Many who are just starting their difficult path to the Orthodox world are faced with the problem of church terminology. Many of these words seem incomprehensible, requiring detailed study. Everything in the temple has its own name - starting from the furnishings of the church (pulpit, lectern, banner, altar, etc.) and ending with holidays, services and sacraments. In this article, you will get acquainted with the concept of "riza".
Two values
The term riza has 2 definitions. In the first case, it denotes a phelonion, a special garment for clergy worn during a church service. Also, a riza is a salary for an icon, made of gold or embroidered with pearls. This word also refers to the clothes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which were found by Constantinople aristocrats after Her Assumption.
Priest Robes
In the broad sense of the word, the riza is the robes of the clergy. Specifically, this concept refers to wide clothing like a raincoat that does not have sleeves. In front, it has a wide cutout so that the priest is free to move during the liturgy. The color of the robe depends on the holiday in honor of which the service is held. For example, in the days of remembranceprophets and great saints, as well as on Palm Sunday and the Holy Trinity, the priest puts on green clothes. If the priest has a blue robe in the temple, it means that on this day there is some kind of holiday in honor of the Virgin. Lord's days can be identified by the golden robes of the priest. During Great Lent, priests serve in purple robes. The clergy wear red clothes during Lent at Christmas and at the Ex altation. Thus, the riza is also a certain symbol of the church holiday.
The sacred secret - the robe of the Virgin
A whole chain of events is connected with this relic. Two Byzantine brothers, having gone to Galilee, decided to visit the city of Nazareth and the house where the Blessed Virgin lived with her son Jesus. From the current mistress, the young men were able to learn that in one of the rooms a sacred relic is kept that heals from all diseases - the blind begin to see, and the lame begin to walk. They saw a shrine called a robe - this is the clothes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was passed down from generation to generation after Her earthly death. The mistress of the house took a promise from the brothers that they would not tell anyone about the great secret until this woman died. The young men made a vow, but when they saw the robe of the Virgin placed in the ark, they thought about what would happen to the relic after the death of the mistress of the house.
Finding the robe
Then the brothers decided to go for a trick: they went to bow to the Cross of the Lord and promised to stop by again on the way back to say goodbye. While on the road, the brothers were able toto order an ark, exactly like the one that kept the robe of the Virgin. Also, the young men bought a veil of gold, with which they covered the shrine, asking the mistress of the house in Nazareth to allow them to pray all night before the relic. When everyone in the house went to bed, the brothers fell on their knees in front of the shrine, asking the Most Holy Theotokos to forgive them for the sin they were about to commit. Having replaced the purchased ark with a true relic and covered it with a golden veil, the young men went to rest.
In the morning, the brothers said goodbye to the hostess, taking with them the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. In Byzantium, they founded a small temple, in which they placed the sacred clothes of the Mother of God, without telling anyone about it. But the relic was so beneficial that the brothers could no longer be silent and told the emperor about the great find. He reverently accepted the shrine and placed it in the Blachernae church. In honor of this event, the celebration of the Deposition of the Robe of the Virgin was established, which is celebrated to this day on July 15. The location of the relic is currently unknown. She disappeared after a terrible fire that burned down Blachernae Church.
Thus, the meaning of the word "riza" can be interpreted in different ways.
