The Feast of Peter and Paul in the Orthodox Church is celebrated on July 29 (July 12 according to the old calendar). On this day, the fast, called Petrov, ends. To answer the question of what the icon of Saints Peter and Paul means, let's plunge a little into the history of the New Testament. The holiday dedicated to the two great saints Peter and Paul has been known since the earliest Christianity, it was also celebrated in the Roman Empire. According to legend, the disciples of Christ Peter and Paul were martyred on the same day, namely July 29.
The Apostle Peter was crucified head down, and the Apostle Paul, as a Roman subject, was beheaded, but, according to the tradition of the Holy Fathers, this happened a year after Peter's death.
The image of the supreme leaders Peter and Paul is a very ancient icon, and they pray in front of it on a holiday that is associated with another important event in the life of the Church - the transfer of the relics of these two revered saints, which took place in Rome in 258 and also 29 June, the day that came to be considered the day of their common martyrdom.
Church holiday
And now we come tothe essence of the feast of Peter and Paul. The icon depicting these saints in Russia was called "Korsun", but more on that later. In the meantime, around 324, in the capitals of the Roman Empire in the cities of Rome and Constantinople, under Emperor Constantine, the first churches were created in honor of the supreme holy apostles.
It was from this time that the feast of Peter and Paul began to be celebrated, and he was especially revered, the liturgies were held very solemnly. This day was raised not by chance, it is associated with the fact that after three hundred years of persecution of Christians, faith in Christ finally received the status of a legal religion. Before Christianity, there was a task to convert people to the faith as much as possible and to accustom them to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. The ministry of the apostles became a model for preaching among the teachers and holy fathers of the church. The holiday is preceded by a fast, called Petrov, and this once again proves its important significance in the annual liturgical circle.
Peter and Paul icon
The icon of Peter and Paul dates back to the 11th century and is considered one of the most ancient. This is a real relic and a work of art created by medieval easel painting. Today the image of Saints Peter and Paul - the icon of the First-Called Apostles - is kept in the reserve of Novgorod. Once the Russian Tsar Vladimir Monomakh brought the icon to Novgorod from Korsun, so it was called "Korsun". But some historians claim that it was written in Novgorod. Who became the creator of this holy relic is unknown to this day, but the style of its imagecorresponds to the fresco technique. The icon is decorated with a silver and gilded oklad, on which various craftsmen worked. An interesting fact is that the icon of Peter and Paul was taken away from Novgorod three times, and each time it returned.
The icon of the apostles Peter and Paul. Meaning
One of the first monasteries named after the holy apostles Peter and Paul in Novgorod was built in 1185 on Mount Sinichya. In Orthodox churches, the image of these two apostles has become an indispensable accessory of the Deesis tier.
Russian holy icon painter Andrei Rublev was also the creator of the icon of Peter and Paul. While emphasizing the honor of the memory of the chief apostles, the Church glorifies the spiritual firmness of the Apostle Peter and the mind of Paul. They are prayed for the healing of diseases and the increase of faith. They pray to the Apostle Peter for a rich catch. No wonder the day of their memory is also considered the day of the fisherman.
The story of Peter and Paul
Peter was the brother of St. Andrew the First-Called. At first his name was Simon and he was a fisherman. The poor but pious young man became one of the main pillars of the Christian faith. He immediately followed the Lord, as a great fate awaited him.
The Apostle Paul was formerly called Saul, and his family came from the tribe of Benjamin. He was from a noble family and was a Roman citizen. At first he was an ardent persecutor of Christians, and then he became a faithful disciple of Christ.
The Apostle Peter became the chosen apostle of God and His greatest confessor, hebegan to nourish the souls of believing Christians with his sermons, and with him the beginning of Orthodoxy was laid. On the feast of Peter and Paul, people are glorified who were ordinary sinners, but turned into saints.
The image of the icon of Peter and Paul says that if we cannot have strong faith like the apostle Peter and Paul and do miracles, thanks to which they converted people to their faith, then we will try to learn at least the deepest humility and not hypocrisy repentance.
