There is a widespread opinion among Russian society that holy relics should represent completely intact, undamaged bodies, and that the very incorruption of bodies serves as the main basis for glorifying the saints.
A similar opinion has been held since ancient times. Even the second Sofia chronicle under 1472 tells that among the Russian people, who is not in the body, he is not holy. But such a view of holy relics is based on a misunderstanding and is completely wrong. Both the Old Testament church and the New Testament church looked and looks at the holy relics differently. The relics in the Old Testament meant only one bones but not the body. So, Joseph the Beautiful himself bequeathed to transfer his bones from Egypt to Palestine. "A visitation," he said, "God will visit you: and lift up my bones" (Gen. 50:24-25). Indeed, according to the book of Exodus (13:21), Moses and the sons of Israel carried the bones of Joseph the Beautiful from Egypt to the promised land. The same is seen in the book of Joshua (24:32), and in the letter of the apostle Paul to the Hebrews (11:22).
St. John Chrysostom says on this occasion: "When everyone was leaving Egypt and some were wearing out gold, others silver, then instead of any wealth, Moses took and carried the bones of Joseph, bringing home with him the greatest treasure and full of countless blessings."
According to the testimony of the Fourth Book of Kings (13:21), a dead man came to life, touching the bones of the holy prophet Elisha. According to the testimony of the same book (23:18), the king of the Jews, Josiah, commanded the inhabitants of the city of Bethel to preserve the bones of the man of God, who was buried in Bethel under the king of Israel, Jeroboam, more than 300 years later; and the bones of a prophet who came from Samaria.
According to Saint David the King, the Lord keeps the bones of the righteous, "not one of them will be broken" (Ps. 33:21). Jesus, the son of Sirach says that "the bones of the twelve prophets will flourish from their places" (Sir.49:12).
The holy prophet Isaiah predicts the relics of the saints as a special gift to the members of the New Testament Church, saying: “Your bones will grow fat and will be like a garden filled with drink, and like a spring, but water is scarce for him: and your bones will vegetate like grass, and grow ill and inherit generations of generations” (Is .68:2).
Also resolutely looks at the holy relics and the New Testament Church - Greek and Russian.
Using in their ecclesiastical language the word "relics" in general in the sense of only a part, and not the whole, of a sacred object, in fact, under the holy relics, both the Greek and Russian Churches have understood and understand primarily the bones of saints.
Thus, Blessed Jerome speaks of the holy relics of the prophet Samuel and the apostles Peter and Paul as if they were bones. The relics of the holy apostles Andrew, Luke and Timothy were transferred to the reign of Constantine the Great in small boxes and, therefore, were bones. The relics of the Old Testament Patriarch Joseph and Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, were transferred to Constantinople in 415 also in small boxes and consisted of bones. When the relics of the first martyr Stephen were found, as the legend says, his body turned to dust and the bones were the relics.
The Greek historians Sozomen and Evagrius speak of the relics of the forty martyrs and Simeon the Stylite as if they were bones.
Speaking of holy relics, the holy fathers meant bones. On this subject St. John Chrysostom testifies more expressively than others. So, in the fourth conversation about the holy Apostle Paul, he asks: "why do demons tremble not only of the Crucified Himself, but also of the bones of those who were put to death for Him." In a conversation about the martyrs, he convinces that "not only the bones of the martyrs, but also their tombs and shrines exude a great blessing." In praise of the holy martyr Julian, the same holy father says among other things: “If now, after such a long time, when the martyr has become dust and ashes, the demons do not dare to look at the monument and at the bare bones of the saint, then it is obvious that even then, when they they saw him covered in blood on all sides... they were smitten."
In the same word, he says: "God divided the martyrs with us: He Himself, having taken their souls, He gave us, as it were, their bodies, so that their holy bones would be with us a constant reminder of their virtue." In a commendable conversation about the holy martyrs Domnina and Prosdok, Saint John Chrysostom invites: "Let us embrace their tombs, because the tombs of martyrs can have great power, just as the bones of martyrs have great power."
Following the example of the Greek Church, the Russian Orthodox Church has maintained and maintains the same view of holy relics. In 1472, in Moscow, on the occasion of the restructuring of the Assumption Cathedral, the coffins of the metropolitans were opened. At the same time, according to the testimony of the second Sophian Chronicle, it turned out that “Jonah was found to be whole, Photea is not everything; the legs are only in the body, and Kipreyan, having decayed everything, the relics are one,” i.e. bones.
Also, the Sophian Chronicle, denouncing human unbelief, adds on its own that “in the body they found a miracle worker (i.e. Jonah) of unbelief for the sake of the people, outside of which only lies not in the body, that they are not holy, but they will not remember him, like bones nagas exude healing."
In 1667, at the opening of the relics of the Monk Nil of Stolobensky, the Novgorod Vladyka Pitirim was sent the following report: "the coffin and his holy body are betrayed to the earth, and all his holy relics are intact", i.e. all his bones are intact. 
The Suzdal voivode, examining in 1677 the tomb of Boris, the son of Yuri of Suzdal, who was buried in it in 1159, wrote to the archbishop of Suzdal: "there are relics in the tomb, the bones are intact."
The same view of holy relics, as of the bones of saints, was held by our church teachers. The Monk Joseph Volotsky in the seventh word of his "Illuminator" wrote: "If we see someone from the saints, or a bone from his body, or dust from his grave, then imams honorably and holyly, and with fear we bow and kiss kindly." Metropolitan Daniel wrote: “in truth, a miracle is glorious, as if the bones of a naked man exude healing,” Zakharia Kopystensky in his Palinodia explains the very word “relics” in this way: “relics, i.e. bones and bodies of saints ... relics, i.e. parts of the bones and bodies of the saints" (23). Stefan Yavorsky, in his "Stone of Faith", based on the testimonies of St. John Chrysostom and Basil the Great, says that the relics of saints are just bones. St. Demetrius of Rostov in his "Search" says that "the bones of the saints are given to believers."
Thus, under the holy relics in a broad sense, they mean mainly the bones or parts of the bones of saints.
However, such a predominant view of holy relics as the bones of saints does not deny a closer understanding of holy relics in the sense of the presence of whole bodies or parts of them.
The ancient Greeks almost nowhere had holy relics in the form of whole bodies; they had only fragments of them, since the ancient Greeks had the custom of acquiring as much as possible particles of various relics for their churches and for themselves personally.
Nevertheless, there is evidence that they also had the whole bodies of saints.
So, St. Basil the Great, in a conversation in memory of the martyr Julitta, says about her that "her honest body was preserved intact, and it, resting in the most beautiful suburb of the city (Caesarea of Cappadocia), sanctifies the place, sanctifies those who enter it."
According to the Greek historian Sozomen, the relics of the prophet Zechariah were found in the form of a whole, undestroyed body" (28).
The author of the life of the holy martyr Autonomus, calling himself a contemporary of Emperor Justin (518-527), says that he himself saw the relics of the saint incorrupt after 200 years; peering into the coffin, he saw his sacred relics remaining undefeated by the power of death, which for 200 years could not destroy even the hair of this glorious husband: his hair is thick, his face is whole, well covered with skin, his mustache is not damaged, his eyes are open ".
Presbyter Peacock in the life of St. Ambrose, written in 411, testifies that he was an eyewitness to the discovery of the remains of Nazarius and Kelsius. About the relics of the martyr Nazarius, he writes: “We saw in the tomb of the martyr, about the time of whose death (Nazarius) we still do not know anything; his blood is so fresh, as if it had flowed out on this day. His head was intact and not damaged with hair and the beard as if it were now washed and laid down. Lifting the body of the martyr and laying it on a stretcher, we turned with prayer to the martyr Kelsius, who was laid in the same garden."
When examining the relics of St. Demetrius of Rostov in 1757, the commission reported to His Holiness Senod: “The hair on the head down from the cap on both sides, as well as on the brad, there is little wear with the undergarment, the essence is whole and unharmed, and under the cap, which edge is irshitsa (fur ) stuck to the forehead, whether there is one, it is impossible to find out; the head from the neck in the composition is listed a little behind, reassuringly from the weight of the poured earth and schor (rubble); the lips from under and upper and the cartilage at the nose and face are taken by the earth, the compositions of all this in view of intact and one from the other, not separated a little; the hands folded on the Persians fell off, the right one is intact and the veins are visible intact, and the left one in the composition at the elbow separated and the veins, which are visible, were cut off, but at the right hand at four fingers - at of the index finger, and at the great middle and near its being and at the little finger, two compositions were broken, of which one is with a nail, and these are placed in a special silver ark; at the legs of the lower leg and in the knees, the compositions are also visible, the veins are intact, and the body on they are not indicated, but on other compositions, and then on the thighs, in part, there are some bones in his leg feet that have separated, but the legs have not decayed.
In the conclusion of the report it is said that "in parts on some compositions there is an uncorrupted body, and in parts and nakedness there are bones."
When examining the relics of St. Innocent of Irkutsk in 1801, it turned out that "the head, chest, ribs, back and legs - all intact and with flesh, almost dried up, from which comes a fragrant smell, characteristic of the relics and felt by many."
When the brethren of the Pechersk Lavra transferred the relics of St. Theodosius of the Caves 18 years after his repose (May 3, 1074) from the cave to the stone church, the first eyewitness of the honest relics of the saint, blessed Nestor, writes about this: "and the hegumen came with two brothers , but I prokopakh more: and bowed down, I saw his relics lying holiness: the compositions of all were whole and were not involved in corruption; the face was bright, the eyes were closed, the mouth was connected, the hair of the head was dried up to the head. carrying it out before the cave."
At the acquisition of the relics on July 5, 1423, of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 30 years after his repose, the sacred cathedral proceeded to open the coffin and a fragrance suddenly poured out of it; a spectacle appeared worthy of tenderness: not only was the honest body preserved intact, but corruption did not touch his clothes, although water apparently stood on both sides of the tomb, but did not dare to touch the reverend.
In the city of Kazan, while digging ditches on October 4, 1595, for a new stone church, the relics of Saints Guriy, Archbishop of Kazan (+ December 5, 1563) and Barsanuphius of Tverskoy, who reposed (+ April 11, 1576) at rest in the Kazan Spaso- Transfiguration Monastery. Patriarch Germogen, who was Metropolitan of Kazan at that time, who witnessed and accomplished this acquisition of the sacred relics, describes this event as follows: but not a single part was immersed: God bestowed incorruption on his honest and laborious body, as it is now seen by everyone, only the upper lip touches corruption a little, while the rest of his udders were intact (the fragrant, honest and holy myrrh, arranged in a new vessel). but I opened the cancer of the Monk Barsanuphius and saw with many imperishable reverence from God the relics of Saint Barsanuphius, and I touched the corruption at the feet of the monk, but either way, not only the bones were not destroyed, but they were very strong and no weakness in the composition of the property, like Gury the saint; hands with Archimandrite Arseny, the saints transferred their miraculous relics from the coffins to the arks.
During the opening of the tombstone of St. Tikhon of Voronezh in 1846, 63 years after his repose, the body of the saint was found incorrupt, and the episcopal vestments in which he was buried remained intact, despite the dampness of the place. The incorruptible body of the saint was recognized as holy relics on June 20, 1861, after three examinations.
Similarly, during the examination of the coffin of Theodosius of Chernigov on July 5, 1895, his body was found incorrupt.
The relics of the Caves saints are spoken of - about some as about bones, about others as about whole bodies, and about all together at the same time as about bones and as about whole bodies.
These testimonies are sufficient to establish views on holy relics: in a broad sense, they are understood as the bones of saints; in a close sense - as whole bodies or parts of bodies.
But the incorruption of bodies in its essence, in itself, does not represent the dignity of a shrine if it is not combined with miracles from them.
There have been and still are the bodies of some of the dead, preserved in an incorruptible form, but these bodies are never recognized as holy relics if there were no miracles or no miracles from them.
So, the body of the Galich prince Dimitri Yuryevich, who died in Galich on September 22, 1441, was brought to Moscow for burial in the Archangel Cathedral. After cutting through the tarred log in which the prince's body was carried, on the 23rd day after his death, contrary to expectations, his body was found completely unharmed; however, it was interred.
In July 1473, in Moscow, in the Church of the Savior-on-Boru, the body of the third wife of Grand Duke Simeon Ivanovich, Maria Alexandrovna, was found completely intact, incorruptible with a decayed riza, and after laying a new riza on this body, it was again buried.
In 1546, the bodies of six unknown deceased were found intact in the Pavlovsky Obnorsky Monastery and were again buried in the ground. In 1549 in Novgorod, while digging ditches for the foundation of one building, twelve bodies were found, which were again buried in the ground. In 1596, when the relics of Saints Guriy of Kazan and Barsanuphius of Tverskoy-Kazan were uncovered, the bodies of two other monks were found together with them in an incorrupt form, but the bodies of Guriy and Varsonuphiy were opened, and the bodies of the monks were again buried in the earth.
In the Belgorod Trinity Monastery, in a crypt under the cathedral monastery church, the incorrupt body of Bishop Iosaph (Gorlenko) of Belgorod (glorified in 1911 - ed.), who died on December 10, 1754, openly rests.
In the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in a crypt under the great cathedral church, the incorrupt body of Metropolitan Pavel (Konyuskevich) of Tobolsk, who died at rest in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on November 4, 1770, openly rests.
In the Trinity Monastery, the imperishable body of Princess Sofia Yurievna Slutskaya, who died on March 19, 1617, rests.
According to the Resurrection Chronicle, in 1479, on the occasion of being transferred to the newly built Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, the body of Metropolitan Philip (the first), who died 6 years ago, was found incorrupt; for 12 days, his body was not buried in anticipation of whether miracles would follow from him, but since miracles did not follow, the body, despite incorruption, was transferred to the earth.
The Moscow Cathedral of 1667 also speaks of the existence of incorruptible bodies, not recognized as holy relics: 
“Do not dare to honor the incorruptible bodies that are being acquired at the present time, except for a reliable testimony and a conciliar command in the saints: for many bodies are not found whole and incorruptible, not from holiness, but as if excommunicated and under the oath of the bishops and priests, dead, or for the crime of divine and sacred rules and the law of the goal and are indestructible, and whoever you want to honor in the saints, about those who are bodily, is worth testing in every possible way before the great and perfect Council of Bishops.
In 1700, in the town of Lyutenka, Godyachsky district, Poltava province, while digging ditches for the foundation of the church, the body of an unknown person was found incorruptible, who, in a sleepy vision of one inhabitant of the town, called himself Autonom. By order of the then Metropolitan of Kyiv, Varlaam (Yasinsky), the relics were buried in the ground.
In the Kyiv towns of Gotva and Sorochintsy (now the Poltava province), when digging a grave for burial in 1709, two imperishable female bodies were found, which were placed in churches. On November 23, 1724, Archbishop Varlaam (Vanatovich) reported to the Holy Synod that he himself saw both bodies, that they were indeed incorruptible and whole, but since there was not a single evidence of the power of their miraculous work, he ordered in the same churches, where they stood, to dig deep pits and bury them privately with ordinary lithium, for, the report added, "the common people, especially the Little Russian people, are such bodies with charitable worship to honor and idolize the ordinary." From this addition of the report it is clear that there were many incorruptible bodies of the deceased in the Kyiv diocese.
In 1850, in the village of Tuligolovo, Glukhovsky district, Chernigov province, while digging ditches for the foundation of the church, the body of the priest Maxim Fomin, who died in 1801 or 1810, was found intact. After 10 days of standing in the open air with the body, no change followed , but since no miracles appeared from the body, the coffin was laid in the wall of the new church.
All these data clearly show that the incorruption of bodies in itself does not matter and the incorruptible remains, whether in the form of bones exposed from the body, or in the form of whole bodies or parts, are revered as a shrine or for holy relics only under the necessary condition of true from of them miracles, tested and attested by reliable testimonies before the great Council of Bishops, or, as now, before the Holy Synod.
This necessary condition for the recognition of relics as a shrine has always been presented by both the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches.
Therefore, if the repeated attempts of our Old Believers, who have sought and are seeking to have the incorruptible relics of their false hierarchs, about which they have increased concern at the present time, in view of the upcoming glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov, could be crowned with success, then this find of the Old Believers in itself would not have would be of no significant importance.
However, for the work of glorifying the saints, the holy relics, marked miraculous, do not have an obligatory significance and do not represent a necessary condition for the canonization of the dead as saints.
History testifies that the veneration of saints in the ancient Christian church began much earlier than the removal of the remains of saints from the earth. Not only that: the bodies of some saints were subjected to decay, like the bodies of ordinary people.
A clear example of this can be seen in the person of the greatest of the saints of the Old Testament, King David, about whom the holy apostle says: "David in his time served the will of God, rested and was added to his fathers and saw corruption."
Some saints were canonized before the discovery of the relics, mainly because before this discovery, miracles began to take place at their tombs. So, the memory of the Monk Theodosius of the Caves, in the Caves Monastery, began to be celebrated on the occasion of being awarded the gift of miracles during his lifetime, immediately after his repose, on May 3, 1074, or a little later, at least until the discovery of his holy relics, which occurred in 1091 G.
The canonization of the Right-Believing Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver, who reposed in the Horde on November 22, 1318, began immediately after his body was brought from the Horde through Moscow to Tver. He was conciliarly canonized in 1549. His holy relics were found incorrupt in 1632 and now openly rest in the Tver Cathedral.
Local veneration of St. Peter of Moscow began on the occasion of the miracles that took place from the time of his repose on December 21, 1326. In 1339, Metropolitan Theognost established a church-wide feast for him, and his holy relics were opened 133 years after the establishment of a common feast.
The Monk Savva Storozhevsky (Zvenigorodsky), who reposed on December 3, 1406, was canonized by the Council in 1547, and his holy relics were uncovered in 1652.
Saint Moses, Archbishop of Novgorod, reposed on January 25, 1362, the exact time of the establishment of his celebration is unknown, but there is no doubt that it was established before the second half of the 17th century, since a chapel was added to the Novgorod Skovorodsky Monastery in honor of him and consecrated by Metropolitan Pitirim , who occupied the Novgorod cathedra from 1664 to 1672. His relics were found and opened in 1686 on April 19 in the Skovorodskaya monastery.
Some saints were canonized after the discovery of the holy relics, on the grounds that not immediately after this discovery, but some time after the discovery, miracles began to happen.
Saint Isaiah, Bishop of Rostov, reposed in 1090, his relics were found and opened on May 15, 1164, and the celebration of his memory was established by Archbishop Varlaam in 1474, for the sake of the miracles that appeared.
The blessed Prince Vsevolod of Novgorod, the son of Mstislav Vladimirovich, in holy baptism Gabriel reposed in Pskov on February 11, 1138, which is why he is called Pskov. The relics were found on November 27, 1192, canonized by the cathedral in 1549.
The Monk Euthymius, Archimandrite of Suzdal, reposed on April 1, 1405; his relics were found on July 4, 1507, and he was canonized by the cathedral in 1549.
The Monk Stephen of Makhrishchsky reposed on July 14, 1406; his relics were found, in 1550; the celebration of his memory was established as a result of miracles performed in 1560-1561, or shortly after.
Saint Arseny, Bishop of Tver, reposed on March 2, 1409; the relics were discovered in 1483; canonized by the Council in 1547.
The Monk Martinian of Belozersky reposed on January 12, 1483, his relics were uncovered in 1514, canonized in 1553.
In addition, the relics of many saints have never been opened, such as Anthony of the Caves, Nikon of Radonezh, Joseph of Volokolamsk and many others, about whom it is said that their relics are under a bushel, i.e. the relics were either not opened at all or were opened, but again hidden.
Finally, the history of the Moscow Councils of 1547 and 1549, at which a very large number of saints were canonized, clearly shows that the relics of the saints had nothing to do with the canonization of the deceased as saints, since at these councils the question of whether the or the relics of those being canonized were not discovered, but at these councils the only question was whether the saints were miracle workers.
Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow in a letter to A.N. Muravyov wrote: "You never know the saints, whose relics are not at all open and for whom prayers are sung." In another letter, the same Vladyka argues that "the discovery of relics does not consecrate a saint."
Thus, the deceased were and are counted as saints only with the presence of miracles at their graves and without the presence of relics, on the contrary, with the presence of relics and without the presence of miracles, the deceased could not and cannot be canonized saints. If some saints were canonized after the discovery of the relics, then this is not because the relics were incorrupt, but because miracles were performed at their graves.
But if there is no need for the presence of relics in order to be counted among the saints, then what is the meaning of holy relics in themselves, and how can one explain the very possibility of holy relics with their inherent miracles?
St. John Chrysostom, in a conversation about the martyrs, explains the idea that the bodies of the saints were left by God on earth, so that people, coming to them, would ease the soul from worldly anxieties, and these bodies of saints silently teach and more convincingly than preachers. “As it happens,” says St. John Chrysostom, “in the baths, when the bath is filled with hot water, and no one dares to go down into it, while those sitting on the edges encourage each other to do so with words, they do not convince anyone; and when one one of them either lowers his hands, or, having unclasped his leg, boldly throws himself with his whole body, then silently, better than those who talk a lot, he convinces those sitting above to go down into the bath - so it is with the martyrs: here instead of a bath of water there is a fire. standing around, at least admonishing with countless speeches, they are not very convincing, when one of the martyrs not only lowers his leg or hand, but plunges his whole body, offering the strongest experience of any exhortation and advice, in fact, he casts out fear from those around him. You see how much stronger the voice of the silent martyrs is. That is why God left us their bodies; therefore, having conquered a long time ago, they have not yet risen yet, but, although they have undergone ascetic labors for so long, they have not yet received the resurrection, have not received for your sake
and for your benefit, so that you, thinking of such an ascetic, would be aroused to a similar feat. They themselves do not suffer any harm from this slowing down, but for you the greatest benefit comes from this slowing down. They will later receive what they do not receive now, and if God took them from here now, he would deprive us of great edification and comfort.
Thus, St. John Chrysostom behind the holy relics recognizes mainly educational significance.
Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow expresses his thoughts in the same sense.
In the same word, Metropolitan Filaret explains the very possibility of incorruption of bodies with miraculous power.
The reason why the human body is corruptible, is sin, is the poison that the person initially took in the soul, but which poisoned the body as well. Therefore, the return of a person to non-destruction is possible only when he ceases to poison himself with sin.
The antidote to sin is the grace of God; its life-giving action, just like the deadly action of sin, extends throughout the entire human being, from spirit to body. But the grace of God or the power of God is more powerful than the power of sin. When sin multiplied, - says the Apostle Paul, - grace began to abound more (Rom. 5:20). The grace of God truly heals and restores what sin infects and destroys. In those who are capable, the grace of God dwells, as if penetrating their whole body; the body, as it were, becomes spiritualized and becomes capable of accepting and preserving in itself the imprints and traces of internal beneficial movements. Shmch. Ignatius the God-bearer, for example, got so used to nourishing his heart with the loving remembrance of the sweet name of Jesus Christ that this deep spiritual impression was sensually imprinted in the bodily organ, and when, after his martyrdom, the heart was cut open, they saw in it the name of Jesus Christ written in letters ( Cheti-Minei, 20 Dec.). A vessel in which a fragrant ointment is stored for a long time borrows the power of fragrance from it; so the human body, in which the grace-filled power of Christ constantly dwells, is permeated in its composition and even fragrant for others. But the grace-filled power of Christ is imperishable and omnipotent. Therefore, it is natural that, while indwelling a person, she informs the body of his incorruption and through him works miracles.
Thus, Metropolitan Filaret looks at the holy relics as a wondrous reward for piety, but this reward is bestowed on the saints not so much personally as for another, with the wisdom and goodness of God, in accordance with the goal, namely, to excite them to piety, to strengthen them in deeds against sin. , for teaching that we must keep not only the purity of the soul, but also the body, preparing it for the living temple of the Holy Spirit.
Metropolitan Philaret's thoughts about the spirituality of the bodies of saints are based on the testimonies of Holy Scripture and the holy fathers.
The Apostle Paul himself calls the bodies of the saints temples of the Holy Spirit. St. John Chrysostom, in praise of the Egyptian martyrs, says that the grace of God, which arranges everything, can accomplish marvelous things even in weak bodies. “Not only the soul, but also the very body of the martyrs becomes involved in greater grace and not only does not lose, after frequent torments and cuts, the strength that they had, but also acquires a greater and higher one.”
St. John of Damascus remarks about the relics of the saints: "As by the means of the mind, God entered into their (saints') bodies."
Thus, the holy relics are those earthly means through which the Lord manifests His miraculous power and which serves us as a living reminder of the heavenly prayer books for us.
In this case, holy relics have the same meaning for us as all miraculous icons have, through which the Lord reveals his miraculous power, but over miraculous icons, holy relics have the advantage that, being temples of the Holy Spirit, they represent what is most pleasing to God, and therefore more frequent earthly medium for the manifestation of His miraculous power. From here the question of the size of the holy relics is resolved by itself.
For educational purposes, it is not so much the size and size of the holy relics that is important, but the larger or smaller size of the icons, but it is also important that through these holy relics, whether they will be in the form of bones or parts of them exposed from the body, or in the form of whole bodies or parts them, the power of God is accomplished and manifested.
On this occasion, Metropolitan Filaret, in his word for the day of St. Nikon, says that "God's providence partly draws us to communion with them (the saints) through their visible miraculous remains, and partly hides this from our vision, so that faith learns and without the help of the visible ascend to the invisible."
Discussing the apparent inequality of the visible reward bestowed on the saints, increasing the measure of grace to some and decreasing to others, glorifying some and hiding others, this same ever-memorable Lord comes to the conclusion that this inequality, perhaps, in some way corresponds to the degrees of their inner sanctification as how someone here labored in faith, love and good deeds.
But in this same inequality, one can also see the special dispensation of God, which testifies to the immutability of the word of God. Man, according to the word of the Lord, is the earth and must go into the earth (Gen.3:19; Eccl.12:7). In fulfillment of this word of the Lord, the earth takes the saints of God into its share, leaving us their remains, but at the same time, man was created in perishability, and the almighty power of God, conquering nature, wherever it wants, shows special providence and special mercy, preserving us whole bodies saints of God.
In conclusion, let us touch on a question that many are interested in, but which has not yet been discussed in liturgical literature, namely, the question of crushing holy relics.
As you know, parts of the holy relics are a necessary accessory of antimensions. 
without which the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated. In addition, particles of holy relics are laid under the altar in a specially arranged box, when the altar is consecrated by the bishop himself.
In this case, many are interested in the question, where do the particles of holy relics come from for such a multitude of antimensions, and how exactly does the separation of the particles of holy relics take place for this purpose?
In new antimensions, particles of holy relics are usually transferred from old antimensions; but in the dioceses for the most part of the new Eastern ones, where there are no relics of their own and there are few old antimensions, the diocesan bishops, who have a need for holy relics for antimensions and for new thrones, when they are consecrated personally by the Bishops themselves, usually apply for this to the Moscow Holy Synod Office and on their behalf they send a trusted person of the clergy to Moscow to receive holy relics, meaning at the same time a certain number of them, from 50 to 100 or more. From the Moscow Holy Synod Office a decree is sent to the synodal sacristan, who performs the separation of small particles from larger particles of holy relics. Sometimes this separation is performed by the assistant of the synodal sacristan.
Larger parts of the holy relics, from which small particles are separated, are deliberately kept in cabinets at the Church of the Holy Apostle Philip, in the Synodal House in the Kremlin, on the top floor of the Church of the Twelve Apostles. All these parts of the holy relics are the bones of the holy apostles, saints, saints, righteous and martyrs. Their authenticity was at one time certified by the highest church hierarchy, as there is information in the inventory of the patriarchal sacristy of the former synodal sacristan Savva (Tikhomirov. - Approx. ed.), later Archbishop of Tver.
Although in the first centuries of Christianity churches were built primarily on the tombs of the martyrs, but in subsequent times they began to build on the resting places of saints, saints and the righteous. Therefore, parts of the holy relics in the antimensions and under the thrones were and are relied on from all the ranks of the saints of God, where they are found, without limitation to martyr parts only.
But since in the storehouse of the holy relics of the Church of the Apostle Philip there are more parts from the holy martyrs, and these parts are large in comparison with parts of other holy relics, the separation of the particles is done mostly from the parts of the holy martyrs. Each part has an inscription on a special piece of paper about the belonging of this part to a famous saint or a famous saint; handwriting of these inscriptions of the 17th century; larger parts of the holy relics and in the arks are invested with such inscriptions.
The actual separation of the particles of the holy relics is performed by the synodal sacristan usually in the morning in the altar of the Church of the Apostle Philip on the altar in epitrachelion and ceremonies. There is no special order for the separation of particles of holy relics, but usually the synodal sacristan performs the separation with brief prayers "Lord, have mercy", or troparia of the apostles, saints, saints, martyrs, or those that the Lord puts on the heart.
Two small knives usually served as tools for separating particles of holy relics, but due to the blunting of the blades from the hard bones of saints, small tongs are now used for this.
The separated particles are placed on clean paper, each covered with white wax and placed in a small paper envelope; then these envelopes with particles of holy relics are deposited in special reliquaries, and a representative from the diocesan bishops counts them. After that, the reliquary is sealed with the seal of the synodal sacristan and given against receipt to the one sent from the diocesan bishop in a special book, where the leave of the holy world for entire dioceses is also recorded, also by special decrees of the Moscow Holy Synod Office.
Thus, the acts for the issuance of holy relics are: 1) decrees to the synodal sacristan from the Moscow Holy Synod Office; 2) an entry in a special book of the issued shrine with the designation of the diocese, the number of shrines issued, the time of receipt, and 3) a report about this by the synodal sacristan of the Moscow Holy Synod Office. The decrees on the issuance of the shrine and the book in which this issuance is recorded are kept in the archives of the Synodal Church of the Twelve Apostles, and the reports of the Right Reverends and the Synodal sacristan are in the Synodal Office.
Separated and sealed particles of holy relics are presented by persons sent from the diocese to their Grace Bishops, who keep them in the cathedral sacristies and, as necessary, spend them for investing in new antimensions and under the thrones when they are consecrated by bishops.
(8 votes : 4.5 out of 5 )Journal of the Moscow Patriarchy
Pavel OSTROV
On the veneration of holy relics. Prof. I. V. Popov
I. What are relics
The word "relics" in the Slavic language translates the Greek word "lipsana" and the Latin "relic", which literally means "remains" in Russian. Therefore, this word denotes all the remains of the deceased, everything that remains of the human body after his death. The word "relics" has always been used in the same sense in the Church Slavonic language. In the rite of “burial of worldly people, priests and babies” we constantly encounter expressions: “the relics of the deceased lie in the house”, “having taken the relics of the deceased, we go to the church”, “prayer is read near the relics”, “putting the relics into the coffin” and so on. If we pay attention to the origin of the word "power" from the root "power" - strength, then it becomes obvious that the word "power" in the Slavic language refers not to the bodies of the dead, but only their bones, because the strength, the strength of the human body, according to the general belief, lies precisely in the bones of a person, and not in his body (flesh); we call a strong, strong one whose bone composition is highly developed, who has a strong, well-developed chest. In our Russian chronicles of the 15th and 17th centuries, bones were called relics. In one chronicle of 1472, this is how the opening of the coffins of Moscow metropolitans resting in the Assumption Cathedral is described: “Jonah has been found whole, Photeya is not everything, the “relics” are one” (Collection of Russian Chronicles. T. VI. P. 195). In 1667, Metropolitan Pitirim of Novgorod was informed of the discovery of the relics of the Monk Nil Stolbensky: “The coffin and body of his holy land were betrayed, and the relics of his saints are all intact” (Acts collected in the libraries and archives of the Russian Empire by the archeographic expedition of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. St. Petersburg. T IV, p. 156). Obviously, in both cases, only bones were called relics. In general, “in the language of ancient church literature, incorruptible relics are not incorruptible bodies, but preserved and undecayed bones” (Canonization of the Saints, pp. 297-298).
The history of both the ancient Christian Church and the Russian Church also tells us that relics have always been called and among believers all the relics of the holy martyrs, great ascetics, preserved at least in the form of bones and even just dust and ashes, were reverently revered. Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was thrown to be torn to pieces by wild beasts (under the emperor Trajan), who devoured his entire body and left only a few of the hardest bones, which, like sacred remains, were reverently picked up by believers. In 156, the Hieromartyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was killed with a sword and burned, but the bones that survived the fire and the ashes were for Christians "more honest than valuable stones and more expensive than gold." The writer of the Latin Church, Prudentius, says: “Believers collect the ashes from the burnt holy bodies of the martyrs and their bones washed with pure wine, and all vied with each other trying to get them for themselves, store them in their homes, wear holy ashes on their chests as a sacred gift and a guarantee of well-being.” St. John Chrysostom writes about the relics of the Antiochian martyr Babyla: “Many years have passed since his burial, only bones and ashes remained in his tomb, which were transferred with great honor to the tomb, on the outskirts of Daphne.” The Blessed Lucian tells the following about the relics of the holy Archdeacon Stephen he found: “Very small particles remained of his bones, and his whole body turned to dust ... With psalms and songs they carried these relics (remains) of Blessed Stephen to the holy church of Zion ...” Blessed Jerome says that the highly revered relics of the prophet Samuel existed in the form of dust, and the relics of the apostles Peter and Paul - in the form of bones (Decree. op. C. 35, approx.).
And the history of the Russian Church also testifies to the fact that all the relics of saints, preserved even in the form of bones, were called holy relics and reverently revered. In 1031, about the discovery of the relics of the monk, the chronicler writes: “I saw his bones, but did not open them up”; about the relics of Andrei Smolensky in the annals it says: "His body is involved in corruption, but both together make a biakh." The relics of St. Olga, according to the new chronicle, consisted of only bones. The relics of Prince Vladimir were discovered in 1635 by the Metropolitan of Kyiv in the Church of the Tithes in the form of bones. Its head is now in the great church of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the bones of the hands - in the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral, the jaw - in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. At the present time, during the opening of the relics of the monk (1903), St. Pitirim of Tambov and the Hieromartyr (1914), only the bones of the saints were also found, which serve as an object of reverent veneration for believers.
From all the foregoing, it is clear, therefore, that from time immemorial in the Church of Christ all the relics of saints have been venerated as holy relics, even in the form of surviving bones and even dust and ashes. But it would be a complete injustice to say that in the holy relics there are always only bones, and nothing more. Both historical data, and eyewitness accounts, and, finally, even modern examination of the relics by civil authorities convince us that there are holy relics with flesh preserved to a greater or lesser extent and dried to the bones. Of course, the origin of such incorruption of the flesh can be explained in various ways. For some, this may seem like a natural thing, it may depend, for example, on the properties of the soil in which the body of the deceased lies, or on some other external influences of the atmosphere, others are inclined to see in this a miraculous phenomenon that is sometimes inherent in the remains of the deceased saints. And without even discussing which of these views should be recognized as more correct, we only assert that, although in itself the incorruption of the body cannot be proof of the holiness of the deceased person, nevertheless such incorruption of the flesh was more or less detectable. sometimes also at the opening of the relics of the holy saints of God, as the testimonies of historians and eyewitnesses undoubtedly confirm us. The compiler of the Life of St. Peacock tells with surprise about the discovery of the relics of the martyr Nazarius: “His head, cut off by the wicked, lay so whole and undamaged, with hair on the skull and beard, that it seemed as if it had just been washed and today was placed in a coffin.” The historian Sozomen says about the relics of the prophet Zechariah: "Despite the fact that the prophet lay underground for a long time, he was found intact: his hair was shaved, his nose was straight, his beard was not long, his eyes were slightly sunken and covered with eyelashes." In Russia, the relics of Metropolitan Jonah were found in 1472 (11 years after his death, which followed in 1461) in the form of a withered body adhering to the bones: him "(Golubinsky E.E. Decree. Op. P. 79, note 2). The relics of Prince Gleb Andreevich (son of Andrey Bogolyubsky) resting in the city of Vladimir are especially famous, which is not refuted by the recent examination of these relics by the civil authorities (the protocol of inspection was not published in the press). The relics of St. Joasaph (Gorlenko) in Belgorod and St. Theodosius in Chernigov also turned out to be more or less preserved (nothing is known about the examination of these relics by the civil authorities). We all look with reverence at the flesh-covered hand of the holy Archdeacon Stefan (in the Trinity Cathedral of the Sergius Lavra) and kiss it. In the protocol on the examination of the relics of the Yaroslavl princes Theodore, David and Konstantin (also not published), representatives of the medical science of the city of Yaroslavl, certifying that not only bones, but also cartilage were preserved in these relics, most of the skin and muscles were preserved in a dried state , tendons, refuse to explain in any way the reasons for this phenomenon and in conclusion directly state that "the last word on the reasons for the preservation of the bodies of princes Theodore, David and Constantine belongs to the mind and religious conscience of the people."
So, both in the ancient Christian and in the Russian Church, the relics of the saints were equally venerated, preserved both in the form of bones alone, and with incorruptible flesh sometimes dried to the bones.
II. Why did the Orthodox Church establish the veneration of holy relics
In the works of the holy fathers of the Christian Church we find a threefold basis for establishing the veneration of the holy relics of those or other saints of God.
1. The remains of saints have an irresistible religious and moral effect on the soul of a person, serve as a living reminder of the personality of the saint and excite believers to imitate his pious deeds. John Chrysostom says: “The sight of the tomb of a saint, penetrating into the soul, strikes it, and excites, and brings it to such a state, as if he himself lying in the tomb prays together, stands before us, and we see him, and thus a person experiencing this, filled with great zeal, and descends from here, having become a different man.
If in ordinary, worldly life portraits of great people, their busts, statues, and especially tombs and graves are able to make a strong impression on the admirers of their memory and awaken in them an enthusiastic reverence for their life feat, then the tombs of martyrs and ascetics of faith and piety in the Church Christ's should naturally produce an irresistible, strong, powerful impression on all believers and those who honor their holy memory. The following historical fact confirms the validity of the previous position.
In the Church of Antioch, the decline of morals developed to its extreme limits: in the forests, with which pagan traditions about Apollo and Daphne were associated, immoral orgies, cynical games were arranged; no prohibitions, no admonitions of the pastors of the Church helped. But finally, the nephew of Emperor Constantius came up with the idea to build a basilica (temple) on the outskirts of Daphne, to transfer the relics of the especially revered martyr Babyla into it, and since then the orgies have ceased. St. John Chrysostom says: “Indeed, as if a light breeze blows from everywhere on those present at the tomb of the martyr, the breeze is not sensual and strengthens the body, but is able to penetrate into the very soul, arranging it in all respects and overthrowing any earthly burden from it.” The ancient feasts at the relics of the saints speak most eloquently of how high the Church placed their moral and edifying goal. All means were used in order to use the feeling of closeness of the saint, aroused by his remains, for the purpose of edification: narrations about the sufferings of the martyrs were read, acts of martyrdom were composed and then read, which had a tremendous effect on the listeners ...
2. Along with the moral and edifying veneration of relics in the Church of Christ, there is also a liturgical significance.
With the earthly Church, the Heavenly Church is also in communion of love, and such communion between the Churches on earth and in Heaven is expressed in prayer, the crown of which is the offering of the Most Holy Eucharist: “Now the powers of heaven serve with us invisibly, behold, the King of glory enters, behold, the secret sacrifice is made and offered… "One of the teachers of the ancient Church () says:" There is a twofold society in prayer meetings: one consisting of people, the other of celestials ... "The relics of the saints are the key to their participation in our prayers. That is why the ancient Church of Christ predominantly celebrated the Eucharist on the graves of the martyrs, and their very graves served as an altar for the Sacrament. When the persecution weakened, the Christians hurried to erect a temple over the tomb of the martyr. So, in Rome, a church was built on the site where, according to legend, the body of the Apostle Paul was buried (Eusebius. History of the Church. 11, 25, 3). In Carthage there were two churches in honor of the martyr Cyprian: one at the place of his murder, the other over his grave. Here, at the remains of the martyr, his invisible presence was especially vividly felt. Therefore, the temple itself in honor of the martyr was called his “home”, “dwelling”, and the martyr himself was called his householder. John of Thessalonica, in his work on the miracles of the holy martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, says that this martyr has two houses: one in Heavenly Jerusalem, the other in Thessalonica. By the end of the 7th century, the custom of celebrating the Eucharist only on the relics of the martyrs had become almost legal: the Frankish Council decreed that the throne could only be consecrated in a church that contained the relics of the saints, and the 7th Ecumenical Council (787) determined that “for the future, every a bishop who consecrates a church without relics must be deposed” (Rule 7). Since then, antimensions have been introduced everywhere in churches, into which particles of holy relics are necessarily embedded and without which it is impossible to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Thus, in every church there are necessarily the relics of saints, and these relics, according to the faith of the Church, serve as a guarantee of the presence of saints during worship, their participation in our prayers, their intercession before God, reinforcing our prayers. With the position of the relics in the antimension (or under the throne, if it is consecrated by the bishop), the following prayer is read: “Vladyka himself, the giver of good things, with the prayers of the saints, you also favored the position of the relics in this honest altar of Your being, vouchsafe us unjudgmentally bloodless to You on it make a sacrifice."
3. The third basis for the veneration of holy relics is the teaching of the Orthodox Church about relics as carriers of grace-filled powers. “Your relics, like a full vessel of grace, overflowing on all who flow to them,” we read in prayer to St. Sergius. And this foundation stands in connection with the deepest tenets of the Orthodox faith, with the tenets of the Incarnation and the Redemption.
Even if people manage to arrange an earthly paradise of satiety and material well-being, they will not save themselves from illness, old age and death by any effort, and therefore, suffering, the bitterness of outgoing forces, the pain of losing loved ones and loved ones, the horror of death - such disasters will remain on earth. human life, before which all others pale… Where can we look for deliverance from them, if not from the grace of God? And this grace is taught to mankind through the mediation of those or other holy people who, during their lifetime, worked miracles, and after death imparted this miraculous power to their remains. First of all, Christ Himself, as God, poured out the Holy Spirit on His body, and it, in itself incapable of working miracles, was all imbued with the life-giving powers of the Divine. Therefore, the God-man performed many of His miracles through the medium of His body: stretching out his hand, he touched a leper (see:). Knowing the miraculous working of the body of Christ, the people always crowded to Christ in order to touch at least only His clothes (see:); so, through touching only the edge of the Savior's garment, a wife who suffered from bleeding for 12 whole years, who fruitlessly spent all her property on the treatment of her illness, suddenly received healing. And Christ the Savior Himself felt at the same time the miraculous power that came out of His body (see:).
So, undoubtedly, “the very body of Christ,” as the saint says, “was life-giving, for it was the temple and habitation of God the Word…”. That is why we are now united with the Divinity of Christ, partaking of His Body and Blood for the remission of sins and eternal life in the Mystery of the Eucharist.
But Christ is the head of a renewed humanity. Through His incarnation, the Divinity was united with all human nature, with the whole human race, and therefore people who are worthy to become the temple of God become, to some extent, partakers of His Divine glory (see:). Saint Gregory the Theologian says: “The human mind is like a mirror. If he is turned to God, then the body, this mirror of the mirror, obeying the mind, bears in itself a reflection of his Divine beauty. God, according to John of Damascus, indwells the bodies of the saints through the mind. If the holy Apostle Paul called the body of every Christian the temple of the Spirit of God living in it (see:), whose actions can be more or less hidden in ordinary people, then in saints these actions can manifest themselves with especially striking force ... “As fire enters into everything the pores of red-hot iron, - says the monk, - so the Holy Spirit completely penetrates with His power both the soul and the body of the saint. But this is not an incarnation both in essence and in the power of grace. In Christ, with two natures (Divine and human), there is one divine hypostasis; the human hypostasis is preserved in the saints... Christ is the flesh-bearing God, and the saints are God-bearing or spirit-bearing people” (St. Macarius of Egypt). As a result of such a close union with God, the saints become bearers of miraculous power, acting through their bodies. Who closed heaven under Elijah the Prophet? God who dwells in it. By whose power did Moses divide the Red Sea, stretching out his staff over it? By the power of God that belongs to him. By the same miraculous Divine power, the prophet Elisha resurrected the dead boy (see:), the apostle Peter healed the lame from birth (see:), raised the paralyzed Aeneas, chained to a bed of sickness for eight years, and all this by the name and power of Jesus Christ (see. : ). And this power of Christ was so inherent in the holy Apostle Peter that even his shadow, which overshadowed the sick, miraculously healed them of illnesses (see:). But the grace-filled forces that act through the bodies of the saints during their lifetime continue to act in them even after death. This is precisely the basis for the veneration of holy relics as bearers of grace. For the sake of the Holy Spirit and righteous human souls, who once inhabited the bodies of holy men and women, their very dust and bones retain their miraculous power. The deceased, touching the bones of the prophet Elisha, came to life and rose to his feet (see:). And this, according to Cyril of Jerusalem, in order to show that in the body of the saints, when there is no soul in it, some kind of power is put into it, for the sake of the righteous soul that lived in it for many years, which it served. Dead saints, says the prophet, act like living ones: they heal the sick, cast out demons, for the grace of the Holy Spirit is always in the holy remains. John Chrysostom says: "Do not speak to me about dust, do not imagine the ashes and the bones of the saints decayed from time to time, but open the eyes of faith and look at the power of God inherent in them."
It is clear from the foregoing that the veneration of the relics of saints in the beliefs of the Church is not an accident, but is connected with the fundamental truths of the Orthodox faith, and that the basis for such veneration of the relics is not their incorruption, but the grace-filled power of God inherent in them. In the same way, the basis for the canonization of the saints is not the incorruption of their remains, but the striking manifestation of the Spirit in the holiness of their lives and in miracles from their relics. That is why the Orthodox Church canonized some ascetics of faith and piety, whose relics have not been discovered to this day and about whose incorruption we know nothing at all, but who were known for their holy life and after death provided miraculous help with faith to those who turned to him. Such, for example, are Anthony Pechersky, Kirill Belozersky, Joseph Volokolamsky, Pafnuty Borovsky and others. Or some of the saints were canonized even before the discovery of their relics - mainly because even before this discovery, numerous and amazing miracles were performed at their tombs; such are the reverend, the reverend Nil Stolbensky, the saint, and others.
Thus, the presence of the incorruption of the remains of the deceased cannot be considered a necessary sign of his holiness, just as the corruption of the body is not a sign of lawlessness. According to the testimony of church history, there have been and still are encountered the incorruptible bodies of some of the dead, which, in the absence of miracles, were not recognized and are not recognized, however, as the relics of the holy saints of God. In August 1479, the body of Metropolitan Philip was found, which lay open for 12 days, there were no miracles, and it was again interred. In 1546, the bodies of six unknown deceased were found intact in the Pavlovsky Obnorsky Monastery and were again buried in the ground. In 1596, when the relics of Saints Guriy and Barsanuphius of Kazan were found, the bodies of two other monks were found together with them in an incorrupt form, but the bodies of Guriy and Varsanuphii were recognized as relics and remained open, and the bodies of the monks were buried again (Golubinsky E.E. Decree. cit., pp. 522-528). In the great Kiev-Pechersk Church, Pavel, Metropolitan of Tobolsk, who died in 1770, almost completely incorrupt and openly rests, everyone can see, for example, his right hand, completely preserved, not even very dark in color and not very dried up. And despite incorruption, he is still not numbered among the saints.
A well-known historian and researcher of the issue of the canonization of saints, Professor E. E. Golubinsky says: “The Church from the most ancient times began to recognize those or others among the ascetics as saints on the same basis on which it recognized them in later times and on which it recognizes them to this day. Since then, precisely on the basis of the testimony of God Himself about them, Who honored one or another among them with the gift of miracles - either during life or after death ”(Golubinsky E.E. Decree. Op. P. 16). But, while taking upon itself the right, in the presence of miracles, to rank one or another ascetic of faith and piety as a saint, the Church has always treated testimonies about miracles with extreme caution: she examined all testimonies impartially and with full attention, and only after undeniable data was a well-known ascetic ranked to the saints.
As you know, saints have long been identified by imperishable relics. If the remains of the deceased, after years spent in the grave, did not decompose, this served as a sign of special spiritual chosenness. True, there were exceptions concerning both the elite and mere mortals. And, according to scientists, they are explained not only by the intervention of irrational forces, but also by completely earthly reasons.
The ancient Egyptians, although they called their pharaohs the Sons of the Sun, still did not rely too much on sacred grace and regularly embalmed the bodies of kings and priests, preferring to honor mummies. At the same time, some of the dead were indeed distinguished by "incorruptibility".
Take Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, who died in 1927 in a state of meditation. In 1955, the sarcophagus with the body was opened and the lama was found still sitting in the lotus position and without any signs of decomposition.
The same picture was observed during repeated exhumations in 1973 and 2002.
Employees of the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, who examined Itigelov's remains, did not find any significant changes in the tissues. All internal organs are also preserved. No traces of embalming were found. And Buddhists believe that Lama Itigilov is still alive. This is despite their belief in the transmigration of souls.
More recently, in February 2015, in the province of Songinokhairkhan (Mongolia), the police found the incorrupt body of a man sitting in a lotus position. At the moment, the find was transported to the capital for research at the Institute of Medical Expertise (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia).
The estimated age of the body is 200 years, but no traces of smoldering were found. The photo of the monk was published on January 28, 2015 in the newspaper "Oglöniy Sonin" ("Morning News"). It is suggested that this person could be Itigelov's teacher.
Perhaps the most ancient and little-studied underground structures of Ancient Rus' are the labyrinths of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The relics of famous saints are buried here, to which long queues of pilgrims line up.
The sick go to the relics of Panteleimon the Healer - for healing, they ask Andrew the First-Called to strengthen the power of the word and spirit. Interestingly, the remains of the saints buried in the Lavra remain incorruptible for centuries.
Relics of St. Agapit of the Caves
According to custom, the dead monks were buried in special niches - locules. After a certain time, the body was taken out of there to check whether it had decayed or not. If the relics decayed, they were transferred to the ossuary; if not, they were left in the locule, which was covered with an icon. The "inhabitants" of such loculas were considered saints, and prayers were brought to them.
From the 16th century the relics began to be transferred to special shrines so that pilgrims could worship them. In ancient times, they were open, and people applied their lips directly to the hands of the saints, because of which their surface was erased almost to the bones. In Soviet times, due to the increasing cases of vandalism, the relics were covered with glass.
Many relics stream myrrh. In one of the compartments of the caves in glass and silver vessels lie the so-called myrrh-streaming domes. These skulls of saints from time to time emit a fragrant oil - myrrh, which has healing properties.
They also say that slippers, which are periodically changed on the feet of the dead, after some time turn out to be worn out, as if the saints come to life and go about their needs.
In the 80s. XX century, scientists were allowed to explore the phenomenon of the influence of the relics of living objects. “We assumed that the reason for the healings that often occur near the relics is a certain hypothetical radiation,” writes T. Reshetnikova, candidate of biological sciences, in a report published in the book “The Miracle of the Lavra Caves”. She directed research at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
Relics of St. Ignatius Archimandrite of Kiev-Pechersk
Bags with wheat grains of the Mironovskaya-808 variety were applied to the tombs with holy relics. These seeds sprouted 15-30% faster than usual and developed better. Chemical analysis showed that the composition of the grains that had been near the relics changed: those that “touched”, for example, the remains of St. Agapit the healer, “lost” 18% zinc and “added” 11% calcium plus 4% potassium.
In addition, it turned out that the energy field of relics not only protects against radiation, but also reduces its negative impact. In May 1986, T. Reshetnikova and her collaborators descended into the Lavra caves with dosimeters in their hands. Scientists wanted to know if the holy relics could reduce the level of radiation, which then, after the Chernobyl accident, was quite high in Kyiv. In the caves, it turned out to be lower than on the street, but in the passages and on the crayfish the same - 120 microroentgen.
“It means that the power of the Holy Spirit is real,” the experts summed up their experiments. This was confirmed by photographs of wheat taken during the first experiments. The pictures showed that a garland of bright balls-flashes stretched from the plants. If we assume that the grains charged with holy energy themselves begin to radiate it, then we can explain the phenomenon of healing the sick with consecrated water, as well as the protective power of the pectoral cross.
Based on this hypothesis, one can also interpret the miracle of the incorruptibility of relics. A medical examination confirmed that there are no traces of antiseptics in the remains resting in the laurel, which could contribute to mummification.
It turns out that the bodies lay incorruptible for a thousand years, not thanks to miraculous balms, but because the body of the saint during his lifetime was “trained” by prayers. This, according to scientists, made the atoms rearrange in a special way, making the body of the saint sterile clean. After death, the water itself evaporated through the cell membranes, turning the remains into incorruptible.
Another example of holy relics. In a small church in Palermo stands a coffin with a glass lid. Inside is the body of a two-year-old girl who died of influenza in 1918.
The inconsolable parents of Rosalia Lombardo ordered that the child be given a special injection to stop the decomposition of the remains. The body is perfectly preserved, and to this day tourists admire the blond curls of the "sleeping beauty" - this is how the locals dubbed her.
About 40 years ago, strange things began to happen in the church. The parishioners felt the smell of lavender coming from nowhere. And once a man said that he saw how the eyes of a little dead woman opened for a moment and closed again. This so frightened the temple staff that they refused to be there alone.
Strange rumors have reached scientists. But only at the beginning of this century, the remains of Rosalia were finally subjected to study. The researchers, led by Dr. Paulo Cortes, connected a device to the skull of a dead girl that could record brain impulses.
Nothing happened for several days, but then… The devices registered two bursts of brain activity: one lasting 33 seconds, and the second 12 seconds! This is typical for sleeping people.
Cortez claims: “We are dealing with something incredible! We checked and rechecked our equipment, but all readings were accurate. The little girl came back to life for more than half a minute."
The news about the discovery of scientists swept throughout Italy. Pilgrims rushed to the tiny village, convinced that Rosalia Lombardo was a saint. Some visitors seem to have even managed to see the baby's eyelids tremble and hear her sigh. And some of the ministers of the church consider the girl a messenger of God.
Meditation and preservatives - the path to imperishability?
Meanwhile, there is a whole scientific direction that studies the laws of the processes of decomposition of the human body - taphonomy. In the US state of Tennessee, near the town of Knoxville, there is a landfill fenced with barbed wire, which belongs to the medical center of the local university.
It is called the "Farm of the Dead". Here are several hundred corpses intended for research. Some were bequeathed to doctors by volunteers during their lifetime, others remained unclaimed in morgues. Some of the bodies lie on the surface, inside old cars or crypts, some in graves dug at different depths.
The task of scientists is to investigate the processes of decomposition depending on external conditions. The "Farm of the Dead" is often visited by FBI interns - this is included in the training program.
There are quite a lot of chances to gain incorruptibility among those who are engaged in spiritual practices. So, in 1952, the director of the Los Angeles morgue, Harry Rowe, monitored the body of the yogi Paramahans Yogananda for 20 days.
During this time, he did not notice any signs of physical decay. According to researchers, the state of meditation in a special way affects the processes taking place in the body, sometimes as if “freezing” tissues. Therefore, many yogis look younger than their age, and after death, their remains may not decompose.
However, cases of "natural embalming" are known. For example, perfectly preserved human remains are sometimes found in peat bogs. They were even given a name - "swamp people". The age of mummies ranges from several hundred to several thousand years.
The most famous of the swamp mummies is the Tollund Man, who was stumbled upon by two peat-gathering brothers near the village of Tollund in May 1950. Radiocarbon dating of Tollund Man's hair showed that he died around 350 BC. e.
True, only soft tissues (including internal organs) and clothes remain safe and sound. The skeleton is eaten by acids. Historians believe that the ancient inhabitants of Europe sometimes specially arranged burials in swamps, knowing about the conservation properties of peat bogs.
Unlike Western Europeans, in Rus' the dead were protected from decay by oak decks. Similar burials dating back to the 16th-17th centuries were found in the very center of Moscow. The tannins contained in the wood made it possible to keep soft tissues intact and unharmed for three to four centuries. The main thing - it was necessary to tightly close the lid of the coffin so that no air could penetrate inside.
However, our contemporaries have a better remedy. Recently, Professor Rainer Horn from the German city of Kiel came to the conclusion that the constant consumption of foods with preservatives and the use of cosmetics based on synthetic chemistry interfere with decomposition processes.
We all know that chemistry is harmful, but we should not forget that if we fail to achieve immortality or at least significantly increase life expectancy, then at least after physical death we will retain a “marketable” appearance for a long time. This, of course, will not bring much benefit to us, but what food for research will we give to our descendants.
Despite the high rates of development in all fields of science, incorruptible bodies are still an unknown phenomenon. And all because this phenomenon lies beyond the bounds of materialistic thinking. Each new discovery of scientists gives rise to more and more questions and leads to the understanding that a person still does not know much, not only about the world, but even about his natural abilities.
The bringing from Italy to Russia of a particle of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker again stirred up conversations concerning the veneration of the relics and, in particular, the legality of their crushing. We have collected some of the most frequently asked questions from our readers and forwarded them to Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin, professor, doctor of church history, teacher of canon law at the Moscow Theological Academy and the Sretensky Theological Seminary.
- Father Vladislav, if the veneration of holy relics usually does not raise questions in the Orthodox environment, then the practice of crushing them may seem strange to someone. Doesn't it contradict dogma?
- Doesn't contradict at all. In the Ancient Church, in the era of persecution, a custom developed to celebrate the Eucharist on the relics of martyrs. The colossal increase in the number of churches after the Edict of Milan by the Holy Emperor Constantine, while maintaining this tradition, led to the fragmentation of the relics - so that in each church the Liturgy was celebrated on the relics, and on the other hand, the use in this capacity of the relics of not only the martyrs, but also other saints . From here came the antimensions, which also, having the signature of the bishops, serve as a kind of "document" confirming that the presbyter celebrates the Liturgy not arbitrarily, but by the will of the bishop. By the way, therefore, canonically, a bishop can, if necessary, celebrate the Eucharist without an antimension.
Is the size of the particle of relics to which you venerate important?
- The size of the relics is not important in itself, but the perception of a believer psychologically can be different when there are whole relics in front of him or only a particle of them. God acts to Him alone in a guided way, this His action is called grace. The relics, according to the oros of the VII Ecumenical Council, are revered on a par with icons, and the action of grace through them is obviously similar to how it works through icons. When referring to the relics of saints, the most important thing is faith in the action of grace through them, faith in the holiness of the honored saint, i.e. conscious faith.
– Why did many saints categorically insist, even ordered their disciples to throw their bodies after death to be torn to pieces by animals, leave them in the forest, etc.? Why did they want their burial places to remain unknown to people?
“The saints who asked that their remains be thrown away to be devoured by beasts did so out of great humility, considering themselves the worst of people. We observe a seemingly “ordinary” Christian paradox: the best of us Christians pay attention not to our merits, but to our sins. These are the very ones "of whom the whole world was not worthy," according to the apostle Paul.
- So why Christians in most cases did not fulfill this mandate?
- Firstly, in relation to them they performed the usual duty of burying their deceased neighbors - this is natural even from a secular, non-ecclesiastical point of view. Secondly, almost in most cases, the disciples and followers of the saints left their relics to glorify God for giving them such a person and as an example of following Christ for future generations.
– There are a variety of episodes in the lives of the saints, and they may not always be instructive for us Christians and not in all circumstances. There may be surprising things there, which, perhaps, should serve as an example, but only when we soberly delve into the context of events and the spiritual state of people who find themselves in a certain situation. And therefore, what we know from the life of some saint cannot become a rule that is obligatory for universal application. Speaking more specifically about the unwillingness of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius to continue to separate his relics further, it must be borne in mind that, quite possibly, this separation became an abuse, a threat to destroy the relics. It also became a spiritual danger, probably for the Christians themselves, the deliverance from which is remembered with gratitude in the akathist to the saint.
But this does not mean that we should draw some kind of universal conclusion from this episode for all occasions: they say that the separation of particles from holy relics is completely prohibited. In any case, the tradition of separating particles from relics exists, and it is recognized by the Church.
—Does the canons of the Orthodox Church say anything about particles of relics?
- Yes, in the 94th canon of the Council of Carthage, which refers to unauthorized temples, local bishops are ordered to destroy them if "no body or part of the relics of the martyrs is laid with them." From this it can be seen that "parts of the relics of the martyrs" are equated in value with the bodies of martyrs, and besides, no one has ever doubted the veneration of particles of relics along with whole relics.
— How did the practice of crushing relics appear?
— Perhaps the beginning of this tradition was laid by the fact that the relics of the saints were already divided according to their original state: the saints were executed, their remains were burned - only bones remained. In the end, there was simply a need for the relics of saints for antimensions, which made this practice absolutely inevitable, because it is impossible to have whole relics for each of the hundreds of thousands of churches.
Many relics, such as those of the great Saint Sava of Serbia, were destroyed, some disappeared, were stolen - especially after the IV Crusade, the Ottoman conquests, etc. But the veneration of a saint cannot stop because of the disappearance of his relics. In my opinion, the destruction of shrines, their disappearance should be perceived by Christians as a consequence of us, Christians, unworthy behavior.
Here we must keep in mind another circumstance: often we see only the external side of what is happening in the Church and the world, but the providential meaning of the events taking place is by no means always open to us. And we act, perhaps, very self-confidently when we so easily try to find the deep, basic meanings of what is happening.
- You are talking about a reasonable, Christian approach to the deeds of saints: not in every situation a certain reaction of a saint, which we know about from his life (or even a legend about him), should be a rule for widespread use.
— Quite right. It is impossible to deduce a certain general binding rule from a single particular case. To be universally binding, an action must be legalized by the Church. We have no right, referring to certain episodes from the life of the saints, to introduce their reaction to something into obligatory use, without taking into account all the circumstances that caused a certain reaction of the saint (I emphasize!) Man. We have no right, say, referring to the hagiographic episode about the slap in the face that St. Nicholas gave the heretic Arius at the First Ecumenical Council, to give slaps in the face to everyone who disagrees with us, whether fellow believers or non-believers. To make this the norm, you see, would be strange. How many cases have there been when the same slap in the face was inflicted, it would seem, out of “plausible jealousy”, but these were frankly bad deeds that did not speak in any way about the sanctity of the “shockers”!
I emphasize the need for a constant sober, Christian perception - this applies to the veneration of the relics of saints, and in general, an understanding of our whole life.
What is the difference between Christian and pagan worship of relics?
— Pagan beliefs are very different. There was nothing like the veneration of the remains, for example, among the Romans. In ancient Egypt, mummies were artificially made, somehow matching this rite with a peculiar belief in immortality.
As for the difference between Christian and pagan worship, one should probably keep in mind the same rule that applies to the veneration of holy icons: we worship the prototype, i.e. we glorify God the Creator, who gives His creation the freedom and strength to follow Him. We also glorify the feat of those people who took full advantage of this freedom, we ask them to participate in our prayer for giving us the strength to go to Christ, to be true Christians.
- As I understand it, your words about the conscious Christian worship of the relics of saints also apply to St. Nicholas, part of whose relics are today in Russia?
— Quite right. The most beloved and revered saint in Rus' should be addressed in a Christian way, right?
In any temple you can find pieces of the relics of various saints. They symbolize the special prayerful presence of the deceased righteous man, to whom the person who came to church turns with a request or gratitude.
Who and when was involved in the division of relics? Is it possible to confirm their authenticity, to learn about the origin?
These questions and more are answered by Timothy Katnis, historian and head of the Apostle Thomas Pilgrimage Center in Europe.
Why are powers needed?
The relics are the remains of the saints, that is, those whom God glorified after their death and whose presence in the world the believers constantly feel. The holiness of the Earthly Church is manifested in the human veneration of these people, in their appearances to the living, in miraculous events associated with their participation, in healing and help that come after prayer to them. The remains of the saint become a source of divine power or, in church language, grace. The exact formula for the veneration of relics, which the Church still adheres to, we find in the decisions of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787): “Our Savior Christ gave us saving sources, the relics of saints, pouring out blessings on the worthy in various ways. And this is through Christ, who dwells in them.” Evidence of the veneration of relics can be found already in the Old Testament (2 Kings 13:21). Written documents of the 2nd century confirm the presence of this tradition in the Church since ancient times.
The Church adamantly affirms that Christ was resurrected not only spiritually, but also bodily, therefore Christian theology has always said that a person must be holy in all the fullness of his being. Not only the soul is sanctified, but also the body. From this follows the rationale for the veneration of the relics - the human flesh of the righteous is just as sanctified by grace as his soul.
From the time of early Christianity, the sacrament of the Eucharist and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ were performed in the catacombs, on the tombs of the martyrs, that is, on their relics. In the modern Church, this Sacrament is also performed on holy remains. The so-called Antimins, a quadrangular board into which a particle of relics is sewn, is always present without fail on the throne in the altar of any Orthodox church. Without it, the main Christian service, the liturgy, cannot be performed. Thus, the Church points out that each liturgy takes place both with the visible participation of the living, that is, the faithful, who are present at that time in the temple (Earthly Church), and with the participation of the departed, that is, the saints (Heavenly Church), who are present not only invisible, but also visible and tangible - in the relics in the altar on the holy throne
The incorruptibility of the relics is not a prerequisite. The holiness of a person is primarily evidenced by his life and the miracles that occur through his prayers. On Athos, for example, relics are the bones of the deceased. At the same time, if the body of a monk does not decay after his death, this is considered a bad sign - they begin to pray intensely for such a person.
Why are relics divided into particles?
The phenomenon of the division of relics lies in the fact that it is not the body of a saint in itself that is a source of healing and miracles, but it is the power of God that lives in it, as indicated by the Seventh Ecumenical Council “... And this is through Christ Who dwells in them .. ". This power is indivisible.
Any even the smallest particle allows you to touch the most holy and the fullness of that divine grace that resides in the righteous man himself. Therefore, in order for as many people as possible to have the opportunity to touch this Power, Christians share the relics. Many of those who are surprised by this tradition do not think about what happens at the Liturgy. When a priest breaks the Body of Christ into pieces before Communion and lowers them into the Chalice, the believers do not partake of a part of Christ, but accept Him into their lives as a whole, and themselves, in their entirety, become part of the one, indivisible Body of Christ.
When did the tradition of sharing relics begin?
This has been happening since ancient times. Documentally, we can trace such a tradition as early as the 4th century by reading the written sources that have come down to us. Here, for example, is what St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) says at a sermon: separation is reduced; and those from division into parts not only do not decrease, but even more reveal their wealth: such is the property of spiritual things that through distribution they increase and through division they multiply.Shrines were hidden, transferred, lost, found. There are relics that still remain incorruptible (St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, St. Alexander of Svirsky), and there are those that have decayed over time. The greater the glory of the deceased saint, the more temples and monasteries that will want a piece of his relics. However, not all saints had relics. Sometimes it happened that after the death of the martyrs, the pagans destroyed their bodies by burning them or throwing them into the water.
Is there a procedure for the transfer of relics?
Exists. This order has changed over time. And in Byzantium, and in Rus', and in our time, as a rule, this was done at the request of the bishop. He sent an official letter to a temple or monastery of another diocese (church administrative-territorial unit) with a request to separate part of the relics. This request was considered and, if there was such an opportunity, the particle was separated, after which, through a trusted priest, or in a solemn procession, they brought it to the place where the request came from. Then the relics were inserted into the icon, or a so-called reliquary or reliquary was made for them (a container for storing valuable relics that have religious sacred significance) and kept with reverence in the temple.Have there been cases when the relics were stolen?
Sarcophagus containing the relics of St. Nicholas
Yes, there are such examples. The most textbook of them is the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycian to Bari. In fact, it was a real kidnapping. At the same time, the kidnappers were guided by quite pious goals. In that era, Byzantium was under the constant threat of occupation by the Turks, and Italian Christians feared that the relics of the saint might eventually be desecrated. In addition, all the navigators of the Mediterranean basin revered Nicholas the Wonderworker as their special patron. Hence the desire to receive the relics of the saint in his hometown arose. In 1087, a trading ship with the Barians moored at the port of Mir Lycian. The sailors made their way to the church where the relics of the saint were buried, and, seizing the monks there, began to interrogate them where the saint's tomb was located. One of the sailors, Matteo, saw a mosaic on the floor of the temple, began to break through it with a crowbar and soon discovered an empty space under it, where the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker lay. Having quickly loaded their treasure on the ship, the sailors set off back - home. Already in Bari, particles of the relics of the saint were sent to different places. One is now in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Rome, the other in France - in Saint-Nicolas de Port, the third in Venice. A similar story happened with the "transfer" of the relics of the Apostle Mark from Alexandria to Venice (829) and with the body of Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, which was stolen from Constantinople and brought to the island of Corfu (1456).
Are there scientific methods for verifying the historical authenticity of relics?
Exist. One of them is the radiocarbon method, which can be used to date the age of the relics. Any organic matter contains carbons, which, from the moment of death of a biological being, begin to decay at a known rate - the so-called half-life. Scientists measure the amount of carbon that the object under study has left and then compare it with how much it should have had originally. Thus, it is possible to determine the approximate date of death, by the amount of decayed carbon. This method was successfully applied during the study of the head of John the Baptist in the city of Amiens. He showed that the age of the skull is about 2000 years. There is also an anthropological (Anthropology is a set of disciplines that studies a person, his origin, existence and development in natural and cultural environments. - Ed.) analysis, which was also used during these studies. He determined that this is the head of a man between 35-45 years old, and the type of skull is Semitic, which additionally indicated the authenticity of the Head of John the Baptist.
In addition, individual historical-canonical analysis can be used. It is carried out on the basis of a complex of various historical documents and archaeological artifacts. In particular, such an analysis is required in order to confirm that this particular city, place or diocese has special rights to store the relics of a particular saint. For example, through such a historical and canonical analysis, it was confirmed that the relics of the apostles Peter and Paul were indeed found in Rome, which means that this city is the “homeland” of these holy relics. But such an analysis is not always possible. Over the 2000-year history of the Church, with all the upheavals, the fall of empires, the crusades and other events, it is sometimes extremely difficult to determine the path of a particular shrine. Sometimes researchers have only shreds of indirect information, with which you can at least somehow restore the history of the relics.
However, it is important to note that the church consciousness has always relied on the evidence of its Tradition, and such trust was justified. All the data of scientific research have always been considered as auxiliary arguments that in no way determine the question of the authenticity of the relics. In scientific circles, many characters and places from the Holy Scriptures have long been questioned. Archaeological discoveries of the 20th century dispelled most of these doubts. And what will be revealed tomorrow is unknown, but the Church knows its saints better than anyone else, even if he holds a magnifying glass or a measuring device in his hands. For the Church, only one evidence remains fundamental - the recognition of the authenticity of the relics by the Church itself through the decisions of church councils and popular veneration.
Do Christians conduct research on relics themselves?
Yes. Catholics, after the Second Vatican Council (1962 - 1965), created a whole commission that was supposed to determine the authenticity of all the relics and relics stored in monasteries and temples. For 10 years, all documents were rechecked, and, if possible, the history of each shrine was restored. As a result, the work carried out separated those relics and shrines, whose origin and authenticity are documented, from those that we can only honor by faith.
The Orthodox Church is also aware of such studies. For example, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the second acquisition of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, who were stolen by the authorities during the Soviet period. Then there was almost no hope of finding his holy remains. When information was received in 1990 that these relics were still found in the Museum of Atheism and Religion, a commission was created that conducted anthropological and historical-canonical analyzes. As a result, it was reliably established that the remains found were the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Conflicting evidence constantly appears about the research of the remains of the Royal Family.
It is important to note that neither in the case of the well-known Catholic commission, nor in the case of scientific studies of the relics at the request of the Russian Orthodox Church, their results were and cannot be the basis for resolving the issue of the authenticity of the relics. The last, defining word always remains with the Church itself, only She herself keeps holiness in herself and can recognize it.
