Рожество Христово

It is now December 25th! Christ is born!


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The Whole Story

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Source: The website of the Church of the Holy Ascension, Oregon, USA. Light editing. The Orthodox Church Until The Middle of the 17th Century: The baptism of Russia in 988 by the Equal-to-the-Apostle saint Price Vladimir was the single most important event in our nation’s history. The quest for the True Faith of Christ had already been present in the soul of the Russian people. Princess Olga, the grandmother of Vladimir, had already received the Holy Baptism and, according to the chronicles, “had lead many to the Faith”. Ever since the times of Saint Vladimir, the Russian Orthodox Church had grown and prospered during more than 600 years, while remaining united and in peace.The efforts of the enemies of the Church, who on numerous occasions attempted to subjugate the Russian Church or to break it up, did never succeed: the harrowing yoke of the Tatar invaders which lasted over 200 years never succeeded in destroying or even corrupting Russian Orthodoxy. On many occasions Roman P...
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The Solovetsky Martyrs

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Many are unaware of the story of some of the greatest Martyrs that the Church has seen: the holy Saints of Solovetsky Monastery. Above: Family tree of Denisov brothers I here tell the story of the Solovetsky Martyrs with illustrations from the "Sufferings of the Solovetsky Fathers" by Simeon Denisov (Симeон Денисов ), a famous writer who, along with his brother Andrei Denisov ( Андрей Денисов ) wrote the Pomorian Answers, which was an apologetic for Old Believers. They also founded Vygotsky Monastery, which was based on Solovetsky's charter. This monastery remained priestless, a sect that maintained that there was no more earthly liturgy, and split into multiple more branches, many of which practiced self-immolation. Luckily, Simeon and Andrei refrain from defending that tragic and sinful practice. They are often considered Saints by priestless. The book was handwritten, due to the ban on giving printing presses to Old Believers, and due to simple tradition...
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Life of St. Varlaam of Khutyn

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The following is the life of the holy Saint Varlaam of Khutyn, in Russia. Saint Varlaam was born a Novgorodian noble, and took a tonsure in the Lisitsky Monastery. He began to live a solitary life in Khutyn, on a hill. In 1192, he built the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, and became a hegumen of a monastery he created nearby. He has been venerated for a very long time. The actual details of his life are sparing, but specific stories exist. Temptation The fellow monks brought St. Varlaam fish. He was fasting and did not desire temptation, so he ordered them to deposit it in a vessel for three days after cooking it. For three days, he fasted and prayed, and opened the vessel. He summoned the other monks, and showed them: it was rotting and covered in worms. He said: "Every animal turns into corruption after its destruction; it befits us to be resolved from every pleasure of the world and every attachment to this life. If you want to eat sweet food and drink sw...
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