In the Orthodox calendar there are a lot of big and small dates that are important for a believer. Telling in this short article which major church holidays are celebrated in March, we did not touch on the topic of church posts and Pancake week , the date of which is passing and depends on Easter . Here will be mentioned only the main non-transient events of this month, important for the Orthodox Christian.
Great non-transient church holidays in March
On March 2, it is necessary to commemorate the day of memory of several outstanding martyrs of the church - the Great Martyr Theodore Tirion and the martyr Ermogen. Theodore glorified his name in the year 306, when he was able to confront the Gentiles, who tried to force him to accept pagan faith. Being a simple warrior, he even under torture did not agree to offer sacrifices and was sentenced to be burned. Theodore gave his soul to God, but the fire could not damage the body of the Great Martyr.
Patriarch Moscow Ermogen became famous for his exploits in the name of faith a thousand years later. He had to become a defender of Orthodoxy during the most violent Troubles, when the threat of the fall of the Russian state from the fights of domestic and Polish invaders looms. Honed in the Miracle Monastery, the patriarch blessed the masses against the Polish hordes. Nine months he resisted the torturers, and then he starved him to death.
March 5 should be remembered glorious of his deeds Yaroslav the Wise. The famous prince devoted a lot of time to education, built majestic temples, and is the main author of the most important list of laws - "Russian Truth". It's no wonder that this great man began to be read immediately for his incredible merits.
Finding the head of John the Baptist Orthodox Church celebrates on March 9 . After the execution, the body of the Forerunner was buried in Sebastia, but his head remained with Herodias. The wife of the ruler of the tsar was able to steal her and, putting it inside the vessel, hid the holy thing. Only in the IV century, the pious Innocent was able to find a chapter in the construction of the church, but the fear of the infidels forced him to hide the relic in order to save him from reproach. The holy monks were hidden in caves, and it was lost. Soon a monastery was erected on this site, and the Forerunner himself appeared to the archimandrite to indicate where the sacred vessel was. After the second finding, the chapter was taken to Constantinople.
On March 17, Honored Prince Daniel of Moscow is honored. The son of Alexander Nevsky ruled during the hard times of the Tatar yoke. Tiny bit of his lot he multiplied, although he never tried to unleash wars. The peacekeeper received his biggest acquisition in the form of the Pereyaslavl lands, which gave an opportunity to put forward the little-known Moscow principality in Europe for the leading roles.
On March 22, a very famous church feast is held in honor of the memory of 40 Sevastian martyrs. Courageous Christian warriors refused to read pagan faith and took terrible torture in the cold water of a frozen lake near the Armenian city of Sevastia. Only one decided to leave his fellows and fled to a saving bath, but on the threshold he instantly died. He was replaced by a guard who noticed glow at night and warmth coming from a divine source. The soldier took the next day the death of the executioners, along with his fellow believers. The remains of Christians were burned, and the bones were thrown into the water, but the martyrs who appeared in a dream to the local bishop told where to look for them. As if the stars were shining relics on the bottom of the river, which indicated a divine miracle.
On March 25, St. Gregory Dvoslov is worshiped. He was the Pope in a complex for Christians of the VI century, but managed to wisely control the church and fight the heretics. Grigory Dvoslov left many religious works of great importance, and also in Latin wrote the order of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
The church holidays are coming to an end in March 30 of the day, which is popularly called Alexei Teply . Usually at this time in Russia snow melts, and you can already wait for the arrival of real heat. The Monk Alexy, the Man of God, grew up in a Roman noble family, but even a wedding with a beautiful woman could not force him to give up true faith. His life he spent in prayer and lived on alms. Only after the demise did the Romans learn about the holiness of Alexei when they saw the holy remains that healed the sick, exuding the world.