunder and lightning struck, and the pagan idols burned to the ground. Then the people realized that God is stronger than their idols.

Nina lived in the house of the royal gardener. He and his wife had no children and adopted a foreigner as a sister. St. Nina settled in a corner of the park. The prayer was pure and sincere. Very soon, people began to turn to her for knowledge and help. The first person she healed was the gardener's wife. After this miracle, the woman became the mother of many wonderful children. More and more people accepted the faith of Christ and were healed.

One of the converts told Nina an amazing story. It turned out that a certain person from Georgia bought the tunic from the soldier who was at the execution of Jesus. His Jewish mother predicted the death of Jesus and was very worried about it. She felt the death of the Messiah and died herself, a thousand kilometers from the center of events. When the son returned home, his sister, hearing the story ofChrist, pressed her clothes to her, wept bitterly and fell dead. No matter how hard they tried, they could not wrest the holy relic from strong hands. Therefore, the girl was buried along with the chiton. However, the place of burial was unknown. But they said that the body was hidden in the royal garden. Therefore, Saint Nina Georgian began her own search. Then she often stopped at a large cedar and prayed there.

Healer's gift

Only King Mirian did not stop worshiping idols. He even intended to destroy all Christians in his land. But then his eyes went dark, and he lost his sight. For a long time the lord of his gods asked to help him, but in vain. Only when he asked the Christian Lord for salvation did he begin to see again. Immediately after this event, he fell at the feet of Nina and asked to be taught to be a true believer.

The blessed one continued to reveal the secrets of religion to people. The righteous woman spoke about the true faith. The king asked the priests to come from Greece, who also taught the people. Therefore, step by step, Georgia became Orthodox. Saint Nina, meanwhile, continued to work miracles.

The king decided to build a church in his garden. I chose an unusual place. There then grew a huge cedar, under which more than once people were healed. And before that, the blessed one had a dream in which she saw that it was under this tree that the tunic was hidden. Therefore, the desire of the righteous was fulfilled. From six branches of the cedar they made pillars for the temple, but they could not raise the seventh. From her, as Nina assumed, the world went. It even healedterminally ill people.

A lot of people believed in the Almighty and were baptized over the years. However, in the mountains there were tribes that still lived in darkness. Therefore, refusing honors and glory, Nina decided to go to those distant lands to help the pagans accept the true God. The inhabitants of the mountains listened to the words of the righteous and began to believe in Christ.

Glory through the ages

A foreigner has done a lot of good. Because of her great strength and boundless faith, the Orthodox world celebrates the day of St. Nina. A woman lived 65 (67 - according to other sources) years. She spent 35 of them in Georgia, preaching the word of God.

She felt her death earlier, so she asked her friends to take her from the mountains to the royal garden. With a light heart, the woman departed for the heavenly world. A crowd gathered near the bed of the dying. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina told one of her students about her life. It is from these records that we now know the history of the patroness of Georgia.

The benefactress bequeathed to bury the body on the site of a modest tent, at the end of the garden, where she spent all these years. After the death of the healer, the king decided that the infallible should be buried in the capital's temple. But no matter how hard they tried, they could not lift the body of the deceased. Therefore, the ruler decided to build a church around this place. The king's work was completed by his son.

The Church of St. Nina is located in the eastern part of Georgia - Kakheti. The building has been renovated several times. But for all the years of existence, the whole tomb of the preacher remained. There is a legend that when the barbarians andthe Mongol-Tatars approached the tomb, they were even afraid to touch it with a finger. She was so beautiful and radiant at the same time. Over time, the building expanded. The church was consecrated in honor of the famous relative of the woman - St. George.

Georgians in all ages revered this saint. Therefore, coronations were even held at the grave for a long time.

Memory of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Virgin

The Church of St. Nina once turned into a monastery. And this structure played a deeper role than just a spiritual one. There was a theological school, the country's largest library, and humanities and exact sciences were taught.

Hard times awaited the shrine in the Soviet period. It was stolen and nearly destroyed. After the collapse of the USSR, the temple started working again. The nuns here not only do the usual household chores, but also rewrite sacred texts, embroider and draw pictures.

Today, the relics of the preacher are kept in the Bodbe Monastery.

This nunnery remains one of the largest in Georgia. In addition to the aesthetic value of the temple, it also has tremendous energy. Everyone who comes here feels a good spirit. Many people come here for advice and salvation. The Monastery of St. Nina joyfully welcomes kind guests, regardless of the time of year.

However, those who want to see the cross of the righteous will need to visit another shrine. The relic, in the course of historical events, ended up in the main cathedral in Tbilisi. This cross was given to Nina by the Mother of God. It should be noted that hevery different from other symbols. Its ends are down, it is woven from the vine and entangled in the hair of the righteous. There are especially many people at the relic on St. Nina's day.

But near the monastery there was a cave where a woman once prayed. There she prepared for a difficult mission in the mountains. Because of the requests and tears, water began to stand out from the stone. Today, this source gives healing to people.

Completed the task that the Mother of God entrusted to her, the preacher is perfect. Since her teachings and science were successful, the Church calls the righteous woman equal to the apostles. Because this woman, like other disciples of Jesus, contributed to the fact that all the people of the country were baptized. That is why Georgia, like the whole world, celebrates the day of St. Nina - January 27.

Foreign Healer

Blessed, you can pray for the healing of children. History testifies that the righteous woman often helped unfortunate babies. As soon as she settled in the royal garden, one of the first patients was the son of an unfortunate woman. The mother walked the streets with the baby in her arms and begged passers-by for help. But none of the people could help her dying child. Then the poor woman went to the saint. The righteous woman ordered to put the baby on a bed of leaves. Then she began to pray over him. After a while, the boy recovered and began to play joyfully.

This is not the only case when St. Nina helped a child. Equal-to-the-Apostles virgin had no prejudices and treated everyone, both pagans and Christians. When myrrh began to flow from the cedar branch, a woman came to the tree, whose son was seven years old.was in illness. She told the righteous woman that she sincerely believes in the Lord and His Son. Then Nina put her hand on the trunk, and then on the child - and he was miraculously cured.

Therefore, everyone can turn to the saint with prayers. She helps children whose illnesses are considered hopeless. It is worth asking the blessed one sincerely and frankly. The power of prayer does not depend on the place where the text is read. If the request is good, then it will definitely come true.

Christian worked not only with children. Saint Nina also treats those who have lost their sight. Even during her lifetime Equal-to-the-Apostles had the gift to heal this disease. Legends say that when the cedar began to release myrrh, an old Jew came to him. He has not seen since birth. Feeling the miracles that the Christian faith does, he placed his hopes on the Son of God and the mercy of the Most High. Feeling good intentions in the man, Nina wet her hands in miraculous myrrh and anointed her grandfather's eyes with it. At the same moment the Jew received his sight. The old man saw the light.

Protector of travelers

You can also ask the healer for the birth of children. As the story goes, the foreign woman was the first to help the gardener's wife. After the miracle, the woman became a happy mother of many wonderful children. Therefore, if one of the couple suffers from infertility, Saint Nina will help him in trouble. An icon, a cross or a tomb of an Orthodox righteous woman have the same power.

Another reason to turn to the benefactor with prayers is the despondency of a loved one. If a friend or relative has lost faith in the Lord or moved into a sect, then the preacher will be able to help. Atin her life she struggled with the darkness of other religions. Often could become a victim of the pagans. But, thanks to faith in the Almighty, she was saved. Therefore, even after her death, Nina will be able to reason with a person and restore his faith.

On the day of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, one should pray to the righteous. You can address the heavenly inhabitant with the following words: “The miraculous and good-natured defender of Georgia. We come to you and ask you for help. Drive away evil and evil spirits from us, take away evil thoughts and sorrows in vain. Ask for us in our Almighty. Give us the power that was given to you. Take evil demons away from our homes and hearts. May our faith grow stronger, as your pure word grew.”

Also, those who go on a long journey or are going to do some important, great deed pray to this righteous woman. Equal-to-the-Apostles Virgin left her land to help other people to know the Lord. Therefore, she became the patroness of travelers. Those who travel often should pray to the preacher on St. Nina's memorial day.

You need to ask for help from the blessed one unfeignedly, from the heart. Words pure and sincere will surely be heard by a righteous woman. A merciful and kind preacher will never leave a person in trouble. During her earthly life, she never refused anyone a warm word and treatment.

The Orthodox faith is very strong. But she reveals the true secrets to those who know the stories. This woman's life is amazing. Having learned about this person, a person begins to look at religion differently.