The holy relics of St. Cyril and Mary, parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh, wonderworker of all Russia, rest in the Pokrovsky Khotkovo stauropegial convent. The monastery is located 10 km from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, not far from Radonezh, on the banks of the Pazhi River on Obnorskaya Mountain. The monastery was founded under Prince Yuri Danilovich (1281–1322) and under St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow (1308–1326). The exact date of foundation of the monastery is unknown, but the Khotkovo monastery was first mentioned in chronicles in 1308.

Reverends Cyril and Maria with their entire family moved to Radonezh from Rostov the Great around 1328. Soon they took monastic vows at the Intercession Khotkovo Monastery, where they rested in 1337. In addition to Saints Kirill and Mary, other members of their family rest in the Khotkovo monastery (the youngest son Peter and his wife Catherine, the wife of the eldest son Stefan Anna and his son Clement) - the monastery became the tomb of the Sergiev family.

Pokrovsky Khotkov convent. Postcard from the early 20th century.

In 1544 the monastery was assigned to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. For a long time, all the buildings of the monastery were wooden. At the beginning of the 17th century. The monastery was burned by Polish-Lithuanian troops, who besieged the Trinity-Sergius Monastery for 16 months and devastated the Radonezh environs. But through the prayers of the saints of God, the Intercession Monastery was quickly restored. The first stone building was the Intercession Cathedral (1648), which stood until 1811. In 1816, another, more spacious cathedral with two chapels was built: in the name of St. Sergius and St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow. In it, throughout all centuries and to this day, the holy relics of St. Cyril and Mary rest.

Cancer with the honest relics of St. Kirill and Maria

In 1768, a temple in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built, and in 1904, it was restored with two chapels: in the name of the holy apostles Peter and Paul and in memory of the renovation of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. In 1791, the northern gate church was built in honor of the Nativity of John the Baptist (now it is the oldest building on the territory of the monastery), and in 1833, the church of St. Mitrophan of Voronezh was built over the southern gate. In 1834, a high bell tower was erected, which stood for exactly 100 years - until 1934. One of its bells weighed 20 pounds and was cast in 1694 in Moscow.

A hotel for pilgrims (1879), a hospital with 10 beds (1890), an almshouse for 40 elderly sisters (1826), a parochial school for 60 children (1884) and workshops were also built. In the 19th century the monastery became especially famous. All pious pilgrims came here, following the commandment of St. Sergius, who bequeathed: before going to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, to bow to his holy parents.

Birth of a son to Kirill and Maria

By the beginning of the 20th century. About 400 sisters lived in the monastery. Gardening, gold embroidery and icon painting were developed; nuns spun thin thread, wove cloth from it and decorated it with lace, gold and silk embroidery. They passed on their skills to orphan girls who were raised at the monastery.

After the revolution, the monastery was closed. Church utensils and property of the sisters were transferred to the state. The bell tower was destroyed, the necropolis in the crypt of St. Nicholas Cathedral was destroyed, and the monastery buildings were rebuilt and began to be used for economic purposes. In April 1931, the last abbess of the monastery, Barsanuphia, was arrested and sent to Kazakhstan, where she died in May of the same year. In 1960, the dilapidated Intercession Monastery was recognized as a historical and architectural monument and taken under state protection. In 1985, a strong fire that broke out in the Intercession Cathedral destroyed not only the chemical workshop that was located there, but also all the remaining wall paintings. And only in 1989 the Intercession Cathedral was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. Restoration work has begun.

In the year of the 600th anniversary of the repose of St. Sergius - in 1992 - at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church a church-wide glorification of the locally revered saints Reverend Cyril and Mary, the Wonderworkers of Radonezh and Khotkovo took place. On August 1, 1992, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, monastic life was resumed in the monastery.

Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery

Through the prayers of the holy parents of St. Sergius, at all times and in our days, healings are carried out from their holy relics of Cyril and Mary and help is provided to believers in all sorrows and needs.

Saints KIRILL and MARY OF RADONEZH, parents of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (†1337)

The Monk Sergius gave the commandment: “before going to him, pray for the repose of his parents over their coffin.” All those undertaking a pilgrimage trip to the Trinity Lavra make it their duty - in accordance with the will of the Monk - to first visit the Khotkovsky Intercession Monastery and venerate the tombs of his parents. (The reliquary with the relics of the Venerable Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria of Radonezh and Khotkovo miracle workers is currently in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Intercession Khotkovo Monastery).

At the end of the 13th - beginning of the 14th century, 4 km from Rostov the Great, on the banks of the Ishni River, in the village of Varnitsa, there was an estate of the noble Rostov boyars Cyril and Maria (On the site of the estate of Cyril and Mary near Rostov there is now the Varnitsky Monastery).

Kirill was in the service of the Rostov princes - first with Prince Konstantin II Borisovich, and then with Konstantin III Vasilyevich, whom he, as one of the people closest to them, more than once accompanied to the Golden Horde. St. Cyril owned a fortune sufficient for his position, but due to the simplicity of the morals of that time, living in the countryside, he did not neglect ordinary rural labor.

The couple already had a son, Stephen, when God gave them another son - the future founder of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, St. Sergius (in total, the couple had 3 children - Stefan, Bartholomew (the future Sergius of Radonezh) and Peter). Long before his birth, God's Providence gave a sign of him as a great chosen one of God. According to legend, when his mother, pregnant with him, was in church, the child, to the great amazement of all those present, exclaimed three times in a loud voice in his mother’s womb: at the beginning of the reading of the Gospel, before the singing of the Cherubim and at the moment when the priest exclaimed: “Let us hear, Holy of Holies!” After this, the mother began to especially monitor her spiritual state, remembering that she was carrying a baby in her womb, who was destined to be the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit. Maria observed fasting throughout her pregnancy, without giving herself any concessions.

Righteous Mary and her husband make a vow: if they have a boy, they will bring him to church and give him to God.

May 3, 1314 The righteous parents were visited by great joy: a boy was born. On the 40th day after his birth, the Baby was brought to church to perform the sacrament of baptism on him. Priest Michael named the baby Bartholomew, for on this day (June 11) the memory of the holy Apostle Bartholomew was celebrated. This name in its meaning - “Son of joy (consolation)” was especially comforting for parents. The priest felt that this was a special baby and, overshadowed by the Divine Spirit, predicted: “Rejoice and be glad, for this child will be the chosen vessel of God, the abode and servant of the Holy Trinity.”

From the first days of his life, baby Bartholomew surprised everyone with his fasting: on Wednesdays and Fridays he ate nothing at all, and on other days he refused his mother’s milk if Mary ate meat. Abstained by fasting in the womb, the baby, even at birth, seemed to require fasting from the mother. And she began to observe fasting more strictly: she completely abandoned meat food, and the baby, except for Wednesdays and Fridays, always fed on her milk after that.

When Bartholomew was 7 years old, his parents sent him to learn to read and write so that he could read and understand the Word of God. His two brothers also studied with him: the elder Stefan and the younger Peter. The brothers studied successfully, but Bartholomew was far behind them. The teacher punished him, his comrades reproached him and even laughed at him, his parents persuaded him; and he himself strained all the efforts of his childish mind, spent his nights over a book, and often, hiding from human gaze, somewhere in solitude, he wept bitterly about his inability, fervently and earnestly praying to the Lord God: “Give me, Lord, to understand this letter; teach me. Lord, enlighten and enlighten me!” But he was still not given a diploma. Until one day, sent by his father to the field to fetch horses, 13-year-old Bartholomew met an elder schema-monk. He asked him to come to his parents’ house; at dinner, the elder predicted to Cyril and Mary that “the boy will be great before God and people for his virtuous life.” Having blessed them, the schema-monk left. From then on, Bartholomew’s diploma, to his parents’ joy, began to come easily.

When Bartholomew turned 15 years old (around 1328), the Rostov Principality came under the rule of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan Kalita. One of the Moscow boyars was appointed governor of Rostov, who oppressed and robbed the inhabitants. Many of the Rostovites began to leave the city. Among them was boyar Kirill. In addition to the oppression of the Moscow governors, he also went bankrupt, and did not want to stay where he once lived in wealth and honor. For residence he chose the small town of Radonezh in the Moscow lands (12 km from the Trinity Lavra, towards Moscow, there is the village of Gorodishche or Gorodok, which in ancient times bore the name Radonezh).

According to the custom of that time, Cyril was supposed to receive an estate, but due to his old age he could no longer serve the Moscow prince, and this responsibility was assumed by his eldest son Stefan, who by that time was already married. The youngest of the sons of Cyril and Mary, Peter, also married, but Bartholomew continued his exploits in Radonezh. When he was about twenty years old, he asked his parents for a blessing to become a monk. The parents did not object, but asked to wait only until their death: with their departure they would have lost their last support, since the two older brothers were already married and lived separately. The blessed son obeyed and did everything to appease the old age of his parents, who did not force him to marry.

At that time, the custom of accepting monasticism in old age was widespread in Rus'. This is what simple people, princes and boyars did. According to this pious custom, at the end of their lives, Cyril and Maria also took first monastic tonsure, and then the schema in the Khotkovsky Intercession Monastery, which was located 3 km from Radonezh and at that time was both male and female. Almost at the same time, a sad change occurred in the life of their eldest son Stefan: his wife died, leaving two sons. Having buried his wife in the Khotkovo Monastery, Stefan did not want to return to the world. Entrusting his children to his younger brother Peter, he became a monk here in Khotkovo.

In 1337 Schemamonk Kirill and schemanun Maria departed to the Lord. Before their blessed death, they blessed Bartholomew for his monastic feat.

The children buried them under the shadow of the Intercession Monastery, which from that time became the last shelter and tomb of the Sergius family.

The reliquary with the relics of the Venerable Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria of Radonezh and Khotkovo Wonderworkers is currently in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Intercession Khotkovo Monastery

Already being an abbot, Venerable Sergius often walked from the monastery he founded (now - Trinity-Sergius Lavra) to the graves of parents and, according to legend, He bequeathed those coming to him to first pray for his parents in Khotkovo. And so it happened: before going to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, pilgrims came to the Intercession Monastery in Khotkovo, wanting to “bow at the grave of his righteous parents in order to appear to the blessed son from his dear grave as if with parting words from the righteous parents themselves.”

Until the revolution of 1917, the relics of the saints rested under the floor of the Intercession Cathedral in the Khotkovsky Monastery. And after the liquidation of the monastery, the workers who were rebuilding it into warehouses and workshops... allowed the believers to take away the relics and, moreover, they themselves helped open the floors of the temple and take out the remains. The relics were placed in a crypt on the territory of the monastery, and no signs or inscriptions were placed on the crypt - only the direct participants in these events remembered the place...

The church-wide glorification of Cyril and Mary as saints took place in 1992, exactly 600 years after the repose of their “son of joy,” St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Today their relics have been returned to the Khotkovsky Monastery. The memory is celebrated one day after the memory of their famous son - October 11, January 31 and on the day of the Council of Radonezh Saints - July 19, the day after the commemoration of the discovery of the relics of St. Sergius, abbot of Radonezh.

The chronicle of the Khotkovo Intercession Monastery provides evidence of how a prayerful appeal to St. Sergius and his parents saved people from serious illnesses. Their intercession was especially evident during national disasters - the terrible pestilence of 1770-1771, cholera epidemics in 1848 and 1871. Thousands of people flocked to Khotkovo. At the tomb of the saint’s parents, the Psalter and prayer to the saints Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria were read vigilantly. At the same time, they were already locally revered in the monastery. And every time many people were saved from destructive diseases.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

for the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills

Prayer to Saints Cyril and Mary
O servants of God, St. Cyril and Mary!Even though you have ended your natural temporary life in body, you do not depart from us in spirit; you guide us to Christ God, instructing us to walk according to the commandments of the Lord and to bear our cross and follow our Master. You, reverend ones, together with our reverend and God-bearing father Sergius, your beloved son, have boldness towards Christ our God and towards His Holy Mother of God. Be prayer books and intercessors for us, unworthy, living in your holy monastery, and you are its rulers. Be the helpers and intercessors of this squad gathered by God, so that those who live in this place and come with faith, preserve by your prayers, remain unharmed from demons and from evil people, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever centuries. Amen.

Troparion, tone 3
Participation in the beatitudes of Christ, honest marriage and care for children of good character,righteous Cyril and Mary, the fruit of piety, St. Sergius revealed to us,with him, fervently pray to the Lord to send us a spirit of love and humility,May we glorify the Trinity of the Consubstantial One in peace and unanimity.

Kontakion, tone 4
Today, having come together, let us praise the blessed duo of the blessed Cyril and the good-natured Mary,You pray together with your beloved son, St. Sergius, to the One God in the Holy Trinity,to establish our fatherland in orthodoxy, to protect our homes in peace, to deliver young people from misfortunes and temptations,strengthen old age and save our souls.

Greatness
We bless you, we bless you, Reverend Cyril and Mary and Reverend Our Father Sergius,and we honor your holy memory, mentor of monks and interlocutor of Angels.

LIFE OF THE REVEREND SCHEMONK KIRILL

AND SCHEMA-NUN MARY, PARENTS

REVEREND SERGIUS OF RADONEZH

About four versts from the anciently glorious, but now humble Rostov the Great, on a flat open area on the way to Yaroslavl, a small monastery in the name of the Most Holy Trinity - the Varnitsky Monastery - was secluded. Here was the estate of the noble Rostov boyars Cyril and Maria. Here they lived, preferring the solitude of rural nature to city life at the princely court. However, Kirill was in the service of the Rostov prince Konstantin II Borisovich, and then Konstantin III Vasilevich, whom he accompanied more than once to the Horde as one of the people closest to them. He owned a sufficient fortune for his position, but due to the simplicity of the morals of that time, living in the village, he did not neglect ordinary rural labor.

Kirill and Maria were kind and God-pleasing people. Speaking about them, blessed Epiphanius notes that the Lord, who deigned to shine on the great lamp on the Russian land, did not allow it to be born from unrighteous parents, for such a child, which, according to God’s dispensation, was supposed to subsequently serve the spiritual benefit and salvation of many, was befitting to have and the parents of the saints, so that good comes from good and better is added to better, so that the praise of both the born and those who give birth may mutually increase to the glory of God. And their righteousness was known not only to God, but also to people. Strict guardians of all church statutes, they also helped the poor, but they especially sacredly kept the commandment of the Apostle: “Do not forget the love of strangers: therefore, the angels do not see the net of strangers” (Heb. 13: 2). They taught the same to their children, strictly instructing them not to miss the opportunity to invite a traveling monk or other tired wanderer to them.

We have not received detailed information about the pious life of this blessed couple, but we can say, together with Saint Plato, that “the very fruit that came from them showed, better than any eloquent praise, the kindness of the blessed tree. Happy are the parents whose names are glorified forever in their children and offspring! Happy are the children who not only did not disgrace, but also increased and exalted the honor and nobility of their parents and glorious ancestors, for true nobility lies in virtue!”

The righteous Cyril and Maria already had a son, Stephen, when God gave them another son - the future founder of the Trinity Lavra, the beauty of the Orthodox Church and the indestructible support of their native land. Long before the birth of this holy baby, the wondrous Providence of God had already given a sign about him that this would be the great chosen one of God and a holy branch of the blessed root. One Sunday, his pious mother came to church for the Divine Liturgy and humbly stood, according to the custom of that time, in the vestibule of the church along with other women. The liturgy began; They had already sung the Trisagion hymn, and now, shortly before the reading of the Holy Gospel, suddenly, in the midst of general silence and reverent silence, the baby cried out in her womb, so that many paid attention to this cry. When they began to sing the Cherubic Song, the baby cried out another time, and this time so loudly that his voice could be heard throughout the church. It is clear that his mother was frightened, and the women standing near her began to talk among themselves, what could this extraordinary cry of the baby mean? Meanwhile, the liturgy continued. The priest will exclaim: “Let us take notice! Holy to holies!” At this exclamation, the baby exclaimed for the third time, and the embarrassed mother almost fell from fear: she began to cry... Then women surrounded her and, perhaps wanting to help her calm the crying child, they began to ask: “Where is do you have a baby? Why is he screaming so loudly? But Mary, in emotional agitation, shedding tears, could hardly say to them: “I don’t have a baby; ask someone else." The women began to look around, and not seeing the baby anywhere, they again pestered Mary with the same question. Then they were forced to tell them frankly that she really did not have a baby in her arms, but she was carrying him in her womb.” “How can a baby scream when he is still in his mother’s womb?” - the surprised women objected to her. “I myself am surprised at this,” Maria answered them, “and I am in considerable bewilderment and fear.”

The reverent describer of Sergeev’s life, the Venerable Epiphanius, accompanies his narration of this extraordinary incident with the following reflection: “It is worthy of surprise,” he says, “that the baby, being in the womb of the mother, did not cry out somewhere.” or outside the church, in a secluded place where there was no one, but precisely in front of the people, as if so that many would hear him and become reliable witnesses of this circumstance. It is also remarkable that he shouted not just quietly, but to the whole church, as if making it clear that his fame would spread throughout the entire earth. He did not shout in any other place, but precisely in the church - in a pure place, in a holy place, where the shrines of the Lord are located and sacred rites are performed, signifying that he himself will be a perfect shrine of the Lord in the fear of God. It is worth noting the fact that he did not proclaim once or twice, but precisely three times, showing that he would be a true disciple of the Holy Trinity.

Soon, devoted to the will of God and attentive to the ways of Providence, St. Cyril and Maria understood the instructions of God's Providence and, in accordance with these instructions, they had to conduct the matter of raising a child. After the incident described, the mother especially became unusually attentive to her condition. Always having in mind that she was carrying in her womb a baby who would be the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, Mary, during the rest of her pregnancy, prepared to meet in him the future ascetic of piety and abstinence, and therefore herself, like the mother of the ancient judge of Israel Sampson (Judges 13:4), carefully observed soul and body in purity and strict abstinence in everything. “Carefully preserving the gift of God that she carried in her womb, she wanted,” as St. Plato says, “through her abstinence to give the child’s body pure and healthy nutrition, well understanding with her kind heart the truth that virtue shining in a healthy and a beautiful body, becomes even more beautiful through this.” Always a reverent, zealous prayer-goer, the righteous mother now felt a special need in her heart for prayer; therefore, she often moved away from human gaze and in the silence of solitude with tears poured out before God her fervent maternal prayer for the future fate of her baby. "God! — she said then, “save and preserve me, Thy wretched servant; save and protect this baby carried in my womb. For you are “the Lord protect the little ones” (Ps. 114:5); may Thy will be done, O Lord, upon us, and may Thy name be blessed forever!” Thus, the God-fearing mother of the holy child remained in strict fasting and frequent heartfelt prayer; so the child herself, the blessed fruit of her womb, even before his birth, was in some way already purified and sanctified by fasting and prayer.

“O parents,” St. Philaret notes when narrating this, “if only you could name how much good, or, on the contrary, how much evil you can impart to your children even before they are born! You would be surprised at the accuracy of God’s judgment, which blesses children in parents and parents in children and transfers the sins of the fathers onto the children (Num. 14:18), and, thinking about this, you would reverently carry out the ministry entrusted to you from Him, from Him "every fatherland in heaven and on earth is named (Eph. 3:15)."

Cyril and Maria saw the great mercy of God on themselves; their piety required that the feelings of gratitude to the beneficent God that animated them be expressed in some external feat of piety, in some reverent vow; and what could be more pleasing to the Lord in the circumstances in which they found themselves, if not a strong heartfelt desire and firm determination to prove themselves fully worthy of God’s mercy? And so righteous Mary, like Saint Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel, together with her husband made the following promise: if God gives them a son, then dedicate him to serving God. This meant that they, for their part, promised to do everything they could so that the will of God would be fulfilled on their future child. A secret predestination of God about him was accomplished, to which they already had some indication.

On May 3, 1319, in the house of boyar Kirill there was general joy and joy: God gave Mary a son. The righteous parents invited their relatives and good friends to share with them the joy of the birth of a new family member, and everyone thanked God for this new mercy that He showed at the house of the pious boyar. On the fortieth day after birth, the parents brought the baby to church to perform holy baptism on him and at the same time fulfill their promise to present the child as an immaculate sacrifice to God, who gave him. A reverent priest named Michael gave the baby the name Bartholomew in holy baptism, of course because on this day (June 11) the memory of the holy Apostle Bartholomew was celebrated, for this was required by the then church custom; but this name and by its very meaning - son of joy - was especially comforting for the parents of this baby, for is it possible to describe the joy that filled their hearts when they saw before them the beginning of the fulfillment of those bright hopes that rested on this baby from the day of his miraculous announcement in his mother’s womb?

Meanwhile, the mother, and then others, began to notice something unusual in the baby: when the mother happened to be satisfied with meat food, the baby did not take her nipples; the same thing was repeated, and without any reason, on Wednesdays and Fridays: so on these days the baby was completely left without food. And this was repeated not once, twice, but constantly; the mother, of course, was worried, thought that the child was unwell, consulted with other women who carefully examined the child, but she showed signs of illness. Brought back by fasting in the womb of the mother, the baby, even at birth, seemed to demand fasting from the mother. And the mother, indeed, began to observe the fast even more strictly: she completely abandoned meat food, and the baby, except for Wednesdays and Fridays, always fed on mother’s milk after that.

It is often possible in our time to encounter ardent childish piety, long, fervent prayers with tears, love for worship, and a zealous desire to imitate the exploits of the holy fathers; this happens in those pious families in which children are raised in the fear of God, by reading the lives of saints, under the shadow of the temple of God. And in Ancient Rus', all the upbringing of children was carried out in a strictly church spirit. So it was with the youth Bartholomew. Early in his soul, educated by examples and lessons of piety, a feeling of love for prayer and readiness for exploits to please God was revealed. But taming his young flesh with abstinence and labor to preserve spiritual and physical purity, he did not in any way deviate from the will of his parents: as a meek and obedient son, he was a true consolation for them.

But not in the Rostov land, not in the Rostov principality, this blessed lamp was destined to shine, but was appointed by the Providence of God among the dense forests of Radonezh, so that from there it could shine for the entire Orthodox Russian kingdom.

The once glorious and eminent boyar Kirill began to suffer poverty in his old age. Frequent trips to the Horde with his prince, heavy tributes and unbearable gifts to the Horde nobles, without which these trips were never complete, severe famine that often devastated the Rostov region, and most of all, says the Monk Epiphanius, the great army, or the invasion of Turalykovo in 1327 year - all this together had an extremely unfavorable effect on his condition and almost brought him to futility. It is also very likely that the willfulness of the Moscow governors, who ruled in Rostov as independent sovereigns, did not spare Kirill as a close boyar of the Rostov princes: perhaps he then lost not only his honor, but also all his property. It was hard for Kirill, after everything he experienced in Rostov, to remain there, and perhaps he was directly ordered by the Moscow governors to leave Rostov, and therefore he decided, as soon as the opportunity opened, to leave his hometown and go into the service of another to the prince.

The opportunity soon presented itself. Twelve miles from the Trinity Lavra, towards Moscow, there is the village of Gorodishche, or Gorodok, which in ancient times bore the name of Radonezh. Blessed Kirill moved there with his entire family.

According to the custom of that time, Cyril was supposed to receive an estate, but due to his old age, he could no longer serve, and therefore his eldest son Stefan, who probably got married in Rostov, took on this responsibility. The youngest of Cyril’s sons, Peter, also chose married life, but Bartholomew continued his exploits in Radonezh, reflecting on the vanity of all earthly things. Reasoning in this way, Bartholomew began to ask his parents for blessings to choose the path of monastic life. More than once he told his father: “Let me go, father, with a blessing, and I will go to the monastery.” “Slow down, child,” the father answered him, “you see for yourself: we have become old and weak; There is no one to serve us; your brothers have a lot to worry about about their families. We rejoice that you are concerned about how to please the Lord God; this is a good thing, but believe, my son, your good part will not be taken away from you, just serve us a little until God shows His mercy on us and takes us from here; “Here, take us to the grave, then no one will stop you from fulfilling your cherished desire.”

And the gracious son obeyed, he made every effort to please the holy parents in repose in their old age, in order to earn themselves their blessing and prayers. Not bound by family concerns, he devoted himself entirely to the repose of his parents, and due to his short, loving character, he could not have been more capable of this.

What a wonderful, instructive example of both parental prudence and filial obedience! Saints Cyril and Mary do not try to extinguish the Divine desire that flares up in their son, they do not force him to bind himself to the vanity of the world by marriage; they only point out to him their needs and infirmities, but in secret, they probably have more in mind his youth and give him a chance to further test himself and strengthen himself in his holy intention, so that, having laid his hand on the head, he will no longer look back. But Bartholomew also knows the dignity of what he desires; however, looking at the commandment of God: Honor your father and mother(Matthew 15:4), agrees to torment himself with unfulfilled desire for the time being, in order to maintain obedience to his parents and thereby inherit their blessing. He valued this blessing so much! And the parents, of course, with all their loving hearts blessed their obedient son with their holy blessing until their last sigh!

But the spirit of monasticism was insensitively communicated from the son to the parents: at the end of their sorrowful life, Cyril and Maria themselves, according to the pious custom of antiquity, wished to take on the angelic image. About three versts from Radonezh there was the Intercession Khotkov Monastery, which consisted of two sections: for the elders and the elders. The righteous parents of Bartholomew sent their feet to this monastery in order to spend the rest of their days here in the feat of repentance and preparation for another life. Almost at the same time, an important change occurred in the life of Varfolomeev’s elder brother, Stefan: he did not live long in marriage; his wife Anna died, leaving him two sons - Clement and John. Having buried his wife in the Khotkov Monastery, Stefan no longer wanted to return to the world; having entrusted his children, probably, to Peter, he remained right there in Khotkovo to become a monk, and at the same time to serve his weak parents. However, the schema-boyars, overworked by old age and sorrows, did not labor long in their new title: no later than 1339, they had already gone to the Lord in peace for eternal rest. The children honored them with the tears of their sons' love and buried them under the shadow of the same Pokrovsky monastery, which from that time on became the tomb of the Sergiev family.

The coffins of Schemamonk Kirill and Schemanun Maria were located in the refectory of the monastery cathedral, on the right side. On the upper side of the tomb, shaded by a canopy, the saints of God were depicted in full height and their images were decorated with silver vestments, which were arranged in 1827 by Abbess Eupraxia. On the front side of the tomb there are inscriptions: “In the summer of 6845, the servant of God, monk Kirill, the father of St. Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh, reposed. In the summer of 6845, the servant of God, nun Maria, mother of St. Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh, reposed.

The Monk Sergius gave the commandment: “before going to him, pray for the repose of his parents over their tomb.” All those who undertake a pilgrimage trip to the Trinity Lavra make it their duty - in accordance with the will of the Monk - to first visit the Khotkovo Intercession Monastery and venerate the tombs of his parents. ( The reliquary with the relics of the Venerable Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria of Radonezh and Khotkovo Wonderworkers is currently in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Intercession Khotkovo Monastery).

At the end of the 13th - beginning of the 14th century, 4 km from Rostov the Great, on the banks of the Ishni River, in the village of Varnitsa, there was an estate of the noble Rostov boyars Kirill and Maria ( On the site of the estate of Cyril and Mary near Rostov there is now the Varnitsky Monastery).

Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery

Kirill was in the service of the Rostov princes - first with Prince Konstantin II Borisovich, and then with Konstantin III Vasilyevich, whom he, as one of the people closest to them, more than once accompanied to the Golden Horde. St. Cyril owned a fortune sufficient for his position, but due to the simplicity of the morals of that time, living in the countryside, he did not neglect ordinary rural labor.

The couple already had a son, Stephen, when God gave them another son - the future founder of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, St. Sergius ( in total, the couple had 3 children - Stefan, Bartholomew (the future Sergius of Radonezh) and Peter). Long before his birth, God's Providence gave a sign of him as a great chosen one of God. According to legend, when his mother, pregnant with him, was in church, the child, to the great amazement of all those present, exclaimed three times in a loud voice in his mother’s womb: at the beginning of the reading of the Gospel, before the singing of the Cherubim and at the moment when the priest exclaimed: “Let us hear, Holy One.” saints! After this, the mother began to especially monitor her spiritual state, remembering that she was carrying a baby in her womb, who was destined to be the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit. Maria observed fasting throughout her pregnancy, without giving herself any concessions.

Righteous Mary and her husband make a vow: if they have a boy, they will bring him to church and give him to God.

May 3, 1314 The righteous parents were visited by great joy: a boy was born. On the 40th day after his birth, the Baby was brought to church to perform the sacrament of baptism on him. Priest Michael named the baby Bartholomew, for on this day (June 11) the memory of the holy Apostle Bartholomew was celebrated. This name in its meaning - “Son of joy (consolation)” was especially comforting for parents. The priest felt that this was a special baby and, overshadowed by the Divine Spirit, predicted: “ rejoice and be glad, for this child will be the chosen vessel of God, the abode and servant of the Holy Trinity».

From the first days of his life, baby Bartholomew surprised everyone with his fasting: on Wednesdays and Fridays he ate nothing at all, and on other days he refused his mother’s milk if Mary ate meat. Abstained by fasting in the womb, the baby, even at birth, seemed to require fasting from the mother. And she began to observe fasting more strictly: she completely abandoned meat food, and the baby, except for Wednesdays and Fridays, always fed on her milk after that.

When Bartholomew was 7 years old, his parents sent him to learn to read and write so that he could read and understand the Word of God. His two brothers also studied with him: the elder Stefan and the younger Peter. The brothers studied successfully, but Bartholomew was far behind them. The teacher punished him, his comrades reproached him and even laughed at him, his parents persuaded him; and he himself strained all the efforts of his childish mind, spent his nights over a book, and often, hiding from human gaze, somewhere in solitude, he wept bitterly about his inability, fervently and fervently prayed to the Lord God: “ Give me, Lord, to understand this letter; teach me. Lord, enlighten and enlighten!“But he still wasn’t given a diploma. Until one day, sent by his father to the field to fetch horses, 13-year-old Bartholomew met an elder schema-monk. He asked him to come to his parents’ house; at dinner, the elder predicted to Cyril and Mary that “the boy will be great before God and people for his virtuous life.” Having blessed them, the schema-monk left. From then on, Bartholomew’s diploma, to his parents’ joy, began to come easily.

When Bartholomew turned 15 years old (around 1328), the Rostov Principality came under the rule of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan Kalita. One of the Moscow boyars was appointed governor of Rostov, who oppressed and robbed the inhabitants. Many of the Rostovites began to leave the city. Among them was boyar Kirill. In addition to the oppression of the Moscow governors, he also went bankrupt, and did not want to stay where he once lived in wealth and honor. For his residence he chose the small town of Radonezh in the Moscow lands ( 12 km from the Trinity Lavra, towards Moscow, there is the village of Gorodishche or Gorodok, which in ancient times bore the name Radonezh).

According to the custom of that time, Cyril was supposed to receive an estate, but due to his old age he could no longer serve the Moscow prince, and this responsibility was assumed by his eldest son Stefan, who by that time was already married. The youngest of the sons of Cyril and Mary, Peter, also married, but Bartholomew continued his exploits in Radonezh. When he was about twenty years old, he asked his parents for a blessing to become a monk. The parents did not object, but asked to wait only until their death: with their departure they would have lost their last support, since the two older brothers were already married and lived separately. The blessed son obeyed and did everything to appease the old age of his parents, who did not force him to marry.

At that time, the custom of accepting monasticism in old age was widespread in Rus'. This is what simple people, princes and boyars did. According to this pious custom, at the end of their lives, Cyril and Maria also took first monastic tonsure, and then the schema in the Khotkovsky Intercession Monastery, which was located 3 km from Radonezh and at that time was both male and female. Almost at the same time, a sad change occurred in the life of their eldest son Stefan: his wife died, leaving two sons. Having buried his wife in the Khotkovo Monastery, Stefan did not want to return to the world. Entrusting his children to his younger brother Peter, he became a monk here in Khotkovo.

Venerable Sergius at the relics of his parents

In 1337 Schemamonk Kirill and schemanun Maria departed to the Lord. Before their blessed death, they blessed Bartholomew for his monastic feat.

The children buried them under the shadow of the Intercession Monastery, which from that time became the last shelter and tomb of the Sergius family.

The reliquary with the relics of the Venerable Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria of Radonezh and Khotkovo Wonderworkers is currently in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Intercession Khotkovo Monastery

Relics of Saints Cyril and Mary in the Intercession Cathedral

Already being an abbot, Venerable Sergius often walked from the monastery he founded ( now – Trinity-Sergius Lavra) to the graves of his parents and, according to legend, bequeathed to those coming to him to first pray for his parents in Khotkovo. And so it happened: before going to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, pilgrims came to the Intercession Monastery in Khotkovo, wanting to “bow at the grave of his righteous parents in order to appear to the blessed son from his dear grave as if with parting words from the righteous parents themselves.”

Until the revolution of 1917, the relics of the saints rested under the floor of the Intercession Cathedral in the Khotkovsky Monastery. And after the liquidation of the monastery, the workers who were rebuilding it into warehouses and workshops... allowed the believers to take away the relics and, moreover, they themselves helped open the floors of the temple and take out the remains. The relics were placed in a crypt on the territory of the monastery, and no signs or inscriptions were placed on the crypt - only the direct participants in these events remembered the place...

The church-wide glorification of Cyril and Mary as saints took place in 1992, exactly 600 years after the repose of their “son of joy,” St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Today their relics have been returned to the Khotkovsky Monastery. The memory is celebrated one day after the memory of their famous son - October 11, January 31 and on the day of the council of Radonezh saints - July 19, the day after the commemoration of the discovery of the relics of St. Sergius, abbot of Radonezh.

Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery

The chronicle of the Khotkovo Intercession Monastery provides evidence of how a prayerful appeal to St. Sergius and his parents saved people from serious illnesses. Their intercession was especially evident during national disasters - the terrible pestilence of 1770-1771, cholera epidemics in 1848 and 1871. Thousands of people flocked to Khotkovo. At the tomb of the saint’s parents, the Psalter and prayer to the saints Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria were read vigilantly. At the same time, they were already locally revered in the monastery. And every time many people were saved from destructive diseases.

Prayer to Saints Cyril and Mary
O servants of God, St. Cyril and Mary! Even though you have ended your natural temporary life in body, you do not depart from us in spirit; you guide us to Christ God, instructing us to walk according to the commandments of the Lord and to bear our cross and follow our Master. You, reverend ones, together with our reverend and God-bearing father Sergius, your beloved son, have boldness towards Christ our God and towards His Holy Mother of God. Be prayer books and intercessors for us, unworthy, living in your holy monastery, and you are its rulers. Be the helpers and intercessors of this squad gathered by God, so that those who live in this place and come with faith, preserve by your prayers, remain unharmed from demons and from evil people, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever centuries. Amen.

Troparion, tone 3
Participant of the beatitudes of Christ, honorable marriage and care for the children of the good image, the righteous Cyril and Mary, the fruit of piety, the Venerable Sergius showed us, with him earnestly pray to the Lord to send down to us the spirit of love and humility, so that in peace and unanimity we glorify the Trinity of the Consubstantial.

Kontakion, tone 4
Today, having come together, let us praise the blessed duo of the blessed Cyril and the good-natured Mary, for they pray together with their beloved son, the Venerable Sergius, to the One God in the Holy Trinity, to establish our fatherland in orthodoxy, to protect our homes in peace, to deliver the young from misfortunes and temptations , strengthen old age and save our souls.

Greatness
We bless, we bless you, Reverend Cyril and Mary and Reverend Our Father Sergius, and we honor your holy memory, mentor of monks and interlocutor of Angels.

The Life of Saints Cyril and Mary, Wonderworkers of Radonezh and Khotkovo,

parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh

2017 marked the 25th anniversary of the glorification and 680th anniversary of the repose of St. Cyril and Mary

Icon of Saints Cyril and Mary with Life

Reverends Kirill and Maria belonged to a noble boyar family. According to ancient Rostov legend, boyar Kirill came from the ancient Simonovich family, the ancestor of which was one of the descendants of the Varangian prince African - Simon (Shimon). Simon's descendants moved to the northeast of Russia in the retinue of Prince Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the estate of St. Cyril and Maria was located near Rostov the Great in the village of Varnitsa. In 1427, Rostov Archimandrite Ephraim founded the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery here. Thus, our pious ancestors immortalized in the memory of future generations the homeland of the great ascetic of the Russian land - St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery

Well of Saints Cyril and Mary

in the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery

Boyar Kirill was in the service of the Rostov appanage princes, whom he, as one of the people closest to them, more than once accompanied to the Golden Horde. These were dangerous journeys, from which many princes and boyars did not return, dying for their fatherly faith. Reverend Mary and the children said goodbye to him every time, as if before death.

"Saint Cyril was the adviser to the prince"

Cyril and Maria lived simply, their home life was close to that of a peasant and extremely pious. Good parents raised their children in humility, chastity and love, understanding that otherwise it was impossible to acquire the Kingdom of Heaven. The lives of the Saints are especially decorated with evidence of their mercy and love of hospitable people, which was crowned by a visit to their home by an Angel. And the children were worthy of their parents. The family of Saints Cyril and Mary is special in the Russian Orthodox Church: five of its members were glorified by the Lord as saints.

"Saints Cyril and Mary live humbly" "Saints, I earnestly pray to God every day"

"Saints of almsgiving and hospitable love"

Bartholomew (the future Great Sergius) was the second son of Cyril and Mary after Stephen. Before his birth (May 3/16, 1314), a miracle occurred indicating that he would be great before God and become a true servant of the Life-Giving Trinity. When his mother stood in the church at the Divine Liturgy, the baby who was in the womb exclaimed three times in a loud voice. The first time before the reading of the Gospel, the second time when they began to sing the Cherubic Hymn, and the third time when the priest exclaimed: “Holy to holies!” Saints Cyril and Maria humbly accepted this sign of God's Providence and with heartfelt gratitude made a vow to dedicate their child to the Lord. And the Lord accepted him and nurtured him as His sacred vessel. Already from infancy, the Monk Sergius abstained from food on Wednesday and Friday and did not touch his mother’s breast at all if the mother ate meat. Therefore, the Venerable Mary completely abandoned meat food, understanding the Divine providence revealed to her, and in accordance with this she began the task of raising her child. As the child grew up, the signs of God's chosenness began to appear even more clearly in him: he loved prayer, spiritual books, work, avoided pranks, honored his parents and had great obedience and humility, which is the root of all virtues.

“When the boy was baptized, they heard a prophecy about him.” "Holy parents rejoice over their holy child"

In his old age, boyar Kirill had to leave the Rostov land and move to Radonezh. In all their ways, the Saints maintained spiritual peace and trust in God. Their family hearth was like a monastic monastery, where everything served to strengthen their piety. Due to his old age, boyar Kirill could no longer serve, and this responsibility was taken over by his eldest son Stefan, who by that time had married. The youngest son Peter also chose married life, and Bartholomew wanted to take monastic vows. Righteous Cyril and Mary were zealous admirers of monasticism, but they asked Bartholomew to wait to fulfill his intention and put their old age to rest. With great love, he agreed to remain with them, to torment himself for the time being with unfulfilled desires and maintain obedience to his parents, and through this inherit their blessing. This is how Divine wisdom is revealed: “Honor your father and your mother, that good may come to you, and that you may live long on earth” (Exodus 20:12).

"Holy youth ask for a parental blessing

for monastic life"

At the end of their lives, the Monks Kirill and Maria wished to take monasticism and, abandoning all earthly cares, went to live in the Khotkov Monastery in order to forever become the guardians and patrons of this land. Here they spent the last days of their lives in unceasing prayer and contemplation of God, taking on the schema - the great angelic image.

"Saints Cyril and Mary received tonsure" "The saints passed away their days in a monastery similar to Khotkovo"

"The Repose of Saints Cyril and Mary"

A little earlier (about 1334), Bartholomew's widowed brother Stefan became a monk. Having buried his wife in the Pokrovsky Monastery on Khotkovo, he no longer wanted to return to the world and, together with his brother, served the schema-monks-parents until their blessed death, which followed in 1337. Before their death, Saints Cyril and Mary blessed Bartholomew for his monastic feat with the icons of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. For forty days the brothers remained in the monastery, praying for the repose of their parents and performing acts of mercy in their memory.

The Russian people have always gratefully honored this holy family - those who prayed for our Fatherland. The Great Sergius preserved and increased the main treasure - immortal Orthodoxy - at a time when the people's strength was running out, and saved the people's soul from death. Having reconciled the Russian princes, he contributed to their unification under the banner of the blessed Prince Dimitri Donskoy. And the Lord showed mercy, granting the victory prayed for by St. Sergius to the Russian army, and freed Rus' from the heavy burden of the Tatar yoke, forgiving it the sin of internecine bloodshed.

The time has come for the revival of Russia. Since then, the grateful descendants of the parents of the Hegumen of the Russian Land have never forgotten. The memory of Saints Cyril and Mary was celebrated in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and in the Khotkovo Monastery on September 28/October 11 and January 18/31. At the relics of the Saints in the Intercession Cathedral, the Inexhaustible Psalter was read and requiem services were served. The canonization of the saints in 1992 worthily crowned six centuries of veneration of the holy parents, who gave the world an example of holiness, Christian family structure and pious monasticism.

(it depicts St. Sergius of Radonezh and his relatives - St. Cyril and Maria,

Saint Stephen and Peter - their sons - with their wives, Saint Theodore of Rostov - son of Stefan)

Venerable Kirill and Mary and Venerable Father Sergius, pray to God for us

Prayer to Saints Cyril and Mary

O servants of God, St. Cyril and Mary! Even though you have ended your natural temporary life in body, you do not depart from us in spirit, guide us to Christ God, instruct us to walk according to the commandments of the Lord and wear your cross and follow our Master. You, Reverends, together with our venerable and God-bearing Father Sergius, your beloved son, have confidence in Christ our God and in His Holy Mother of God. Be prayer books and intercessors for us, unworthy, living in your holy monastery, and you are its rulers. Be the helpers and intercessors of this squad gathered by God, so that those who live in this place and come with faith, We are preserved by your prayers, unharmed from demons and from evil people, glorifying the Holy Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen

Troparion, tone 3

Participation in the beatitudes of Christ, honest marriage and care for children of good character,

righteous Cyril and Mary, the fruit of piety, St. Sergius revealed to us,

with him, fervently pray to the Lord to send us a spirit of love and humility,

may we glorify the Trinity of the Consubstantial One in peace and unanimity

Kontakion, tone 4

Today, having come together, let us praise the blessed duo Blessed Kirill and the good-tempered Mary,

You pray together with your beloved son, St. Sergius, to the One God in the Holy Trinity,

to establish our fatherland in orthodoxy, to protect our homes in peace, to deliver young people from misfortunes and temptations,

strengthen old age and save our souls

Greatness

We bless you, we bless you, Reverend Cyril and Mary and Reverend Our Father Sergius,

and we honor your holy memory, mentor of monks and interlocutor of Angels