Saint blessed Basil, Moscow miracle worker. St. Basil the Blessed - a short biography of St. Basil the Blessed life story

For many centuries, St. Basil the Blessed has been revered as a healer and patron of Moscow, and, therefore, of everyone who lives on the Russian Land. That is why there are temples and chapels dedicated to him in many cities of Russia - and Vasily the Blessed helps everyone who is pure in heart and sincerely asks for help. Turn to the saint of the Russian Land, when an illness has overtaken you or your heart is heavy, pray to him to save your house from ruin and fire. He will definitely help. There are many, many testimonies to this.

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The following excerpt from the book The miracle worker St. Basil the Blessed will help you (Sergey Volkov) provided by our book partner - the company LitRes.

Moscow Wonderworker Basil the Blessed

In order to understand what path the foolish Basil went through for the sake of Christ, I suggest that respected readers first familiarize themselves with the encyclopedic reference more than a century ago from the famous reference book.

Basil the Blessed

Basil the Blessed - the holy fool of Moscow; died in 1551. Memory is celebrated on August 2. The relics are in the Moscow Intercession Cathedral, popularly called St. Basil the Blessed. Basil the Blessed was born in 1469 in the suburban village of Yelokhovo, Moscow. His parents, peasants, sent him to be trained in shoemaking. A hard-working and God-fearing young man - the life narrates - V. was awarded the gift of insight, which was discovered by chance. A man came to the owner of Vasily to order boots and asked to make them that would last for several years. Vasily smiled at that. When asked by the owner what this smile meant, V. replied that the man who ordered boots for several years would die tomorrow. So indeed it happened. Vasily, sixteen years old, left his master and skill, and began the feat of foolishness, without shelter and clothing, subjecting himself to great hardships, burdening his body with chains, which still lie on his coffin. The Life of the Blessed describes how he taught the people moral life by word and example.

Once, Blessed Basil scattered kalachi in the bazaar at one kalachnik, and he confessed that he had mixed chalk and lime into the flour. One day, the thieves, noticing that the saint was dressed in a good fur coat, given to him by a certain boyar, planned to deceive it from him; one of them pretended to be dead, while others asked Vasily for burial. Vasily covered the dead man with his fur coat, but, seeing the deceit, he said at the same time: “Be you dead from now on for your craftiness; for it is written: let the wicked be consumed. The deceiver is indeed dead.

The Book of Degrees tells that in the summer of 1547 Vasily came to the Ascension Monastery on Ostrog, which is now Vozdvizhenka, and prayed for a long time in front of the church with tears, in silence. This was a harbinger of a terrible Moscow fire, which the next day began precisely from the Vozdvizhensky Monastery and incinerated Moscow. Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible honored and feared the Blessed One, "like a seer of human hearts and thoughts." When, shortly before his death, V. fell into a serious illness, the king himself visited him with Empress Anastasia. Basil died on August 2, 1551.

The tsar himself with the boyars carried his bed; Metropolitan Macarius performed the burial. The body of the Blessed was buried in the cemetery of the Trinity Church, which is in the Moat, where Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of the Intercession Cathedral, in memory of the conquest of Kazan. This cathedral is known as St. Basil's Cathedral.

Since 1588, they began to talk about miracles taking place at the tomb of Blessed. Vasily; As a result, Patriarch Job determined to celebrate the memory of the miracle worker on the day of his death, August 2. Tsar Theodore Ioannovich ordered that a chapel in the name of St. Basil the Blessed be built in the Intercession Cathedral in the place where he was buried, and built a silver shrine for his relics. Since ancient times, the memory of the Blessed in Moscow has been celebrated with great solemnity: the patriarch himself served, and the tsar himself was usually present at the service.

From the Encyclopedic Dictionary by F. A. Brockhaus and I. A. Efron, St. Petersburg, 1890–1907.

What can you ask in prayer from the Moscow miracle worker St. Basil the Blessed

For the sake of the holy fool Blessed Basil, the Moscow miracle worker, they ask:

About healing from blindness, strabismus and other eye diseases,

About healing from epilepsy, seizures, convulsions and other brain ailments,

About healing from lameness, aches, paralysis and other diseases of the legs,

About healing from ulcers and skin diseases,

About healing from disorders caused by nervous causes,

About getting rid of failures and disasters,

About protection from internecine wars and salvation on the battlefield,

From barbarian and ideological captivity,

About strength for repentance and humility,

About getting rid of fires.

For many centuries, St. Basil the Blessed was revered as a healer and patron of Moscow, and through it, of all those living on the Russian Land.

Prayer to Blessed Basil, for the sake of the fool for Christ:

O great saint of Christ, true friend and faithful servant of the All-Creator of the Lord God, blessed Basil! Hear us, many sinners, now crying out to you and calling on your holy name, have mercy on us, falling down today to your most pure image, accept our small and unworthy prayer, have mercy on our squalor and with your prayers heal every ailment and disease of the soul and body of our sinner ; and make us worthy of the course of this life unharmed from visible and invisible enemies and sinlessly pass away, and the Christian death is shameless, peaceful, serene and receive the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven with all the saints forever and ever. Amen.

2 years ago, when my right eye almost stopped seeing, I went to the doctor. He said I had some form of glaucoma (I don't remember). The head often broke from pain, nausea suddenly arose, photophobia appeared, the eye watered, the cornea terribly enlarged. First I dripped drops, then several different types of drops at once. Then he decided to have surgery. Symptoms after it became easier. But it was still annoying. And only when, on the advice of friends, I went to our church this summer and prayed to St. Basil the Blessed for the healing of my eye, relief came. The doctors were even surprised, and everyone asked if I was taking any new drugs? And in response I only smile and mentally thank Blessed Vasily ...

Nikita Rakov, 61 years old, Volgorechensk, Kostroma region

I work a lot at the computer, the work of a secretary obliges. And then, in the spring, all of a sudden, I suddenly developed the so-called “dry eye syndrome”. There was itching, burning, irritation and redness of the eyes. I almost could not watch TV and work on the computer - the discomfort was terrible. Sometimes my vision just blurred, and only by blinking often and for a long time, I could restore it. Sometimes such lacrimation began that those around me seriously feared for my health. And then Uncle Ivan came to us from Krasnodar, who only laughed at my ailments. He said so:

- Live in Moscow, and you don’t know that you just need to pray to the Moscow elder Vasily the Blessed! He is the main assistant in eye matters.

I took his words with disbelief. But I still went to the temple ... And, oh, a miracle! Within a week, my illness was completely gone! Thanks to the Russian miracle worker!

Vera Lyamkina, Moscow

Life of Blessed Basil, Christ for the Holy Fool, Moscow Wonderworker

It would seem, what else can be said, when, there, how everything is described in detail and with soul in the famous dictionary. An, no. After all, this is only a superficial outline of the life of the Russian miracle worker. Without much understanding of the fact that Vasily was called “blessed” for his long-suffering life, for all the sins that he prayed for his fellow citizens, for being able to remain a HUMAN in the most cruel time.

And that is why he still helps people. Having repented and turned to a miracle worker with a pure heart, everyone can count on his help.

How do we learn about the life of Blessed Basil, the miracle worker of Moscow?

Basil the Blessed

The earliest source reporting on St. Basil the Blessed is the “Book of Powerful Royal Genealogy” (1st edition created c. 1563). Information from it was borrowed into the life of St. Basil, known in three varieties: full, abridged and special composition (the latter is a compilation of the first two editions, supplemented by a description of the lifetime miracles of the saint). All three editions of the life with additions about St. Basil's were published by Fr. I. I. Kuznetsov.

The oldest list of the full life was preserved as part of the August Menaion (GIM. Chud. No. 317. L. 60–99, end of the 16th century; entitled “On the same day, a brief life and a word of praise to the holy and righteous Christ for the sake of the ugly, God-blessed Basil , the venerable new miracle worker of Moscow"). The life is followed by a word of praise, miracles (24) and two tales - about the vision that was to St. Basil the Blessed in 1521 before the invasion of Moscow by the Crimean Khan Magmet Giray, and about the prediction of a fire in Moscow by the saints on June 21, 1547 (both are borrowed from degree book). The full life of St. Basil the Blessed was compiled by order of Patriarch St. Job, apparently, shortly after the canonization of St. Basil the Blessed, not earlier than 1589. The lengthy text of his life contains a brief and inaccurate biography, sustained in the style of "weaving words."

The abridged life is known in three lists, of which the earliest was published in the Prologue (M., 1660). In this version, the chronology of the life of the saint is changed, the text of the full life is shortened and edited. This edition appeared, apparently, ca. 1646, since in Svyattsy (M., 1646) textually similar passages were published. Stories about the miracles of St. Basil the Blessed in his lifetime, which are a distinctive feature of a variety of life of a special composition, are known from lists No. 41 from the collection. Kuznetsov and according to the list of the Intercession Cathedral of 1803 (both manuscripts are lost, known from Kuznetsov's publications). The description of the lifetime miracles of St. Basil the Blessed was created no earlier than the second half. XVII century., At the same time it was compiled with excerpts from the full and abridged lives. In earlier manuscripts, only the posthumous miracles of the blessed one are described; in the life of the full edition it is mentioned that “God glorify his life and miracles, moreover, after the repose of unspeakable miracles, the sick healer, the sad consolation” (Life, p. 55). Later monuments dedicated to St. Basil the Blessed strive for detail in the description of the life of the saint, the source of which is Moscow legends. Information about St. Basil the Blessed is also contained in the New Chronicler, the Piskarevsky Chronicler, a number of short Russian. chroniclers of the XVII-XVIII centuries, in the notes of J. Fletcher "On the Russian State".

Part of article V of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia", M., 2002

Childhood and adolescence

According to many sources, Vasily was born in December 1468 from father Jacob and mother Anna, not far from Moscow, in the village of Yelokhovo. Now this area is almost the center of Moscow. And in those ancient times, it seemed to be a God-forgotten outskirts of Moscow Region. The village of Eloh has been known since the XIV century, since the time of Dmitry Donskoy. "Eloh", "eloha", according to Dahl's dictionary, is an alder. Probably, a dense alder forest once grew here. And in the old days, a wet, flooded place was also called "alder". Once upon a time, the river Olkhovka and the stream Olkhovets flowed here, now taken in pipes. The fact that one of the streets near the Epiphany Cathedral is called Olkhovskaya speaks in favor of the interpretation of the name of the village.

The parents of St. Basil the Blessed, Jacob and Anna pray for childbearing. The mark of the icon "St. Basil the Blessed in Life. XVII-XIX centuries (GIM)

Vasily's parents were peasants, simple and kind people. In the annals of the XVII century. so it is said: "Saint Basil was the son of simple parents." According to a full life, it is known that Jacob and Anna asked for a child for themselves through prayers.

According to legend, Vasily was born on the porch of the Yelokhov Church near Moscow in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, where at that moment his mother fervently prayed to our Lord. And he heard her and gave her a son, who later became a miracle worker.

In this example, we see that sincere prayer always helps. And, not only to people, but also to entire villages, but this will be discussed below.

Little information remains about Vasily's adolescence. It is only known that his parents brought him up in piety. And he always listened to them and was an exemplary son. Of course, in a peasant family, no one taught him to read and write. But, he learned to honor the Lord from a young age. And he carried this reverence throughout his long and difficult life.

And only in one document (the so-called lists of "The Life of St. Basil the Blessed", XIX century) it was possible to find the following words:

“When at the age of the same age, it’s usually for a child to learn needlework, not to learn to read and write, but was given by his parents to shoemaking, and that craft is good from the beginning.”

Therefore, most often in the annals it is said that at the age of 16 Vasily was apprenticed to a Moscow shoemaker. He lived and worked in Kitay-Gorod, almost next to the Kremlin. It seemed that here it is - a great success for the peasant son. To fall into the service of a master, as they would say today, "a prestigious profession"! Yes, and who lived very close to the royal chambers! Is this not a sign of the favor of fate, which promised prosperity?

St. Basil the Blessed says goodbye to his parents. Miniature from the life of St. Basil the Blessed. Beginning 19th century (GIM. Music. No. 32. L. 107v.)

But God's providence and the bright soul of the lad Basil did not strive for this. Not for prosperity, but piety. Not to the glory of the world, but serving the truth and asceticism. And soon the miraculous abilities of the young man appeared before the world ...

Once a merchant came to the master who was instructing Vasily and asked him to make boots for him. The master agreed. Kupchiszko was young and rich. And brought on several barges to Moscow to sell bread. He was healthy in appearance and body. With a loud voice that filled the entire workshop, the merchant ordered boots. And especially insisted that they be strong. Yes, so strong that he could then wear them for a whole year. The lad Vasily only looked at the merchant, sighed, and said: “We will sew boots for you such that you won’t wear them out.” At the same time, tears began to drip from his eyes, as if he saw something sad or mournful. The master was surprised at the behavior of his student, but promised the guest to make boots in two weeks, and the customer gave him a good deposit.

As soon as the merchant left, Vasily sighed again heavily, and then, wiping away his tears, almost whispered: "But his money will be wasted ...". Then the master got angry and exclaimed: “Here, Vasya, they don’t take money in vain.” To which the apprentice burst into tears even more and said nothing in response. But his master did not calm down and began to pester the lad with perplexed questions. And only then did his disciple explain that the merchant would never wear these boots, as he would die very soon.

Of course, the shoemaker did not believe a single word of Vasily and began to make boots. When, two weeks later, he brought well-made boots to the customer directly on his barge, he immediately saw a great number of people who had come to the funeral of a merchant who had suddenly died the day before. Then he immediately remembered the prophetic words of his disciple. And he was surprised and horrified.

From that very time, that shoemaker began to revere St. Basil the Blessed.

He realized that his student was NOT an ordinary person.

Life in the foolishness of Basil the Blessed

Soon after the incident with the merchant, Basil had already begun the thorny feat of foolishness and the blessed. In the wild frost and terrible heat, he walked the streets of Moscow practically naked and barefoot. At the same time, he often did things that at first caused anger and misunderstanding of others.

So he deliberately knocked over a tray with rolls or spilled a jug of kvass on purpose. The merchants and their neighbors immediately beat Vasily, dragged him by the hair, scolding him with the last words for the damaged goods. And he just smiled and accepted any beating with gratitude to God.

In general, Vasily was silent. And, if he did, then people often did not understand him, his speeches were so strange. And only later, when he left, buyers and onlookers found out that the bread was baked from bad flour, and the kvass had a vile taste. At that moment, the spiritual and instructive meaning in the actions of the blessed one became clear to people. They understood that he was a denouncer of iniquity and a man of God.

Foolishness for Christ's sake is one of the highest spiritual feats of Christianity. Hiding high spiritual ideals behind outward madness is an inexpressibly difficult task. Even Elder Seraphim of Sarov did not bless anyone for this feat, mindful of human weakness. The true blessed are recognized by their way of life, by the inexplicable purity and holiness of the gaze penetrating the heart, and especially by their inimitable speech.

Gradually, Vasily began to enjoy more and more attention and sincere reverence. Because foolishness, this Christian feat, has always been close to the Russian people, who in the old days understood and now understands that the main thing in it is not renunciation of earthly blessings, not self-abasement, not a grateful acceptance of insults, but denunciation of human sins and vices. Because the holy fool absolutely does not care: whether others understand or do not understand him. The main goal of any holy fool is not to turn away from sinners and to direct them to the true path with all their strength.

St. Basil the Blessed in prayer. The mark of the icon "St. Basil the Blessed in Life. XVII-XIX centuries (GIM)

The moral meaning of foolishness is largely determined by three characteristic features inherent in this feat: a) ascetic trampling of vanity, which takes the form of feigned madness or immorality with the aim of “reproach from people”; b) revealing the contradiction between Christ's truth and the moral law with the aim of "ridiculing the world"; c) serving the world with a kind of preaching, done not in word and not in deed, but by the power of the Spirit, the spiritual power of the person of the holy fool, endowed with the gift of prophecy. Between the first and third features of foolishness there is a vital contradiction: the ascetic trampling of one's own vanity is bought at the cost of introducing one's neighbor into the temptation and sin of condemnation, and even cruelty.

According to the publication: Ethics: Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ed. R. G. Apresyan, A. A. Guseinova. – M.: Gardariki, 2001. – S. 602–603.

Therefore, blessed Basil even visited taverns. He saw the good in everyone. Especially in fallen people. Becoming a saint during his lifetime, he strengthened such people with an affectionate word and passionate prayers.

There was another case when, having entered a tavern, the holy fool saw the following picture: a drunkard who had completely fallen down with shaking hands gave the owner one copper coin, and begged him to give him wine. The same, having agreed and poured wine to the drunkard, gave it to him with contempt, saying: “Here, take it, and to hell with you!”. But the drunkard took the vessel only after he had made the sign of the cross over himself and the wine. Then he smiled happily and walked to his corner. At this moment the Blessed One laughed out loud and encouraged the fallen man. And to the bewildered questions of those around him, he answered this way: when the tavern keeper said to the drunkard “to hell with you” and served him wine, then a demon entered him; when the drunkard signed himself and the wine with the sign of the cross, that demon immediately jumped out of the vessel, and rushed to run away, as if scalded.

Chronicles say that, passing by houses where crazy drinking took place, Vasily, shedding tears, hugged and kissed their corners. Thus, he wanted to beg the mournful angels, lamenting over human vices, to pray for the conversion of sinners to God.

These and many other similar cases described in the annals show how miraculous it is to turn to Christ for the sake of the holy fool Basil when a person asks for strength for repentance and humility. In our time, when the vanity of the world often turns a person away from the church, the hour comes when the realization of the need for purity of soul comes. And then people go to the temple, but the path of repentance is long, the feat of repentance is difficult. Basil the Blessed can help everyone in this.

Thanks to Christ for the sake of the holy fool Basil the Blessed, Moscow miracle worker! May he be blessed now and forever! He saved my child, my beloved son from a fierce death. He was only eighteen years old when he became addicted to bad company, began to drink like a port loader. No matter what I did, no matter how I kept it at home, no matter how I exhorted, nothing helped. And drunk somehow fell into a snowdrift, and would have frozen, but a good man walked by, father, who served obliquely in the church. And he brought Mago to his son in warmth, put it in front of the icons and began to wait for him to wake up. I don’t know what they had there, but in the morning my son, my blood, came, threw himself at my feet with repentance, and admitted that the demon had beguiled him. He took out a small icon from his pocket, and told me that Father Feofan, who serves in the neighboring church, ordered to pray for this icon every day. And so it happened. My son, Vasily, began to pray every day, broke up with his company, quit drinking. And soon he left for the army. And when he returned, he went and learned to be an engineer in Moscow itself. Now he is building bridges all over the country, he doesn’t take bitter things in his mouth and always helps me, he sends letters and money, and every summer he comes home to his native village, with his wife Olga. And that old icon is always with him to this day. Only after many years did I learn that on that icon was St. Basil, a holy fool for Christ's sake. It was he who saved his son from trouble, and taught him to live with dignity. Blessed Basil, pray to God for us!

Anastasia Petrovna Pakhova, Koltsy village

Ikos 10

The Lord God is incessantly in vain with your mind, you did not give your eyes sleep, nor dormantly - dozing, staying in the prayer of the church night. People, seeing such your zeal for God, cry out to you: Rejoice, with the height of your humility you surprise our minds, with the depth of humility of our hearts we touch; Rejoice, having created your soul as a temple of the Holy Spirit and blocking the entrance to the nude with passion. Rejoice, patient bearer of the cross of the Lord, seeking it with all your heart; Rejoice, thou who didst love the yoke of the Lord, joyfully lifting its light burden. Rejoice, most blessed Basil, holy fool of God, miracle worker of Moscow.

Compassion for the humble

Preaching mercy, St. Basil the Blessed sympathized primarily with those who were ashamed to ask for alms, although they really needed it. In several chronicles, a case is described at once when he simply gave rich royal gifts to a foreign merchant who suddenly became a beggar.

The merchant did not eat anything for three days. But he did not pray to anyone and did not turn to anyone for help. The tsar, Ivan the Terrible, having a desire to test the saint with gold, literally begged him to dress in rich clothes and accept gold from him. And he himself ordered the servants to watch the holy fool. Vasily, leaving the palace, immediately went to the Execution Ground, where he gave all these riches to a foreign merchant. This was immediately reported to the king. Ivan the Terrible was terribly surprised, and urgently called the Blessed to him. When he came, he asked him where he had put the gold. “I gave it to Christ,” was the answer. When asked by the king why the holy fool gave gold not to the poor, but to the merchant, Vasily said that that foreign merchant was very rich, having many ships under his command, but they all drowned suddenly, and the foreigner was left without everything. But he did not complain to everyone with his sorrows and behaved like a Christian, humbly, ashamed to ask for alms. Because of this, the merchant had not eaten anything for three days, and was close to a hungry faint. Therefore, the Blessed One helped him. As for the beggars who roam the city and do not hesitate to ask for bread, they will always be full. And without his involvement. The king marveled at such speeches. But he recognized the righteousness of the holy fool, and let him go in peace.

Vasily did not have his own house, or any other dwelling. The church served as a haven for him most often. Usually the Blessed One spent the night on the church porch. There he mourned and prayed for the sins of the people. He often retired on one of the towers of Kitay-gorod, which was located on the banks of the Moscow River, near the mouth of the Yauza.

True, sometimes he asked for shelter from a boyar widow, Stefanida Yurlova, who lived in Kulishki behind the Barbarian Gates, near the Ivanovsky Monastery in the White City.

Now there is the Church of All Saints, built in the 17th century in honor of the Russian soldiers who fell on the Kulikovo field.

Church of All Saints on Kulishki

This temple is now located on Slavyanskaya Square in Moscow, in Zaryadye, not far from Kitay-gorod. And during the time of St. Basil the Blessed, there was another church on this site. The initial foundation of the temple here is associated with the development and settlement of this area near the Moscow suburb. Then it was a wild, swampy area, the name of which, apparently, was given by the waders nesting here. The expression "in the middle of nowhere" as a synonym for "far, far away, in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of the earth" came from this place, which was then in the outskirts of Moscow, although now it is the historical center of the capital.

In the annals of 1365, we find that the first wooden church on this site was built at a time when Dmitry Donskoy was still a young man. Then, after several fires on the site of this church, the construction of a temple was begun with the perpetuation of the memory of the soldiers who fell on September 8, 1380 at the Battle of the Don. Subsequently, the church was rebuilt twice more in stone in 1488 and then again in the Moscow baroque style in 1687–1689. Between these two restructurings, there was that stone church that gave shelter to Christ for the sake of the holy fool Vasily.

The life says that the blessed one, leading a harsh life, eating very little food and water, “having neither a den, nor a stable, he is bloodless (without shelter)” (Life, p. 45).

Basil's mind was invariably permeated with thoughts of God, and in his prayers he had constant conversations with Him. For days on end he could walk the streets in silence, not speaking to anyone, to questions, sometimes very offensive, not answering. In his service, he exhausted himself with hunger and thirst. All year round Vasily was barefoot and naked, for his flesh was warmed by the grace of God, which was stronger than both summer heat and winter frosts. And enlightenment came to him, and the Lord helped him endure all hardships, gave him the strength to sympathize and help the humble.

In the descriptions of the lifetime miracles of St. Basil the Blessed, his nakedness is associated with the miracle of healing by the saint of merchants who laughed at his appearance and were punished with blindness for this. Having repented, they were healed through St. Basil the Blessed.

Since then and until now, thousands and thousands of people, experiencing problems with their eyes, turn to the Moscow miracle worker St. Basil the Blessed, and help them because that appeal is sincere.

You never know where you will find, where you will lose. She had no problems with her eyes until she was forty, and she was sharp-sighted - like a falcon, all her friends were jealous. They said: “You, Ksyusha, are somehow charmed. Probably, until old age you will go without glasses. So they jinxed me, probably ... literally overnight I was hooked by hypermetropia, farsightedness in our opinion. I not only began to see badly near, but I had disgusting distance vision. I almost couldn't read at all. Immediately there was a burning sensation in the eyes. My head started to hurt. I got tired quickly. But for me not to read is a disaster. I have loved reading since childhood. My husband and I have a huge library at home, we are regulars at all book exhibitions in St. Petersburg. In general, I just fell into despair.

It's good that at that moment I accidentally met an old school friend, Svetlana. I learned that she had left the life of the world and devoted herself to the service of our Lord. It was she who advised me to go to church, buy an icon and pray to St. Basil the Blessed. And you know it helped! In any case, I can now easily read. And no headaches and burning sensation in the eyes no longer bother! Just a miracle happened. Now every evening I pray to the great deliverer, the miracle worker Vasily ...

Ksenia, Leningrad region

I lost my eyes when I was in school. It was embarrassing to wear glasses, because classmates would laugh, and I almost didn’t see what the teacher wrote on the blackboard. And then we went to the village in the summer, to my great-grandmother Euphrosyne. She is very old and does not wear glasses. And she saw how I was watching the ducks in the pond, squinting. She didn’t say a word, but the next morning she took me by the hand and led me to a small church that had recently been built here. She took me inside, and we listened to the sermon of the local priest Vasily with her. And then she brought me to him and asked for help. He told me to take a picture of a completely naked man. I was so amazed looking at that I didn’t hear what they were talking about with my great-grandmother. And at home she told me that the picture depicts St. Basil the Blessed, whose church I saw last year in Moscow - a beautiful, painted cathedral, right next to Red Square. How is it that the picture shows a completely naked saint, and the temple is so rich? And great-grandmother Euphrosyne told me that he helped many people regain their sight. I didn't believe her. And then I thought that, probably, that cathedral was so beautiful due to the fact that St. Basil the Blessed returned sight to people and made them enjoy the beauty of life. There were many such thoughts, now I can’t remember them all. But one evening, before going to bed, he took it and prayed, looking at the picture. During the day I was busy all the time, either weeding, or haymaking, or walking around the neighborhood with local guys. But in the evening, before going to bed, I began to pray to Vasily every day. And when I returned from vacation and came to school, it turned out that even from the last desk I see everything that is written on the blackboard. And the signatures on the portraits that are hung on the walls, but I haven’t seen it before, even when there were no problems with my eyes. And in the chemistry room I saw that on the periodic table not only letters, but also small numbers are indicated ... The next summer I again went to my great-grandmother. And I went to that church. I asked Father Vasily to baptize me. That summer, we talked about many things with him, not only about faith and the church, but about life in general ... It's been 15 years since then, I graduated from the institute, opened my own company, and there is a lot of work. And I am still grateful to two Vasily, they changed my life, made me a successful person.

Denis, grateful believer, Ryazan

Kondak 11

Singing all tender to you, all-blessed, bringing, crying out: as if miraculously working in ancient times, you healed the weakened, you gave insight to the blind, so now our souls, weakened by sins and blinded by lusts, heal, and cry to God: Alleluia.

Severity for self-interest and love for one's neighbor

Day after day passed with Vasily, and he prayed earnestly and played the fool for Christ's sake, revealing to people the untruth of the world around him. The saint did not get tired of reproaching them for their weaknesses and vices, but only in order to direct those he met on the true path. To the path of good deeds. His words were always imbued with love for others. And people believed him. For they saw that this love comes from God.

On the other hand, St. Basil the Blessed was harsh with those who gave alms not out of compassion for poverty and misfortune, but in the selfish hope of attracting God's blessing on themselves and their deeds. In this, the holy fool clearly saw the temptation of the devil, to which this man succumbed. Here is how one such case is described in the Life of St. Basil the Blessed.

The saint was walking past the Prechistensky Gates in Moscow and saw that a demon was sitting near them, disguised as a beggar. He asked those passing by for alms and promised to help anyone who would give it to him. So he tempted many people. And many gave him mercy. And the demon pretended that for all those who gave it to him, he immediately prayed that success would come to them in their deeds. Vasily immediately understood the slyness of such an act, and shouted loudly at the givers, calling them greedy. Then he expelled the demon from his familiar place. The "beggar" was rushing towards the Kremlin, trying to hide among the numerous royal chambers. But even there the holy fool overtook him, and drove him out of the city in disgrace.

It happened to St. Basil the Blessed to punish people for selfish slyness. Especially when they pretended to be unhappy and orphans for this. So one day he dealt harshly with the atheists, who tried to deceive him to take possession of his fur coat.

That fur coat came to the holy fool in a fierce winter from one compassionate boyar. He began to persuade the holy fool to accept a fur coat as a gift, so that he would not freeze to death. Vasily asked the boyar several times whether he was honest in his wishes. But the compassionate person was baptized every time and swore: “I love you with a sincere heart, accept it as a token of my love!”. The blessed one smiled brightly and with the words: “So be it, and I love you,” he took a fur coat.

It was this expensive fur coat on Vasily that the thieves noticed as soon as he left the boyar court. Then they agreed, and one of them lay down on the road, pretending to be dead. Others ran up to the holy fool and began to ask to give at least something for the burial of the deceased.

The saint immediately realized the enormity of this deception. Sincerely indignant at this, with a suffering heart, the Blessed One sighed mournfully and looked attentively at the evil ones. But they did not understand his look and continued to sob over the "dead" in an artificial way. Then the holy fool took off his fur coat and covered the imaginary dead man with it. At the same time, he said, looking directly into the eyes of the thieves: “Be you truly dead from now on, because, not being afraid of God, you wanted to accept alms by deceit.”

Then, with sadness, he once again looked around at the mercenary sinners, and went on his way, shedding tears. The deceivers still made fun of Vasily's innocence for a long time. They were glad that they had so easily managed to get an expensive fur coat. But, what were their confusion and horror when, having lifted their fur coat, they saw that their comrade was really dead!

After this incident, the thieves were afraid to trade in the center of the capital for a long time ...

Holy Lands of Russia

The first of the holy fools, who was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as a saint, was Procopius-Ustyuzhanin, who with his prayers averted a terrible thunderstorm from his native city. In the 13th century, a German merchant arrived in Novgorod, marveled at the beauty of the churches, and stayed here, taking the name of Procopius. And grace touched his heart. Then he accepted Orthodoxy, gave away all his property and began his path of foolishness, renouncing worldly life. Leaving the Novgorod monastery, he set off on a journey through Russia. Having reached Ustyug, he chose for his residence the corner of the porch of the huge high cathedral church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, cut down from wood. Here he began to stay summer and winter, without missing a single church service, he spent his nights in prayer, and during the day he played the fool on the streets of the city. Once, during a service in the cathedral, he addressed the parishioners: “The wrath of God is approaching, repent, brethren, for your sins, propitiate God with fasting and prayer, otherwise the city will perish from the hail of fire.” The Ustyugians did not pay any attention to the words of the righteous man. And he wept, prayed and persuaded the people to repent for a whole week. And suddenly a black cloud appeared in the sky, and people remembered the words of Procopius, and rushed to the temples with prayers. And Procopius himself prayed before the icon of the Annunciation of the Mother of God. From his ardent prayer, myrrh suddenly flowed from the icon in streams and a fragrance spread throughout the church. And at the same moment, the thunder and lightning subsided, the dark cloud dissipated. And later people learned that 20 versts from Usyug that day, red-hot stones fell to the ground in a hail, breaking and burning the forest. And so many worlds flowed from the icon that they filled church vessels and all those who touched them were healed of their illnesses. Procopius performed many miracles during his lifetime, and after his death, people are healed and miracles are performed on his grave to this day. The Moscow Council of 1547 canonized the righteous Procopius as a saint and ordered him to be commemorated on July 8/21.

saint and king

Vasily was not afraid, not only of thieves, but also of royalty. Once he directly reproached Tsar Ivan the Terrible himself for the fact that during the Divine service he thought not about our Lord and the salvation of his soul, but about worldly affairs.

It happened during one of the Orthodox holidays. There was a big church service in the Kremlin. During it, Basil the Blessed noticed that the tsar was far away in his thoughts from the words of prayer. And then he realized that Ivan the Terrible was now thinking about building his new palace on the Sparrow Hills.

Immediately after the service, the holy fool approached the king, who had left the temple, and asked him how he liked her. He was embarrassed and avoided a direct answer. But he himself asked: “Where have you been, Vasily? I haven't seen you in church today." The blessed one only smiled and said: “I saw you. Only you were not in the temple, but on Sparrow Hills, where you want to build a palace for yourself. The king was even more embarrassed and did not answer the saint.

In addition to this incident, various chronicles mention more than once that Vasily very often reproached Ivan the Terrible for his sinful deeds. And they talked about it not only among the people, but also overseas diplomats and merchants. And the king took his words for granted. And never once got angry with the holy fool.

First Tsar of All Russia Ivan the Terrible (1530–1584)

Ivan IV, John (Ivan) Vasilyevich, Ivan the Great, Ivan the Terrible - this is how the Grand Duke and the first Tsar of All Russia was called in his life and after death.

His father, Grand Duke Vasily III (1479-1533), came from a dynasty of a cunning and cruel ruler, the prince of Novgorod, Vladimir and Moscow Ivan Kalita (1288-1340), who received his nickname "Kalita" for his untold riches, acquired as righteous, and in an unrighteous way. Ivan's mother, Elena Glinskaya, came from the Lithuanian princes Glinsky, who descended from Mamai.

Vasily III died, leaving the throne to his youngest son Ivan, when he was only 3 years old.

Ivan IV himself, already in his youth, showed a desire for power and at the age of 16 expressed a desire to marry the kingdom "following the example of the ancestors," the Byzantine kings, and after 5 weeks, on January 16, 1547, this wedding took place. Before that, there were no tsars in Russia, but there were princes and grand princes. The tsars ruled Russia from then on until Peter I the Great, who in 1721 assumed the title "emperor", which lasted until 1917.

During his long reign, Ivan the Terrible carried out many reforms by force aimed at centralizing state power, developed and strengthened the army, replaced the Chosen Rada with oprichnina (1565-1572) - state terror and a system of emergency measures, during which thousands of "objectionable to the king" were executed , and canceled only because its fighters, accustomed mainly to robbing the population and destroying the monks, did not want to go to war. Where the guardsmen passed, there was complete desolation, the people were dying of hunger, and the boyars, who managed to escape, fled to the ends of the world. And although the oprichnina was a mistake, which Ivan the Terrible himself admitted, it laid the foundations of autocracy - the unlimited power of the tsar.

The formidable tsar did not know mercy for anyone - neither near nor far, neither princes, nor commoners, nor priests, nor holy people, nor even his son, Ivan Ivanovich (1554–1581), whom he personally killed.

All the more surprising is his trust, which he always showed to the holy fool Basil the Blessed, whom he obeyed and revered so much that he even meekly carried the old man’s bed when he died.

Vision and foresight

Basil the Blessed has always been famous for seeing everything and foreseeing a lot. And not only in Moscow itself, but throughout Russia. His spiritual purity did not allow him to pass by the troubles that he foresaw.

But especially the crowned autocrat Ivan the Terrible was impressed by an incident that occurred during one of his name days.

In the early summer of 1521, Vasily prayed incessantly for the salvation of Moscow from the Tatar invasion. Day after day, week after week, and now the Crimean Khan Mohammed Giray really approached the walls of the Russian capital and stood in the field. His troops stopped 60 km south of Moscow, but soon fled back with a huge "full", having learned about the approach of Russian troops. And so it happened that he did not take the city, but went back to the steppe. Muscovites considered this miracle the result of the intercession of St. Basil the Blessed.

Troparion to St. Basil the Blessed, Christ for the sake of the holy fool

Your life, Vasily, is not false and purity is not defiled, for Christ's sake, you exhausted your body with fasting and vigil, and scum and warmth of the sun, and a slot and a rain cloud, and your face is enlightened, like the sun: and now the Russian people and all the people are coming to you glorifying your holy Assumption. For those pray to Christ God, may he deliver us from barbarian captivity and internecine strife, and give peace to the world, and great mercy to our souls.

The holy fool is not afraid to speak the truth to the king himself. And even more than that - he denounces the king more often, and more severely, because the crimes of the king are both more noticeable and more terrible in their consequences. Here are the testimonies and memoirs of foreign travelers: “The Russian people especially honor the holy fools ... They, like lampoons, point to the shortcomings of the nobles and the sovereign, about which, tell someone else, he will immediately expose himself to mortal danger.” Fools act as accusers of arbitrariness, violence and greed of unjust power. In the 16th century in Russia, the denunciation of kings and the mighty of the world became an integral part of the foolishness. The same century gave rise to one of the most revered Moscow holy fools - St. Basil the Blessed.

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End of introductory segment.

He was born on September 1, 1468 in the village of Yelokhovo, then near Moscow, into a peasant family. His parents, Jacob and Anna, only towards the end of their lives, thanks to tireless prayers, had a child.
God rewarded Basil from birth with the gift of clairvoyance, and from the age of seven he began to make predictions. Over time, they began to fear him in the village, and his peers beat him, saying at the same time that he croaks and brings trouble.

At the age of sixteen, Vasily left his parents and moved to Moscow. He chose for himself one of the most difficult ways of serving God - foolishness.
By this time, the young man was not tall, stocky, he had gray eyes and brown, slightly wavy hair.
He was gentle and kind in nature. Resignedly endured numerous ridicule and beatings. He never took offense at anyone and accepted everything with a smile, while saying: "If winter is fierce, then paradise is sweet."
Vasily almost always walked the streets naked, even in the most severe frosts and colds. He meekly endured hunger and thirst.
The blessed one did not have a home, spending the night in a tower in the wall of Kitay-Gorod. I ate only what good people served. And always kept all the posts.
Muscovites have always listened to what the holy fool said.
In 1521, Vasily, foreseeing the raid of the Tatars on Moscow, began to pray frantically to ward off trouble from the city. The prayers of St. Basil the Blessed and the intervention of the Mother of God averted the danger from the walls of the city. In memory of this miraculous deliverance, on May 21, the Orthodox Church celebrates a holiday in honor of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God - the patroness of Moscow and Russia.
Even the king listened to the advice of the holy fool. Once Basil the Blessed was invited to the palace to the king, and as a respected guest they served him a cup of drink. Unexpectedly for everyone, the holy fool took and threw the drink out the window. Then he threw out the second served cup, then the third.
After that, Basil the Blessed said to the angry tsar: “Do not be angry, tsar, for with the libation of this drink I extinguished the fire that enveloped Novgorod at this hour.”
Having said this, the saint disappeared from the palace so swiftly that no one could catch up with him. Ivan the Terrible ordered to send a messenger to Novgorod to find out what had happened there. Everything was confirmed - on that very day and hour, when Vasily poured out the drink through the window, a terrible fire raged in Novgorod. According to eyewitnesses, the fire was extinguished from nowhere by a naked man with a bucket of water, who filled the raging flames.
When the Novgorod merchants arrived in Moscow, they recognized that same naked man in St. Basil the Blessed.

Here is another case testifying to the foresight of St. Basil the Blessed. Once Ivan the Terrible, standing in the temple, mentally thought about the construction of his palace on the Sparrow Hills. After the end of the service, Vasily reproached the tsar for the fact that he, being in the temple, mentally wandered around the construction site on Sparrow Hills.
The annals say that Ivan the Terrible was even afraid of the holy fool, who could read people's thoughts.
Basil the Blessed, wandering the streets of Moscow, did strange things - at some houses he kissed the corners of the building, he threw stones at the corners of other houses.
This was explained as follows - if in the house they “do good and pray”, then stones should be thrown at the corners of this bright house in order to drive away the demons gathered there. If, on the contrary, indecent things are happening in the house - they drink wine, sing shameless songs, then the corners of this house must be kissed, because angels expelled from their homes are now sitting there.
One day, a nobleman gave Vasily a warm fur coat, because there were unheard-of frosts on the street. Dashing robbers coveted this fur coat. They did not dare to rob the holy fool, because it was considered a terrible sin, and decided to deceive him with cunning.
One of them lay down on the ground and pretended to be dead, and his friends began to persuade Vasily, who was passing by, to donate something for the burial. Saint Basil sighed, seeing such craftiness, and asked: “Did your comrade really die? When did this happen to him? “Yes, he just died,” his friends confirmed.

Then the Blessed One took off his fur coat and, covering the lying one, said: “Let it be as they said. For your wickedness."
Vasily left, and when the pleased deceivers began to disturb their lying comrade, they were horrified to find that he had really died.

Basil the Blessed died at the age of eighty on August 2, 1552. Ivan the Terrible and the boyars carried his coffin, and Metropolitan Macarius performed the burial.

Vasily's body was buried in the cemetery of the Trinity Church in the Moat, where Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of the Intercession Cathedral soon, in memory of the conquest of Kazan, better known as St. Basil's Cathedral.

Since 1588, they began to talk about miracles taking place at the tomb of Blessed Basil; as a result, Patriarch Job decided to celebrate the memory of the miracle worker on the day of his death, August 2.

In 1588, by order of Theodore Ioannovich, a chapel was built in the name of St. Basil the Blessed at the place where he was buried; a silver shrine was made for his relics.

Sarcophagus with the relics of St. Basil the Blessed

At the tomb of St. Basil, healings of many patients from various ailments began to take place. The Intercession Cathedral received from this a second name - St. Basil's Cathedral. This name, as a sign of respect for the great saint, has survived to this day.

Since ancient times, the memory of the Blessed in Moscow has been celebrated with great solemnity: the patriarch himself served and the tsar himself was usually present at the service.

Miracles

Basil the Blessed is credited with many miracles, both during life and after death.

A man came to the owner of Vasily to order boots and asked him to make them that he would not endure until his death. Vasily laughed and cried. After the merchant left, the boy explained his behavior to the master by saying that the merchant was ordering boots that he would not be able to wear, as he would soon die, which came true.

One day, the thieves, noticing that the saint was dressed in a good fur coat, given to him by a certain boyar, planned to deceive it from him; one of them pretended to be dead, while others asked Vasily for burial. Vasily covered the dead man with his fur coat, but seeing the deceit, he said at the same time: “Fox fur coat, cunning, cover the fox case, cunning. From now on, be you dead for slyness, for it is written: let the sly ones be consumed. When the dashing people took off his fur coat, they saw that their friend was already dead.

Once, Blessed Basil scattered kalachi in the bazaar at one kalachnik, and he confessed that he had mixed chalk and lime into the flour.

The Book of Degrees tells that in the summer of 1547 Vasily came to the Ascension Monastery on Ostrog (now Vozdvizhenka) and prayed for a long time with tears in front of the church. The next day, the well-known Moscow fire began, namely from the Vozdvizhensky Monastery.

While in Moscow, the saint saw a fire in Novgorod, which he put out with three glasses of wine.

With a stone, he broke the image of the Mother of God on the Varvara Gates, which has long been considered miraculous. He was attacked by a crowd of pilgrims who flocked from all over Russia for the purpose of healing, and they began to beat him with a “mortal combat”. The holy fool said: “And you will scratch the paint layer!”. Having removed the paint layer, people saw that under the image of the Mother of God there was a "devil's mug".

Basil the Blessed, the Moscow miracle worker, they ask for healing diseases, especially eye diseases, about getting rid of fire.

Prayer to Saint Basil

O great saint of Christ, true friend and faithful servant of the All-Creator of the Lord God, blessed Basil! Hear us, many-sinners, now singing to you and calling on your holy name, have mercy on us, falling down today to your most pure image, accept our small and unworthy prayer, have mercy on our squalor and with your prayers heal every ailment and illness of the soul and body of our sinner and make us worthy of the course of life sowing unharmed from visible and invisible enemies, sinlessly pass away, and the Christian death, shameless, peaceful, serene, and receive the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven with all the saints forever and ever. Amen.

Holy fools... People who embarked on this difficult path deliberately presented themselves as insane, neglected all worldly blessings, humbly endured the hail of endless ridicule, contemptuous attitude, and various punishments from those around them. Using an allegorical form, they tried to find a way to people's hearts and souls, preached the ideas of kindness and mercy, exposed deceit and injustice. Not everyone succeeded in suppressing the rudiments of pride in themselves, not taking into account the needs of the body, spiritually becoming higher than those around them. One of those who managed to do this is Blessed Basil, the most famous and revered holy fool. Our material is about him.

Basil the Blessed: life

His life path is amazing from the very first day. December 1469. Dates vary, and some sources give 1464. On the porch (Epiphany Cathedral in the village of Yelokhovo) appears a simple woman named Anna. She came here with prayers for the safe birth of a child. The words of the woman were heard by the Mother of God. And in the same place, Anna had a boy who received the name Vasily (Vasily Nagoy - that's what he is also called). A pure soul and an open heart is what he came into the world with.

His parents from among ordinary peasants were pious, they revered Christ, they built their lives according to his commandments. From an early age, they sought to instill in their son a respectful and reverent attitude towards God. Blessed Basil was growing up, and, dreaming of a good life for his son, his father and mother decided to introduce him to shoemaking.

Apprentice work

The young apprentice was distinguished by diligence and obedience. He would have worked for so long if not for one amazing incident, after which his master realized what an extraordinary person Vasily is. Once a merchant appeared in the workshop with a request to make such boots so that they would not be demolished for a whole year. Blessed Basil, shedding tears, promised him shoes that he would never wear out. The student later explained to the bewildered master that the customer would not even be able to put on the ordered pair, death would soon await him. It took quite a bit of time, and these words came true.

Way to Moscow

After this incident, Vasily decided to part with shoemaking and spend his life following the thorny path of foolishness. Until his death, he lived without any savings, unprotected from ridicule or insults, having only an invisible amulet - faith and an all-encompassing love for God. All his clothes were made up of chains.

Vasily, leaving his parents, went to Moscow. At first, the people perceived the strange naked guy with surprise and ridicule. But soon the Muscovites recognized him as a man of God, a holy fool for Christ's sake.

Basil the Blessed: miracles

People, usually not understanding his strange actions, got angry. Only later did their secret meaning become clear. Somehow, having deliberately scattered rolls at one of the merchants, Vasily dutifully endured the curses and beatings that rained down on him. Later, the unlucky kalachnik confessed to adding lime and chalk to the dough.

Other miracles of St. Basil the Blessed are also known. Once a merchant turned to him: the vaults of the church he was building collapsed three times for unknown reasons. The Moscow holy fool advised him to find poor Ivan in Kyiv. Having done this, the merchant found a man in a poor house who was rocking an empty cradle. The merchant asked what this meant. The poor man explained that in this way he decided to pay tribute to his mother. It became clear to the unfortunate "builder" why Vasily sent him here. After all, even earlier, he drove his mother out of his home. Without repenting of what he had done, he dreamed of glorifying the Almighty by building a temple. The Lord refused to accept a gift from a person who is low in soul. Blessed Basil could help this man: he repented, made peace with his mother, and the woman forgave him. Then the construction of God's temple was successfully completed.

Further manifestation of the gift

Basil the Blessed, whose brief biography has come down to us, always abstained from pleasures, dutifully endured the hardships of his existence, lived on the street among a large number of people, patiently endured all hardships. At the same time, his soul remained innocent and bright. Over time, his gift manifested itself with increasing force.

With the help of the Almighty, Blessed Basil, the miracle worker of Moscow, was able to predict the invasion of Moscow. The situation was as follows: he, as usual, prayed at night, when a sign appeared - a flame that escaped from the church windows. Basil's prayers became more fervent. Gradually the fire died out. Some time after this incident, the Crimean Tatars attacked the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery and the villages nearby, they were looted and burned, but Moscow remained untouched.

The next wonderful event. 1543. July. Basil the Blessed is again visited by a vision that predicted a strong fire: a number of streets turned out to be burned out, the trouble touched the Exaltation of the Cross Monastery, the Royal and Metropolitan courtyards.

Once on a winter day, one boyar managed to persuade the holy fool to accept a gift from him - a fur coat. Vasily, after long protests, agreed. Walking in this fur coat, he met a gang of thieves. Those, fearing to forcibly take away clothes, were not too lazy to play a real performance in front of the revered holy fool. One pretended to be dead, others began to beg for a fur coat, supposedly to cover a dead friend. The holy fool, covering the pretender, asked if he was really dead. The thieves assured him of the veracity of what had happened. Basil's wish for their answer was the punishment of hypocrisy. After his departure, the thieves literally froze - their comrade no longer needed to pretend, he actually died.

All his life, the holy fool helped people, sympathized with them. And, absolutely everyone. Especially those who were ashamed to ask for help. So, he gave the gifts received from the king to a foreign merchant. He lost money and went hungry for more than one day. He did not ask for help - he was ashamed because of his rich clothes.

Vasily was a frequent visitor to Kitai-Gorod. He went to the penitentiary for drunkards located there. Encouraging words and exhortations are what he helped the fallen people to return to a normal way of life.

The attitude of Ivan the Terrible to the holy fool

Basil the Blessed, we continue to consider his life, lived under two autocrats. Reverence and fear - with such feelings one of them treated him - Ivan the Terrible. The man of God, whom he saw in the holy fool, was for the king a constant reminder that it is necessary to live justly and not be stingy with good deeds and deeds.

Faced with several cases, Ivan the Terrible became convinced that it was in fact a pious, estranged fool from the affairs of the world. Once Basil the Blessed was invited by the king to a feast. The sovereign was angry when, in front of his eyes, the holy fool threw out the wine served to him three times. Ivan the Terrible until then doubted the explanation of the holy fool about, they say, the extinguished fire in Veliky Novgorod, until a messenger appeared from the city. He brought news of the incident and that a naked man had intervened and put out the fire. The same person was recognized by the Novgorodians who arrived in Moscow in a holy fool.

Having conceived the construction of a palace on the Sparrow Hills, the tsar only thought about this. Once at the church festive service, he behaved just as thoughtfully and inattentively to what was happening around him. Basil the Blessed, who was there, the king simply did not notice, being immersed in his own thoughts. At the end of the service, Grozny began to blame the holy fool for his absence from the church. To these words, Basil the Blessed admonished the king, answering that his body was in the service, and his soul was hovering near the palace being built. From that time on, Grozny had even more respect and fear in relation to the holy fool. When the latter fell ill from a serious illness, the king came to visit him.

The end of the path of St. Basil the Blessed

Despite the fact that his life was full of hardships, Vasily lived to be almost ninety years old. To the tsar who came to visit him with his family, he uttered another prediction: the tsar's son Fedor would become the ruler of Russia in the future. And in this he was not mistaken either. After all, we all know that the angry tsar himself raised his hand to Ivan (his eldest son).

The date of the death of St. Basil the Blessed is August 2, 1557 (according to the new style, this is August 15). The tsar and the boyars carried the coffin with the body of the holy fool. The funeral and burial ceremony was conducted by Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Macarius. When the burial was carried out, many patients recovered. The cemetery of the Trinity Church (in the Moat near the Kremlin) was chosen as the burial place. A little later, the Intercession Cathedral was erected here. In it they built a chapel in honor of the holy fool. He was revered with such force that since that time one common name has been fixed for the Trinity Church and the Intercession Cathedral - St. Basil's Cathedral. Moreover, its history is interesting not only by its name.

Basil's Cathedral: a combination of different styles

This temple combines Gothic and Oriental architecture. Its unprecedented beauty gave rise to a real legend: allegedly, on the orders of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the architect's eyes were gouged out so that he could no longer build such structures.

The temple was not once tried to destroy. But he somehow miraculously continues to rise in his place. In 1812, during the escape from the capital, Napoleon ordered the destruction of the Intercession Cathedral along with the Kremlin. But the hurrying French could not cope with the required number of tunnels. The Pokrovsky Cathedral turned out to be unscathed, as during the rain the wicks lit by them went out.

In the post-revolutionary years, the cathedral also avoided demolition. Its last rector, Archpriest John Vostorgov, was shot in 1919, and in 1929 St. Basil's Cathedral was completely closed, its bells were melted down. In the 1930s, Lazar Kaganovich, who succeeded in destroying many Moscow churches, proposed to demolish the Pokrovsky Cathedral as well. He put forward a good reason: supposedly this made it possible to free up space for holding solemn parades and demonstrations.

There is a legend that he made a model of Red Square with a removable Intercession Cathedral. With his creation, he came to Stalin. Convincing that the temple is a hindrance, he suddenly ripped off his seat for the leader. At the same time, the stunned Stalin escaped with the historical phrase: “Lazar, put it in its place!”. The well-known restorer P. D. Baranovsky sent telegrams addressed to Stalin with an appeal to save the temple. It was said that Baranovsky, who was invited to the Kremlin to solve this problem, did not hesitate to kneel before the members of the Central Committee and begged to save the temple. They listened to him. St. Basil's Cathedral (the story could have ended there) was left alone. Only later Baranovsky was awarded an impressive term.

Saint Basil's Day

After the death of Vasily, miraculous phenomena did not stop. We wrote above that people ran into them and near the coffin. For this reason, in 1588 (this is the time when Fyodor Ivanovich reigned), the saint was canonized by Patriarch Job of Moscow. They also set the day of his memory - August 2 (the day of his death). Until 1917, Vasily's Memorial Day was always solemnly celebrated. The presence of the emperor with his relatives was common. The service was conducted by the patriarch. The highest clergy were present, as well as residents of Moscow, who sacredly revered the miracle worker.

Let's digress a little and remember another story. Basil the Blessed, whose prophecies have come down to our time, once behaved not in the best way in relation to the image of the Mother of God. Taking a stone, he broke it. Miraculous properties were attributed to this image. Unable to stand it, the pilgrims beat Vasily. He endured everything humbly. And then he gave advice to remove one of the layers of paint from the image. They listened to him, and it turned out that a devilish image was hidden under him.

Icons of the saint

A wealthy Muscovite who went blind at the age of twelve (her name was Anna) knew that blind men who prayed to Vasily could see. She found an icon painter and turned to him with a request: the woman wanted the icon of St. Basil the Blessed to be painted. This icon was donated by Anna to the temple. It is known for sure that it was St. Basil's Cathedral. The story doesn't end there. Every day she went there to pray. According to legend, after some time, Anna was completely cured: her sight returned to her.

In the early works, Basil was depicted naked; in later works, the saint began to be depicted girded with a towel. Often the Blessed One was depicted against the background of the Kremlin and against the backdrop of Red Square, because it was here that he lived. Such an icon is kept today in St. Basil's Cathedral. Other Russian churches also have icons depicting the saint.

So, the story of St. Basil the Blessed appeared before us. This man, with amazing fortitude, showed by his deeds and life that everything earthly is not eternal. That if you remember about goodness and justice, then you can survive in any difficult situations.

Basil the Blessed is addressed with prayers in extreme grief, in despair and in trouble. The icon of this saint in your home is able to save the family from lies, evil and other people's envy, and sincere prayer in front of the image can help to completely change life for the better.

History of the icon

Basil the Blessed was born in the village of Yelokhovo, in a pious and believing family. From childhood, the boy showed God-fearing and diligence in comprehending the Law of God. Upon reaching adolescence, the parents sent Vasily to study shoemaking. In training, the boy discovered the gift of providence, given to him by the Lord. Basil realized that he must devote his life to Christ, and chose the path of the holy fool for himself.

From the age of 16 until his death in 1557, Vasily lived on the streets of Moscow, both in the cold and in the heat, being without clothes and shoes. The saint prayed for the salvation of people and mercilessly denounced the lies that he saw thanks to his gift.

After the death of the saint, miracles of healing serious illnesses began to occur on his grave. In 1558, St. Basil the Blessed was canonized, and his miraculous image was revealed to the world.

Where is the image of the saint

After the canonization of Blessed Basil, his incorruptible body was buried near the Trinity Church. At the moment, the relics of the saint are in St. Basil's Cathedral, and the image of the saint is in the Moscow Theological Academy.

Description of the icon

The miraculous image of St. Basil the Blessed depicts the saint as he went through his entire thorny life path. Saint Basil, dressed only in a loincloth, is depicted against the backdrop of Moscow, the city of which he is considered the guardian. The hands of the Blessed One are raised to heaven: from there the Lord looks at his prayers for all people.

What helps the image of St. Basil the Blessed

Saint Basil is considered the patron saint of all the destitute, deceived and those who have lost their material well-being. They turn to him in great trouble, asking him to punish the offenders, restore justice and help find the true path leading to salvation and Eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

For many years, people who have lost hope for a happy life have been turning to Blessed Basil for many years. There are cases when a sincere prayer near the icon or the relics of a saint healed deadly diseases and helped get rid of the terrible vices of drunkenness, drug addiction and fornication.

Prayer before the icon of St. Basil

“Oh, Blessed Basil, bestowed by the grace of God from birth, seeing fate and denouncing all lies and unbelief! We humbly pray to you, falling at your feet in tears: heal the ailments of the body and soul, let me find the righteous path of salvation and enter the Kingdom of Heaven humbly and reverently. Preserve our virtue, O Blessed Basil, and take away from us the evil, envy and slander of our enemies. May we not disgrace the love of our Lord, and remain His faithful and God-fearing servants. Amen".

This prayer can change your life, directing it along the path of salvation and sincerity.

Saint Basil's Day - 2 August. At this time, prayers for the forgiveness of sins have special power: by sincerely praying before the image of the saint, you can cleanse your soul from the burden of sin and receive the forgiveness of the Lord. We wish you peace of mind and strong faith in God. Be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

(late 1468 or late 1462?, c. Elokhovo near Moscow? - 2.08.1557?, Moscow), St. Holy fool for Christ's sake (commemorated August 2, Sunday before August 26 - in the Cathedral of Moscow Saints).

The earliest source reporting on V. B. is the “Book of Powerful Royal Genealogy” (1st edition created c. 1563). Information from it was borrowed into the life of V. B., known in 3 varieties: full, abridged and special composition (the latter is a compilation of the first 2 editions, supplemented by a description of the lifetime miracles of the saint). All 3 editions of the life with additions about V. B. were published by Fr. I. I. Kuznetsov.

The oldest list of the full life has been preserved as part of the August Menaion (GIM. Chud. No. 317. L. 60-99, end of the 16th century; entitled “On the same day, a brief life and a word of praise to the holy and righteous Christ for the sake of the ugly, God-blessed Basil , the venerable new miracle worker of Moscow"). The life is followed by a laudatory word, miracles (24) and 2 tales - about a vision that V.B. had in 1521 before the invasion of Moscow by the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girey, and about the prediction of a fire in Moscow by the saints on June 21, 1547 (both taken from the Book of Degrees). The complete life of V. B. was compiled by order of St. Patriarch Job, apparently, shortly after the canonization of V. B., not earlier than 1589. The lengthy text of the life contains a brief and inaccurate biography, sustained in the style of “weaving words”.

The abridged life is known in 3 lists, of which the earliest was published in the Prologue (M., 1660). In this version, the chronology of the life of the saint is changed, the text of the full life is shortened and edited. This edition appeared, apparently, ca. 1646, since in Svyattsy (M., 1646) textually similar passages were published.

Tales of the lifetime miracles of V. B., which are a distinctive feature of a variety of life of a special composition, are known from lists No. 41 from the collection. Kuznetsov and according to the list of the Intercession Cathedral of 1803 (both manuscripts are lost, known from Kuznetsov's publications). The description of the intravital miracles of V. B. was created no earlier than the 2nd half. XVII century., At the same time it was compiled with excerpts from the full and abridged lives. In earlier manuscripts, only the posthumous miracles of the blessed one are described; in the life of the full edition it is mentioned that “God glorify his life and miracles, moreover, after the repose of unspeakable miracles, the sick healer, the sad consolation” (Life, p. 55). Late monuments dedicated to V. B. strive for detail in the description of the life of the saint, the source of which is Moscow legends.

Information about V. B. is also contained in the New Chronicler, the Piskarevsky Chronicler, a number of short Russian. chroniclers of the XVII-XVIII centuries, in the notes of J. Fletcher "On the Russian State".

life

There is no exact information about the time of the birth of the saint. In the most ancient life of the full edition, this is not mentioned, as well as the age at which the blessed one died. Saints (M., 1646), reflected in an abridged life and not confirmed by earlier lists of a full life, report the death of V. B. in 7060 (1552) at the age of 88. Based on this message, some chronicles of the 17th century. (RSL. F. 256. No. 262 and the State Historical Museum. Muz. Sobr. No. 733) place information about the birth of the saint under 6972 (1464) (6672 is erroneously indicated in the first). Taking into account the instructions of the Saints of 1646 and brief chroniclers of the 17th century. about the fact that V. B. died at the age of 88 or 94 years, and considering the most probable year of the death of the saint 1557 (a message of a full life), it can be assumed that the blessed one was born in 1468 or in 1462. In addition, if we admit , following Kuznetsov, that January 1st - the day of the blessed one's namesake - was the day of his Baptism, then the birth of the saint took place at the end of the year.

The place of the saint's exploits was Moscow. According to the testimony of a full life, V.B., embarking on the path of foolishness for the sake of Christ, left “his family, and his father’s house, and the city where he was born,” consequently, the saint was not born in Moscow. However, in this part of the life of V. B. he literally quotes the life of St. Theodore of Edessa (Sabait), who left the "city where he was born" and came to Jerusalem, and, thus, may be a hagiographic stamp. In an abridged biography (in the Prologue of 1660) and in the Saints of 1646, it is reported that V. B. was born “in the reigning city of Moscow to the Most Pure Mother of God Vladimirsky on Yelokhovo” (see Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo).

The only thing known about the parents of the blessed one from a full life is that they asked for a child for themselves through prayers. The Saints of 1646 and an abridged life report that V. B.'s father was called Jacob, and his mother was Anna. In later sources (the unpreserved Sheparevsky list of the life of the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century (published by Kuznetsov), in the legend set forth in the book of I. M. Snegirev) it is reported that the father gave V. B. to study with a shoemaker, in the workshop to-rogo the boy had a prophetic gift: a bread merchant who arrived in Moscow ordered boots in the workshop, in response V. B. laughed and cried. After the merchant left, the boy explained his behavior to the master by saying that the merchant was ordering boots, which he would not be able to wear, because he would soon die, which came true.

According to the abridged life and chroniclers of the 17th century, at the age of 10 or 16, V. B. took upon himself the feat of foolishness. At first, the blessed one took a vow of silence and was in unceasing mental prayer. Then, instructed by the Holy Spirit, he “transformed into foolishness and laid bare his body” (Life, p. 43). In the Book of Degrees, V. B. is called a “righteous naked walker”, “self-willedly naked bodily attire”, “having not a single rag and shame on his body, as if primordial before crime ... God’s grace warms him. Fire and scum are stronger than the flesh of this righteous one” (PSRL. T. 21. Part 2. S. 599, 635). The nickname of the blessed Nagoi is found in chronicle monuments of the 16th-17th centuries. (Tikhomirov, p. 201).

The life says that the blessed one, leading a harsh life, eating very little food and water, “having neither a den, nor a crib, is bloodless [without shelter. - K. E.] abiding” (Life, p. 45). However, the Piskarevsky chronicler reports that “in the belly of Blessed Vasily, his life was in Kulishki, with a boyar widow named Stefanida Yurlova” (PSRL. T. 34. S. 200). The Yurlov family (descendants of the Pleshcheev boyars) in the 16th century. owned lands in the Moscow and Tver districts, and S. I. Yurlova is a historical figure. Information that the saint lived and reposed in the house of a certain widow (not named) is also in the list of the abbreviated life of con. XVII - beginning. 18th century (Kuznetsov. Blessed Vasily and John. S. 78, 152, 242-243). In the descriptions of V. B.’s lifetime miracles, his nakedness is associated with the miracle of the saint healing a girl or merchant who laughed at his appearance and were punished with blindness for this. Repentant, they were healed through V.B.

V. B. was also revered by foreign merchants who came to Russian. the capital, as the patron saint of sea travelers (according to his life, the saint, while in Moscow, calmed a storm on the Caspian Sea and saved merchant ships). In the early testimonies of V. B., his gift of foresight is noted. According to the Book of Degrees, in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral in 1521, the saint had a "fiery vision" from the icon of the Mother of God, announcing God's wrath against the Muscovites and the imminent invasion of the Crimean Khan Mahmet-Giray on Moscow. According to the Book of Degrees, V. B. also foresaw fires in Moscow in June 1547. This is described in more detail in his life: in 1547, after the April fires, V. B. “arrived at the monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which is called on the Island, and a hundred in front of the church, to no less wise in vain, wise prayer acting and crying inconsolably ”(Life. P. 75). People were perplexed about the reasons for crying, but on June 21, 1547, it was from Vozdvizhenskaya Ts. the fire started. Later biographies of the saint give a large number of cases of his clairvoyance - foreseeing events, about which the blessed one spoke allegorically, the ability to see angels, demons, to guess the lies and actions of the devil under external piety, etc.

Tsar John IV Vasilyevich, who talked about V. B. with St. Met. Macarius (apparently, already after his wedding to the kingdom on January 16, 1547, but before the fire that happened in June of the same year). According to Fletcher, V. B. denounced the king for his cruel treatment of his subjects (Fletcher, p. 113). In later and unreliable sources - the Sheparevsky list of the life of V. B. and in the description of the lifetime miracles of the blessed one - there are legends about V. B.'s relationship with Tsar John IV. One of the legends says that the saint, having somehow received “some kind of drink” from the king as a treat, threw out 2 bowls one after the other out of the window. V. B. told the tsar, enraged by this act, that this was how he put out the fire in Vel. Novgorod. A messenger specially sent from Moscow to Novgorod confirmed that in the city they saw the image of a naked man putting out the fire above the fire that had begun. During the liturgy in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral, as another legend notes, the saint hid in a corner. To the question of John IV, why V.B. was not in the service, he replied that he was present, while the tsar was in the temple with his body, and with his thoughts he built himself a palace on Sparrow Hills.

Another plot from Sheparev's manuscript is connected with the campaign of John IV to Vel. Novgorod in 1569-1570: in the midst of the executions of Novgorodians, V. B. invited the tsar to the “wretched den” under the bridge over the Volkhov and offered him “a vial of blood and a piece of raw meat.” In response to the bewilderment of the sovereign, the saint said that it was the blood and flesh of innocently killed people. Having taken the king out into the street, V.B. stepped on his leg with his left foot and pointed to the east with his right hand. The king saw in the sky the souls of the innocently killed, crowned with martyr's crowns, and waved his handkerchief as a sign of the cessation of executions. After that, the blood in the vessel turned into sweet wine, and the meat into watermelon. This plot contradicts all the dating of the life of V. B. and is an adaptation of the story about the book. Yu. Tokmakov and blzh. Nicholas Sallos, who averted the royal wrath from Pskov with an offering of bread and salt and the “terrible words” of the holy fool (PSRL. T. 5. Issue 1. S. 115-116).

The exploits of V. B. very soon after his death became an example to follow. Dr. Moscow holy fool - St. John († 1589) - also walked around the city naked, denounced the rulers and bequeathed to bury himself next to V.B.

In the monuments of the XVI-XVII centuries. various years of death of V. B. are indicated. A full life refers it to August 2. 7065 (1557) g. nature of the XVII-XVIII centuries. (on the example of manuscripts stored in the Russian State Library) the following years of the saint’s repose are found: in collections from the collection of V. M. Undolsky No. 233 and 771 and similar ones, the 7060th (1552) is named, in the collection from the same collection No. 134 - 7061 th (1553), in manuscripts No. 125 and 755 of the same collection and Monthly Simon (Azaryin) ser. 50s XVII century - 7063rd (1555), in the collection No. 237 - 7065th (1557), etc. In the Chronicler until 1659 from the collection of S. T. Bolshakov (No. 131) we read: “Summer 7064 ( 1556) on May 29, Tsarevich Ivan was born, and Vasily the ugly Moscow reposed. In the Vyatka "Chronicle of the Old Years" of the 1st third of the 18th century. it is noted that V. B. went naked “from the age of 10”, he died on August 1. 7060 (1552) in Moscow, “alive for 94 years” (Chronicler of the Old Years, p. 322; the same information is given in the Chronicler of the Reigning City of Moscow, p. 333). This news was accepted by some historians (N. M. Karamzin, N. P. Barsukov and others).

The burial of the saint took place with the participation of “kings and princes”, who carried the body of V. B. “on their heads”, a large number of clergy and many people also participated in the burial. According to his life, during the burial of the blessed one, the sick were healed. The funeral was attended by Tsar John IV and his wife Tsarina Anastasia Romanovna. Dr. “Kings”, apparently, should be considered the Kazan tsars Alexander and Simeon, who took part in the consecration of the aisles of the Cathedral of the Intercession (or the Holy Trinity) on the Moat in October. 1559 An abridged life contains the dying words of V. B., who bequeathed “to the pious Tsar John and Tsarina Anastasia to lay down their body ... at the Life-Giving Trinity and the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.” However, this is evidence of a late origin, since Fletcher, who wrote about V. B. in the 1st half. 1589, noted that the body of the saint had recently been transferred to the central Moscow church, in which, according to the description of the Englishman, one can recognize the Church of the Intercession on the Moat (Fletcher, p. 113). Thus, initially the blessed one was buried in a different place, his relics were transferred to the Intercession Cathedral, apparently, during the canonization in 1588.

Canonization

Chronicle evidence of the first miracles from the relics of V. B. dates back to the time after the death of Tsar John IV. The most reliable are the reports of the New Chronicler, the Solovetsky Chronicler, con. 16th century and the Novgorod-Pskov Chronicle of 1630. In the "New Chronicle" ch. “On the Appearance and Miracles of Blessed Basil” (20th) is placed between a brief report on the arrival in Moscow of the K-Polish Patriarch Jeremiah II (under July 13, 1588) and a story about the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia and the departure of Patriarch Jeremiah (under January 23, 1588). 1589). Miracles from the relics of V. B., the command of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich to arrange a silver shrine gilded and decorated with precious stones and pearls over the tomb of the saint, as well as to build a stone temple in the name of V. B. "The New Chronicler" refers to 7096, i.e. by the time of 1 Sept. 1587 to 31 Aug. 1588; Aug 2 1588, according to the chronicle, from the relics of the saint, several. miracles that became the cause of canonization (PSRL. T. 14. P. 38). It is written in the Solovetsky chronicler: “In the summer of 7096 (1588) August, on the 2nd day of God, in the notorious city of Moscow, under the blessed tsar and Grand Duke Feodor Ivanovich of All Russia and under Metropolitan Ieva, the new great miracle worker Vasily Nagoy appeared and forgave three souls, two maidens and yes a poor old man, and from that day at the miracle-working coffin great miracles and forgiveness for many people ”(quoted from: Tikhomirov. S. 201); the same text is given in the Novgorod-Pskov chronicle of 1630 (Yakovlev, p. 449).

The Piskarevsky chronicler dates the beginning of miracles from the relics of V. B. and the creation of the shrine to 7093-7094 (1584-1586). (PSRL. T. 34. S. 199-200). In the Mazurin chronicler, the beginning of miracles is attributed to 7097, i.e., to the period from September 1. 1588 to 31 Aug. 1589 (Mazurin chronicler, p. 144).

The life of V. B. contains a description of the miracles that took place at the tomb of the saint in the period from 2 August. 1588 to 1 Jan. 1591. Presumably, this description was compiled by the clergy of the Church of the Intercession on the Moat, possibly with the participation of Archpriest Demetrius, who is mentioned in the story of the first 6 miracles; in 1589-1590 Archpriest Demetrius recorded cases of miracles performed by Blessed. John of Moscow. The description of the first 6 miracles of V. B., apparently, was compiled already in August. 1588, it is found separately from the life in one of the earliest manuscripts reporting on V. B. - GIM. Uvar. No. 1797 (Royal No. 520), con. 16th century In Sept. and Oct. 1588 miracles 7-21 were recorded, in Aug. 1590 - Jan. 1591 added miracles 22-24 and miracles that took place in the city of Likhvin.

The glorification of V. B. took place in a solemn atmosphere and, apparently, was connected with the preparation for the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia, since, among other things, it was supposed to demonstrate the Greek language to those who were in Moscow. delegation of the wealth of spiritual gifts of the Russian Church. According to Fletcher, the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, where the relics of the saint were transferred, was visited with the greatest reverence not only by ordinary people, but also by the highest nobility, the "emperor" (Tsar Theodore) and the "Empress" (Queen Irina); cathedral bells rang day and night, announcing the miracles performed through the prayers of V. B. (According to Fletcher, some miracles at the tomb of the blessed in the period from January to May 1589 were falsified by the monks, for example, the “healing” of an imaginary lame, convicted of deceit and imprisoned in a monastery, where he accused the monks who forced him to do this - Fletcher, p. 219). In 1589, the tsar and tsarina put a cover on the tomb of V. B.

Boris Feodorovich Godunov took an active part in the canonization of the saint. According to the testimony of Archbishop Arseny Elassonsky, a member of the embassy of Patriarch Jeremiah, Godunov "arranged many silver-gilded shrines, decorating them with numerous pearls and precious stones, and transferred into them the miraculous relics of the saints who shone in Moscow and throughout Russia", and among them - "Blessed St. Basil the Wonderworker" (quoted from: Dmitrievsky, p. 161). Apparently, we are not talking about the time of the reign of Godunov, but about the previous reign of Theodore Ioannovich. According to Fletcher, in the winter of 1588/89, Godunov carried his sick infant son to church; he allegedly did not listen to the advice of doctors, and his son died (Fletcher, p. 1270). English the envoy, apparently, writes about Feodor Borisovich Godunov, who was born in con. 1588 or early. 1589, however, it is known that he was killed in the beginning. June 1605

Services and days of memory of V. B.

Judging by the earliest collections (RGB. Rum. No. 1831), already at the end. 16th century there were 2 services to the saint of different composition, and one of them was written before the glorification of V. B. in August. 1588 Most of the lists (80) contain a polyeleic service beginning with Great Vespers, 28 lists begin with Small Vespers, 12 include only one canon. The most ancient canon of V. B. was compiled by the Solovetsky elder Misail earlier than 1587 (in the list of the service of V. B. - RSL. MDA. No. 99 (412) - by the hand of Evfimy (Turkov), who died in 1587, a note was made to the canon: "The Creation of the Elder Misail of Solovetsky"). Already in con. 16th century the service spread in handwritten collections (Klyuchevsky, p. 319). Apparently in the 90s. 16th century Elasson Archbishop. Arseny wrote the Greek service to the blessed. In the collections with the life there is a praise of V. B., compiled on the basis of the icos of the 3rd song of the canon of the 2nd service and the Praise of bliss. Isidor Tverdislov. By 1610, there were 3 services in memory of V.B.

In the "Charter of church rites performed in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral" (30s of the 17th century) under 2 Aug. it is written: “We are celebrating St. Basil the Blessed: the gospel is roaring, the ringing is all without a big. And the sovereign and the Patriarch are at the feast at Vespers; and at the all-night vigil there is one Patriarch with authorities and a ringing to him; and the sovereign listens to matins in his hallway; and at mass the sovereign happens. And in the cathedral they sing vespers and matins with a polyeleos according to the charter, according to their own time; and after matins at the Patriarch’s, the attendants report about the leave for the service, that they will order to release them to the consecration of water, and the ringing in the cathedral, as the sovereign goes” (RIB. T. 3. St. 100-101). Aug 2 after the end of the service, the Patriarchs distributed alms. All R. 17th century the memory of the saint was also celebrated on January 1 - on the name day of V. B. Then the archpriest of the Intercession Cathedral came to the Patriarch from St. water and received for this a gift "for a prayer service." From Ser. 17th century the number of celebrations to the saint was reduced. Since 1659, the memory of V. B. 2 Aug. in the Assumption Cathedral "they no longer celebrated, they sang ordinary", from 1677 the Patriarchs ceased to serve in the Intercession Cathedral, appointing instead of themselves the bishops who were present in Moscow. In the Charter of 1682, it is prescribed to make a solemn celebration of V. B. only in the Church of the Intercession on the Moat, "where his relics lie."

In Russian Prologue Ser. 17th century the memory of V. B. is usually placed under 2 Aug. In the Monthly Books, in addition to this day, others are indicated. In the Monthly Book with a preface, Ser. 17th century (RGADA. F. 357. Op. 1. No. 25 (138)) and in Svyattsy (M., 1646) the death of V. B. is dated July 3, the reason for this, perhaps, is the fact that July 3 falls Russian memory. saints - Yaroslavl Prince. Vasily Vsevolodovich, Archbishop of Novgorod Vasily Kaliki, Bishop of Ryazan Basil. In the Southwest. Russia, the memory of V. B. first appears in the Anfologion (Lvov, 1651) and is distributed in manuscripts in the 2nd half. 17th century In 1738, the Uniate metropolitan. Athanasius Sheptytsky ordered to remove from Trefoloy in 1694 the memory of a number of Russian. saints, including V. B.

veneration

In the aisle of V. B. in the Intercession Cathedral - under the patronage of the saint - a large treasury of the sovereign was kept. (In 1595, Prince V. Lebedev and his accomplices planned to “ignite the city of Moscow in many places, and by themselves at the Trinity on the Moat from St. Basil the Blessed, rob the treasury, which at that time was a great treasury” (New chronicler. S. 46-47); the plan was revealed, the attackers were executed.) The groom of Xenia Godunova, the son of the dates. box Friedrich II hertz. John of Schleswig-Holstein in 1602 wrote about the Trinity Cathedral on the Moat that "in one of the lower aisles of the cathedral, wax candles are always burning day and night, everyone comes there to pray." Most likely we are talking about a chapel in the name of V.B.

V. B. was revered in the subsequent time as a healer and patron of Moscow. In 1722, the Synod considered a report that oil was sold in the chapel of V. B., “which is also held in reverence.” Especially often resorted to the blessed for the treatment of eye diseases. In 1730, the image of V. B. in the Church of the Intercession on the Moat had 6 weights of “silver eyes”, denoting the healed part of the body. Tradition says that V. B. was revered by imp. Elizaveta Petrovna, but there is no documentary evidence of this. During the occupation of Moscow by the French, in 1812, the cancer from the tomb of V. B. disappeared, after. in its place, a silver-plated copper tombstone was placed under a wooden carved gilded canopy.

The Cathedral of the Intercession was closed in 1919, services resumed in it in 1991. Annually on 15 August. a prayer service at the shrine of V. B. in the cathedral is performed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Church building in the name of V. B.

There are not many temples dedicated to the blessed one. In 1588, a stone church was erected in Moscow in honor of the saint - a side chapel of the Intercession Cathedral, where the relics of the saint were transferred. OK. 1590 G. I. Ladyzhensky (Big or Small), having got rid of the “black disease” through prayers to the blessed one, in gratitude built a church south of Moscow in the city of Likhvin. in the name of V. B. with a chapel in honor of the Resurrection of the Lord, the temple was consecrated on August 2. (Life. S. 71). In 1591-1594. hierom. Herman on Stolobny Island on the lake. Seliger erected a wooden church. Epiphany with a chapel in the name of V. B., in 1671, in its place, a stone church of the Epiphany with chapels was consecrated by ap. John the Theologian V. B. and the Intercession of the Pres. Mother of God (in 1702 the aisles were abolished). Temples in the name of V. B. were built in Kaluga (1626), Kashin (mentioned in 1621), Penza (XVII century), in the XX century. in Volgodonsk (Rostov region). Aisles in honor of the saint existed in the Archangel Cathedral in the city of Mikhailov, Ryazan district. (built in 1595), in the Annunciation Church. in Tula (built between 1589 and 1625, there was no side chapel already in 1685-1686), in the Novgorod c. in the name of app. Mark in Detinets (chapel mentioned in 1617), in the lower church of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the Spaso-Stone Mon-re (XVII century), in the c. Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord in Nizhny Novgorod mon-re of the Origin of the Honest Trees (chapel consecrated in 1716), in the c. Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God over the tomb of the Counts Musin-Pushkin in Simonov Mon-re (consecrated in 1839/40).

Source: Chronicle of many rebellions and the ruin of Moscow. state-va from internal and external enemies. St. Petersburg, 1771, p. 11; RIB. SPb., 1876. T. 3. Stb. 100-101; T. 13. St. Petersburg, 1909. Stb. 232; Life of St. Blessed Basil, Christ for the sake of the holy fool. M., 1881; Materials for the history, archeology and statistics of Moscow. churches, collected from the books and files of the former Patriarchal orders by V.I. and G.I. Kholmogorov under the leadership of I.E. Zabelin. M., 1884. No. 60, 83; Dmitrievsky A. [A.] Archbishop Elassonsky Arseniy and his memoirs from Russian. stories. K., 1899. S. 161; "Chronicler of the reigning city of Moscow" // Ibid. S. 333; PSRL. St. Petersburg, 1908, vol. 21, part 2, pp. 599, 635, 636; M., 2003. T. 5. Issue. 1. S. 115-116; M., 2000. T. 14. S. 23, 38; T. 34. M., 1978. S. 199-200; Kuznetsov I.I., prot. Sts. Blessed Basil and John, for Christ's sake Mosk. miracle workers. M., 1910. S. 33-98, 132-176; Fletcher G. Of the Russe Commonwealth // Rude & Barbarous Kingdom: Russia in the Accounts of 16th Cent. English Voyagers / Ed. by L. E. Berry and R. O. Crummey. Madison e. a., 1968. P. 219 (in Russian: Fletcher J. About the Russian State // Driving through Muscovy. M., 1991. P. 25-138); Tikhomirov M. N. Rus. annals. M., 1979. S. 201; Akathist to St. Blessed Basil, Christ for the Holy Fool, Moscow. miracle worker. M., 1999; Yakovlev V.V. Novgorod-Pskov chronicle // Experiments on source study: Old Russian. bookishness. SPb., 2001. S. 449; Chronicler of the Old Years // Uo D.K. The history of one book: Vyatka and “non-modernity” in Russian. culture of Peter the Great. SPb., 2003. App. 10. S. 322.

Lit .: Karamzin N. M. History of the Russian State. T. 5-8. Book. 2. M., 1989r5. Note. to T. 8. Stb. 27. Note. 173; T. 9-12. Book. 3. T. 10. Stb. 161-162; Snegirev I. St. Basil the Blessed // DC. 1864. Part 2. S. 293-308; Klyuchevsky. Ancient Lives. S. 319; [Belyankin A.E.]. The story of the life and miracles of St. Blessed Basil, Christ for the Holy Fool, Moscow. miracle worker, based on reliable sources and compiled by the author of the description of Pokrovsky and St. Basil's Cathedral. M., 1884; Filaret (Gumilevsky). RSv. St. Petersburg, 18814; [Barbarin V. F.] . The life and miracles of St. Blessed Basil and John, Christ for the Holy Fools, Moscow. miracle workers. M., 18943; Kovalevsky I., priest. St. Blessed Basil and John ... S. 5-29; Golubinsky. Canonization of saints. Moscow, 19032, pp. 118, 235, 241, 252, 256, 424-425; Kuznetsov I.I., prot. Sts. Blessed Basil and John ... S. 1-400; Spassky F. G. Rus. liturgical creativity. P., 1951. S. 231-232; Δημητρακόπουλος Θ . ᾿Αρσένιος ᾿Ελασσός (1550-1626). Βίος καί ἔργο. Συμβολή στή μελέτη τῶν μεταβυζαντινῶν λογίων τῆς ᾿Ανατολῆς. ᾿Αθήνα, 1984; Pylyaev M. I. Old Moscow. M., 1990. S. 275-278; Batalov A. L. Mosk. stone architecture con. 16th century M., 1996. S. 15, 24-26, 122, 170, 172-173, 175, 221-222, 229-234, 244, 311; Timofeeva N. N. Foreign travelers XVI - beg. 18th century about the Cathedral of the Intercession // Artistic Pages. Heritage of Russia XVI-XX centuries. M., 1997. S. 89-101; RGADA: Putev. M., 1999. V. 4. S. 92, 126, 136, 148; Kaliganov I. I. Georgy Novy near the east. Slavs. M., 2000. S. 354, 357 (sheet 598v.-601v.), 463 (sh. 493-499), 466 (sh. 274v.-281v.), 470 (sheet 240- 250), 473, 476 (sheet 345 rev.-355 rev.), 479 (sheet 382-392 rev.), 482 (sheet 290-312 rev.), 490, 583 (sheet 716-716 rev. .), 588 (sheets 568-573), 598 (sheets 483v.-488), 603 (sheets 419-422), 609 (sheets 226-233v.); Davidenko D. G. Mosk. Simonov Mon-ry: AKD. M., 2000. S. 15-16.

K. Yu. Yerusalimsky

Iconography

V. B. was portrayed as an old man, completely naked, withered by abstinence, with gray curly hair and the same beard, which corresponded to the information of his life and entered into many others. icon-painting originals: “The hair is gray, curly, the beard is gray, small, curly, naked all over, in the left hand is a scroll scarf, and the right prayer, fingers up, hair from the ears” (original of the 18th century, published by S. T. Bolshakov) . In some originals, the shape of V. B.'s beard is compared with the shape of the beard of St. John the Baptist, app. Paul, Alexy, the man of God, or St. Paphnutia Borovsky, and the hair color is defined as reddish. In the "Guide to the writing of icons ..." (1910), compiled by V. D. Fartusov, tradit. the iconography of V. B. is supplemented by the image of the charter with the text of the life of the saint.

The earliest depiction of V. B. can be considered a miniature of the Shumilovsky volume of the Illuminated Chronicle of the 70s. 16th century (RNB. F. IV. 232. L. 833), illustrating the news of the events of 1521, when, during the approach of the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girey to Moscow, the “righteous hunter Vasily”, praying at night in front of the Assumption Cathedral, heard a noise inside the temple and a voice from the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God, intending to leave its place (this episode was later included in the hallmarks of the icon “Our Lady of Vladimir with deeds” of the 2nd half of the 17th century from the Yaroslavl church of St. John Chrysostom in Korovniki (YACHM)). The stable iconography of V. can be traced from 1588, when the church glorification of the saint took place. In 1589, a tomb cover was created with a rectilinear figure of V. B. and the image of the Holy Trinity in the segment at the top, sewn by order of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich and Tsarina Irina in her workshop (State Historical Museum, Museum "Pokrovsky Cathedral"). apparently, a similar image of V. B. was also on the lid of an unpreserved silver shrine of 1588. The existence of icons of V. B. before his church glorification is indicated by information about the compilation of a service for him earlier than 1588, about the construction of a stone tent over his coffin until 1588 .( Batalov, Uspenskaya. P. 37), as well as his image on the icon "Marching Church" (Tokg) 3rd Quarter. or 70s. 16th century The most ancient images of V. B. also include images on the icon case of the icon “Our Lady of Tenderness of Korsun” (VSMZ), invested in 1590 in the Suzdal Evfimiev Monastery by Demid Cheremisinov: a frontal figure on the right field of a small icon case and an image in prayer on the right field of a large icon case. The repetition of the figure of V. B. testifies that the contributor of the icon, the brother of the tsarist treasurer Dementy Cheremisinov, revered the recently glorified, “new” miracle worker as a prayer book for “royal childbearing”, patron of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich and the entire Russian state.

By the turn of the XVI-XVII centuries. in connection with the numerous miracles at the coffin of V. B. and the attention of the authorities to the glorification of the new saint, the icons of V. B. became widespread, as evidenced by the dedications of temples that had corresponding icons in the local row of the iconostasis. In the Inventory of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery of 1601, images of V. B. are mentioned: on the field of the icon of the Mother of God and on a fold, obviously invested in the monastery between 1588 and 1601. (Inventory of buildings and property of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery of 1601: Commentary ed. / Compiled by Z. V. Dmitrieva and M. N. Sharomazov. St. Petersburg, 1998. P. 80, 167). From con. 16th century the image of V. B. is often found in mena icons on Aug. (end of the 16th century, House-Museum of P. D. Korin; 1701, State Tretyakov Gallery).

VB images are divided into 2 main types. The first is a frontal figure with the right hand (or both hands) prayerfully raised to the chest, as on the veil of 1589, on the icon "Marching Church" (TOGC) and on the right wing of the fold with a mother-of-pearl panagia in the center, holidays and selected saints of the turn of the XVI -XVII centuries. (SPGIAKhMZ). At the same time, the saint can be represented completely naked (veil of 1589), in a loincloth (icon of the “Marching Church”) or with a “scroll” scarf in his left hand, covering his loins (folding from SPGIAHMZ). The second, more common type includes numerous icons of V. B., where in a three-quarter turn, with raised hands, he prays to Christ, the Mother of God or the Holy Trinity (the last two options are probably associated with the dedications of the most important altars of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat, Pokrovsky and Trinity) - icons of con. XVI - beginning. 17th century from the chapel in the name of V. B. Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat (State Historical Museum, Museum "Pokrovsky Cathedral"), from the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Solvychegodsk (SIHM), from the coll. I. S. Ostroukhova (TG), in the State Russian Museum, etc. In such cases, V. B. was often depicted against the backdrop of a landscape and usually did not have a loincloth or scarf. Complete nudity - his stable iconographic feature, which distinguishes him from other holy fools, at that time, according to the testimony of hagiographic texts, was perceived as the nudity of "primordial" Adam (Kuznetsov. 1910, p. 73).

The tradition of representing V. B. in prayer is continued by the icon of the 18th-19th centuries. from the local row of the iconostasis of the Pokrovsky aisle of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat. The development of this edition is known in the 18th-19th centuries, but probably appeared in the 2nd half. 17th century images of V. B. praying against the backdrop of the Moscow Kremlin and the Pokrovsky Cathedral, following the widespread in the art of the 17th-19th centuries. Russian iconography. miracle workers as intercessors for the city and its inhabitants. These are the icons of the 1st third of the 18th century. from the iconostasis of the chapel in honor of V. B. Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat (State Historical Museum, Museum "Pokrovsky Cathedral"), end. 18th century "Vasily and Tsarevich Dimitry of Uglich" (State Historical Museum), 30s. 19th century "Basil and Maxim the Blessed" (GMZK), etc. Unlike most of the early monuments on these icons, as in many others. in other works of the 18th-19th centuries, V. B. is presented in a loincloth.

In Russian art con. XVI-XIX centuries paired images of V. B. with other saints are common, for example. works of con. XVI-XVII centuries, in which the Moscow ascetic is presented together with St. Basil the Great, his heavenly patron: the veil of con. 16th century (RM), folding doors from the Intercession Monastery in Suzdal (VSMZ), etc. Obviously, this stable composition, similar to a number of images of other Rus. saints, along with their heavenly patrons, is associated with the early stage of veneration of V. B., when the memory of St. Basil the Great (January 1). A rarer option is the image of V. B. along with rights. Artemy Verkolsky (icon of the 20s of the 17th century (?), State Tretyakov Gallery), probably due to the peculiarities of the veneration and iconography of rights. Artemia, whose appearance and clothes are close to traditions. attributes of the holy fools. On the icon. 18th century "Vasily and Tsarevich Dimitry of Uglich" (GIM), the saints depicted against the backdrop of the Moscow Kremlin, are united as local miracle workers and protectors of the city. It is possible that this monument is based on the legend, included in one of the editions of the life of the saint, about how V. B. predicted to Empress Anastasia the birth of his son Demetrius and his martyrdom, which does not correspond to the real events of the 16th century. (Kuznetsov, 1910, p. 92).

Much more often, V. B. was portrayed in a pair with the Moscow holy fools Maxim of Moscow and John the Big Kolpak. The appearance of such compositions may be due to belonging to the same face of the saints and the location of the temples where the ascetics were buried: the tombs of V.B. Maximus the Blessed (Maxim the Confessor) on Varvarka. The general veneration of V. B. and John was manifested in numerous icons with their image, which obviously existed already in the 17th century. (an icon of the 19th century in the State Historical Museum, the museum "Pokrovsky Cathedral"), and in the composition of the local row of the iconostasis of the Pokrovsky aisle of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, where paired icons of these holy fools (XVIII-XIX centuries) are placed. On some icons of that time, V. B. and John are represented in prayer before the image of the Intercession of the Mother of God, the temple icon of the cathedral, where their relics rest (icon of 1780 on the southern facade of the bell tower of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat). In the 19th century sometimes the image of the cathedral itself was placed on such icons. Joint images of V. B. and his predecessor, blzh. Maxim of Moscow, already known from con. 16th century (icon "Marching Church" in TOGC). In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Blessed V. and Maxim were usually depicted against the backdrop of the Moscow Kremlin (icon of the 30s of the 19th century, GMZK). This duality is constantly found on the icons of the Six Days, made in the beginning. 19th century in the workshop of the Palekh icon painter V. I. Khokhlov (TsMiAR, coll. P. D. Korin in the State Tretyakov Gallery, etc.): the stamp with the figures of Moscow holy fools is located on the bottom field and closes the series of images in Russian. saints in the margins, located symmetrically to the stamp with the figures of the blessed Isidore and John and next to the scene of the murder of Tsarevich Dimitry of Uglich. Together with other Moscow saints, V. B. and Maxim were represented on the miraculous Bogolyubskaya Moscow Icon of the Mother of God from the Varvarsky Gates of Kitay-gorod and its numerous lists. Obviously, this feature of the icon was connected with the legend about the stay of the saint at the Barbarian Gates, and also with the fact that not far from the gates there were temples with burials of these holy fools and the Kulishki tract, where, according to the life, V.B. The icon drawing of the 18th-19th centuries is known. with images of 3 Moscow blesseds - V. B., Maxim and John (RM).

Soon after the glorification in 1588, V. B. began to be portrayed along with other Russian. holy fools, primarily Rostov and Ustyug. This is a series of 3 con icons. XVI - beginning. 17th century from the Annunciation Cathedral of Solvychegodsk (SIHM), on which V. B., Prokopy Ustyugsky and Isidor Rostovsky, who were especially revered in the Stroganov family, are represented. This tradition is continued by the veil of the 60s. XVII century, commissioned for the same temple by G. D. Stroganov (SIHM), on which, in addition to V. B. and Maxim of Moscow, Procopius and John of Ustyug and Isidor of Rostov are depicted. Together with Maxim of Moscow, Procopius of Ustyug and Vasily the Great, V. B. was represented on the folding horse. 16th century from the Intercession Monastery in Suzdal (VSMZ), and together with the Ustyug holy fools and St. Alexy, Met. Moscow, - on the back of the altarpiece icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria of the Cathedral in the name of St. Procopius in Vel. Ustyug (Description of Veliky Ustyug in the Ustyug scribe book “letters and measures of Mikita Vysheslavtsov and clerk Agey Fedorov 131 and 132 and 133 and 134” // Byst on Ustyuz ...: Local History Collection Vologda, 1993. P. 171) . In the latter case, the combination of the images of the saints may be due to the dedications of the thrones of the cathedral and its winter church.

From con. 16th century the figure of V. B. was included in icons with images of the ranks of holiness. the earliest examples are the icon “Rejoices in You” at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. from the collection of I. S. Ostroukhov (TG), where on the left side of the composition the face of the holy fools is presented, as well as a series of folds of the beginning. 17th century works of tsarist or Stroganov masters with the image of the Mother of God of Vladimir and holidays in the centerpiece and the faces of saints on the wings (TG, Russian Museum). In these cases, V. B. was portrayed among the Greek. and Russian holy fools, sometimes there were figures of hermits, the monks Onufry, Peter the Athos, and others. A comparison of the images of holy fools and saints is known from a number of other Russian. monuments of the XVI-XVII centuries, for example. the icon of the Camping Church (TOGC), where V. B. and Maxim of Moscow are represented in the same register with the reverends and next to st. Mary of Egypt; icon "Shestodnev" con. 17th century from c. Mother of God of Tikhvin in Yaroslavl (YAHM), in which Russian. holy fools, including V. B., are depicted together with the Monk Barlaam of Khutyn, Mary of Egypt, Zosima and Onufry. This principle continues the tradition of Russian. iconography of the late Middle Ages, when the images of saints are compared, whose life and iconographic features Ph.D. features reminded of the feat of foolishness. The noted feature finds a parallel in the texts of the service of V. B., where he is likened not only to the holy fools Simeon and Andrei of Tsaregrad, but also to the Monk Macarius the Great, Onuphrius the Great and Paul of Thebes.

numerous images of V. B. in a host of Russian, and especially Moscow, miracle workers, as a rule, next to other Moscow holy fools. Together with Russian It is represented by the venerable hierarchs on a folding fold at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. (SPGIAKhMZ). The earliest example of the inclusion of V. B. among the Moscow miracle workers is the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. letters of Istoma Savin (TG), where, together with the Moscow metropolitans of the Mother of God, V. B., blessed John and Maxim pray. Image of V. B. along with other Russian. saints is on one of the tombs of the cover of 1637 (GMMK), made for the tomb of led. kng. Euphrosyne in the Moscow Ascension Mon-re; V. B., Blessed Maxim and John are depicted on the icon “Praise of Our Lady of Vladimir” (“Tree of the Russian State”) by Simon Ushakov from the church. of the Holy Trinity in Nikitniki (1668, State Tretyakov Gallery), where medallions with their images are placed next to the Moscow saints, and the medallion with V. B. is symmetrical to the image of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich, at which the glorification of the saint took place. The peculiarity of the iconography of V. B. in this work is the presence of a scroll with an inscription glorifying the Mother of God: “... Rejoice, fragrant aroma, sniffing the hearts of the faithful.” In the host of Moscow miracle workers, as well as Rostov saints (including holy fools), V. B. is represented on the icon of the last. thurs. 17th century from the village Demyan near Rostov (SPGIAKhMZ), with Moscow wonderworkers - on the lower field of the fresco icon "Our Lady of the Sign", with selected saints" 1st Thursday. 18th century to the east facade of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, on the lower field of the icon of the 80s. 18th century above the entrance to the chapel in the name of the V. B. Cathedral (State Historical Museum, the Pokrovsky Cathedral Museum), a compositionally close fresco, as well as on widespread cast Old Believer folds of the 18th-20th centuries. with the image of the Twelve Feasts on 4 wings (the earliest is a fold, 1711, State Historical Museum), where in one of the hallmarks, against the background of the Moscow Kremlin, the Moscow metropolitans, V. B. and Maxim, are praying before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

In addition to works of icon painting and applied art, the image of V. B. is found in the facial manuscripts of his life and on engravings of the 18th-19th centuries, including with Blessed John and Maxim (Rovinsky. Folk Pictures. No. 253) and in the burial scene B. Met. Macarius.

Life cycles of V. B. are quite rare. it can be assumed that icons with the hallmarks of the life of the saint existed at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, in the era of his widest veneration. According to the Inventory of Novgorod in 1617, in the iconostasis of the chapel in the name of V. B., arranged in the c. Mark the Evangelist in Detinets, there were only 2 local images, one of which, “on gold, in action”, could be a temple icon of this chapel (Inventory of Novgorod 1617 M., 1984. Part 1. P. 38) . Cycles of the life of V. B. and individual scenes of miracles are preserved on the frame of the 1st floor. XIX century, executed for the icon of the con. 16th century from the aisle in the name of V. B. of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat (State Historical Museum, Museum "Pokrovsky Cathedral"), depicting lifetime miracles and the burial of the saint, as well as in a number of manuscripts of the 18th-19th centuries. with texts from the lives of V. B. and John the Big Cap and with a different number of scenes. The most detailed are the cycles of miniatures in the manuscripts of the con. XVIII - beginning. 19th century (GIM. Bars. 787 - 37 miniatures; GIM. Muz. 32 - 38 miniatures). Such cycles include images of V. B., scenes of the saint's lifetime miracles and posthumous healings at his shrine. A brief hagiographic cycle is presented by a manuscript of the 19th century. from the collection of the State Historical Museum (Chlud. 245), with miniatures depicting the miracles of V. B. in his lifetime, including the deliverance of Novgorod from the fire, the miracle with a fur coat and the miracle with an evil tavern keeper. Some miracles of the saint were included in the painting of the horse. 19th century chapel in honor of V. B. Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat (saving a sinking ship on the Caspian Sea, a miracle with a fur coat) and decorated the longitudinal walls of the coffin of V. B., executed in 1896 (saving a ship on the Caspian Sea, getting rid of Novgorod from fire). There are separate images of the miracle of V. B. on the Caspian m. - an icon of the XVIII-XIX centuries, located in the basement tier of the iconostasis of the Pokrovsky aisle of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, under the icon of the saint, and the icon of V. B. and John 1780 to the south. facade of the bell tower of the same cathedral. In the Moscow church of martyr. Tryphon in Naprudnaya Sloboda, an icon of V. B. was kept with the scene of his burial.

Lit .: Kuznetsov I. I., priest. Intercession (St. Basil's) Cathedral in Moscow: St. Basil and John Christ for the sake of the Holy Fools: Execution Ground. M., 1900. S. 19-21, 23. Fig. 17, 19, 23, 27, 28; he, prot. St. Blessed Basil and John, for Christ's sake Moscow. wonderworkers // Zap. Moscow archeol. in-ta. Moscow, 1910, vol. 8, pp. 10, 11, 20, 22-24, 266, 366, 374-375, 379-387, 395-396; Bolshakov. Iconic original. S. 125; Fartusov. Guide to the writing of icons. S. 374; Mayasova N. A. The Kremlin “svetlitsy” under Irina Godunova // GmMK: Materials and Research. M., 1976. Issue. 2. S. 45-46. ill. 3-4; Markelov. Saints of Ancient Russia. Vol. 1. No. 53, 56, 74, 75, 76, 77, 128, 164, 169, 179; T. 2. No. 88. S. 71-72. Rice. 17; Batalov A. L., Uspenskaya L. S. Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat (St. Basil's Cathedral). M., 2002; Preobrazhensky A. S. Monk and holy fool: a comparison of two types of holiness in Russian. iconography of the late Middle Ages // Iconography rus. North: Sat. Art. (in the press).

A. S. Preobrazhensky