The Apostle Andrew the First-Called, perhaps, can be called the most famous disciple of Jesus Christ. After the execution of the Savior, this true Catcher of men traveled around many countries, preaching the word of God. Twenty centuries ago, he visited our northern region, and therefore began to be revered here as the heavenly patron of the Russian land. The shrines associated with the name of Andrew the First-Called are today kept in many Christian churches of the planet, and their great power grants people help in business and healing from diseases.
Temple at the place of execution
Undoubtedly, the cathedral in the city of Patras (Greece), built in the 5th century on the site of the execution of the apostle, is considered the main guardian of the shrines of St. Andrew. Within the walls of this majestic handsome man, erected over the grave of the Hunter of Man, the fragments of his body and pieces of the cross on which the martyr was crucified were found refuge.
It is known that after the execution of Andrew, the noble patrician Maximilla secretly buried the apostle, from whom she received holy baptism. Several centuries later, a small church was built here, where the relics and the cross of the First-Called were kept. I must say that the place of his execution is also marked by a source with the purest healing water, which gushed out of the ground at the time of the death of the apostle. This spring, located at the walls of St. Andrew's Cathedral, built anew in the middle of the 19th century, still gives people its life-giving power.
The fate of other great shrines was not easy. The relics of the First-Called in 357 were transported to Constantinople by order of Constantius II. However, when the capital of Byzantium was captured by the Turks, the brother of the last emperor Thomas Palaiologos handed the shrine to Pope Pius II for safekeeping. The miraculous remains of the apostle - the head and body parts - returned to Patras only in 1962, when they were donated by Pope Paul IV to the Greek Orthodox Church.
The history of the cross of St. Andrew the First-Called is no less interesting. It is known that in the 13th century he was transported by the crusaders to Marseille, where he was placed in the monastery of St. Victor. For centuries, the monks have carefully kept the great relic, but during the French Revolution, it almost died. In 1793, militant fighters with "opium for the people" broke into the monastery, who, having laid a fire in the courtyard of the monastery, threw a wonderful cross there. However, one old priest threw himself into the fire after the relic and at the cost of his life saved a few particles.
For a long time, the pieces of the cross, saved from death, were kept in the crypt of the monastery, and on January 19, 1980 they were returned to Patras.
Promotional video:
Healing and miraculous world
It is known that many miracles happen every year at the shrines of the First-Called from the city of Patras. For example, the ministers of St. Andrew's Cathedral say that the relics of the Apostle are profusely myrrh. The wonderful moisture they release has healing properties. Six times a year - on the days of the memory of the First-Called - the priests open the reliquary, where the remains of Andrew are kept, and collect the cherished moisture for anointing the faithful.
The particles of the wonderful cross, on the other hand, exude a delicious aroma during the main Orthodox holidays. In addition, many amazing healings were noticed that occurred at this shrine. So, a few years ago, a young couple brought a child to the cross who could not walk from birth. But after his father and mother prayed at the shrine, the baby stood on his feet and, in front of the ministers of the temple and amazed visitors, took the first steps.
There are many such examples here. After all, people from all over the world go to the cross. The ministers of the cathedral say that the shrine not only bestows healing from the most terrible diseases to its petitioners, but also helps to solve life's problems, as well as to find family happiness.
Footprint in stone
It must be said that it is no coincidence that the first-called Apostle is now called "Russian" in our country. Indeed, by lot, which the disciples of the Savior threw after His execution, in order to choose their further path, Andrew got the northern lands. As the lines of the "Tale of Bygone Years" read: "The Apostle visited with a sermon the Bosphorus kingdom, the country of Abaskov (Abkhazia), the country of the Alans (North Caucasus), then he returned to the lower reaches of the Dnieper and, climbing up the river, preached to the Slavs and Russians living here." …
It is known that Andrei came to the Slovenian lands through Korsun (Chersonesos). According to the Book of the Steppe, while in this city, the disciple of Christ stepped on a stone lying on the seashore. And then a miracle happened - the boulder suddenly became soft, and the feet of the First-Called were imprinted on it. People who saw this believed in Christ and, touching the covenant stone, received healing from their illnesses.
Surprisingly, a few years ago, an unusual boulder with human footprints was found on the territory of the museum-reserve in Sevastopol. It is difficult to say now whether the footprints belong to the Apostle Andrew, however, according to believers, this stone has special power. It is believed that rain and sea water caught in the prints becomes healing and is able to relieve a person of any ailment.
Along the Dnieper and Volkhov
Further, the path of the first disciple of Christ ran along the Dnieper. Moving along this river, Andrew stopped at the picturesque hills (which would later be called Kiev), and here he made his famous prediction. The Apostle predicted that after years the grace of God will shine on these mountains and a big city with many churches will arise, hence the faith of Christ will spread throughout the land of the Rus. It should be noted that this prophecy of Andrew the First-Called came true exactly.
Then the apostle went north to the lands of the Slovenes (Slavs). The legend says that on the banks of the Volkhov River in the Rdeysky region (later in this place the village of Gruzino was located - the estate of Count Arakcheev), he stuck his staff into the ground, after which he clogged a source of healing water here. This key, which is now located in the village of Peregino, Poddorsky region, is still revered by believers as the spring of St. Andrew the First-Called.
After the baptism of Rus, a church dedicated to the first disciple of Christ was built in this reserved area. In 1806, in its place, Count Arakcheev erected a stone church, which, unfortunately, was destroyed to the ground during the Great Patriotic War. However, today a cozy wooden church, built at the expense of residents of the nearby town of Chudov, and a large veneration cross of St. Andrew the First-Called are again flaunting here.
Gift to the Russian Tsar
However, the main "Russian" shrine of St. Andrew the First-Called should be called his right hand, which is today in Moscow in the Epiphany Cathedral. I must say that the hand of the apostle was kept for many years in the city of Thessaloniki (Greece) in the monastery of St. Anastasia. The relic came to Russia in connection with the following events. In 1644, the Turkish sultan decided to destroy one of the Greek Orthodox monasteries. However, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich stood up for the doomed monastery and, through his ambassador, transferred a large monetary ransom to the lord of the Ottoman Empire. In the same year, the Patriarch of Constantinople, in order to thank the Russian ruler for his generosity, sent him as a gift a famous shrine - the right hand of the Apostle Andrew.
Initially, it was placed in the Assumption Cathedral, where it was located until the revolutionary events of 1917. And after the temple acquired the status of a museum of the Moscow Kremlin, the shrine became one of its exhibits. However, on May 26, 1988, the right hand of the "Russian" apostle was returned to the church, and today it is kept in the Epiphany Patriarchal Cathedral in Moscow. Here the shrine rests under a large ancient crucifix in a small ark that stands at the north wall of the temple.
Magazine: Secrets of the 20th century №39. Author: Elena Lyakina