Prayer to the Great Martyr Barbara. Holy Great Martyr Barbara: biography, what helps Holy Great Martyr Barbara, what prayer helps with

2 strong prayers to the Great Martyr Varvara of Iliopol

Prayer to the Great Martyr Barbara from sudden death

“Holy glorious and all-praised Great Martyr Varvaro! Gathered today in your Divine temple, people who worship the race of your relics and kiss with love, your suffering as a martyr, and in them the Passionate Christ Himself, who gave you not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, with pleasing praises, we pray to you, the well-known desire of our intercessor: pray with us and for us, beseeching God from His mercy, that He may mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not leave us with all the necessary petitions for salvation and life, and grant a Christian death to our belly - painless, shameless, peace, I will partake of the Divine Mysteries, and to all, in every place, in every sorrow and situation, who require His love for mankind and help, He will give His great mercy, so that by the grace of God and your warm intercession, always abiding health in soul and body, we glorify God, wondrous in our saints Israel, who does not remove His help from us always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen."

Prayer to the Great Martyr Barbara for women's happiness and marriage

“The most wise and all-fair saint of the Great Martyr of Christ Varvaro! Blessed are you, for the Precious Wisdom of God has not shown you flesh and blood, but God Himself, the Heavenly Father, like you, for the sake of faith, abandoned, expelled and killed by an unfaithful father, has received into His beloved daughter; for the corruption of earthly property, the inheritance of the flesh is freely incorruptible; the labors of martyrdom by the repose of the Heavenly One changed the Kingdom; glorify your temporary life, cut short by His death for His sake, with veneration, as if you have taken your soul from the faces of the Heavenly spirits, but keep your body, placed on earth in their angelic temple, by the Angel of the commandment intact, honorably and miraculously. Blessed art thou, O Christ, the Son of God, the Heavenly Bridegroom, a disgraced virgin, who desired to have the kindness of thy caretaker, who through suffering, wounds, pleasure, cutting, and the very head itself by beheading, like the most precious utensils, thou didst strive to adorn: so, like a wife, she is faithful to her head - to the husband, Christ, united in spirit and body inseparably, saying: “I have found Him, whom my soul loved, I held Him and did not forsake Him.” Blessed are you, for the Holy Spirit has rested upon you, having been taught by the spiritual to reason spiritually, you have rejected all the spirits of wickedness in idols, as if they were destructive, and having come to know the One God the Spirit, as a true worshiper, you deigned to worship in spirit and truth, preaching: “I honor the Trinity, One Divinity." This Holy Trinity, Who glorified this Holy Trinity in life and death with your confession and suffering, pray for me, my intercessor, as I have always been the triple faith, love and hope of virtue, Here I honor the Holy Trinity. The Imam is a lamp of faith, but is indolent on good deeds; You, wise virgin, give your suffering flesh, filled with blood and flowing with wounds, like a lamp of yours, so that by decorating my spiritual candle, I will be honored to take you into the Heavenly Palace. I am a stranger on earth and a stranger, like all my fathers; eternal blessings to the heiress and a blessed supper in the Kingdom of Heaven to the partaker, as in the journey of life, the Divine Meal of pleasure, and in the exodus from the world desired, grant me guidance; and when at the end I begin to lull you into the sleep of death, then touching my exhausted flesh, like sometimes the Angel of Elijah, saying: Arise, eat and drink; as if by the grace of the Divine Body and Blood of the Mysteries I was strengthened, I will travel in the fortress of that veil the long path of death, even to the Heavenly Mountains: and there, through the three windows of the bathhouse, you first saw God’s Trinity by faith, Whom together with you face to face, may I be worthy to see and glorify Him forever. Amen."

Saint Barbara of Iliopolis is a Christian great martyr. In Orthodoxy she is very revered. She is most often addressed as a protector against sudden and violent death. As is known in Orthodoxy, such human acts are a great sin, and therefore are punishable by God.

Saint Barbara of Iliopolis

Varvara of Iliopolis lived in the 3rd century in the large trading city of Iliopolis in Phoenicia. Her family was pagan, and her father, Dioscorus, was a rich and noble man. He loved his daughter very much and was very attached to her. When Varvara grew up, her father, trying to protect the beauty from immodest gazes and exclude any communication with the first Christians who appeared in the city at that time, placed her in a closed castle. The girl lived in luxury and did not need anything. But she understood perfectly well that her father had placed her in a “golden cage” and resisted this with all her soul.

Spending a lot of time alone, the girl often contemplated the beauty of the surrounding world from the windows of a high tower. And in her reflections, she herself came to the idea that the Creator of the entire magnificent world is the One God. And even the assurances of her teachers that everything in the world was created by gilded idols that belonged to the pagan world could not convince her of this. The girl’s inquisitive natural mind told her that the true God is not man-made, but has his own existence, located outside the material world.

When the time came for marriage, the girl announced her desire to remain chaste. Her father gave her the opportunity to communicate with married friends, hoping that her daughter would change her mind. But one day, by chance, outside the castle, the girl met secret Christians, and this decided her future fate. It was they who introduced her to the doctrine of the Triune Deity and told her about the Creator.

From that moment on, Varvara’s only desire was to be baptized. New friends soon introduced her to a priest who baptized her. When the father returned from a long journey, the daughter immediately confessed to him that she rejected paganism and began to profess Christianity. In great anger, Dioscorus almost killed his daughter, but she managed to escape. But, unfortunately, the girl was unable to hide; she was soon captured by her father’s servants.

The father publicly disowned his daughter and handed her over to the court of the ruthless ruler of the city. The pagan tried to persuade Varvara to renounce the Christian faith, but soon realized that the girl was adamant, so he handed her over to the executioner.

At night, when the exhausted girl lay unconscious on the floor of the prison, Jesus Christ himself appeared before her and ordered her to endure all the torment and not lose hope in God’s help. The execution followed in the morning. For her torment, her soul ascended to heaven, from where today she provides effective help to all those who suffer.

What is the patronage of the laity?

The Holy Great Martyr Barbara came to eternal life through her own terrible torment. Nowadays, this Saint is most often considered a protector from vain death.

In the Orthodox religion, Varvara is considered the patroness of all “women’s affairs.” She always helps pregnant women and women in labor if they turn to her for help. In Rus', this Saint was always asked for a safe birth. Often believers ask Varvara for well-being for their children and pray to her for their health. The icon of St. Barbara is a talisman for a religious pregnant woman.

In a number of countries, Varvara is also considered the patroness of fertility. There is a legend that when the Saint ran away from her pursuers during her lifetime, her traces were immediately overgrown with wheat. Also, nowadays women often turn to Varvara with requests to shape their destiny. And many believe that prayer will help overcome depression, apathy and sadness.

Prayer to Saint Barbara the Great Martyr from sudden death

Prayers to Saint Barbara the Great Martyr are distinguished by their enormous power. But only a deeply religious person can pronounce them. Most of them can be found in prayer books. But at the same time, it is allowed to address the Saint with a prayer in any form.

The most popular prayer to Saint Barbara the Great Martyr is a prayer appeal against sudden death.

Text of the prayer:

Prayer translated in Russian:

It sounds like this:

“Holy All-Glorious and All-Praised Great Martyr Barbara! In the holy temple, believers always worship your icon, and kiss the shrine with your relics in love. Everyone admires your martyrdom. Your boundless faith in Christ led you to the Kingdom of Heaven. So we endlessly pray to God and ask you to intercede for us so that all our wishes come true. Give us hope for his mercy and his forgiveness of all our sins. So that the Lord shows us his love for mankind and does not leave us without salvation, so that those who remain in health would glorify the deeds of the Lord. Now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen".

Prayer for healing and health to Saint Barbara

Prayers for healing and health are very popular.

A powerful prayer goes like this:

“I turn to you, Holy Great Martyr Barbara, as a powerful source of healing. Holy Virgin Barbara, I ask for help in healing my infirmities. If you see my sins, then pray for the forgiveness of the Lord Almighty, for I committed them out of my own foolishness. Do not miss my request, hear it and heal all my illnesses. Become my refuge after you hear my emotional groans. I believe in you, Holy Martyr Barbara, that you will intercede for me with the Most Holy Trinity. Let your long-suffering body heal my soul and body, I bow my head before your icon. Your wounds will free me from sinful wounds and free me from serious illnesses. With your all-powerful prayers, Saint Barbara the Great Martyr, honor me with your attention and hear my call for help. Amen".

Prayer to Varvara about the structure of women's destiny

The most effective prayers to Saint Barbara are prayer appeals that contain requests for female happiness. With the help of such a prayer, you can arrange your destiny and meet a reliable and faithful life partner.

Prayer for a successful marriage and family happiness

The prayer for a successful marriage and family happiness is as follows:

“Most wise Holy Great Martyr of Christ Barbara! God Himself, by His will, accepted you into the Kingdom of Heaven after you suffered terrible torments and you were killed by your own father. Your martyr's labors were appreciated by the Lord himself, and a blessing was given to you by Jesus Christ. Your temporary life ended with eternal life in Heaven. You have maintained Divine chastity so that in your spirit you may be united with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven. I continually say with all my soul: “Love my soul, Lord, and do not leave me in your troubles.” You are blessed, because the Holy Spirit descended on you, and you rejected all destructive passions from yourself, and allowed the One God into your soul, saying, “I honor the Trinity, One Divinity.” In terrible torment, you glorified the Trinity in the hope of God's mercy. I believe in your goodness and I honor the Holy Trinity. I expect help from you in earthly life, and before my death I ask you to touch me with your finger, support me and give me hope for the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen".

Prayer for children

A mother's prayer to the Great Martyr Barbara can reliably protect a child from a variety of misfortunes. It can be read both in church and at home. It is advisable to pray in front of the Holy icon and with lit church candles.

The prayer appeal for children sounds like this:

“Most wise Holy Great Martyr of Christ Barbara! Your destiny as a woman was destroyed by the Herods, but your sincere faith allowed you to preserve your soul for God in female chastity. Since then, you have been support and support for everyone on earth. So give your blessing to the children for whom their mothers pray. Rejoice, Saint Barbara, for the pure souls of children who were subsequently brought to the Lord God. Pray for us as parents who are sinners before God, so that he forgives our sins, known and unknown, so that they do not fall on children’s souls. Be my heavenly helper in raising children, guide them on the true path and do not let them deviate from it. Protect them from the temptations of the devil and straighten their path in life. I believe in you, I pray before your image and I glorify your merciful deeds. Amen".

Video prayer to Saint Barbara

Once upon a time there lived a family, everyone was very friendly. The year was 317, and the city was Illipol. Every day the family gathered at the table, everyone told each other interesting stories, shared legends, and listened to the experience of their elders. One day happiness came to the house - a little girl was born, beautiful as a flower.

Time passed, the baby grew, her family loved her very much. And everything would have been fine, but only these people believed in the old gods. Some time later, the girl’s mother died, and her father took charge of her upbringing. Despite her dad's worldview, the girl grew up in the Christian faith. And then, she was executed by order of her father. Her name was Varvara. Now, she is a Saint, to whom they pray every day.

Prayer to Saint Barbara - when to read

Just before her death, the martyr prayed to the Lord God and asked that He always help those who sincerely believe in Him. After Varvara passed into another world, people learned about her sad story and began to pray to her. Today the Great Martyr is asked to ask:

• successful marriage;
• about family well-being and happiness;
• about being healed from a terrible disease;
• about preventing sudden disaster from occurring;
• to always feel protected nearby;
• about saving yourself from sudden death.

No matter what happens in Rus', no matter what the war, the temple where the relics of St. Barbara are located, all enemies and troubles pass by - this is a real miracle. The memorial day of the Martyr, which is celebrated by believers, is December 17.

Who should read the prayer to Varvara?

Initially, Saint Barbara was considered the patroness of all artisans, because during her lifetime she was very fond of needlework. Today, prayers can also be offered to her by those people who are afraid of suddenly dying - and there are a lot of them. The fact is that some professions are considered life-threatening. Every day people get up for work and leave, not knowing whether they will return or not. So, first of all, those who work in these areas should pray to Varvara:

• traders;
• sailors;
• travelers;
• miners;
• miners;
• military.

Prayer to Barbara the Great Martyr - text in Russian

“Holy glorious and all-praised Great Martyr Varvaro! Gathered today in your Divine temple, people who worship the race of your relics and kiss with love, your suffering as a martyr, and in them the Passionate Christ Himself, who gave you not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, with pleasing praises, we pray to you, the well-known desire of our intercessor: pray with us and for us, beseeching God from His mercy, that He may mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not leave us with all the necessary petitions for salvation and life, and grant a Christian death to our belly - painless, shameless, peace, I will partake of the Divine Mysteries, and to all, in every place, in every sorrow and situation, who require His love for mankind and help, He will give His great mercy, so that by the grace of God and your warm intercession, always abiding health in soul and body, we glorify God, wondrous in our saints Israel, who does not remove His help from us always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen"

How to read a prayer

As in every prayer, there are a number of rules that cannot be broken. For example, reading a text should be sincere, slow, with every word thought through. You cannot quickly skim through the text without reading to the end or placing emphasis incorrectly. It is worth remembering that you are working with sacred scripture, and, therefore, you must keep in mind that you are not turning to someone, but to the Higher Powers.

If you believe in what you say, then God will definitely help you, guide you on the true path and never leave you in trouble. Also, the main rule that is important to remember is abstraction from bad thoughts. In other words, if there is a risk of not returning from work, then when reading a prayer, you cannot imagine that one day you will not come home. You always need to tune in and hope for the best, trusting the Lord God and Saint Barbara. It is best to learn the prayer rather than sight-read it.

In our church there is a particle of the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara. Everyone who comes can turn to the saint for prayer help and order a prayer service.

Seeing Varvara’s extraordinary beauty, her father decided to raise her, hiding her from prying eyes. For this, he built a tower, where, besides Varvara, only her pagan teachers stayed. From the tower there was a view of the world of God above and below. During the day one could look at wooded mountains, at fast-flowing rivers, at plains covered with a colorful carpet of flowers; at night, the consonant and majestic chorus of luminaries presented a spectacle of inexpressible beauty. The history of the veneration of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara dates back 1,700 years from the day of her martyrdom.

They pray to the Holy Great Martyr Barbara for deliverance from sudden and violent death, for salvation from storms at sea and from fire on land. She is considered the patroness of miners and artillerymen.

1. PRAYERS TO THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR BARBARA

PRAYER FIRST

A particle of the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara in the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Shelekhov

Holy glorious and all-praised Great Martyr Varvaro! Gathered today in your Divine temple, people who worship the race of your relics and kiss with love, your suffering as a martyr, and in them the Passionate Christ Himself, who gave you not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, with pleasing praises, we pray to you, the well-known desire of our intercessor: pray with us and for us, beseeching God from His mercy, that He may mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not leave us with all the necessary petitions for salvation and life, and grant a Christian death to our belly - painless, shameless, peace, I will partake of the Divine Mysteries, and to all, in every place, in every sorrow and situation, who require His love for mankind and help, He will give His great mercy, so that by the grace of God and your warm intercession, always abiding health in soul and body, we glorify God, wondrous in our saints Israel, who does not remove His help from us always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

PRAYER TWO

Most wise and all-fair saint of the Great Martyr of Christ Varvaro! Blessed are you, for the Precious Wisdom of God has not shown you flesh and blood, but God Himself, the Heavenly Father, like you, for the sake of faith, abandoned, expelled and killed by an unfaithful father, has received into His beloved daughter; for the corruption of earthly property, the inheritance of the flesh is freely incorruptible; the labors of martyrdom by the repose of the Heavenly One changed the Kingdom; glorify your temporary life, cut short by His death for His sake, with veneration, as if you have taken your soul from the faces of the Heavenly spirits, but keep your body, placed on earth in their angelic temple, by the Angel of the commandment intact, honorably and miraculously. Blessed art thou, O Christ, the Son of God, the Heavenly Bridegroom, a disgraced virgin, who desired to have the kindness of thy caretaker, who through suffering, wounds, pleasure, cutting, and the very head itself by beheading, like the most precious utensils, thou didst strive to adorn: so, like a wife, she is faithful to her head - to the husband, Christ, united in spirit and body inseparably, saying: “I have found Him, whom my soul loved, I held Him and did not forsake Him.” Blessed are you, for the Holy Spirit has rested upon you, having been taught by the spiritual to reason spiritually, you have rejected all the spirits of wickedness in idols, as if they were destructive, and having come to know the One God the Spirit, as a true worshiper, you deigned to worship in spirit and truth, preaching: “I honor the Trinity, One Divinity." This Holy Trinity, Who glorified this Holy Trinity in life and death with your confession and suffering, pray for me, my intercessor, as I have always been the triple faith, love and hope of virtue, Here I honor the Holy Trinity. The Imam is a lamp of faith, but is indolent on good deeds; You, wise virgin, give your suffering flesh, filled with blood and flowing with wounds, like a lamp of yours, so that by decorating my spiritual candle, I will be honored to take you into the Heavenly Palace. I am a stranger on earth and a stranger, like all my fathers; eternal blessings to the heiress and a blessed supper in the Kingdom of Heaven to the partaker, as in the journey of life, the Divine Meal of pleasure, and in the exodus from the world desired, grant me guidance; and when at the end I begin to lull you into the sleep of death, then touching my exhausted flesh, like sometimes the Angel of Elijah, saying: Arise, eat and drink; as if by the grace of the Divine Body and Blood of the Mysteries I was strengthened, I will travel in the fortress of that veil the long path of death, even to the Heavenly Mountains: and there, through the three windows of the bathhouse, you first saw God’s Trinity by faith, Whom together with you face to face, may I be worthy to see and glorify Him forever. Amen.

2. LIFE OF THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR BARBARA

The Holy Great Martyr Barbara was born in the city of Iliopolis (present-day Syria) under Emperor Maximin (305-311) into a noble pagan family. Varvara's father Dioscorus, having lost his wife early, was passionately attached to his only daughter. In order to protect the beautiful girl from prying eyes and at the same time deprive her of communication with Christians, he built a special castle for his daughter, from where she left only with her father’s permission. Contemplating the beauty of God's world from the height of the tower, Varvara often felt a desire to know its true Creator. When the teachers assigned to her said that the world was created by the gods whom her father revered, she mentally said: “The gods whom my father reveres were made by human hands. How could these gods create such a bright sky and such earthly beauty? There must be one God, Whom was not created by human hand, but by He Himself, having His own being.” So Saint Barbara learned from the creatures of the visible world to know the Creator, and the words of the prophet came true on her: “We have learned in all your deeds, in the creation we have learned your hand” (Ps. 142:5).

Over time, rich and noble suitors began to come to Dioscorus more and more often, asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The father, who had long dreamed of Varvara’s marriage, decided to start a conversation with her about marriage, but, to his chagrin, he heard from her a decisive refusal to fulfill his will. Dioscorus decided that over time his daughter’s mood would change and she would have an inclination towards marriage. To do this, he allowed her to leave the tower, hoping that in communication with her friends she would see a different attitude towards marriage.

Once, when Dioscorus was on a long journey, Varvara met local Christian women who told her about the Triune God, about the ineffable Divinity of Jesus Christ, about His incarnation from the Most Pure Virgin and about His free suffering and Resurrection. It so happened that at that time there was a priest in Iliopolis, passing from Alexandria, who disguised himself as a merchant. Having learned about him, Varvara invited the presbyter to her place and asked to perform the Sacrament of Baptism on her. The priest explained to her the basics of the holy faith and then baptized her in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Enlightened by the grace of Baptism, Varvara turned to God with even greater love. She promised to devote her whole life to Him.

During the absence of Dioscorus, construction of a stone tower was underway at his house, where workers, by order of the owner, intended to build two windows on the south side. But Varvara, having come in one day to see the construction, begged them to make a third window - in the image of the Trinity Light. When the father returned, he demanded from his daughter a report on what had been done. “Three are better than two,” said Varvara, “for the impregnable, ineffable Light, the Trinity, has Three Windows (Hypostases or Faces).” Hearing Christian doctrinal instructions from Barbara, Dioscorus became furious. He rushed at her with a drawn sword, but Varvara managed to run out of the house. She took refuge in a mountain chasm, which miraculously opened up before her.

By evening, Dioscorus, on the instructions of a shepherd, nevertheless found Varvara and, beating her, dragged the martyr into the house. The next morning he took Varvara to the city ruler and said: “I renounce her, because she rejects my gods, and if she does not turn to them again, she will not be my daughter. Torment her, sovereign ruler, as your will pleases.” For a long time the mayor tried to persuade Varvara not to deviate from the ancient laws of her fathers and not to resist her father’s will. But the saint, with her wise speech, exposed the errors of idolaters and confessed Jesus Christ as God. Then they began to beat her severely with ox sinews and then rub the deep wounds with a hard hair shirt.

At the end of the day, Varvara was taken to prison. At night, when her mind was occupied with prayer, the Lord appeared to her and said: “Be of good cheer, My bride, and do not be afraid, for I am with you. I look at your feat and alleviate your illnesses. Endure to the end so that you will soon enjoy eternal blessings in My Kingdom.” The next day, everyone was surprised to see Varvara: there were no traces of recent torture left on her body. Seeing such a miracle, one Christian woman named Juliana openly confessed her faith and declared her desire to suffer for Christ. They began to lead both martyrs naked around the city, and then hanged them on a tree and tortured them for a long time. Their bodies were torn with hooks, burned with candles, and hit on the head with a hammer. It was impossible for a person to remain alive from such torture if the martyrs were not strengthened by the power of God. Remaining faithful to Christ, by order of the ruler, the martyrs were beheaded. Saint Barbara was executed by Dioscorus himself. But the ruthless father was soon struck by lightning, turning his body to ashes.

The relics of the Holy Great Martyr Varvara were transferred to Constantinople in the 6th century, and in the 12th century, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexei Komnenos (1081-1118), Princess Varvara, marrying the Russian prince Mikhail Izyaslavich, brought them with her to Kyiv, where they are still located in the Cathedral of St. Prince Vladimir.

The Holy Great Martyr Barbara was the daughter of the noble pagan Dioscorus, she lived with her father in the city of Iliopolis in Phoenicia during the reign of Maximian Galerius (305-311). She lost her mother early. Having become a widower, Dioscorus focused all his attention on raising his only daughter. Varvara delighted him with his abilities and beauty. He settled his daughter in the tower, hiding her from prying eyes. Only pagan teachers and maids had access to it.

In solitude, Varvara observed the life of nature, the beauty of which brought inexplicable consolation to her soul. She began to think about who created all this beauty. The soulless idols made by human hands that her father worshiped could not be the source of life. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Varvara came to the idea of ​​the One, Life-Giving God, the Creator of the universe.

Many noble and rich young men, hearing about Varvara’s beauty and chastity, sought her hand in marriage. Dioscorus invited his daughter to choose a groom for herself, but Varvara resolutely refused. Dioscorus was upset by his daughter’s insistence and left Iliopolis, hoping that in his absence Varvara would be bored and change her mind. He gave her complete freedom, hoping that conversations with different people and new acquaintances would influence his daughter and she would agree to marry.

Soon after her father's departure, Varvara met Christian girls who told her about the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice, about the general resurrection and future judgment of the living and the dead, about the eternal torment of sinners and idolaters and the bliss of the righteous. In the heart of Varvara, who had long thirsted to hear the word of truth, love for the Lord Jesus Christ and the desire to be a Christian burned. By the providence of God, at that time there was a presbyter from Alexandria in Iliopolis. From him, Varvara learned the basics of the Christian faith and received holy Baptism.

Before leaving, Dioscorus ordered the construction of a bathhouse with two windows in honor of the sun and moon. Varvara asked the workers to make three windows - in the image of the Trinity Light. Next to the bathhouse there was a font surrounded by a marble fence. On the eastern side of the fence, Varvara drew a cross with her finger, which was imprinted on the stone, as if it had been knocked out with iron. The saint's footprint was imprinted on the stone step, and a source of healing water flowed from it.

Dioscorus soon returned and, having learned about Barbara’s order, was dissatisfied with it. While talking to her, he was horrified to learn that his daughter was a Christian. Dioscorus, in a rage, pulled out a sword and wanted to hit Varvara with it, but she ran away. When Dioscorus began to catch up with her, a mountain blocked Varvara’s path. The saint turned to God for help. The mountain parted, and she entered a chasm, along which she came to the top of the mountain. There Varvara hid in a cave.

Dioscorus found his daughter with the help of a shepherd, beat her severely, and then locked her in a small dark room and began to starve and thirst her to force her to renounce the Christian faith. Having failed to achieve this, he betrayed his daughter into the hands of the ruler Martian, a persecutor of Christians.

Martian tried for a long time to persuade Saint Barbara to worship idols. He promised her all sorts of earthly blessings, and then, seeing her inflexibility, he gave her over to be tortured. They beat Saint Barbara with ox sinews until the ground around them was stained with blood. After the beating, the wounds were rubbed with hair shirt. Varvara, barely alive, was thrown into prison. At midnight, the prison was illuminated by an indescribable Light, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to the suffering great martyr, healed her wounds, sent down joy to her soul, and consoled her with the hope of bliss in the Heavenly Kingdom.

The next day, the Great Martyr Barbara again appeared before the court of Martian. Seeing her healed from her wounds, the ruler did not come to his senses and again invited her to sacrifice to idols, convincing her that it was they who healed her. But Saint Barbara glorified the Lord Jesus Christ - the true healer of souls and bodies. She was subjected to even greater torture.

In the crowd stood the Christian Juliana (d. c. 306), who indignantly began to denounce the cruelty of Martian and announced to everyone that she was also a Christian. They grabbed her and began to torture her in the same way as the Great Martyr Barbara. They hung the martyrs and began to beat them with ox sinews and scrape them with iron scrapers. Then the Great Martyr Barbara’s breasts were cut off and she was led naked through the city. But the Angel of the Lord covered the great martyr: those who looked at this torture did not see her nakedness.

The ruler sentenced both martyrs to beheading with a sword. The execution of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara was carried out by her father. This happened around 306. Martian and Dioscorus immediately after the execution received retribution from God: they died from a lightning strike.

In her dying prayer, the Holy Great Martyr Barbara asked the Lord to save everyone who resorted to her help from unexpected troubles, from sudden death without repentance, and to pour out His grace on them. In response, she heard a voice from Heaven, promising to fulfill what she asked. The bodies of the holy martyrs were buried by Galentian, who later built a church over their grave. In the VI century. The relics of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara were transferred to Constantinople. By the providence of God, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexy I Komnena (1081-1118), Princess Varvara, marrying the Russian prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavovich (in Holy Baptism Michael), brought with her to Kiev in 1108 the relics of the holy Great Martyr Barbara, where they are now rest in the Vladimir Cathedral.

3. RELICS AND REVERENCE OF THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR BARBARA

Reliquary with the holy relics of the Great Martyr Barbara in the St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv

A certain pious man Valentinian (Galentian, Valentinus) took the remains of Barbara and Juliana and buried them in the village of Gelasia, located 12 miles from Euchaitis in Paphlagonia (M. Asia). A temple was erected on this site, and the relics of the saints healed those suffering from leprosy. The monastery dedicated to Barbara was located in Edessa (Mesopotamia), where some of her relics were probably kept. In Constantinople, in the Basilisk quarter, Virina, the widow of the Byzantine emperor Leo the Great, built a church in the name of Barbara. In the VI century. under the Byzantine emperor Justin (according to another version, back in the 4th century), the relics of Barbara were transferred to Constantinople and placed in this temple. Here, according to the Synaxarion of the Church of Constantinople, the annual celebration of her memory was solemnly celebrated.

In Constantinople, several more churches are known in honor of the Great Martyr Barbara, one of them was located in the southern part of the main Constantinople street Mesa, between the forums of Taurus and Constantine, near the “Bread and Cheese House”. Another temple was located in Mangany, near the gate of St. Barbara. In addition, Emperor Leo VI the Wise built a church or chapel in the northwestern part of the Great Palace in the name of this saint (Prod. Theoph. p. 139).

From the “Chronicon” of Andrea Dandolo it is known that most of the relics of Barbara were presented to the Doge of Venice on the occasion of the marriage of his son Giovanni Orseolo with Maria Argiropulina, a relative of the Byzantine Emperor Basil II the Bulgarian Slayer and the sister of Emperor Roman III Argir. Previously, this marriage and, consequently, the transfer of the relics were attributed to various dates within the late 10th - early 11th centuries; this event is currently dated to 1005–1006. According to Western tradition, the relics, representing the incorruptible body of Barbara without a head, were placed in the church of St. John the Evangelist on the island of Torcello near Venice. They are described in the “Walk to the Florence Council” by an anonymous Suzdal scribe of 1437–1440. (Book of Walks. P. 148). Another part of the relics, brought from Constantinople to Venice in 1258 by a certain Raphael, was kept in the church of Santa Maria del Croce. The head of Barbara, who remained in Constantinople, was seen in her church in 1348–1349. Stefan Novgorodets.

On June 1, 2003, a particle of the relics of Barbara, kept in Venice, was donated to the Greek Orthodox Church. She was transported to Athens, where she will be kept in a specially built church dedicated to the great martyr.

In 1644, under the Kiev Metropolitan Peter (Mogila), the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Poland Georgy Osolinsky made a pilgrimage to the relics. He received as a gift part of the finger of Varvara’s right hand. When Kyiv was captured by the Lithuanian hetman Janusz Radziwill in 1650, he took particles of relics from the breasts and rib of the saint. The first particle was first kept by his wife Maria, the daughter of the Moldavian ruler Vasily Lupu, then it was kept in the city of Kanev, and was subsequently transferred to the monastery of St. Nicholas in Baturin. The second particle was transferred to the Vilna Catholic Bishop Georgy Tyshkevich. This shrine was kept in the bishop's residence, but after the fire only the reliquary with the relics survived.

In the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, initially the relics of Varvara rested in a cypress coffin, then in a gilded silver shrine, built at the expense of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, and, finally, in a precious tomb of remarkable chased work, created in 1847 by the St. Petersburg master Andreev at the expense of Countess A. A. Orlova-Chesmenskaya.

Through prayers the holy monastery was spared the plague and cholera epidemics that raged in Kyiv in 1710, 1770, 1830, 1853 and 1855. In the 30s XX century the relics were transferred to the Kiev-Pechersk Museum-Reserve. Eyewitnesses describe the relics (without the head and hands of both hands) as imperishable, dark and very hard compared to the relics of the Pechersk ascetics. Currently they are kept in the Kiev Vladimir Cathedral.

The left hand of Varvara, brought in the 17th century. to Western Ukraine by the Greek Alexander Musel, who came from the imperial Cantacuzin family, was kidnapped by the Jews, crushed and burned. The ashes and coral ring were kept in the cathedral church of the Apostle John the Theologian in the city of Lutsk, and then were transferred by Metropolitan Gideon (Chetvertinsky) to the Church of St. Sophia of Kyiv. In the 30s XX century they were taken from the USSR by the Lipkovites and are now in Edmonton (Canada, Alberta).

Anthony of Novgorod, who became the Archbishop of Novgorod after returning from Constantinople, in 1218 founded a new stone church in the name of Barbara on the site of a wooden church (which existed back in 1138) (PSRL. 2000. Vol. 3. pp. 25, 57). It is believed that Anthony brought with him a particle of the relics of this saint (Tsarevskaya, p. 69). From the inventory of the Novgorod Cathedral of St. Sophia, it is known that particles of the relics of Barbara and part of the coffin of this saint were kept in this temple (Inventory of the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral. Novgorod, 1993. Issue 2. pp. 39, 48).

The hand of Barbara in the Monastery of the Holy Cross (Jerusalem) is mentioned in the Visitation of Guest Basil in 1465–1466. (Book of Walks. P. 174). A piece of her relics was also in Halberstadt. Currently, part of the honest head of Barbara is in the church of Agia Episkepsi in Trikala (Thessaly), part of the hand is in the monastery of Simonopetra (Athos), other particles are stored in various monasteries in Greece and Cyprus.

In Moscow, in the Church of St. John the Warrior on Yakimanka, part of the finger of Varvara with a ring, transferred from the Church of the Great Martyr Varvara on Varvarka, is venerated. In the Church of the Resurrection of the Word in Filippovsky Lane (the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate) there is kept a particle of the relics of Barbara, donated to the courtyard by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Hierotheos (1875–1882).

People turn to Varvara for prayer help in the danger of sudden death or in the event of a threat from fire. She is considered the patroness of miners and artillerymen. In 1998, Varvara became the heavenly patroness of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation. And in 2000, her icon, currently located in Samara, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, visited aboard the Mir orbital station.

The memory of the Great Martyr Barbara, a saint who accepted death for Christ in the 4th century, is celebrated on December 17. On this day in 1995, the President of Russia signed a decree establishing the Day of Strategic Missile Forces. In the same year, having visited the Main Headquarters of the Strategic Missile Forces in Vlasikha, His Holiness the Patriarch handed over to the rocket men an icon of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara. Her image is now on every command post of all Russian missile divisions.

4. Akathist to the Holy Great Martyr Barbara

Kontakion 1

Chosen by God from an idolatrous generation and called into the holy tongue, into the people of renewal, the bride of Christ, as if you were delivered from various evils and circumstances, we will write thanksgiving songs and praises to you in your prayer books, holy and all-praised great martyr: but you, who have boldness towards the Lord, from Free us from all troubles, so we joyfully call to you:

Ikos 1

Having immaculately preserved your honest and all-loving purity as an angel, honest Varvaro, you have been vouchsafed to be an angel as your cohabitant; with them, when you sing the Trinity hymn to God in Heaven, hear us singing this praiseworthy song to you on earth:

Rejoice, O young woman, ordained by God the Father to be conformed in suffering to the image of His Son; Rejoice, Son of God, Light from Light, called from darkness into the wonderful light of His faith and grace.

Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit called you, and you yourself are holy in body and spirit; Rejoice, for you have kept yourself immaculate from the defilement of the flesh and spirit.

Rejoice, you who betrothed a pure virgin to the Bridegroom Christ, born of a Virgin; Rejoice, you who did not desire an earthly betrothed more than a heavenly nobility.

Rejoice, thorn of virginity, who sprouted among the thorns of idols; Rejoice, flower of purity, blooming mountain in unfading glory.

Rejoice, enjoying the fragrance of Christ in the Heavenly Vertograd; Rejoice, O Thou who is most Red, more than the sons of men, comforted by sight.

Rejoice, thou who hast made thy garments white in the Blood of Lambs upon the earth; Rejoice, in the face of a virgin, following the Lamb of God in Heaven.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 2

Seeing that Saint Barbara had been placed on a high pillar by her father, she imagined that she would be raised to Heaven by the mania of God. Settling intelligently on your ascent in your heart, you will ascend intelligently from darkness to Light and from charming idols to the true God, singing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

The virgin Saint Barbara, searching for the unintelligible mind about the One Creator of all creation, understood, conversing with her mind, saying: “From the dark idols, the wondrous heavenly luminaries were created powerfully, by us.” To her he and the Psalmist said: “All God is the tongue of the devil, but there is one God and Lord, who created the heavens and all their luminaries.” Astonished at your wisdom, wise virgin, we say:

Rejoice, more intelligent elder than idolaters; Rejoice, wiser than the wise men of this world.

Rejoice, for God has revealed to you His unknown and secret wisdom; Rejoice, for God the Word Himself taught you true theology.

Rejoice, you who have surpassed all the astrologers in the mind of Christ; Rejoice, you have seen the circle of heaven more clearly than these.

Rejoice, for in creation, as in a mirror, you have seen the Creator Himself; Rejoice, for in the created luminaries you saw the Uncreated Light.

Rejoice, now, in addition to the mirror, you see the light of the face of God in Heaven; Rejoice, indescribably rejoicing in that light.

Rejoice, clever star, even as the face of God, like the sun, appears bright to us with illumination; Rejoice, mental moon, by which the night of delusion is enlightened like the day.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 3

The power of the Most High was then given to Saint Barbara, as of old to the prophet Ezekiel, the face of adamantium, powerfully before all idolaters, so that she would not be afraid of their brutal face, nor be horrified by the cruel rebuke. Moreover, with the boldness of her husband, the wise virgin cried out to you: “I honor the Trinity, the One Divinity, and worshiping Thee by faith, I sing loudly: Alleluia.”

Ikos 3

Saint Barbara, having the wisdom given to herself from above, went to the maker of the father’s bathhouse, and silently revealed the mystery of the Holy Trinity, commanded that three windows be built in the bathhouse. “If,” he said, “they have idolatrous lips and do not speak the glory of the true God, then the stone walls of this bathhouse with three windows, like three lips, testify that there is One God, glorified and worshiped in the Trinity of Holy Ones from all creation.” For such wisdom, holy Varvaro, accept this praise:

Rejoice, in the three-window bathhouse the font of Holy Baptism, in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, depicted; Rejoice, in the font of water and the Spirit, which also washed away the blood of your martyrdom for you.

Rejoice, for with three windows you drove away the darkness of polytheism, contrary to the Trinity of Saints; Rejoice, for through the three windows you clearly saw the Trinity Light.

Rejoice, for through those three windows the Sun of Truth, which rose from the grave for three days, looked upon you; Rejoice, for through them the day of Trinity salvation has dawned on you.

Rejoice, having always had your heart open to the One God in the Trinity; Rejoice, your feelings are firmly sealed against the battle of three enemies, the flesh, the world and the devil.

Rejoice, for in your soul you have created three mental windows, faith, hope and love; Rejoice, for through those three windows, under the Trinity Divinity, for three days the Church saw the raised Body of Christ.

Rejoice, for Heaven has been opened to you from the three hierarchies of angels; Rejoice, for you have joyfully received the Upper Trinity monastery.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 4

The storm of the great wrath of your father, breathing repression and murder, has made a noise on the temple of your soul, holy Varvaro, but it cannot be shaken: for the stones of Christ were founded on the solid faith, on which you, a wise virgin, stand motionless, a hymn to Jesus Christ who strengthens you You sang: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Having heard from you, wise daughter, your father Dioscorus the unheard words about the Holy Trinity, like a deaf adder plugging his ears and, like a serpent with a poisonous sting, rushing with the edge of a sword to kill you; but you, bride of Christ Varvaro, imitating your Bridegroom Jesus, who fled from the sword of Herod, you fled from the sword of Dioscorus, desiring to turn his heart from brutal rage into fatherly love. We honor your reasonable flight with these ranks:

Rejoice, blessed one, expelled from the earthly home for the sake of Truth; Rejoice, rich in God, deprived of fatherly riches for Christ's sake.

Rejoice, for through your poverty there is the Kingdom of Heaven; Rejoice, for a treasure of eternal blessings has been prepared for you.

Rejoice, verbal lamb, who ran from the evil wolf tormentor to the Good Shepherd Christ; Rejoice, you have entered into the fold of His righteous sheep, standing at the right hand.

Rejoice, kindly dove, who flew from the earthly raven into the cover of the Heavenly Eagle; Rejoice, you who have found good protection for yourself in His krill's shelter.

Rejoice, honorable daughter of the Heavenly Father, for you were persecuted to death by your earthly parent with dishonor; Rejoice, for you have been received with glory from the immortal Lord of Glory into Eternal Life.

Rejoice, ever-desiring intercessor for us too; Rejoice, diligent prayer book for us to God.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 5

You were like a godly star, holy Great Martyr Varvaro: fleeing before your father, you mysteriously instructed him on the path leading to the Righteous Sun, who rose from the Virgin, Christ God. However, he was spiritually blinded from his eyes, blinded by his eyes, and physically he did not see you running in front of him: for you, through the stone mountain, which was parted for you by the command of God as those who passed by, you hid from his sight in a stone cave, and from the midst of the stone, like a bird, you gave a voice to God, chanting : Alleluia.

Ikos 5

When the shepherd saw you, the sheep grazing on top of the mountain, hidden in stone, he marveled, saying: What is this verbal lamb? Which wolf is running? And behold, Dioscorus, fiercer than a wolf, rushed up to the mountain, and found you hiding there, and stole your maiden hair, dragging you to his home along a cruel path, on which faithfulness we greet you with these greetings:

Rejoice, thou who hast become like the young tree on the aromatic mountains; Rejoice, thou who hast set in thy heart what is above the earthly ascents, O beloved.

Rejoice, you who have escaped the destructive idolatry of the pit; Rejoice, you who have ascended to the mountain of Trinity worship. Rejoice, you who passed through the stone, persecution fleeing from the heart of stone; Rejoice, in the midst of the stone, the Stone of Christ, who affirms you, has found.

Rejoice, you who entered the stone cave and saw Jesus in the stone tomb, having been laid; Rejoice, you who already see Him sitting on the Throne of Glory.

Rejoice, for the hair of your head is preserved for Christ, so that the hair of the head of man will not perish, being plucked from the earth; Rejoice, for these are the essence of Christ for your crowning in Heaven.

Rejoice, your hair is stained with blood, like flowers; Rejoice, you have turned the braiding of your bloody hair into a golden crown for you.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 6

As a God-bearing preacher, an apostle of Christ, you boldly and jealously preached Christ the True God in the face of the tormentors; and for the sake of His fierce wound, painfully rubbed with hair-shirts and a sharp skull, you bravely endured, Saint Varvaro. You were also imprisoned, in it you rejoiced as if in the devil of Christ Jesus, singing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

The enlightenment of true God-understanding has risen in your heart, the light of His Divine face has risen and in your hair, Christ the Lord: For as your beloved Bridegroom, at midnight he came to you, His immaculate bride, in prison, kindly visit you, heal you from your wounds, and with the brightness of Your face you have gladdened your soul indescribably, but teach us faithful to sing to you:

Rejoice, for Christ who suffered, mercilessly beaten; Rejoice, having slain the invisible enemy with patience.

Rejoice, you who bore the wounds of your Lord on your body; Rejoice, you who were healed from all the wounds of your body by the Lord.

Rejoice, for the Lord Himself, the Light of the world, showed Himself to you in your former prison; Rejoice, for the Doctor Himself visited your sick soul and body.

Rejoice, thou who brightly entered through the earthly prison into the Heavenly Palace; Rejoice, you who from your blood obtained your wedding garment.

Rejoice, for through you sinners are healed from many wounds; Rejoice, for through you those who call upon you with faith are healed from all illnesses.

Rejoice, quick relief from the bonds of sin; Rejoice, good healer of many evil ulcers.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 7

I want to improve my desire for the insane tormentor and to turn you, Saint Varvaro, from the True God to a charming idol, who is still trying to use affectionate words, you, like a wise virgin, answered him: “First turn hard adamant into soft wax, rather than turn me away from Christ my God : For him, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the One True God I confess, glorify, praise and sing to Him: Alleluia.”

Ikos 7

A new display of inhumanity was the rage of the bestial tormentor, when he commanded you, holy Great Martyr Varvaro, to hang you on a tree and trim your body with iron nails, and scorch your ribs with burning lights, and also beat your head heavily with hammer. We reverently remember this unnatural patience of yours, and bless you with these praises:

Rejoice, for you were hanged on the tree for Christ’s sake, on the Crucified Cross; Rejoice, for you have been planed along the side of Jesus for the sake of the spear in the side of the pierced one.

Rejoice, for you have kindled the fire of love for God in your heart; Rejoice, for for Him you were scorched with fiery lights.

Rejoice, hardest adamant in unharmed patience; Rejoice, strongest pillar of stone in unshakable courage.

Rejoice, for with the hammer who beat you on the head, the crown of the Kingdom was sought for you; Rejoice, for with the same hammer the head of your enemy was crushed.

Rejoice, for with Christ, for His sake, you suffered on earth; Rejoice, for you are glorified with Him and about Him in Heaven.

Rejoice, strong conqueror of all our enemies; Rejoice, you are an ambulance in all our troubles.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 8

Seeing the strange and terrible suffering of Saint Barbara, the blessed Juliana was greatly surprised at how a young girl in her youthful body so courageously endured torment for Christ; Also, tearfully filled with tenderness, she also cried out in gratitude to Christ our God: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

All the Sweetest Jesus sweetness, all the desire to be with you, Saint Varvaro; For the sake of His sweetness, for the sake of bitterness, you endured torment, saying: “The cup of suffering that my Beloved Bridegroom gave to me, should not the Imam drink?” In the same way, the cup itself appeared, pouring out the sweetness of miraculous healings to all those crying out to you:

Rejoice, you who rejected the grief of idols into hellish grief; Rejoice, you who have loved the heavenly sweetness of Jesus.

Rejoice, you who are mentally present, who have within you the manna of the creation of the will of God; Rejoice, you who fulfill the good wishes of the faithful.

Rejoice, river filled with the grace of God with waters; Rejoice, source of seething outpouring of miracles.

Rejoice, like a bee that has flown away from the stinking smoke of idolaters’ sacrifices; Rejoice, you who have flowed into the fragrant peace of Christ with the sweet stench.

Rejoice, for with your wounds all over your body you were like a honeycomb; Rejoice, for the sweetest drops of your blood were sweeter than the honey of the Most Sweet Jesus.

Rejoice, for your memory is sweet to all the faithful; Rejoice, for your name is most honorable to the entire Church of Christ.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 9

All angelic nature rejoiced with great joy, beholding your courageous fortress, holy and invincible martyr Varvaro: having seen the rank of the ancient enemy, the proud prince of darkness, with all his demonic and idolatrous hordes from you, the only young virgin, disgraced, defeated and under the nose your prostrate, with a great voice you cried out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

The ornate tongues of your rhetoric will not be able to utter the majesty of your painful sufferings, O Varvaro: who will say your illness, colic, when your breast was cut short? Who can speak of the coldness of a girl’s face, when you were led naked throughout the city by lawless tormentors? Just remembering your sickness and dishonor, we shudder and say with tenderness to the sitse:

Rejoice, good summer-bush of the garden of Jesus; Rejoice, true vine of Christ's grapes.

Rejoice, you who have cut off two of your breasts, like you brought two dreams in honor of your Lord; Rejoice, thy blood, like the wine of tenderness, which floweth from them.

Rejoice, for for Christ's sake you were naked and you were stripped of your garments; Rejoice, for for His sake you were led in Jerusalem to be mocked, and you were led throughout the city to be mocked.

Rejoice, you who were clothed by the Angel with bright clothes in your nakedness; Rejoice, you were invisibly covered from the cold combs.

Rejoice, wonderful one who was a disgrace to both Angel and man; Rejoice, you who astonished your tormentors with your patience.

Rejoice, for the Lord Himself has looked down upon your suffering from above; Rejoice, for He Himself is the hero who praises your deeds.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 10

Although you saved your soul, you neglected your body in every possible way, Saint Varvaro: when the condemnation of death came upon you, you sang a song under a sharp sword, like a red crown, joyfully walking to God, who strengthens you in martyrdom: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

The walls of stone became harder and harder, petrified in heart, was Dioscorus, yours, Saint Varvaro, no longer a parent, but a fierce tormentor: for he, having heard your condemnation by the sword to death, not just about your death, but also with his own sword at the place of condemnation of your saint cut off the head, and so, according to the Lord’s prophecy, the accursed father gave up his child to death. In that most blessed death of yours, receive from us this singing:

Rejoice, for the head of the Church - Christ, you bowed your head under the sword; Rejoice, for your love for the Heavenly, humane-loving Father, the Immortal, betrayed to death by the earthly inhuman father of the perishable.

Rejoice, you who ended your martyrdom well; Rejoice, you who kept your faith in the immortal Betrothed Christ vigorous until death.

Rejoice, girded with power from above to fight against the powers of the underworld; Rejoice, thou clothed with victorious glory in the Highest from Christ the Victorious.

Rejoice, thou crowned upon the earth with the weapon of God's favor; Rejoice, adorned in Heaven with the color of incorruptibility.

Rejoice, kindness and praise to the virgins; Rejoice, martyr beauty and joy.

Rejoice, strong refuge for Christians; Rejoice, firm intercession of the faithful.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 11

Our laudable singing, even if it were innumerable, we know that it is not enough to praise you, holy and all-praiseful martyr Varvaro: both of us, for the gifts of God that you have abundantly bestowed upon us, give thanks to God, glorified in you by your good deeds, with grateful lips we sing: Alleluia .

Ikos 11

The light-receiving candle, placed on the Heavenly candlestick before the Throne of the Holy Trinity, is beheld by your intelligent eyes, holy virgin Varvaro: from there, when you enlighten the darkness of our sins at night with the rays of your prayers and instruct us on the bright path of salvation, you are duly worthy of being honored by us with this title :

Rejoice, bright-minded ray, brought into unflickering lightness; Rejoice, mental morning star, who has risen to illuminate the non-evening day.

Rejoice, fragrant myrrh, fragrant Church of Christ; Rejoice, golden censer, bringing incense of prayer for us to God.

Rejoice, unsparing goddess of healings; Rejoice, treasure of God's gifts, independent.

Rejoice, O cup, who draws joy from the abundance of the house of God; Rejoice, vessel who receives the sweetness of all the blessings of Heaven from the fulfillment of Christ.

Rejoice, adamante, beautiful ring of immortal betrothal to Christ; Rejoice, crowned with kindness, held in the hand of the Lord.

Rejoice, for the King of Glory, the Lord of Hosts, has placed upon you glory and splendor; Rejoice, for the King of kings and the Lord of lords has given you His kingdom and dominion.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 12

Grace from God has been given to you, to preserve and protect from sudden illness and arrogant death of every person, who, through faith, love and reverence, remembers and honors your honest suffering; Do not deprive us of that grace, good virgin Varvaro, and we too, health in body and spirit in this present and future life, we sing to God about you: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

We sing of your mighty deeds, we honor your sufferings, we praise your long-suffering, we bless your holy death, we glorify your invincible courage that appeared in your weak body, for which you were glorified on earth and in Heaven, the holy and victorious Great Martyr Varvaro, and in honor of your victorious exploits and sufferings we sing praiseworthy you siya:

Rejoice, thou kindly accepted from the ranks of angels into their cohabitation; Rejoice, joyfully led from the virgin faces into the heavenly chamber.

Rejoice, escorted from the martyr regiments to the crown of glory with a voice of joy; Rejoice, you who received kisses from all the inhabitants of Heaven in the Lord.

Rejoice, for your reward is abundant in Heaven; Rejoice, for your joy is eternal in the lordship of the saints.

Rejoice, strong intercessor for us from enemies visible and invisible; Rejoice, joy to us, grace and eternal glory to the intercessor.

Rejoice, healer of our mental and physical ailments; Rejoice, giver of earthly and heavenly blessings.

Rejoice, for we trust in you to remain alive from unexpected and eternal death; Rejoice, for through you you have safely gained eternal life through tea.

Rejoice, Varvaro, beautiful bride of Christ.

Kontakion 13

O long-suffering and all-praised saint of the Great Martyr Varvaro! Having accepted our present prayer, deliver us from all mental and physical illnesses and enemies, visible and invisible, and save us from eternal torment through your God-pleasing intercession, so that with you on the land of the living we will sing to God forever: Alleluia. (This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 “An honorable angel...” and kontakion 1 “Chosen by God...”).

5. FILMS ABOUT THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR BARBARA

Based on materials www.pravmir.ru,

In the 4th century, a righteous woman of the true teachings of the Church of Christ, the holy great martyr, appeared in the city of Iliopolis. The memorial day in the Orthodox Church is celebrated on December 17th. Seventeen centuries protects and takes care of us saint, showing an example of true faith and love of God. The prayer to Varvara the Great Martyr will help every believer. What is known about her worldly life?

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Faith in God

The girl spent almost all her time alone, sitting by the window and watching the wildlife that surrounded her castle. One day she wondered who could create such a beautiful, breathtaking world. Her pagan teachers explained the creation of everything around her by the forces of wooden and clay deities in which they believed. The mentors also forced the young captive to believe this.

However, Varvara did not like this explanation. She resisted them, saying that some wooden and clay deities could not create anything like that, since they themselves were made by people. Varvara believed that there is a supreme Creator, one and all-powerful, who lives in its own being. And only in his strength and power to create the world around him and endow it with such beauty. The girl was an example of understanding God with the help of his creations.

An offer of marriage

Dioscorus began to be visited by wealthy suitors who had heard about the girl’s unearthly beauty and wanted to take her as their wife. Dioscorus did not want to go against the will of his daughter, so he asked her opinion about marriage with one of the suitors. The girl responded with a decisive refusal and announced her reluctance to commit oneself with someone by marriage. The father was very upset by this, but he decided that his daughter behaved this way due to her youth and difficult character.

In order for his daughter to change her mind when communicating with other girls, Dioscorus allowed her to leave the castle whenever she wanted. This was exactly what Varvara wanted so much. The girl began to often go to the city, and during her father’s long departure, she made acquaintance with secret Christians, living in Iliopol. They told her about the Triune God, about the birth of Jesus from the Virgin Mary, about the sacrifice he made, and about many other things that the girl had never even known about before. These stories remained in her soul forever.

Baptism of Vari

One day the city was visited by a merchant on his way to Alexandria. Christian priest was in hiding under a merchant's mask. The girl asked him to perform a baptism ceremony on her. In addition, he expounded in greater detail the entire teaching about Jesus Christ. Varvara accepted this teaching without any objection. And I decided to completely devote myself and my life to serving God.

Varvara wanted to create an image of the Trinity, so she ordered that not two windows be made, as her father had previously indicated, but three. Upon returning home, Dioscorus decided to find out the reason for the change in the project, and his daughter told the whole truth about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Being a pagan, the father was simply furious, and attacked his daughter with a sword. Varvara was saved thanks to her flight and a cleft in the rock that inexplicably appeared in front of her.

Imprisonment and torment of the Saint

Her father was so blinded by pagan fanaticism that he could dull his parental feelings. By the end of the day he managed to catch his daughter. After this, he gave Varvara to the city ruler so that he could put her in prison. Poor Varya fell into the hands of bloodthirsty executioners. But the young maiden did not break before them, because she hoped and prayed to God. In the night The Lord himself appeared to her, who consoled the poor child and instilled hope for the speedy acquisition of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Varvara's heroism doubled. Another girl who believes in God openly declared this and took Varvara’s side. Having accepted the martyr's cross, they were beheaded.

Veneration of the Great Martyr in Russia

In 300 years Great Martyr Barbara moved to Constantinople, and from the 12th century they appeared in Kyiv. The daughter of the Emperor of Byzantium, who married the Russian prince Mikhail Izyaslovich, took them with her. They are kept in Kyiv to this day. The memory of the great martyr has been honored since the day of the baptism of Rus'.

She helps everyone who asks her for help. It especially helps those people who ask to be protected from unexpected death and are worried that they will leave the sinful earth without repenting. The Great Martyr Barbara also helps in other situations. Holy protects worshipers from accidental troubles. It was noticed long ago that the plague, which broke out very often in Russia, never affected those churches where the relics of the saint were kept. There are icons of the Great Martyr Barbara in every church. The Great Martyr is one of the most revered and beloved saints in Russia. Not everyone knows the history of Varvara’s worldly life and therefore believes that she is Russian. In addition, this name was previously widely known in Russia.

Built in her honor a huge number of temples. Almost every Orthodox family has its icons hanging. The Church of the Great Martyr Barbara was also erected in the Russian capital. It is believed that it was built in the 16th century and is located next to the Kremlin. The street where the church is located is named after it. Previously, Varvara was considered a trade patroness, and therefore she chose a place for the construction of a church in a massive concentration of shopping arcades.

What do they ask Varvara for?

Before execution Varvara asked God for help to all Christians who prayed for her. Anyone who is afraid of a misfortune that may come by chance, an unexpected death, or going into another world without repentance will find help and support from Varvara. Since ancient times, people have known about the healing power of holy relics. On the day of remembrance of Saint Barbara, many Orthodox Christians say a prayer and turn their gaze to her icon in hopes of healing.

Whom does the Great Martyr help?

Varvara is always asked for help by those people who do not want to die early, especially without repenting. These people were mainly:

• traders,
• wanderers,
• workers of a dangerous profession (miner, military).

She is often called upon when a thunderstorm rages, so that she can protect those asking from being struck by lightning. In addition, she is believed to be the patroness of artisans.

Many claim that the relics of the saint have miraculous properties. It is believed that the relics can charge other objects with their miraculous energy. Christians left crosses and rings near the relics, and then put them on themselves as a talisman. Empress Elizabeth herself took off her rings, replacing them with ordinary rings from the Holy Great Martyr Barbara.

During Rus', women committed a sin if they washed, bleached or kneaded clay on the day of Barbara. They were only allowed to do handicrafts, but they could begin to do this only after reading a special prayer. On St. Barbara's Day women made dumplings with poppy seeds and cottage cheese, and unmarried girls wondered their fate. In the garden, the girls broke off a cherry branch and put it in a jug of water. If it blooms on Christmas Eve, then a happy marriage may take place this year. Many of them read prayer to Saint Barbara for marriage. And the people are about healing the soul and body. A folk sign says: what the weather will be like on Barbara’s Day, the same will be the weather on Christmas Day.

If you ask Varvara for help, she will definitely help. The main thing is to have pure thoughts and keep sincere faith in your soul. The saint will not refuse anyone's prayers. And if it seems that she does not hear you, then the time has not come for your help, and you should not despair. Important:

If you just learned about her and have never seen her icon, then you can look at the photo on the Internet.

Saint Barbara the Great Martyr