Life of the great martyr Nikita. Life of the Monk Nikita the Stylite. Troparion and kontakion to Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod

Holy Great Martyr Nikita: life

The Holy Great Martyr Nikita was a Goth. He lived on the banks of the Danube and suffered for Christ in 372.

Then the Christian faith was already widely spread in the country of the Goths. Saint Nikita believed in Christ and received Baptism from the Gotthian Bishop Theophilos, a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. The pagan Goths began to oppose the spread of Christianity, as a result of which internecine strife arose.

After the victory of Fritigern, who led the army of Christians and defeated the pagan Athanarich, the faith of Christ began to spread more successfully among the Goths. Bishop Ulfilas, the successor of Bishop Theophilus, created the Gothic alphabet and translated many sacred books into the Gothic language. Saint Nikita also worked hard in spreading Christianity among his fellow tribesmen. By his example and inspired word, he led many pagans to the faith of Christ.

However, Afanarikh, after the defeat, managed to regain his strength, return to his country and restore his former power. Remaining a pagan, he continued to hate and persecute Christians. Saint Nikita, subjected to many tortures, was thrown into the fire, where he died. A friend of Saint Nikita, the Christian Marian, found the body of the martyr at night, not damaged by fire and illuminated by a wonderful light, transferred it and gave it to burial in Cilicia. Subsequently, it was transferred to Constantinople. A particle of the holy relics of the great martyr Nikita was later transferred to the Vysokie Decany monastery in Serbia.

As presented by St. Demetrius of Rostov

When the honest and life-giving cross of the Lord, this sign of victory, was lifted high above the world, then the name of victory, Saint Nikita, came under its shadow. On the eve of this day, we celebrated the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, this victory invincible to the world, and now we bless Saint Nikita, whose name means the victor 1. This good soldier of Jesus Christ stood under the cross, as if under a banner, to wage war against the enemies of the Holy Cross, in honor of the One Crucified on it. One fights for the king of the earth, another for his life and vain glory, another for temporary riches, and Saint Nikita fought for his One Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the King of all creation and our glory and never dwindling wealth. And where and how this soldier fought for Christ - the following narrates about this.

When, during the reign of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine the Great, holy faith began to spread throughout the entire universe, then in the Gothic country 2, on the other side of the Istra 3 (Danube) river, holy piety shone like light in darkness. Saint Nikita was born, baptized, and raised in that country. The Gothic bishop Theophilos 4, who took part in the first Council of Nicaea, confessed the dogmas of the Orthodox faith and signed the decisions of the council, enlightened Nikita with the light of faith and baptized him in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

After a little time, the ancient envious devil, unable to bear the fact that the holy faith of Christ is spreading and the number of Christians is increasing more and more, erected in this barbaric land, darkened by idolatry, a struggle and strong persecution against those professing the name of Christ and believers in the Lord. The spirit of malice inspired the prince of that country, by the name of Phanarikh, to kill Christians and exterminate even the memory of them from his land. At that time, division and internecine strife occurred among the Goths. They were divided into two parts: one part had a certain Fritigern as its leader, and the other was led by the cruel tormentor Athanarich. When these fellow tribesmen met each other for battle and there was a great bloodshed, Athanarikh, who had more strength and courage, overcame and defeated his opponent and put his army to flight. The defeated Fritigern fled to Greece, where he sought help from the Christ-hating king Valens 5; the emperor ordered all the troops in Thrace to go to the aid of Fritigern. After this Fritigern, with all his soldiers who remained and with the Greek army gathered in Thrace, set out against his rival. Crossing the river Istra (Danube), he ordered to make an image of the holy cross and wear this image in front of his regiments. So he attacked Athanarich. A terrible battle took place, but the Christians with the help of the cross overpowered Athanarich and defeated his entire army: some were killed, others were taken prisoner, so that he himself with a small squad barely had time to escape. Since that time, the Christian Orthodox faith more and more began to spread among the Goths, for many, seeing the irresistible power of the cross, manifested in battle, believed in the Lord Crucified on the Cross.

When Bishop Theophilus died, Urphilus 6, a prudent and pious man, entered his see. He invented writing for the Goths and translated many books from Greek into Gothic, so that the holy Christian faith spread among the Goths more and more every day. St. Nikita, one of the noblest and most glorious persons of that earth, also contributed to the establishment of faith in Christ there by his zeal. With his piety and divinely inspired words, he led many to Christ.

After some time, the wicked Athanarich returned to his homeland again. Having reached power and strength, he, being taught by a demon, erected a terrible persecution against Christians in his area, tried to avenge his humiliation, since he was defeated and put to shame by Christians in battle.

Then Saint Nikita, inflamed with zeal for God, went out to fight both enemies, invisible and visible: he waged a struggle against the invisible enemy, converting the unbelievers to the true faith and preparing the believers for martyrdom; he waged a struggle with a visible enemy, denouncing the tormentor Athanarikh and reproaching him for his godlessness and inhumanity, for giving a multitude of believers to various torments; thus Saint Nikita conquered both: he trampled on the devil, and overcame the severity of the torturer. The various torments with which they wanted to force the good sufferer of Christ to renounce Christ were powerless, and the tormentor himself was at a loss why, with all his might, he could not bow down to his wickedness one servant of Christ, who was firm in his confession like a strong and unshakable pillar.

What then did the wicked one plan? He planned to destroy with fire the one whom he could not kill with many wounds, torture of the flesh and fragmentation of members. But what has the wicked accomplished? He burned himself more with his rage than the martyr with flame: Saint Nikita, although he was in the fire, his body did not burn from the fire, but his soul was revived for a new eternal immortal life. Meanwhile, the tormentor burned out even without fire from his godlessness: he mortified his soul and prepared his body for hell. Thus Saint Nikita fought for Christ under the sign of the cross and showed himself a victor; not only by name, but in fact, he was.

The body of the saint, unharmed by fire, remained without burial and lay, being thrown in dishonor. At that time there was only a pious Christian named Marian. This husband was from the Cilician country, from the city of Mopsuestia 7. On some business, he came to the Gothic land, and stayed here for quite a long time. Marian made the acquaintance of Saint Nikita and acquired his friendship and love; in particular, he loved him when he saw that the holy ascetic stood up for the holy faith of Christ even until he was ready to shed his blood for it. And so, when the body of the saint lay unburied, Marian thought about how he could take the body of his beloved friend and martyr of Christ and carry it to his native country. But he was afraid to carry out his intention, out of fear of the prince, who ordered that no one should dare to bury the bodies of the martyr. Then Marian decided to secretly take him at night.

At nightfall, Marian was ready to go out on the planned business; but the night was dark and rainy, so it was difficult for him to walk. Marian was greatly saddened by this, for he did not see where to go and where to find the sought-after body of the martyr. When he was deeply grieving for this, the God of all consolations, who once showed the Magi with a star the way to Bethlehem (Matthew 2: 2), consoled Marian in grief and showed him an auspicious way to find the body of the saint: He sent a certain heavenly power in the form of a star, which, shining before Marian, led him where he needed. This star preceded Marian and dispersed the darkness of the night; he happily followed her. Having reached the place where the body of the saint was, the star stopped above him. Then Marian, having wrapped a clean shroud around the body of the martyr, carried him to the house where he lived.

So Marian obtained the sought-after treasure. Having hidden him for a while in his dwelling with great care, he soon after this returned to his fatherland and brought with him the body of the holy martyr 8. Arriving in the city of Mopsuestia, Marian buried him with honor in his house.

God sent down a blessing to the house of Marian for the sake of His passion-bearer, Saint Nikita, as He once blessed with many riches the house of Pentephrius for the sake of Joseph (Gen. 39: 5) and the house of Aveddars for the sake of the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:11). The house of Marian began to abound in great wealth: both material and spiritual, for from the tomb of the saint many gifts were given to all those in need and many healings were sent down to the sick. The whole city and the surrounding inhabitants gathered at the saint's tomb, so that the house of Marian could not accommodate all the believers who gathered here; therefore, everyone decided to build a church in the name of St. Nikita and put the relics of the martyr there. Taking up this matter with zeal, the believers soon erected a temple. At the end of the building, when the temple was decorated with appropriate splendor, the tomb of the holy martyr was opened and, taking the ark, they carried it to the newly created church and here they buried it in the ground. Only one Marian managed to take, as a blessing to his home from the relics of the saint, one finger, which he kept with himself with reverence; no one else could take a single particle from the relics of Saint Nikita.

Once Blessed Auxentius, Bishop of Mopsuestia, having created a church in honor of the holy martyrs Tarakh, Prov and Andronicus 9, sent a message to the city of Anazarv 10, where the relics of these three saints rested; in his message, he asked the citizens of Anazarva to give some of the relics of the holy martyrs for the newly built church. Then the citizens of Anazarva asked Auxentius to give them in return some part of the relics of St. Nikita to bless their city. Wishing to fulfill their request, the bishop gave orders to open the tomb of the holy Martyr Nikita. And so, for no apparent reason, the marble stone that was on the saint's tomb split into two halves. One of those present here boldly touched the holy relics with his hand, but immediately his hand dried up, and terror fell upon him. At the same time, a strong thunderclap came from the sky and a bright lightning flashed; everyone was afraid. Then the bishop realized that God did not bless the fragmentation of the relics of the saint, and repented of his intention. Taking by the withered hand of a man who boldly touched the relics of the saint, he again touched the relics with it and began to pray:

Oh, holy martyr Nikita of Christ! It is more fitting for you to heal than to harm, for you are good and imitate the All-Merciful Lord, and if you soon punished this person, then perhaps you will sooner have mercy on him.

As soon as the bishop uttered these words, the withered hand of that man was immediately healed, and everyone marveled at the miracles of the holy martyr Nikita and glorified God. No longer daring to touch the relics of the saint of God, Bishop 11, having performed a reverent singing over them, again with honor closed his tomb, glorifying the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One in the Trinity of God, to whom all glory, honor and worship are for ever. Amen.

________________________________________________________________________

1 Nikita - "winner" in Greek.

2 The Gothic country stretched from the lower Vistula to the Black Sea; mainly the Goths lived in present-day Romania, along the Danube.

3 Istres is the old name of the Danube.

4 Mind. about 340.

5 Emperor Valens reigned from 364 to 378.

6 Urfil or Ulfilla - the first Gothic bishop and zealous preacher of Christianity among the Goths; lived from 311 to 383

7 The city of Mopsuestia was located on a plain, on the banks of the Pyramas River.

10 Anazarv or Anazarva is a city in Cilicia.

11 Bishop Auxentius II lived in the middle of the 5th century; participated in 451 at the IV Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon.

Memory Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod The Church honors several times a year: 12th of February(January 30, old style), may 13(April 30, Old Style) and May 27(Article 14). Saint Nikita has the grace of preservation from fire and lightning.

Life of Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod

The future Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod, was a native of Kiev. In his youth, he took monastic vows at the Kiev-Pechersk monastery and soon, despite the objections of the hegumen Nikon, he wished to go into seclusion. In seclusion, Saint Nikita fell into temptation, because he did not listen to hegumen Nikon, but relied on himself, taking on a difficult feat for the young monk. Kiev-Pechersk Patericon reports that he was put down by the temptation of the devil and could not stand it:

... and the devil deceived him. ... a demon stood before him in the form of an angel. Having fallen on his face, the monk bowed to him like an angel. And the demon said to him: “Do not pray, but only read books, and in this way you will converse with God, and from books you will begin to give a useful word to those who come to you. I will constantly pray for the salvation of your Creator.

Monk Nikita was deceived, left prayer and took up reading and book wisdom. He surpassed everyone in his knowledge of the books of the Old Testament, and he did not want to speak or listen to the Gospel. Kiev-Pechersk monks came to him and, having prayed, drove the demon away from him. After this, the monk Nikita, with the blessing of the monks, left the closure, began to lead his life in strict fasting and prayer, most of all exercising in obedience and humility. God, by His mercy and the prayers of the monks, raised him from the depths of his fall to a high degree of spiritual perfection.

In 1096 Nikita was ordained to the episcopal rank by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kiev (XI century) and appointed to the Novgorod cathedra; Nikita is called the sixth Novgorod bishop in the "Murals, or Brief Chronicler of the Novgorod Lords". During the episcopacy of Nikita, several churches were built (the Transfiguration Church on Ilyin Street (rebuilt in 1374), the Annunciation Church on the Gorodishche, the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Anthony Monastery). For his pious life, Bishop Nikita was awarded the gift of miracles from God. Once, during a drought, he brought rain down from the sky with a prayer, and another time, through his prayer, the fire in the city stopped. In 1108 Bishop Nikita reposed and was buried in the Novgorod Sophia Cathedral.

Veneration of Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod

In 1547, at the first Makaryevsky cathedral, Bishop Nikita was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. On April 30, 1558, the imperishable relics of Saint Nikita were found by Archbishop Pimen. At the same time, a posthumous portrait was drawn from the face of the saint, details of the appearance and vestments of the saint were clarified, and information was sent to Moscow to Metropolitan Macarius to clarify the icon-painting tradition. F.G. Solntsev in his work " Antiquities of the Russian state"Noted:

At the opening of St. On his relics in 1550, a vestment was found on him, preserved incorrupt in the grave, where it lay for 450 years. All vestments consist of a feloni, an epitrachilia, handrails, a club, a brown damask, a garus belt, a white lustrine omophorion, a blue grodeturov (dense taffeta) cap covered with ermine fur; it has crosses and seraphim embroidered in gold with the words Seraphim. Such a hat served as a miter. To this bishop's utensils of the XI century. belongs to the bishop's staff, which will be discussed below, and iron chains weighing 20 pounds, found on the relics of the Hierarch. On the day of the discovery of his incorruptible remains, Novgorodians brought to the coffin his iron lamp, kept in the sacristy, with a circular cut-out inscription: “The candle of Velikago Novgorod of all Orthodox Christians was delivered to the new miracle worker Nikita….

In 1956, the relics of St. Nikita were transferred by Bishop Sergius (Golubtsov; 1906-1982) from St. Sophia Cathedral to St. Nicholas Cathedral, and in 1962 - to the church in the name of the Apostle Philip. In 1993, the relics of St. Nikita were returned to St. Sophia Cathedral. The first Life of Saint Nikita is found in the Epistle of Polycarp to Akindinos of the 13th century. In 1942, the Nazis drove over three thousand Novgorodians to Lithuania. In the autumn of the same year, a German military train brought five silver shrimp with the relics of Novgorod saints to the Lithuanian town of Vekshni, in which the Novgorodians were assigned to settle. The rector of the local church, Archimandrite Alexy (Cheran), who arrived immediately, was the first to recognize the shrine of St. Nikita. All the relics were immediately transported to the church, and Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky) of Lithuania, in a telephone conversation, instructed the rector to open the shrine before the all-night vigil and straighten the clothes of the saints. Archimandrite writes:

After a long journey, the saints in reliquaries moved from their place, and they had to be put in the proper way, and therefore the Lord vouchsafed me, an unworthy one, to lift Saint Nikita entirely in my arms, with the help of Hierodeacon Hilarion. The saint was dressed in a dark crimson velvet phelonion, on top of which lay a large omophorion of forged gold brocade. His face was covered with great air; on the head - a golden miter darkened with time. The face of the saint is remarkable; the completely preserved features of his face express strict calmness and at the same time meekness and humility. The beard is almost invisible, only sparse vegetation on the chin is noticeable. The blessing right hand is folded with two fingers - a strongly darkened place from being applied for 400 years stands out brightly on it. God is wonderful in His saints! " At the same time, Deacon Hilarion, who helped the rector of the church to put the relics of the saints in order, twice saw the same dream: Saint Nikita, dressed in a mantle, stood in the middle of the church and read the canon of repentance. The hierodeacon, who entered the church and saw the bishop, immediately fell at his feet and asked for his blessing. The saint blessed the Novgorod citizen with a gesture and said: “All pray for deliverance from the calamities that are coming to our homeland and people. The evil enemy takes up arms. All of you must receive a blessing before the service of God.

After these words, the saint became invisible. Upon learning of this, Metropolitan Sergius established a rule that before the beginning of each service, at the opening of the shrine of St. Nikita, the clergy should go out and kiss the right hand of St. Nikita, return to the altar and then only begin the Liturgy.

Troparion and kontakion to Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod

Troparion, voice 4

Enjoy the God-wisdom of abstinence, and bridling the desire of your flesh, on the throne of the sainthood. And like a bright star enlightening faithful hearts with the glimpses of your miracles, our father to St. Nikito. Pray to Christ God, may our soul save.

Kontakion, voice 6

Bishops were sent by the dignity, the purest coming, diligently praying for their people, bringing. Like the rain and prayer will bring, ovogazh and the hail of fire extinguish. And now to Saint Nikito, pray to Christ God to save our country, and your people are praying. Yes, all cry out to you, rejoice in the saint, the most delightful father.

Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod. Icons

It is known that the icon painter Simeon was ordered by Archbishop Pimen to paint an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Infant Christ, and Saint Nikita, standing before them and praying with raised hands. The saint did not have a beard. And the icon painter thought that at least a small beard on the face of Bishop Nikita should be depicted on the icon. Simeon dozed off and heard a voice in a thin dream:

Simeon, you are thinking of writing to the brother of Bishop Nikita! Do not think about it, for he did not have a brother. And erect other icon painters so that they do not write on the icons of Bishop Nikita with a brada.

The image of the saint was written as he himself commanded. On the icons, Bishop Nikita is depicted in holy vestments with the Gospel in his hands. On the icon "St. Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod, and St. Sergius of Radonezh," St. Nikita depicts a small beard, probably because the presence of a beard corresponded to the medieval understanding of the image of God in man.

A very beautiful and courageous name Nikita is translated from Greek as "winner". Interested in the question of when the Orthodox name days of Nikita are celebrated, it should be noted that there are several of them. And first, let's see how the saints named by this name were glorified. Among the Old Slavonic finds, archaeologists have found many old crosses and icons depicting the holy Martyr Nikita Besogon. He was portrayed with a stick and shackles, which he held in his hands and beat the demon with them. Name days named after Nikita are celebrated several times a year.

The most famous are: Nikita Besogon (as stated above), Nikita Gotsky (who belonged to the first Christian martyrs who were tortured in Constantinople), and Nikita Stylpnik (who lived in Russia in the 18th century).

Dealing with the question of when Nikita Besogon's name day is celebrated, it should be noted that his iconographic plot illustrates the history of the Byzantine apocryphal texts of the life of the saint. According to some reports, he was the son of Tsar Maximian. Having believed in Christ, he aroused the great indignation of his pagan father and was subjected to numerous cruel tortures, and then thrown into prison, where once the demon himself appeared to him in the guise of an angel and began to persuade him to believe in pagan idols, promising him deliverance from torture. Nikita did not believe this terrible angelic essence and began to pray intensely to the Lord, and then the archangel Michael descended from heaven and ordered a false angel to be tested. Then Nikita grabbed the devil and began to beat him with his shackles, and he was forced to confess that he was an unclean spirit.

Then the king again summoned Nikita to him, but he did not come alone, but brought a demon with him to show everyone who took power over them. And to finally convince, Nikita resurrected a long-dead married couple. But this did not affect Maximian, then both the queen and the people revolted against him. On this day Saint Nikita baptized 18,400 people, but soon he gave his soul to God.

Holy Great Martyr Nikita of Gotsky

In the theme of Nikita's name day, it is imperative to mention the Monk Nikita of Gotha, who was also a Christian saint. He was a Goth by birth and was born on the banks of the mighty Danube. He was baptized by Bishop Theophilus, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council. Nikita, together with Bishop Wulfila, spread Christianity among his tribes and was a warrior of the Gothic leader Fritigern, who fought against Atanarich when an inter-tribal conflict occurred between them.

But after Atanarich came to power again, Nikita continued to preach Christianity. Then they took him into custody, tortured him for a long time and, with sophisticated tortures, tried to beat him to renounce the Christian faith. And then he was executed by burning and, according to the life, the body of Saint Nikita was not scorched by fire, but he was simply killed anyway, and that was in 372. The body of the martyr was taken by his friend Marianne, and it was buried in Cilicia. But after a while, part of the relics was transferred to Constantinople, and part to the Serbian monastery (Vysokie Decany).

Nikita Stylpnik

Answering the question when is Nikita's name day, it is necessary to tell about the Monk Nikita the Stylite, who lived in Pereslavl-Zalessky in the XII century. He married early and indulged in all sorts of vices, quarreled with the rich, oppressed the poor and dishonestly charged people an inflated bribe, due to this he made himself a large fortune.

Once at a service in the church, he heard words from the scripture of the Prophet Isaiah, which said that people should be cleansed and washed, stop doing evil and seek the truth. Then a real miracle happened: these words touched Nikita to the depths of his soul. He decided to give up his wealth and his vicious life and devote himself to serving God, and, without thinking twice, went to a monastery. Nikita voluntarily put on the heavy iron chains and retired on a stone pillar. Until his last day on earth, he remained in fasting and prayer, day and night atonement for his sins before the Lord. For such a tough ascetic life Nikita received from God the gift of miracles and could heal the sick.

Betrayal of loved ones

But one day two people came to him to ask for a blessing. He knew them well. His worn chains gleamed before their envious eyes, and it seemed to them that they were silver. Then they took and killed Nikita in order to take possession of this wealth. This happened on May 24, 1186.

The relics of the Monk Nikita were examined and found on May 29-31 in 2000, with the blessing of the Russian Patriarch Alexy II and Archbishop Micah of Rostov and Yaroslavl.

Nikita: name day, angel day

The Life says that Saint Nikita helps in teaching, overcomes demons, provides an opportunity to repent of sins and protect himself from the deceptions of the devil.

Troparion, voice 4:

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp
Great Martyr Nikito. / Pray Christ God, save our souls.

Kontakion, voice 2:

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Delights have cut the state by your standing, and we will receive a crown of victory in your suffering, rejoice with glorious angels, Nikito the same name, with them we pray to Christ God of all.

Prayer 1:

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp
Stretch out your hand, giving an ambulance, control our mind from destructive scattering, and cleanse our defiled hearts, sanctify and affirm grief.
Preserve us from the enemies of the visible and invisible, so that we will emerge victorious over the passions, creating holiness in the passion of the Lord, and all despondency better, we will begin to rejoice in the Lord; and so with your intercessions, in humility and simplicity of heart, we will be honored to the last gasp of the Godly Father and Son and Holy Spirit to sing and glorify your God-crowned deeds and miracles forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer 2:

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Oh, great passion-bearer of Christ and miraculous great martyr Nikito! Falling to your holy and miraculous image, your feats and miracles and your much suffering towards people are glorifying, we pray thee diligently: show us your humble and sinful your holy and powerful intercession: behold, sin for our sake, not imams of freedom, children of God, hedgehog boldly ask our Lord and our Lord for our Lord's and our Master's needs, but we offer you a favorable prayer book to Him and we cry out for your intercession: ask the Lord for usable gifts to our souls and bodies: right faith, hopeless hope for salvation, love for all unfeigned, courage in temptations , patience in their malice, constancy in their prayers, health of souls and bodies, fruitfulness of the earth, goodness of the air, everyday needs contentment, a peaceful and pious life on earth, a Christian life, death and a kind response to the terrible judgment of Christ. Also, about the passion-bearer of Christ, from the Heavenly Tsar, ask all Orthodox Christians for peace, health and salvation, victory and conquest for the enemies, for the whole God-protected country, prosperity, silence and prosperity. Wake up to the Christ-loving army, and an assistant to the enemies, and to all Orthodox people, reveal your holy intercession: heal the sick, comfort the grieving, help the needy; She, a saint of God and a long-suffering martyr! Do not forget your holy abode and all the nuns and secular ones who live in it and who ascend, but hurry to them in humility and patience to bear the yoke of Christ and save mercifully from all troubles and temptations. Bring all of us to a quiet haven of salvation and grant the heirs to be the blessed kingdom of Christ with your holy prayers, may we glorify and sing the great bounties of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity, the glorified and worshiped God, and your holy intercession forever and ever. Amen.

	St. Nikita of Gotf.

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp Oh, great luminary, shining the ends of the whole world, passion-bearer of Christ to Nikita! Today, tenderly coming more honest to your icon and leaning and kissing this, we earnestly pray to you: ask us from Christ our God for the forgiveness of sins, the correction of life, and all that is good for temporary and eternal life. Oh, most honorable and glorious passion-bearer of Christ! Do not despise our prayer and do not leave us who come running to you, but look mercifully at us and at our earthly vale; remember us, itinerants and strangers, and with the power given to you from God, guide us to the Heavenly Fatherland; strengthen our weakness, protect us from the falls, kindle in us holy love for the Lord, and grant us zeal for our salvation; instill in our hearts the fear of the Divine, and direct our feet to the practice of the commandments of Christ. Ask for your intercession from the All-Merciful God of our Church the peace of His Church, for people in faith one-wisdom, for superstition and splits, destruction and confirmation in good deeds, for the sick, for the sorrowful consolation, for the offended intercession, for the needy help. Above all, by your prayer, make all of us, hedgehog living chastely and righteously and piously in this age, always the hour of death and the terrible second coming of our Lord and our God Jesus Christ, to remember, by His grace and love for mankind we observe and save, bitter ordeals from demons, air princes, and we will get rid of eternal torment, and in the Heavenly Kingdom we will worship the Throne of God so we will be honored, gratefully and all joyfully glorifying the Most Holy and Most Divine Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer 4:

& nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp & nbsp O Great Martyr of Christ, Nikito! You were brave in battle, and you were an enemy who drove away, and you were an offended intercessor, a representative of all Orthodox Christians. Have mercy on me, a sinner and unworthy, and step in in troubles, and in sorrows, and in sorrows, and in every evil misfortune, and protect me from every evil and offending person: for you have been given such grace from God, hedgehog to pray for us sinners, in troubles and misfortunes suffering evil. Deliver us from those who offend and hate us, let our champion always be strong against all our visible and invisible enemies.
Oh, our great champion Nikito! Do not forget us who are always praying to you and asking you for help and endless mercy, and you are worthy, sinful and unworthy, to receive ineffable good from God, even ready for those who love Him. For this befits all glory, honor and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

(days.pravoslavie.ru; ru.wikipedia.org; illustrations - days.pravoslavie.ru; www.nikita-bywalino.ru; www.photoshare.ru; ru.wikipedia.org; bibliotekar.ru; berezovo.z16.ru ; www.icon-art.info; lh4.ggpht.com; pereslavl.goldentown.ru).