Disinsection
Saint Lazarus is the patron of what. Resurrection of Righteous Lazarus

Saint Lazarus is the patron of what. Resurrection of Righteous Lazarus

You and I often go to church, pray, kiss holy icons. But not everyone knows that the righteous Lazarus, the right hand and faithful helper of the Lord, helps and heals from various ailments. To be honest, many do not even know who he is and what to do with his icon. We have become so far from the church that holy relics and icons begin to stream myrrh to show us unbelievers that the end is near. That the Savior will soon come and reward everyone according to their deserts.

Lazar lived near Jerusalem, in the town of Bethany. He was the brother of Mary and Martha. Jesus called him his brother, his best friend. (John 11:3,6,11).Lazar was sick and died. The Savior mourned him for a long time, and resurrected him on the fourth day. It was impossible to be near the deceased, there was a terrible stench.

Immediately after returning to this world, Lazar left his native city and settled in Cyprus. He was forced to do so, the local priests wanted to kill him. He was approximately 30 years of age. Around the age of 45, righteous Paul and Barnabas arrived on the island with the aim of preaching the Word of God. Here they met with Lazarus and Mark, and appointed the righteous to the position of bishop. Lazar ruled the Kitian community for 18 years.

When Lazar, after a long journey, ascended the island and wandered around the city in search of housing, he became very thirsty. He never found water, and was forced to ask the mistress of one of the houses for some grapes. She said that she had no grapes, this year there was a terrible drought, nothing had ugly. Lazarus was angry and answered her: "For your lies, you will have only a salt lake, and not a vineyard." Today, tourists and believers who come to the island are shown this lake. Today, the locals are happy to receive guests.

When Lazar became a bishop, the Mother of God came to him and gave him a very expensive gift, an omophorion that she made herself. She traveled a long way before reaching Cyprus. Together with the apostles, she fell into a terrible storm. The Lord directed the ship to Mount Athos. Subsequently, a monastery was founded there.

After Lazar came back to life, he preached and helped people for another 30 years. He died in Cyprus.

Relics of Saint Lazarus

In the city where Lazarus lived and served, a temple was erected. They put it over the burial place of the righteous. He died at 63. When the bells are struck, the ringing scatters to all corners of the small town. A marble slab was installed over the tombstone, on it was written: "Lazarus, was dead for four days, brother of Jesus."

When wars were fought, and Cyprus was captured by the troops of the Franks, the relics of Lazarus were taken to Marseilles. The followers of Jesus and Lazarus were wise, they did not hand over all the remains to the military. For many years, no one knew about it.

In our time, not so distant 1972, there was a fire in a temple in Cyprus. Burning icons on the iconostasis. The weight of the top row burned out. When the fire approached the icon of Lazarus, the Lord stopped the fire. Thus gave a sign to the believers. The servants began repairs, began to restore the temple. Construction work was entrusted to Deacon Macarius. He dug up a tomb with the remains of a saint. For so many centuries, only a part of the inscription has been preserved on it, and it meant “Brother” in translation. The remains were safely transferred to a special tomb, and are still kept in the church of St. Lazarus. Many pilgrims have since visited the temple. Numerous miracles and healings have been recorded.

Not everyone believed that it was Lazar's relics that were found. Scientists from the USA were especially doubtful of this. In 1996, they were allowed to verify their authenticity. But when the scientists entered the temple, a miracle happened, all the icons with the image of the righteous and the tomb began to stream myrrh, there was a wonderful smell in the temple. As a result, it was concluded that these are indeed the relics of the saint.

The old temple has been reconstructed. To the left of the altar of the temple, the icon of the Mother of God was placed, to the right, there is an entrance to the cave. It contains the relics of the saint. The location of the dungeon is such that the tomb is located directly under the altar of the temple. It contains part of the relics, the second in Marseille.

Everyone really wants to touch the shrine. This place is the proof of the goodness of the Lord. After all, he resurrected the dead, thereby showing that he is powerful, and death is subject to him.

Prayer to Saint Lazarus

What is asked of Saint Lazarus

The saint works miracles. Whoever prays with faith in his heart receives everything he asks for. Many people come to his icon. They believe in its miraculous power. When medicine cannot help, the faithful friend of the Savior and his assistant Lazarus come to the rescue.

He is asked for healing:

From skin diseases (psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, sexually transmitted diseases);
Asthma attacks (asthmatic attacks of various forms of severity, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, frequent bronchitis and colds);
Problems with the musculoskeletal system (problems with legs and arms, vestibular apparatus).

About intercession from various misfortunes and troubles.

When they pray and ask for healing, they necessarily promise the saint what they will do when he grants them the mercy of the Lord. Many try to help the disadvantaged and the needy. To break the word means to get sick again.

Saint Lazarus from what helps

Believers go on a long journey to be able to touch his relics and receive healing there. You can pray at the icon in the temple or purchase it and pray at home. The Lord healed him, so he, as God's helper, helps those who ask, restores strength and health.

Seriously ill who cannot walk, the saint helps to get back on their feet. They pray for a long time and ask him for help. They get to his tomb by crawling, on all fours, as it turns out.
Those suffering from skin diseases are cured completely.
Venereal patients come to him, pray, and he prolongs their lives.
Cases are known when asthma patients were cured, and relapses did not recur.
They pray to him in despondency, and he suggests a way out of this situation..

On the day of his resurrection, on Lazarus Saturday, they make vows that they try not to break for anything in life.

If suddenly, misfortune happens to you, and the doctors are powerless, pray to Lazarus. Do not despair. He will hear and heal.

Icon of Saint Lazarus

Saint Lazarus Day

The Sabbath of the Holy One is closely connected with the great Orthodox holiday Easter. There is no exact date for this day, it is tied to the celebration of Easter, and is celebrated seven days before the bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ.

In 2019, we will be able to come to the liturgy on April 20. It is on this day that Orthodoxy will honor the righteous Lazarus.

Lazarus Saturday, what a feast of Lazarus Saturday

Jesus healed his friend and brother Lazarus. He did this purposefully, because he knew perfectly well that a few days later, at the Last Supper, he would be betrayed. Therefore, he showed the people the mercy of the Lord, so that they would not dare to doubt their faith.

It is from this day that the liturgy leads the faithful through the last days and hours of the life of the Savior. His earthly existence is coming to an end. According to Scripture, it was after the resurrection of Lazarus that Christ had exactly one week to live. This is what the Divine Liturgy sings about.Having resurrected the righteous, Jesus showed the world one of the last miracles of the Lord. He, who will soon have to go through terrible trials, torment and death himself, declares that he has conquered death.

From the side of the church, the manifestation of such a miracle speaks of the power of Jesus over life and death. Only he can give life and take it away overnight. He shows that the righteous believers and his followers will be resurrected, they will receive eternal life as a reward for their faith.

This day is dedicated to the sick and desperate in the struggle for healing. The church prays and asks the saint to come to their aid.

Lazarus Saturday in postcards

Lazarus Saturday congratulations:

in prose

Palm Saturday came, brought a lot of joy to the laity. She showed a miracle to all of us, the Lord resurrected the righteous Lazarus. He sent him to help us. Happy holiday to you.

With the resurrection of Lazarus, a great miracle happened. The Lord appeared to the people. We wish you a lot of joy and good health on Saturday. May Lazar protect you, and ask God for help and intercession.

May today give happiness and faith in a miracle. Pray to Lazarus and he will help right hand Lord. May hope and the miracle of life live in your hearts. Happy holiday to you.

in verse

A beautiful day has come to us
A miracle happened
The Lord appeared to us
He gave life back to the righteous.

So that he idolizes us with you,
Saved everyone from troubles and misfortunes
And gave us only happiness.

This weekend, during a strict fast,
A special Saturday is coming
Day for the Remembrance of Christ

We will name her in honor of Lazarus,
We will collect a lot of willow on this day,
Let's go to church in the morning
Day, let's call it palm.

Let's leave everything at home
We will throw sadness at the threshold,
Let's all go to church together
Let's light a candle for Lazarus.

He is a helper and assistant,
It will protect us from all troubles.
We will pray together, and kissing the icon,
We give praise to God.

sms

We want to congratulate you on the holiday. On this beautiful day, miracles happen. May the Lord idolize you, and Lazarus will protect you from all troubles.

10 facts about the resurrected friend of Christ and the traditions of his veneration

Lazar is an abbreviated form of the Hebrew name Eleazar (Elʿāzār), which literally translates as "God helped me."

2

In honor of St. Lazarus is named one of the smallest and most closed knightly orders - the Order of St. Lazarus. It consists of approximately five thousand people living on five continents. This military monastic order was founded by the crusaders in Palestine in 1098 on the basis of a hospital for lepers and accepted into its ranks knights who fell ill with leprosy. Today, the order is mainly engaged in charitable activities.

3

Until now, the exact burial place of the relic of St. Lazarus is not known for certain. In the Orthodox tradition, it is believed that Lazarus was buried in the vicinity of Kition, the Catholic tradition suggests that he preached and was buried in France. However, the most likely place of burial of the righteous Lazarus today is the grave in Bethany - a village mentioned in the New Testament as the hometown of Lazarus, Mary Magdalene and Martha. Now this settlement is the city of Al-Azaria, owned by Muslims.

4

At the church of St. Lazarus in Larnaca (Cyprus), where the tomb is located in the underground crypt, there is a museum. The exposition of this museum is unique in that not a single item was made to order, all the objects presented are gifts from parishioners to the temple, presented in different centuries. Over time, there was no longer enough space for them in the church building, so it was decided to take the whole building for storage, which soon turned into a museum.

5

The Lazarus Pit is a pool of healing water that was used by one of Batman's main enemies and the supervillain of the universe. DC Comics Ra'sh Al Ghul to prolong your life.

6

One of the most unusual interpretations of the New Testament plot with the resurrection of Lazarus was made by Van Gogh, who, according to many art historians, depicted himself in the role of Lazarus in the picture. This work is distinguished by a very free composition, little resembling the canonical image of the Resurrection of Lazarus. Christ performing a miracle is replaced by the sun at its zenith, and the main place in the picture is occupied by Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary.

7

In Russia, the image of Lazarus the Wretched, symbolizing a man suffering on earth from poverty and disease, but rewarded in his afterlife, was such a frequent theme in the so-called spiritual poems that the expression "singing Lazarus" became synonymous with the mournful lamentations of the poor.

8

One of the last films where the story of the resurrection of Lazarus was used was the science fiction action movie Lazarus' Notes ( The Lazarus papers), released in 2010. The plot tells about the Asian shaman-healer Arun, who, after he and his family were killed by the bloodthirsty mercenary Sebastian, is resurrected and gains immortality. However, yearning for his dead family, he goes in search of a secret way to get rid of immortality.

9

Today, in socialist Cuba, only people who have dedicated themselves to Saint Lazarus are allowed to beg. As a rule, people from the farthest corners of the island, heading to the temple, crawl on their knees or even on their elbows, starting their journey long before December 17, the official holiday dedicated to the saint. Many Cubans believe that Saint Lazarus will forgive their sins after seeing them torture themselves. The inhabitants of Cuba pray to St. Lazarus for healing, so statuettes depicting a leper in rags, whose ulcers are licked by dogs, are always sold near the church.

10

Saint Lazarus is considered the patron saint of the island. This holiday is celebrated in Cuba not only by Christians, but also by followers of the syncretic religion of Santeri, for whom St. Lazar also symbolizes the deity Babu-Aye - the lord of all contagious diseases and epidemics.

(John 5:25)

I. Faith in Moses and the prophets, healing of the man born blind,
the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus

“If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,
then even if someone were raised from the dead, they would not believe»
(Luke 16:31)

The Lord did an unimaginable number of miracles on the people of Israel. But the greatest of all is the resurrection of Lazarus. Marvelous catcher of men chose recalcitrant Jews as eyewitnesses of the miracle, and they themselves showed the coffin of the deceased, rolled away the stone from the entrance to the cave, breathed in the stench of a decomposing body. With their own ears they heard the call to the dead man to rise, with their own eyes they saw his first steps after the resurrection, with their own hands they untied the funeral shrouds, making sure that it was not a ghost.

So, did all the Jews believe in Christ? - Not at all. But went to the chiefs and " from that day on they decided to kill Jesus"(John 11: 53). Thus, the correctness of the Lord was confirmed, who spoke through the mouth of Abraham in the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus: “If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, then if someone rose from the dead, they won’t believe"(Luke 16:31). But Israel was waiting for the Messiah precisely at this time. The Jews knew that the seventy-seven years prophesied by Daniel from the decree on the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple to the anointing of the Holy One were coming to an end (Dan. 9: 24), that the royal scepter had left the descendants of Judah (Gen. 49: 10), and a Teacher had appeared in Nazareth, according to whose word the dead rise and the lepers are cleansed. " Search the Scriptures...they Testify of Me”(John 5: 39) - Christ addressed the connoisseurs of the Scriptures. But they did not believe the clear prophecies and demanded miracles And signs from heaven. When the Lord worked miracles, they did not believe them either.

The resurrection of Lazarus is inseparable from another miracle that shook Israel - the healing of the blind man (see John 9:1-41). If the healing of a diseased eye can still be attributed to human medical art, then the establishment of vision can only be attributed to Divine action. The Jews rejected this miracle, because " they did not believe that he (born blind) was blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of this sighted man and asked them: is this your son, of whom you say that he was born blind? how does he see now?"(John 9: 18-19).

How does he see? “Obviously,” we answer, “by the power of Him Who raised the dead, commanded the elements, multiplied bread, cast out demons, walked on water. By the power of Him Who was free to create another unheard-of miracle - to resurrect the decaying dead and thereby reveal His Divinity, make the Jews unresponsive, preach the destruction of Hell to the dead, and the universal resurrection to the living.

II. Resurrection of Lazarus
like a great and unprecedented miracle

The Lord, having learned from the envoys of Martha and Mary about the illness of Lazarus, came to Bethany only on the third day after his death, having stayed two days in that place"(John 11: 6). The delay of the Lord to come to the aid of a friend, the Holy Fathers agree with the desire to resurrect a real dead man, four days old and stinking - a miracle hitherto unknown to Israel: “Why ‘stayed’? So that he died and was buried, so that later no one could say that He resurrected him when he had not yet died, that it was only a deep sleep, or relaxation, or deprivation of feelings, but not death. For this reason He remained so long that even corruption took place, so that they said: ‘already stinks’(John 11:39) ".

St. Amphilochius of Iconium very vividly describes this miracle: “Only the Lord proclaimed: ‘Lazarus, get out!’(John 11:43), and immediately the body was filled with life, the hair grew again, the proportions of the body came into proper proportion, the veins were again filled with pure blood. Hell, struck to the very depths, released Lazarus. The soul of Lazarus, again returned and called by the holy angels, united with his own body.

It happened before that the greatest prophets of Israel raised the dead, but they never raised those whose bodies were touched by corruption. “Who has seen, who has heard, as if a stinking dead man has arisen? Elijah is raised up, and Elisha, but not from the tomb, but below four days, ”the Holy Church proclaims through the lips of St. Andrew of Crete at Compline on the heel of the week of Vay.

Another miracle was added to the miracle of the resurrection - Lazarus, « entwined hand and foot with funeral shrouds"(John 11:44), move freely: “Lazarus is bound to walk, a miracle in miracles: for the pain of appearing to the one who forbids, strengthen and strengthen Christ: His word is all servilely served, as if God and the Master are working.”

III. The Resurrection of Lazarus as a Manifestation
the true incarnation of Jesus Christ

According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, expressed in the hymns of Lazarus Saturday, Christ revealed his true Divinity and humanity in the resurrection of Lazarus: devastation: Thou art God and Man "," Thou didst show the Divine knowledge of the Divine to all, raising the four-day Lord Lazarus from the dead "," True God, Lazarus knew the Assumption, and this was proclaimed by Your disciple, assuring the Lord of His Deity His indefinite action ".

« Then Jesus said to them directly: Lazarus died"(John 11: 14).
Omniscience of God

In these words of Jesus Christ, who was bodily far from the place of illness and death of a friend, the Omniscience of God was manifested: In Bethany, being present with people, your friend of the tomb is not unknown, take away you asked like a Man. But the resurrected one is four days by You, reveal Your divine power.

« Jesus shed a tear"(John 11:35).
Non-ghostly incarnation

The tears of the Savior testified to His true, and not an illusory, Incarnation, as St. John Chrysostom writes about this: “Why does the evangelist carefully and more than once notice that He wept and that He held back sorrow? In order that you may know that He was truly clothed with our nature.” The creators of the canons of the week of Vay and Lazarus Saturday, St. Andrew of Crete, John of Damascus, Kosmas of Mayum and Theophan the Inscribed with great tenderness and heartfelt feeling, describe the tears of the God-man: appearing over another for the sake of tears of looking, you showed the flesh from us, earthly, not by the opinion of the Savior, united to You, and like a God of mankind, having proclaimed this abie, you raised up, "Presenting you to the tomb of the miracle-working Lord, in Bethany over Lazarus, you shed a tear, the law of nature, assuring your flesh, Jesus my God, you took it ”, “This Indescribable is described by the flesh, having come to Bethany, like a Man, the Master, weep over Lazarus, as God, although you raise the four-day one,” , “Go, and shed tears, proclaiming my Savior, humanly showing Your action: Divine manifestation, raise up Lazarus.”

However, some of the circumstances of the miracle could give rise to doubts about the divinity of the Savior. Indeed, why would an omniscient God ask the Jews about Lazarus: where did you put it"(John 11:34)? Why would the Almighty pray to anyone to perform a miracle (John 11:41-42)? In the 4th century, the Anomeans justified their heresy by such arguments, denying not only the consubstantiality of the Father and the Son, but also the very likeness of the Son to the Father. The Jews and Gnostics have slyly asked this question up to our time.

« Where did you put it?"(John 11:34).
Jews are the main witnesses

Indeed, why should the Omniscient God ask where Lazarus was laid: “A strange and glorious miracle, what a Creator of all, if you don’t know, as if you don’t know the question: where lies, you weep for him? where is Lazarus buried, and little by little I will raise Az from the dead alive to you ”?

It's clear that the imaginary ignorance of Christ has nothing to do with it, as Chrysostom writes about this: “You say, Jew, that Christ did not know this if he said: ‘ where did you put it?' So the Father did not know in paradise where Adam had hidden, if He went as if looking for him in paradise, and said: Adam where are you(Gen. 3:9)?’… What will you say when you hear God saying to Cain: ‘ where is Abel, your brother(Gen. 4:9)?’… If that means ignorance, then this also means ignorance.”

For what same then Does the Lord ask about it? According to Saints John Chrysostom and Basil the Great, Saints Andrew of Crete and Ephraim the Syrian, the question " Where did you put it?”, was set with only one purpose: to bring the inquiring Jews to the place of the planned miracle as witnesses of the resurrection: “Of course, this gives a reason to impudent interrogators, but it is clearer than the sun that He did not need to ask. And by what he said Where did they put it?' wanted to confirm that Lazarus had indeed been buried. He asked not about ‘where is the coffin?’, but about ‘where was the dead man laid?’. He knew the stubbornness of the Jews, with which they denied His glorious deeds, and connected with His question ‘ Where was the deceased laid?’ He didn’t ask where Lazarus was laid or buried, but ‘ where did they put it?’ Show me it's you, unbelievers» .

Strange prayer.
Unity of the will of the Father and the Son

« Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: Father! thank you that you heard me. I knew that You would always hear Me; but said [this] for the people standing here, that they might believe that you sent me"(John 11: 41-42).

Before understanding for whom this prayer was created and whether it was needed for the resurrection of Lazarus, let us ask ourselves, Was the Son humiliated by His prayerful appeal to the Father? Anomean heretics believed that yes, it humiliated: “How can a person who prays be similar to one who receives prayer? One prays and the other receives the prayer," just as the one who serves is less than the one he serves. However, the Christ who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many"(Mark 10: 45), with his own hands washed the feet of the twelve apostles, among whom was Judas:" and you are clean, but not all. For He knew His betrayer"(John 13: 10-11). But, obviously, Christ is higher than the Apostles and, moreover, the traitor Judas, which means that His prayer to the Father in no way diminished His Divine dignity.

Anomeans saw in the prayer of Jesus the source of the miracles He performed: "If He had not prayed, He would not have raised Lazarus." However, Christ performed many miracles without praying to anyone. St. John Chrysostom enumerates: “How else did He do without prayer, saying, for example: I tell you, demon, ‘get out of it’(Mk. 9:25), and more: ‘ I want to clear’ (Mark 1:41), also: ‘ take your bed and go’ (John 5:8), and: ‘ your sins are forgiven you’ (Matt. 9:2), and saying to the sea: ‘ shut up, stop’ (Mark 4:39)”?

Let's ask again Did Lazarus resurrect after this prayer?- Obviously not: “When the prayer was made, the dead did not rise; and when he said: Lazarus, get out!’, then the dead rose. Oh hell! The prayer is done and you don't release the dead? - No, hell says. Why? “Because I have not been given a command. I am the watchman who keeps the guilty here; if I do not receive a command, then I do not let go; the prayer was not for me, but for the infidels who were present; not receiving a command, I do not release the guilty; I am waiting for a voice to free my soul.

Let us carefully read the words of Christ's prayer: Father! thank you that you heard me. I knew that You would always hear Me; but said [this] for the people standing here, that they might believe that you sent me"(John 11: 41-42).

There is no petition to the Father here to resurrect the dead Lazarus, to loosen the shackles of death, to restore the decayed body and return the soul to it. There is no petition at all in this prayer, which means that it was not she who became the source of the miracle. This means that this prayer testified not to the alleged unevenness of the Son with the Father, but to the unity of the will and nature of the Father and the Son, as St. And since there was a man, he speaks like a human, so that incarnation does not seem insignificant.

- Why, then, did Christ pray?

For the sake of Martha, who asked: "God! if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”(John 11:21-22). Martha asked Christ to pray - the Lord prayed.

For the sake of the Jews, who with their lips deceitfully honored the Father, but did not recognize the Son: “Honouring Your Father, and showing that you are not ungodly, the prayer of Christ, you autocratically raised up the four-day one.”

IV. The Resurrection of Lazarus as the Beginning of the Destruction of Hell
and the image of the future resurrection of the dead

"The time is coming when the dead will hear
the voice of the Son of God, and when they hear, they will live"
(John 5:25)

Death entered the world through the fall of Adam and Eve. All people, including the Old Testament righteous and prophets, went to hell after their death. His power seemed so unshakable and eternal that even among God's chosen people there appeared a considerable number of those who " said that there is no resurrection, no angel, no spirit(Acts 23:8). And the Sadducees, and Martha, and all of us who read the gospel lines, should have been taught the resurrection, assuring it of its reality: "The common resurrection, before your passion, assuring you raised Lazarus from the dead, Christ our God." On Lazarus, the prophetic words of the Lord, spoken by Him earlier, were fulfilled: “The time is coming when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and when they hear, they will live”(John 5:25).

By the resurrection of the decaying dead, the foundations of hell were shaken, and hope arose for those languishing in it. In the canon for Compline, the heel of the week, the Church paints hell with a jealous creature, who for the first time in the millennia of dominion over the dead was afraid of the ruin of his own possessions and is therefore ready to sacrifice one captive, so as not to lose many: they had swallowed up the hunger before”, “Why don’t you rise up for Lazarus soon, crying out from the bottom of hell, weeping? that Abie is not resurrected flowing from everywhere? May Christ not captivate others by resurrecting you.” The Holy Fathers unanimously note that if the Lord had not called on a specific name, all hell would have been prematurely emptied, for then all the dead would have been resurrected: Lazarus, get out!', you alone I call in the presence of this people » .

In the resurrection of Lazarus, the Lord clearly showed the features of the general resurrection - the great and terrible sacrament that will happen on the last day. So, talking about the universality of the resurrection, St. Ephraim the Syrian notes that it is no coincidence that the Lord resurrected 3 people: a girl who had just died, a young man carried to the cemetery, and the decaying Lazarus: “In the house, on the way and from the tomb, He brought the dead back to life, so that on the whole road of death to put a path, to disperse the hope of life along the entire path of the dead, and at the beginning, and in the middle, and at the end of it to reveal the resurrection.” Like the resurrection of Lazarus, the universal the resurrection will happen in the twinkling of an eye. For the stench of a decaying body did not disappear from the cave, when Lazarus, obeying the powerful word of the Lord, went out to meet the shocked Jews, came out alive, healthy, filled with vital juices. The loud voice of the Savior, who called: « Lazarus, get out!» symbolized the great trumpet which will one day proclaim the general resurrection. It is also surprising how the Bethany miracle coincides in detail with the revelation of the Apostle Paul about last day peace: " I tell you a secret: not all of us will die, but All let's change all of a sudden in the blink of an eye, at the last pipe; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed"(1 Cor. 15:52).

Finally, by demonstrating his power over death, Christ showed that he himself can rise again if he has to taste death and descend into hell. For us, the words of the Lord addressed to Martha and spoken by Him before performing a miracle are especially important: “ He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die"(John 11: 25-26). Euthymius Zygaben, a Byzantine monk-collector of patristic interpretations of the Four Gospels, writes that “here we are talking about believers in Christ, who, although they die a death on earth, will live the blessed life of the next century. And those who live this life and believers will not die the eternal death of the age to come. Saying this, Jesus Christ showed that only in the next age there is true life and death, because they cannot change and replace one another, and that they need to be taken care of the most.

What kind of life did the Jews choose?

V. The Resurrection of Lazarus as a Rejection of the Jews

« If I had not done works between them,
which no one else did, they would have no sin;
but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father»
(John 15:24)

Jews - the main witnesses of the miracle

The Lord who called the Apostles to become fishers of men, set magnificent traps for obstinate Jews, so that those who, with Talmudic stubbornness and resourcefulness, found refutation of the prophecies of Moses, Isaiah, Daniel and all the prophets in general about the Born of the Virgin, who found flaws in His miracles, themselves became witnesses of such a miracle that it would be impossible to either refute or misinterpret.

All five of the feelings of the Jews who came to the tomb testified to the resurrection of Lazarus, as Chrysostom writes about this: “For this reason he asks: ‘ where did you put it’ (John 11:34)? - so that those who said: ‘ come and see’, and those who brought him in could not say that he had raised another; so that both voice and hands testify: - a voice that said: - ‘ come and see', - the hands that rolled off the stone and allowed the bandages; also - sight and hearing, - hearing, as he heard a voice, - sight, as he saw the one who came out (from the tomb); likewise the sense of smell, since it felt the stench, - ‘ already stinks; for four days he has been in the tomb’» .

For this, Christ delayed for two days, so that those who swaddled the dead would be convinced of his death and decay. For this, the omniscient Lord asked, where they put Lazarus, so that those who buried Lazarus would bring Christ to the place of burial and themselves become witnesses of a miracle. For this, the almighty Christ, who promised believers the power to move mountains (Matt. 17:20), did not want to move the tombstone so that those who moved it would feel the stench of the dead. For this, Christ asked to untie the resurrected one, so that, having touched Lazarus, the Jews would be convinced that this was not a ghost, and it was precisely the one whom they themselves swaddled.

The choice of the Jews is the choice of death

Where is the Jewish madness? where is the disbelief? as long as strangers, as long as ladders, behold the dead with a voice, and do not believe in Christ, truly sons of darkness, all of you .

By the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus unequivocally revealed about Himself that He is the Messiah, the Son of God and God. The Keepers of the Vineyard realized that his rightful Heir had come. And, as it was foretold in the bitter parable of the evil vinedressers, they decided to kill " Keeper of Israel"(Ps. 120: 4), to commit an act as monstrous as it is insane: "Instead of being amazed and amazed, they confer to kill Him, - Him who raised the dead. What madness! They thought to put to death the One Who conquered death in the bodies of others.

The terrible sentence was preceded by slander: If we leave Him thus, then all will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take possession of both our place and our people."(John 11: 48). The Jews presented Christ as a rebel, encroaching on the royal power, an impostor, Who would drag the people after Him to the massacre of the Romans. But, as Evfimy Zygaben writes, “Jesus Christ not only did not teach to rebel against the government, but on the contrary, He commanded to pay tribute to Caesar and evaded the people who wanted to make Him king; during His journey, He always kept modesty in everything and commanded everyone to lead a better life, which could rather serve to the loss of all power. And what kind of people said those words? - Those who subsequently called for the release of the rebel and murderer Barrabas, those who shouted that have no king but Caesar.

« This Man does many miracles. What should we do? "(John 11: 47) - the Jews asked. The obvious answer is given by Chrysostom: “It was necessary to believe, serve and worship, and no longer consider Him a man.” But the Jews decided to kill Jesus(John 11:53) and thereby doomed themselves to eternal death and rejection. And they themselves pronounced the verdict: So, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do with these tenants? They say to Him: He will put these evildoers to an evil death, and give the vineyard to other vinedressers, who will give him fruit in their seasons."(Matthew 21: 40-41).

In vain did the Jews memorize the words of Moses about the Prophet, who must be obeyed, in vain did they read about the punishments that would follow the violation of this command. Ahead of them was the destruction of the temple, the ruin of Jerusalem, the murder of more than a million fellow tribesmen, diseases and a terrible famine, during which mothers devoured their own children, shameful dispersion.

It was about them that the Lord shed tears, and not about Lazarus, for, as St. Andrew writes, Christ “came to resurrect Lazarus, and therefore it would be useless to weep over the one who should be resurrected. And it was truly necessary to weep for the Jews, since He foresaw that even after the miracle was performed, they would remain in their unbelief.

Those who wanted to preserve earthly power, lost this power: “ Jerusalem, Jerusalem that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want to! Behold, your house is left to you empty"(Matt. 23: 38). After the Crucifixion of the God-man, the Vineyard passed into other hands: “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that bears its fruit.”(Matthew 21:43).

What can we, the very people to whom the Kingdom of God has been given, learn from the holy gospel lines describing the resurrection of Lazarus?

VI. The Resurrection of Lazarus as an edification to Christians

« God! that's who you love, sick» (John 11:3).
Attitude towards the misfortunes of the righteous

How not to waver in faith, seeing the misfortunes of the righteous? How not to count those who are visited by illness and sorrow as rejected by God Himself? Such questions have always been asked and will be asked until the end of time. You just need to accept as a fact (including the gospel story) that those who please God often suffer and not go into more subtle reasoning. Here is what St. John Chrysostom writes in connection with the illness of Lazarus: “Many are tempted when they see some people pleasing to God in some kind of disaster, when they see, for example, that they have undergone illness, or poverty, or something else of the kind; but they do not know that such sufferings are characteristic of those who are especially pleasing to God. So, Lazarus was one of the friends of Christ, but he was sick, as it was said by those who sent: that's who you love, sick’ (John 11:3)” .

Several centuries after the fatal illness of Lazarus, St. Anthony the Great was tormented by similar questions: “Lord! Why do some people reach old age and a state of infirmity, others die in childhood and live little? Why are some poor and others rich? Why do tyrants and villains prosper and abound in all earthly blessings, while the righteous are oppressed by adversity and poverty?

And he received an answer that can be addressed to all of us, those of little faith and those who doubt God's care for us: “Anthony! pay attention to yourself and do not subject your investigation of the fates of God, because this is soul-damaging”

« Jesus shed a tear"(John 11:35).
Measure of Christian lamentation

We often see how inconsolable are Christians who have lost someone close to them, as if they are burying non-Christians, as if there is no Kingdom of Heaven and there will be no general resurrection. It happens, on the contrary, that the death of loved ones does not touch hardened human hearts.

Both behaviors are unnatural to human nature, which the God-man showed, shedding tears over a friend, “offering us images of heartfelt love.” The Monk Andrew of Crete, the creator of the cited song of the canon, reveals its meaning in the “Conversation on the Four Days of Lazarus”: “‘ Jesus wept'. And by that he showed an example, an image and a measure of how we should weep for the dead. I shed tears, seeing the damage to our nature and the ugly appearance that death gives a person. The same is true of St. Basil the Great: Christ “in a certain measure and limits concluded the necessary passionate movements, preventing lack of compassion, because it is bestial, and not allowing indulging in sorrow and shedding many tears, because it is cowardly.”

« When he heard that [Lazarus] was ill,
then he stayed for two days at the place where he was"(John 11: 6).
humble behavior

The Almighty Lord postponed his coming to Bethany not only so that Lazarus would die, be buried and begin to rot, but also so that “no one would consider it indecent that He, at the first hearing, hastens to show a miracle.” Christ teaches us how carefully and unconceitedly one should dispose of God's gifts: “Christ, Your divinity, giving Your disciples an image, You humbled Yourself among the people, though hide yourself.”

How unsafe it is to boast of the gifts of grace received from God can be seen from the story described in the Ancient Patericon about a monk of high life who publicly performed a miracle:

Abba Anthony heard about a young monk who performed such a miracle on the way: seeing some of the elders who traveled and got tired on the way, he ordered wild donkeys to come up to them and carry the elders on themselves until they reached Anthony. When the elders told Abba Anthony about this, he said to them: “It seems to me that this monk is a ship full of blessings, but I don’t know if he will enter the pier.” After some time, Abba Anthony suddenly began to cry, to tear his hair and sob. The disciples asked him: “What are you crying about, abba?” The elder answered them: “Now the great pillar of the Church has fallen!” He was talking about the young monk. “But go yourself to him,” he continued, “and see what happened!” The disciples go and find the monk sitting on a mat and mourning the sin he has committed. Seeing the disciples of Anthony, the monk tells them: "Tell the elder to beg God to give me only ten days of life - and I hope to cleanse my sin and repent." But five days later he died.

Caiaphas, being high priest for that year,
predicted that Jesus would die for the people"(John 11: 51).
Respect for sacred dignity

Caiaphas, who received the position of high priest for money and condemned the Lord to death, uttered a prophecy that signifies the very essence of the redemptive feat of Jesus Christ: “ it is better for us that one man should die for the people than that the whole nation should perish"(John 11:50). Why did the Spirit speak through the mouth of the wicked? - Because, answers Chrysostom, that Caiaphas, despite all his crimes and evil temper, was legal bishop: “Having been fully worthy of the bishopric, although he was unworthy, he prophesied, himself not understanding what he was saying. Grace used only his lips, but did not touch the impure heart ... However, even at the same time, the Spirit was still inherent in them. Only when they lifted up their hands on Christ did He leave them and pass on to the apostles.

Similarly, a clergyman, no matter how badly he lives, is an instrument of the Spirit of God and a performer of His Sacraments until the holy dignity is removed from him. That is why it is so terrible to fall into the condemnation of priests, even if they lead an impious life, although this is often only an appearance, for, as St. Ignatius writes, “the dishonor inflicted on the servants of the altar refers to the altar, to the God Who is present in it and Worshiped.”

VII. The Resurrection of Lazarus as an allegory for the healing of the soul

Lazarus, a four-day inhabitant of the gloomy land of the dead, is the image of our soul, dead by virtues and emitting the stench of sinful habits. Few of the Christians who read the holy lines about the resurrection of the four-day dead did not then sigh, together with the reverend hymnographer, about their own resurrection and forgiveness of sins: “Thou didst raise up Lazarus in the Divine Christ with the verb: and for me, having died with many sins, raise up, I pray”, “The dead, stinking Lazarus raised up Christ four days, raise me up, now dead sin and mine, and laid in a ditch, and darker than the canopy of death, and as a merciful deliver and save me ", "take me away from my passions, as before the four days of Your friend Lazarus", "The dead man is stinking, tied up with water, Lord, raised up thou, and me bound by the captives of sins, raise up singing"

Saint Andrew of Crete sees in the resurrection of Lazarus the triumph of grace over the deadly letter of the Law: Jesus, again grieving inwardly, comes to the tomb. That was a cave the dark heart of the Jews and the stone lay on it - gross and cruel disbelief . Jesus said: Take away the stone. Heavy - naughty - roll away the stone to extract the dead from the letter of Scripture. Take away the stone- the unbearable yoke of the Law, so that they could receive the life-giving Word of grace. Take away the stone- covering and burdening the mind.

But all the Fathers in general attribute the allegorical meaning of the resurrection of Lazarus to the resurrection of our inner man. Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria writes about this most figuratively, vividly and fully: “Our mind is a friend of Christ, but is often overcome by the weakness of human nature, falls into sin and dies a spiritual death and the most miserable, but on the part of Christ honored with regret, for the deceased is His friend. Let the sisters and relatives of the dead mind - flesh, like Martha (for Martha is more bodily and material), and the soul, like Mary (for Mary is more pious and reverent), come to Christ and fall down before Him, leading after them the thoughts of confession, like those - the Jews. For Judas means confession. And the Lord, no doubt, will appear at the tomb, the blindness lying in the memory will order to be taken away, as if some kind of stone, and will bring to memory future blessings and torments. And he will call with the great voice of the gospel trumpet: get out of the world, do not be buried in worldly entertainment and passions; - just as He said to His disciples: you are not of the world’ (John 15:19), and the apostle Paul: ‘ and we will go to Him for mill’ (Heb. 13:13), that is, the world, and thus will raise from sin the deceased, whose wounds smelled of malice. The deceased emitted a smell because he was four days old, that is, he died for the four meek and bright virtues and was idle and motionless to them. However, although he was motionless and bound hand and foot, constricted by the bonds of his own sins and seemed completely inactive, although he was covered with a handkerchief over his face, so that when he put on a carnal veil he could not see anything divine, in short, he was in the worst position both “in activity”, which is indicated by hands and feet, and “in contemplation”, which is indicated by a covered face - so, although he is in such a distressed situation, but he will hear: untie his good and saving angels or priests and give him forgiveness of sins, let him go and begin to do good.

What may the merciful Lord grant us!

Literature

Bible. Moscow: Russian Bible Society. 2004.
Lenten triode. In 2 hours. Moscow: Edition of the Moscow Patriarchy. 1992.
John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. Creations. SPb.: Ed. SPbDA, 1898. Vol. 1, part 2. Reprint.
John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. Creations. SPb.: Ed. SPbDA, 1902. Vol. 8, part 1. Reprint.
Amphilochius of Iconium, saint. Word on the resurrection of Lazarus// http://www.portal-slovo.ru/theology/37620.php
Basil the Great, saint. About the sorrow and tears of Jesus Christ before the resurrection of Lazarus. Cit. By: Barsov M. Interpretation // Sat. Art. on the interpretive and instructive reading of the Four Gospels, with a bibliographic index. St. Petersburg: Synodal Printing House. 1893. V. 2. S. 300. Reprint.
Ephraim Sirin, reverend. About the resurrection of Lazarus. Cit. By: Barsov M. Interpretation. pp. 292-295.
Andrew of Crete, reverend. Conversation on the Fourth Day Lazarus // Christian Reading. 1826. XXII.
Ignaty Brianchaninov, saint. Sermons // Sobr. op. in 7 volumes. Moscow: Blagovest, 2001. Vol. 4.
Ignaty Brianchaninov, saint. Paternik // Collected. op. in 7 vols. T. 6.
An ancient patericon set out in chapters. M.: Publishing House of the Athos Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery. 1891. Reprint.
Evfimy Zigaben, monk. Interpretation of the Gospel of John, compiled according to the ancient patristic interpretations of the Byzantine XII century. Kyiv, 1887. Vol. 2. Reprint.
Theophylact of Bulgaria, blessed. Commentary on the Gospel of John // Theophylact of Bulgaria, blessed. Interpretation of the Four Gospels. M .: Sretensky Monastery, 2000. T. 2.

There. Song 7.

Andrew of Crete, reverend. Discourse on Lazarus of the Fourth Day. S. 5.

Theophylact of Bulgaria, blissful. Commentary on the Gospel of John. T. 2. Ch. 11. S. 197.

Saint Lazarus

History of the Temple in his honor in Larnaca

Larnaca, ancient Kition, the birthplace of the Stoic Zenon, has one of the most beautiful and oldest churches in Cyprus: the Church of St. Lazarus, friend of Christ. The church was built on the very tomb of the Saint, who, according to tradition, was the first Bishop of Kita.

Let's turn to history. Saint Lazarus (Eleazar of Hebron) was a resident of the town of Bethany, 3 km east of Jerusalem. He is known as the "friend of Christ" who was resurrected by Jesus on the fourth day after his death (John 11:11). The Bible notes the friendly relations of our Lord with the family of Lazarus, says: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister [Mary] and [their brother] Lazarus” (John 11, 5).

Several times Christ enjoyed their hospitality. One day, when Jesus was returning from Galilee to Jerusalem (where he was soon condemned to be crucified, “for the life of the world” - John 6:51), two sisters of Lazarus; Martha and Mary met him with the sad news of their brother's fatal illness: “Lord! That's who You love, sick." And our Lord, who proclaimed that “this disease is not unto death,” but to the glory of God, may the Son of God be glorified through it (John 11:4), postponed his departure for two days and went to Bethany. Christ arrived in Bethany on the fourth day after the burial of Lazarus. “Grieved in spirit” He stood before the tomb and, being the Lord of life and death, resurrected Lazarus, although “Lazarus lay dead in the tomb for four days and already stank” (John 11, 1-44).

Later, Lazarus was forced to leave his homeland and seek shelter in Kition, as the high priests and Pharisees entered into a conspiracy and sought to kill him. “And the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus also, because for his sake many of the Jews came and believed in Jesus.” (John 12:10-11).

The most probable time when Lazarus left his homeland is 33 AD. and, more precisely, the period of persecution that broke out after the stoning of Stephen, when the Jewish Christians, who "scattered from the persecution that was after Stephen, went to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch." (Acts 11, 19). According to Christian tradition, Lazarus was 30 years old in the thirty-third year. And after the resurrection for another 30 years he lived in Kition in Cyprus and died about 63 AD, at the age of 60 years. The apostles Paul and Barnabas met him here during their arrival in the year 45 and ordained him to the rank of Bishop of Kitia. For 18 years St. Lazarus was the shepherd of the Christian community of the city (45-63 AD). After his second death, he was buried in the place where the Byzantine temple in his honor now stands (see “Against Heresies” by St. Epiphanius of Constantius, p. 4).

We do not know the details of his life and work as Bishop of Kition, since written documents from that era have not survived to this day. But we have every reason to assume that his pastoral work, like the work of other pastors, could not be easy because of the strength of two rivals, on the one hand paganism and especially the cult of Aphrodite, which was widespread in Cyprus at that time, and on the other, the fanaticism of the large Jewish community of Cyprus. The Cypriot church was forced to wage a long and hard struggle in order to win.

The stay of St. Lazarus in Larnaca is associated with various legends. According to one of them, for thirty years after the resurrection, Saint Lazarus never smiled and only once broke his custom. Someone wanted to steal the pot; Seeing this, Saint Lazarus smiled and exclaimed: "Clay steals clay." Saint Lazarus was upset by the sight that opened up to him in hell, where he spent four days after his death. The souls of the dead, who had not yet been saved by the sacrifice of our Lord on the Cross, shook Saint Lazarus. (The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the Cross had not yet been brought, there had not yet been the Resurrection of Christ, which saved man from sin and eternal condemnation).

Finally, there is one more tradition worth mentioning. It concerns a visit to Cyprus by the Lady of the Blessed Mary.

According to this tradition, Saint Lazarus was very sad because he could no longer see the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of our Lord and his friend. Therefore, he sent a ship to the Holy Land to bring her to Cyprus along with St. John and other disciples.

But when the ship on board which were the Mother of God and her companions sailed to Kition, a storm broke out, which carried the ship very far, into the Aegean Sea, to Greece, to the shores of the holy Mount Athos (Greece), where she converted pagans into Christians. And she begged Her Son for the blessing and intercession of all those who in the future will "strive the good fight of faith" (I Tim 6:12) - like monks and ascetics - on Mount Athos. Finally, she sailed to Kition, where she met Saint Lazarus and presented him with an archbishop's pallium, bound by her hands. Having blessed the Temple of Kition, the Virgin Mary departed for the Holy Land.

The legend about the arrival of Lazarus in Cyprus and his consecration to the rank of Bishop of Kitaia spread widely throughout the world, including reaching distant Russia. In the Pskov Monastery in Russia, there is a church dedicated to “Saint Lazarus, Bishop of Kitia”.

In ancient times, there was such a custom in Larnaca: on the day of St. Lazarus, which is celebrated on Saturday on the eve of Palm Sunday, a procession of children with palm branches in their hands went around the houses of the parish residents. At the head of the procession was a boy representing Saint Lazarus. It was decorated with red poppies and yellow wild daisies, known in Cyprus as “lazaros”. During the procession, the children sang a popular song to Lazorev.

On the same day, in the courtyard of the temple, in the presence of all the parishioners, the Resurrection of Lazarus was depicted in a ceremony. Both priests and children participated in the performance, where the priests sang church troparions about the resurrection of the Saint. These two customs no longer exist today.

The church in honor of St. Lazarus has been known in the Christian world since ancient times. Until the early years of the twentieth century, the Temple was a constant place of pilgrimage for pilgrims to the Holy Land. In addition, many healings and other miracles were performed here thanks to the grace of St. Lazarus. According to Pietro Della Balle, a Roman nobleman and traveler who visited Larnaca in 1614-1626, when he doubted the fact of the arrival of St. Lazarus in Cyprus, the inhabitants of the city answered him that this was proved by the miracles that the Saint performs every day in this temple.

The importance of this place of pilgrimage was confirmed in November 1972, when during the work undertaken for the restoration of the temple, particles from the relics of the Saint were found.

As you know, the relics of St. Lazarus were first discovered in 890 in his grave in the small church that existed on the site of the current temple. On the sarcophagus was the inscription "Lazarus, who was dead for four days, Friend of Christ." The then emperor of Byzantium, Leo VI the Wise, learning about this, ordered the delivery of the Holy relic to Constantinople, the capital of the empire, and sent money to Kition for the construction of a new temple and craftsmen. We cannot imagine that the inhabitants of Kition gave up all the relics without keeping at least a small part of the holy relics. And the fact that only a small part of the relics was discovered in 1972, and not all of them, is evidence of their authenticity. On the east side of the sarcophagus, which is today kept under the altar and in which some remains of the relics were found, one can make out an inscription made in Greek capital letters ΦΙΛΙΟΥ - which means "Friend" in the genitive case. It is likely that this sarcophagus was put in place of the original, which may have been taken to Constantinople with the main part of the relics.

The event of the transfer of the holy relics from Kition to Constantinople was immortalized by Aretas, Bishop of Caesarea, in his two famous speeches delivered on this occasion. In the first speech he praises the arrival of the holy relics from Kition to Constantinople, and in the second speech he describes the procession organized by the emperor to transfer the relics from Chrysopolis to the great Cathedral Hagia Sophia. Emperor Leo VI, in addition to the temple dedicated to Saint Lazarus in Kition, built another temple in Constantinople, in honor of the same saint. After the capture of Constantinople by the Franks in 1204, the crusaders, among other treasures they took to the West, also took away the relics of St. Lazarus and brought them to Marseille, where their traces are lost. To this day, their fate is unknown. As already mentioned, the famous ancient ancient temple of St. Lazarus was erected on the tomb of the Saint and the city of Larnaca is proud of it. Who can enter a temple and remain indifferent?! The temple exudes the splendor and splendor of early Christianity. Its famous iconostasis is an excellent example of wood carving, which looks like a huge embroidery embroidered with gold threads. Countless figures of saints decorating it are mystical, full of "the peace of God, which is beyond all mind." The beautiful iconostasis really looks like the firmament of heaven and its icons as “shining stars”, a true picture of the “cathedral ... of the firstborn written in heaven” (Heb. 12:23), a picture that vividly reminds of the other world.

The Church of St. Lazarus is one of the two three-domed churches that exist today in Cyprus. The other is near Famagusta. This is the temple of the monastery of St. Barnabas. These two churches belong to a rare architectural type and are very different from other multi-domed temples.

The temple was built, as already noted, at the end of the 9th century (about 890) by Leo VI the Wise, the emperor of Byzantium. All of stone with three naves, central and side, and three domes built on the middle nave. These three domes were subsequently demolished. According to legend, they were demolished during the Turkish occupation, when a Turkish officer who sailed to the port of Larnaca, mistaking the domes of the Temple for the domes of a mosque, knelt down and prayed. Subsequently, he ordered the "shortening" of the dome. According to another version, the domes were damaged by an earthquake, the date of which is unknown; however, in 1734, when the Russian monk Vasily Barsky visited the temple, the domes had already been destroyed.

By the end of the Frankish period (1191 - 1571), and according to another opinion, around 1750 (when restoration work was carried out under the direction of Bishop Makarios I of Kita), an arcade was erected, which we see today on the south side of the temple.

In 1857 the bell tower was built. Prior to this, the temple did not have a stone bell tower, and the bells were attached to wooden poles standing on pedestals. As you know, from the beginning of the Turkish occupation of Cyprus in 1571 until the middle of the 19th century, all bell towers were banned by the conquerors, as well as the bell ringing in Christian churches. This ban was lifted in 1856 when Orthodox Russia demanded it. But even after that, the bells could be rung only after special permission received from the vizier. The only bell allowed in Nicosia was the Faneromeni temple bell. The Church of St. Lazarus in Larnaca had bells long before 1856 and the Turks allowed this. In general, the inhabitants of Larnaca had somewhat more freedom than the rest of the population of Cyprus, due to the fact that a large European community lived in Larnaca and there were numerous foreign consulates. But long before that, during the Frankish period (1191-1571), the church of St. Lazarus had an imposing bell tower. We can see this on the old plans of Larnaca, published in Europe by travelers of the past centuries, in which the church appears with domes and a very high bell tower, (see for example OL Dapper, "NauKeurige", Amserdam, 1866).

Apparently, this bell tower was later destroyed by the Turks. And since the Byzantines did not build high bell towers, we assume that the first bell tower was built during the Frankish period in the Italian style.

The windows of the temple used to be much smaller and narrower than they are now. And so little light penetrated inside the temple, which corresponded to the needs of Byzantine church architecture. (See “0 Impressions of Signor de Villamont, a Foreign Traveler in 1589” in “Excerpta Cypria”.

The architecture of the temple, generally speaking, is an example of a rare old style. She apparently made a deep impression on foreign travelers. Alexander Drumond, the English consul in Aleppo (Syria), who visited Cyprus in 1745, wrote, for example, the following: “In the city of Salines (as Larnaca was called at that time by the Europeans) there is a church dedicated to Saint Lazarus; its architecture is such that I can say: I have never seen anything like it.” Piero Della Balle (1614 - 1626), mentioned above, describes the church as “old, built in a beautiful architectural style”.

The iconostasis of the temple is made with exceptional craftsmanship, it is considered one of the finest examples of wood carving in Cyprus. This iconostasis, as well as the iconostasis of the Archangel Michael Church “Tripetis”, was made by the outstanding wood carver Hadji Savvas Taliadoros, who arrived from Nicosia. The construction of the iconostasis began in 1773 and was completed in 1782. Soon, in 1793-1797. the iconostasis was covered with gold and the icons were painted by the icon painter Hadji-Michael and his successors or associates. The iconostasis is decorated with 120 icons of amazing craftsmanship. Thirteen large icons are in the lower tier, 60 smaller icons are in the upper tiers (30 in each). 25 icons are located at the side doors to the Altar and 4 at the top at the Cross (crucifixion), they also include a symbolic image of a “pelican” at the pedestal of the Cross. The rest are small cyclic icons, 16 of which are located in the middle tier and 2 at the top of the iconostasis.

The altarpiece is a masterpiece of woodcarving (work of 1773), as is the episcopal seat with the icon of St. Lazarus, which was painted in 1734.

Some precious Byzantine icons are kept in the temple. Probably, they were on the previous iconostasis.

One of them depicts St. Lazarus in a bishop's robe, covered with crosses. The other belongs to the popular Byzantine style and depicts the resurrection of St. Lazarus; 4 large icons are located on the stands decorating the four buttresses of the central vault.

This is a Russian silver-plated icon of the Virgin Mary, an icon of the resurrection of Lazarus, an icon of St. Nicholas and an icon of St. George depicting scenes from his life. This icon dates back to 1717 and was painted by Yakovos Mosos, a Cretan icon painter. It seems that in the past the walls of the church of St. Lazarus were covered with frescoes, since until the last century some frescoes were visible on the buttresses of the central vault. Probably these frescoes were destroyed due to high humidity in the Larnaca region and especially in the Skala quarter, where the altitude is very low. The neighborhood of Saint Lazarus, southwest of the temple to the Salt Lake, was a vast swampy area. Known under the name "Svyato Lazarevo Lake".

In ancient times, when the Skala area (St. Lazarus quarter) was uninhabited and the city was limited by the aisles of Larnaca, the temple of St. Lazarus, located at a distance from the city, functioned as a monastery. During the Frankish period on the island, the Franks turned the church into a Benedictine (Roman Catholic) monastery, for a short time the monastery was run by Armenian Roman Catholics. When the Turks captured Cyprus in 1571, they also captured the Church of St. Lazarus, as well as all the other churches owned by the Latins. In 1589 the temple was returned Orthodox Church for 3000 silver. At the same time, Roman Catholics were allowed to serve twice a year in the temple (on the day of St. Lazarus and the day of Mary Magdalene in a small chapel, which from the north adjoined the altar in the north side nave of the temple. However, this privilege was abolished in 1794 thanks to the efforts of Archbishop Chrysanthos (1767 - 1810) and Bishop Melitios of Kitia I (1776 - 1797), because the Latins, based on this privilege, claimed common ownership of the temple. At the northern entrance to the temple there is still a five-cross emblem of the Latins (also known as the "Jerusalem cross"). And in a small chapel adjacent to the altar, a small Latin altar is still preserved, as a reminder of the presence of Roman Catholics in days gone by. At the dawn of the 18th century, when the Skala area grew rapidly and gradually turned into a second city, near the old Larnaca, the church of St. Lazarus became the main parish church of the entire new city of Skala.However, until the middle of the 19th century, the church is called a monastery in all documents of that time, despite the fact that long before that time it ceased to be a monastery church. Various living rooms and cells around the temple, the monastic rite observed in the church, many services and a large church staff gave it a monastic appearance. Divine services in this temple have always been performed with dignity and splendor. The dwellings surrounding the temple (formerly about twenty) served in the last century as a hospitable shelter for travelers, pilgrims, and merchants.

In the northwestern part of the courtyard surrounding the temple, there is a small Protestant cemetery with marble carved tombstones over the graves, where European merchants, sailors, English consuls and American missionaries are buried.

The church of St. Lazarus is uniquely connected with the life of the townspeople of Larnaca. But before continuing, let's take a quick look at the history of the city. Skala and Larnaca, twin cities about a mile apart, were built in the Middle Ages on the site of the ruins of ancient Kition. Originally, during the Franco-Venetian period (1191-1571) the city was Larnaca, known to Europeans by the name of “Salines” - the city of the salt lake, while “The Rock”, known to the Europeans by the name of “Marina”, consisted of port warehouses and a small settlement around the church of St. Lazarus. The inhabitants were engaged in the maintenance of the port - the development of a salt deposit. Salt was High Quality and sold successfully in Europe. In the XV century. the role of the seaport of Famagusta is no longer so significant, the importance of Larnaca is growing so much that for almost 5 centuries (from the 15th to late XIX c.) Larnaca becomes one of the leading ports in the Mediterranean and an important center international trade, a link between Europe and the Middle East. That is why various European countries of that time: France, England, Austria, Venice, Ragusa, Sicily, Spain, Russia, Greece, Holland, etc. founded their colonies and consulates here. With the increasing importance of the port, the population of the seaside region of Skala increases. In the second half of the XVIII century. an insignificant seaside settlement turned into a prosperous town near Larnaca, in which a European presence was felt due to the presence of hundreds of Europeans (merchants, consuls, etc.) who settled in the twin cities. So, during the Turkish occupation, the city of Skala - Larnaca was the only "window" of Cyprus to the outside world, a place where contacts with European civilization were possible, where a ray of light could penetrate in those difficult times of slavery.

While Nicosia was the administrative center of the country, Larnaca was the diplomatic and commercial center of the island. Until the beginning of the 20th century. the city continued to be a major factor in the social, cultural, commercial, educational life of Cyprus. However, after the transfer of consulates to Nicosia and the restructuring of the ports in Famagusta and Limassol, the importance of Larnaca is reduced, the city is losing its former brilliance and glory.

The Church of Saint Lazarus is so closely connected with the life of the city that its history is inseparable from the history of Larnaca. For at least two and a half centuries (from the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century), the church of St. Lazarus was a religious, national, philanthropic and educational center city, the axis around which the religious and social life of Larnaca revolved.

The historian N. Kyriazis, in his book “The City of Larnaca in the Light of Historical Documents,” says: “Among the few churches in Cyprus that have attracted universal attention and participated in the historical process, the church of St. Lazarus is undoubtedly given a special place,” and further: “Few churches in Cyprus show such a diverse activity as the church of St. Lazarus showed. She founded and maintained schools, took care of hospitals and cemeteries, helped the poor, defended the interests of the townspeople, and helped all those in need. The temple was a strong and wise representative of the city and its interests.

The management of the temple was in the hands of the Committee, which was appointed until 1854 by choosing from the most worthy. After 1854, the Committee began to be elected by parishioners. Since 1734 there is an archive about the members of the committee and their activities. Until 1734, there is no written evidence of the committee's activities. During the Turkish occupation, the Church Committee was considered a committee by all the communities of the city of Skala, the townspeople respected it very much. The Turkish authorities saw him as a factor they had to take into account.

The role of the Church of St. Lazarus in the field of enlightenment of the people was unique. At the beginning of the 19th century, private schools functioned in Skala-Larnaca, which could only be attended by children of wealthy parents.

Around 1850 the Church of St. Lazarus founded public schools, the maintenance of which the Church took over. One of these public schools was founded in 1857 in the courtyard behind the church, and its building with the corresponding inscription on the facade can still be seen today.

During the Turkish occupation and the first decades of British administration, the church also played a remarkable role in philanthropy and welfare, because the "state" of the time did not provide such institutions.

Finally, it should be noted that when the President of the Church Committee in 1922-1924 and 1927-1928. was the historian Dr. Kyriazis, the “Museum of the Church of St. Lazarus” was created, which was located in the building of the already mentioned public school, in the courtyard behind the temple. This museum contained many Byzantine icons (apparently they were icons of an older iconostasis), and other church treasures. Unfortunately, these items were moved to the castle, located in the "Turkish Quarter" of the Rock, where the Larnaca District Museum was located. As a result, during the Turkish uprising in 1963, these objects fell into the hands of the Turks and disappeared.

The melodic ringing of the bells of the Church of St. Lazarus is heard in all corners of Larnaca. Their familiar ringing is woven into the everyday life of the townspeople.

How many generations of people came to the morning and evening services, announced by the ringing of the Temple bells! Of particular importance are those solemn services (vespers, matins, Holy Liturgy, lithium), when the icon of St. Lazarus is taken out to the streets of Larnaca and the procession is performed. This happens on St. Lazarus Day on the Saturday before Palm Sunday and on the eve of that day.

These days, the inhabitants of Larnaca feel closer to the holy places, and relive the "divine drama and wonderful moments before the resurrection in the second real Bethany at the grave of the beloved Friend of Christ."

Here, very briefly, this is the history of the Church of St. Lazarus, friend of Christ, the first Bishop of Kita and the patron saint of Larnaca, whose second and last grave is carefully preserved in this beautiful Byzantine church, which is more than a thousand years old.

Hieromonk Sofronios R. Michaelides

08.05.2015

According to the Gospel, Saint Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha. His life was connected with the Savior, because it was him who was resurrected by Christ on the fourth day after he died. In the Catholic Church, Saint Lazarus' day is considered December 17, and it is he who is considered the very first bishop who served in Marseille.

The Gospel speaks of Lazarus only in the name of John, and all the events that are associated with him are associated with the resurrection. When Christ went to Lazarus, to the tomb where he was buried, he began to cry very hard, and those standing nearby who saw this began to say that Jesus loved Lazarus very much. After Christ was near the cave, the stone was rolled away from it, and the Savior began to pray. A few minutes passed, and a man's hand appeared from the cave, and then the whole man, it turned out to be Lazarus. He was bound with swaddling clothes, Christ asked to be untied.

The exact burial place of Lazarus is unknown.

According to Catholic tradition, which was reflected in the Legend, Lazar with his sister and Mary Magdalene decided to go to Marseille, where he began to preach the teachings of Christ. Marseilles were mostly pagans who did not immediately accept the new teacher. After some time, Lazar was able to become the Bishop of Marseille.

The relics of Lazarus were brought to the city of Kitiy, which is now called Larnaca, in a special marble reliquary. There was a small inscription on the cancer, which says that Lazarus was a friend of the Savior.

A few years later, Emperor Leo the Wise ordered the relics of the saint to be transported to Constantinople, where they were placed in a small temple of the same name. In the 10th century, in the city of Larnaca, near the grave of Lazarus, a church was built in his name. The most interesting thing is that in the 20th century, scientists accidentally discovered a small cancer in which there were human remains. According to them, these were the remains of St. Lazarus. Most likely, not all the relics of the saint were taken to Constantinople. Scholars continue to disagree about the burial place of St. Lazarus, as there were rumors at one time that he was buried in Bethany, where his grave is located. This place is now considered Muslim, and to see the grave, you need to pay money. There is a small mosque next to the grave. The city of Bethany during the Byzantine rule was called Lazarion, after it was captured by the Muslims, the city became known as El-Azaria, which in Arabic means "the city of Lazarus."

Several facts of the resurrection and the tradition of honoring Lazarus

The name Lazar comes from a shortened form of another name - Elizar. If we talk about the translation of this name, it means "God helped me." A small but very revered order of knights was named in his honor, which is called the Holy Order of Lazarus.

According to statistics, at the moment there are more than six thousand people in this order who live on different continents. The order is considered monastic, but refers to military people who take part in hostilities. It all started from the crusaders who fought in the lands of Palestine in the 11th century. Today, representatives of the order are engaged only in charity.

In Cyprus, in the city of Larnaca, where the Church of St. Lazarus is located, there is a tomb in a small underground crypt, and it has a museum. This museum is assembled from unique exhibits that were not bought or ordered from anyone. Everything that is there was brought and given as a gift by the parishioners of the temple, who have been visiting it for many centuries. A lot of time passed, and the museum became overcrowded, there was not enough space in it, and a new building was built, which was turned into a new and expanded museum.

Art critics spoke differently about Lazar

In the last century, Van Gogh decided to talk about an unusual interpretation of the plot presented in the New Testament. This work was very different from the canonical representation, since the Savior, who performed a miracle by resurrecting Lazarus, was shown as the Sun, and in the main place was the Saint himself with his sisters Mary and Martha. In modern Russia, Lazarus symbolizes a person who suffers from illness and poverty, although after death he was rewarded in his later life in Heaven.

In Cuba, not everyone can beg, it can be done by those who have dedicated themselves to the Saint. Lazarus on this island remains the most important patron for the population, and not only representatives of Christianity, but also supporters of Santeri, who consider Lazarus to be a deity, the lord of diseases, try to celebrate the holiday.

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