Memorial Day of St. George the Victorious November 23

The great-to-mu-che-nick Ge-or-giy was the son of godly and good-che-sti-ty ros-di-te-leys, pi-tav-shih him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Bei-rut (in ancient times - Be-lit) at the foot of the Li-van mountains.

Upon entering military service, Ge-or-giy stood out among other military personnel -with their intelligence, courage, physical strength, military posture and beauty. Having soon reached the rank of you-who-have-not, St. Ge-or-giy made-xia lyub-bim-tsem-pe-ra-to-ra Dio-kli-ti-a-na. Dio-kli-ti-an was a talented great-vi-te-lem, but a fa-na-tic-faithful priest of the Roman gods. Having set himself the goal of reviving the world's paganism in the Roman Empire, he entered history as one of the most-hundred of Christians.

Hearing one day at the trial of the demon-eternal thief about the extermination of Christianity, St. Ge-orgy re-flamed with passion for them. Anticipating that the same suffering awaited him, Ge-orgy distributed his property to the poor, letting him go free -their slaves, appeared to Dio-kli-ti-a-nu and, declaring himself to be a Christian, accused him of cruelty. of injustice and injustice. Speech of St. Ge-or-gia was full of strong and convincing voices against im-per-tor-sko-pri-ka-pres- follow Christian.

After the unsuccessful negotiations to renounce Christ, he was ordered to undergo a holy personal mu-che-ni-yam. St. George was imprisoned in that place, where he was laid with his back on the ground, and his legs were imprisoned in a cocoon. boats, and there was a heavy stone on the chest. But St. Ge-or-gy is courageous-but re-but-strength of suffering and glorified the Lord. Then Ge-or-gia mu-chi-te-li-has to be sophisticated in toughness. They beat the holy vo-lo-vi-mi zhi-la-mi, ko-le-so-va-li, thrown into the bad news, when necessary -is it possible to run in sa-po-gahs with ost-ry nails inside. The holy monk endured everything with great strength. In the end, he-per-ra-tor came to beat-the-saint’s head with a sword. So the holy sufferer went to Christ in Niko-mi-dia in the year 303.

Congratulations to Ge-or-giya for her courage and for her spiritual victory over mu-chi-te-la-mi, someone - were unable to force him to renounce Christianity, and also for miraculously effective help to people in danger -but-sti-they still call Po-be-do-nos-cem. The relics of St. George Po-be-do-nos-tsa lived in the Pa-le-steen city of Li-da, in the temple , but we call it his name, but its head was kept in Rome in a temple also sacred to him.

On the icons of St. Ge-orgy is depicted as sitting on a white horse and holding a serpent's spear. This image is based on pre-da-nii and from-to-mortal miracles of the holy greatness -mu-che-ni-ka Ge-or-gia. They say that not far from the place where St. was born. Ge-or-giy in the city of Bei-ru, in the lake there lived a snake, which often devoured the people of that place. What kind of animal it was - a boa constrictor, a crocodile or a large lizard - is unknown.

The superstitious people of that place, in order to quench the fury of the snake, are re-gu-lyar-but by lot to give it to eat -nie youth-shu or de-vi-tsu. One day the lot fell on the daughter of the ruler of that place. They took her to the shore of the lake and brought her there, where she began to expect the appearance of a snake in horror.

When the beast began to approach her, a bright young man suddenly appeared on a white horse, who killed the snake with a spear and saved her. de-vi-tsu. This young man was a great saint, Ge-or-giy. With such a miraculous manifestation, he stopped the destruction of youths and girls in the precincts of Bey-ru-ta and about -ra-til to Christ the lives of that country, which before that were not tongue-tied.

One can assume that the appearance of St. George on horseback is to protect the inhabitants from the serpent, and also to describe - a miraculous revival of the only one in the life of a land-dealer after he served in the house of a po-chi -that of St. George by blood and protection from predatory animals.

In pre-re-in-lu-tsi-on-time on the day of the memory of St. George Po-be-do-nos-tsa lives in Russia for the first time after the cold winter, you moved the cattle to the pasture, having completed the holy mo-le-ben They bring holy water to the houses and animals with sprinkling. The day of Ge-or-gia in the nation is still called “Yuryev Day”, on this day, before the time of the kingdom, va-niya Bo-ri-sa Go-du-no-va, the peasants could move to another place.

St. George is the patron of the army. The image of Ge-or-giya Po-be-do-nos-tsa on a horse symbolizes the victory over the dia-vo-lom - “an ancient serpent” I eat" (). This image was included in the ancient coat of arms of the city of Moscow.

November 10/23 - Wheeling of the Holy Great Martyr George

Georgia, blessed by the Christian faith by the holy equal of the capital Nina († 335), a related saint that-whe-li-to-mu-che-ni-ka Ge-or-giya Po-be-do-nos-tsa († 303, commemoration of April 23), especially honors the saint -that's Ge-or-giya, as if it were her own way. One of the names of Georgia is in honor of Ge-orgy (this name is still preserved in many languages). kah mi-ra). In honor of Saint Ni-na, there was a holiday. He is still here in Georgia on November 10th - on the eve of the Ko-le-so-va-niya of St. Ge -orgy. In 1891, on Kav-ka-ze, near the village of Ka-khi of the Za-ka-tal district, it was built on the site of an ancient no- temple in honor of the holy ve-li-to-mu-che-ni-ka Ge-or-giya Po-be-do-nos-tsa to some st-ka-et- there are a lot of prayers of different faiths.

November 3/16 - Consecration of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George in Lydda

The city of Lid-da (Lod) - ro-di-na ve-li-ko-mu-che-ni-ka Ge-or-giya Po-be-do-nos-tsa. This was his ma-te-ri’s house, this is where he spent his childhood. The holy ve-li-ko-mu-che-nik Ge-or-giy was a Roman warrior, he suffered under the im-per-ra-to-re Dio-kli-ti -ane in Niko-mi-dia in the early 4th century. His relics were carried to Ro-di-nu, to Lid-du, and here he was buried.

The coffin, in which the same powers were brought, is now dis-solving in the crypt of the right-to-glorious temple, sacred to Ge-orgy. In the temple itself there are parts of the relics of St. George, as well as a chain that was tied together ko-mu-che-nick.

The first church was erected here in the 6th century. The temple was destroyed several times and in its present form was restored only in 1872 thanks to the sacrifice vo-va-ni-yam from Russia. The consecration of the renovation of the new Leningrad temple on November 3/16, 1872, in the anniversary of that day, in which it was consecrated for the first time. Remembrance of this significant event The Russian Church continues on this day and to the present -th time; this holiday is outside of the month, in honor of this celebration, temples were built in Russia.

Also in Lid-de, the apostle Peter healed Aeneas, who had been lying in weakness for seven years (Acts 9:32-35).

November 26/December 9 - Commemoration of the consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr George in Kyiv

The Russian princes, on the same level as Prince Vladi-mir, have a blessing It’s a common custom to establish temples in honor of our Angels of the Temple. Thus, the equal of capital Vladimir, in the Holy Baptism of Vasiliy, built in Ki-e-ve and Vy-sh-go- the birth of a temple in the name of the saint, Prince Izya-s-lav I (1054-1068), in the Baptism of Di-mitriy, built in Ki-e -ve temple and monastery in the name of the holy ve-li-to-mu-che-ni-ka Di-mit-ria (commemoration of October 26), Prince Yaro-slav The wise (1019-1054), in the Holy Baptism of Ge-or-giy, lived on the temple and the men's monastery in honor of his e-go An-ge-la Khra-ni-te-la - ve-li-ko-mu-che-ni-ka Ge-or-giya (pa-memory 23 April), as well as built a temple in the name of the great Irina (commemorated on May 5), An-ge-la Khra-ni-te-la of her su-pr -gi. The temple in honor of the great Ge-or-giya na-ho-dil-sya in front of the gate of St. Sophia, on its construction The estate of Prince Yaro-slav spent a lot of money, a large number of buildings took part in the construction of the temple -ley. On November 26, the temple was consecrated by the saint (in commemoration of October 21), and an annual celebration was established in honor of this event.

On May 6 (April 23), believers of the Orthodox Church celebrate the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, on the day of his repose.

3 (16) November- update ( consecration) Church of St. George V Lydda(IV century);

10 (23) Novemberwheeling Great Martyr George.

November 26 ( December 9) - consecration Church of the Great Martyr George V Kyiv in 1051 (celebration Russian Orthodox Church, popularly known as autumn St. George's Day .

The Holy Great Martyr George lived in 284-305. during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. He was the son of rich and noble parents who professed Christian faith. When George was still a child, his father was tortured for confessing Christ. Having received an excellent education and being distinguished by his strong physique, beauty and courage, the young man already at the age of 20 became one of the people closest to the emperor. But, having honored George for his outstanding bravery with the title of governor, Diocletian still did not know what faith he had.

But how did this brilliant young man behave when the emperor decided to exterminate all Christians and at the same time replaced the practiced types of torture with more severe, more cruel torments.

Having learned that this inhumane decision could not be reversed, Saint George realized that the time had come that would serve to save his soul. As a Christian, he could not feel happy under a pagan emperor. Having distributed all the property to the poor and freed the slaves, George arrived at the last meeting of the emperor with like-minded people and boldly stepped forward:

How long will it be for you, king, and you, princes and advisers, to commit evil deeds and persecute the innocent? You are mistaken in worshiping idols. True God there is Jesus Christ.
Everyone was surprised by George's bold speech.

The king ordered the nobleman Magnentius to ask the young man what kind of truth it was that prompted George to such daring words.
“This truth is Jesus Christ himself, persecuted by you,” answered the saint, “I am a servant of Christ My God, and I came here to testify to the truth.”

The enraged king ordered his squires to imprison Saint George, hammer his feet into stocks, and place a heavy stone on his chest. Having suffered torture from God's help, George answered the king when he began to convince him to repent: “Do you really think, king, that suffering will distract me from the faith? You will sooner tire of torturing me than I will tire of enduring torture.”
After these words, Diocletian ordered to bring a newly invented instrument of torture - a wheel riddled with iron points. After the wheeling, when everyone recognized the righteous man as dead, suddenly a thunderclap was heard and the words were heard: “Don’t be afraid, George! I am with you." George, healed by the Angel, himself came off the wheel, glorifying God.

The royal dignitaries Anatoly and Protoleon, as well as Queen Alexandra, who observed the suffering of the great martyr, saw miraculous salvation and wanted to convert to Christianity. The king ordered both nobles to be executed for confessing Christ, Queen Alexandra to be locked up in the palace, and Saint George to be buried. quicklime for three days. On the third day, the emperor ordered the bones of the martyr to be dug up, thinking that he had burned in the ditch. But the servants, raking the lime, found Saint George unharmed and brought him to the king.

Tell me, George,” Diocletian began, “where do you get such strength and what magics do you use?” I think you are pretending to be a Christian to surprise everyone with your magic and make yourself look great.
“Tsar,” answered George, you are only blaspheming God. Seduced by the devil, you are so deeply mired in the errors of paganism that you call the miracles of my God, performed before your eyes, sorceries and enchantments.
Diocletian ordered boots with hot nails inside to be put on Saint George’s feet. In these shoes the martyr was driven all the way to prison with beatings and abuse.

The emperor's friend Magnetius advised Diocletian to turn to the famous sorcerer Athanasius. When the sorcerer appeared at the palace, the emperor said to him: “Either defeat and destroy George’s magic and make him submissive to us, or immediately take his life with magical herbs, and let him thus die from the same trick that he learned.”

Athanasius promised to fulfill the king's wishes. In the morning in court, he showed those present two vessels and ordered: “Bring the condemned man here, and he will see the power of our gods and my spells. If a madman drinks from the first vessel,” said the sorcerer, “he will be submissive to the royal will in everything.” he will die."
But, having drunk from both vessels, George remained unharmed. The sorcerer Athanasius, seeing the grace of God protecting Saint George, himself believed and confessed Christ before everyone as the omnipotent God. For this, the emperor ordered his execution.

Saint George was then again imprisoned. People who saw his miracles and turned to Christianity began to come to him here. Gold opened prison doors for them, and for those who came, the dark prison became the torch of Truth, the source of the Word of God. Many accepted martyrdom for confessing Christ. Among them are the holy martyrs Valery, Donatus, and Ferinus.

After this, the king’s advisers asked to condemn Saint George, saying that he was attracting many people to his prison and with his witchcraft was turning them away from the pagan gods to the Crucified One.

Then Diocletian ordered Saint George to be brought to the temple of Apollo and for the last time began to convince him to make sacrifices to idols. The saint once again proved the powerlessness of the pagan gods, and then a crowd of angry pagans attacked him, demanding from the emperor the death of the condemned man. Hearing the noise and screams, Queen Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, hurried to the Temple and threw herself at the feet of George with the words: “God of George, have mercy on me, for You are the true and almighty God!” The emperor, seeing his wife at the feet of the condemned man, asked in amazement: “What happened to you, Alexandra, and why are you joining the sorcerer and sorcerer, shamelessly renouncing our gods?” Alexandra did not answer the king and turned away from him. The enraged Diocletian immediately pronounced the death sentence on both.

The soldiers grabbed Saint George and Alexandra and took them outside the city. Saint Alexandra, on the way to the place of execution, gave up her spirit to the Lord. George, arriving at the place of execution, prayed and joyfully bowed his head under the sword on April 23 (May 6), 305.

According to legend, Saint George performed many feats. Of these, the following is noted as the most glorious.
In the saint’s homeland, near the city of Beirut, there was a lake in which lived a huge and terrible snake. Coming out of the lake, he devoured people and devastated the surrounding area. In order to appease the formidable monster, the inhabitants, on the advice of the priests, began to cast lots to give their children as sacrifices to the snake.
Finally the turn has come only daughter king The girl, distinguished by her unprecedented beauty, was led to the lake and left in her usual place. While the people looked at the princess from afar, expecting her death, St. suddenly appeared. George on a white horse and with a spear in his hand. Seeing the snake, he had the epiphany sign of the cross and with the words “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” he rushed at the monster and struck him in the larynx with a spear. After which he ordered the girl to tie the snake with a belt and lead it to the city. People, seeing the monster, began to run away in horror. But Saint George restrained them:

“Do not be afraid, but believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ: it is he who sent me to save you from the serpent.” After these words, the saint killed the snake, and the residents burned the monster. Seeing this miracle, 25,000 idolaters converted to Christianity.

3a victory over the serpent and for courage in suffering, Saint George began to be called the Victorious. The Holy Great Martyr George is considered the patron and protector of warriors. On icons he is usually depicted sitting on a white horse and striking a snake in the mouth with a spear.

The image of the Great Martyr is considered one of the most revered shrines in the Orthodox Shrine, and it also personifies the intercessor for believers whose life has anything to do with military affairs, but he can also protect landowners. The divine face can be found on some city flags and even on coins.



All Orthodox Christians who have connected their lives with the defense of their homeland can turn to the shrine of the Great Martyr in a prayer service. They are called to the Saint to petition for intercession in military conflicts, and parents whose sons have been called to service also pray before the face, so that the image will protect them from all difficulties, and the service will go well.

In this article you can find out how the shrine helps and what the significance of the shrine is, what they pray for to the icon of St. George the Victorious, the day of celebration, prayers to the image and more.


How does the icon of St. George the Victorious help and its meaning?

This Saint is known to many Orthodox people, but not very religious people have also heard about him. However, not everyone knows what they can ask from the divine face, but this image is capable of healing anyone who sincerely asks.

The meaning of the icon of St. George the Victorious

The shrine, where a warrior kills a snake on horseback, personifies the extraordinary nobility and greatness of the displayed military courage. He is even depicted on some coats of arms and coins, and in Georgia this face is one of the first to be honored after the Queen of Heaven.

Great Martyr George the Victorious is considered a saint thanks to the suffering he endured because of his Orthodox faith, so strong that he could not exchange it for wealth or power. Faith is what is truly powerful and the most important thing that can be in a person’s life.

All of the above exactly corresponds to the image of the Saint. According to stories that have survived to this day, while still in prison, he could help everyone who turned to him with a request. He cried out to God in prayer and he listened to him and fulfilled his requests, granting healing and help to those in need.

One of the greatest miracles that the Great Martyr performed was the salvation of the entire city from the terrifying serpent. Through prayers and his unyielding faith, appealing to the Almighty, he was able to defeat the monster. The saint killed the serpent, saved the inhabitants and their souls from the influence of the devil, giving them hope and faith in the Lord, calling people to accept the Christian faith.

How does the icon of St. George the Victorious help?

Since ancient times, the Saint has been the patron saint of all military personnel and those who find themselves in the combat zone;
People also very often turn to the shrine in the hope of protecting themselves from enemies and finding peace not only for themselves, but also for their loved ones. In order to receive assistance from the miraculous face, you need to place a candle next to its image and say your wish;
In addition to all of the above, the icon of St. George the Victorious can also protect from various diseases. Large quantity Orthodox Christians visit churches and cathedrals to call upon the saint in a prayer service for help in the fight against illness. There is also some evidence that this divine image can also cure female infertility;
A prayer for victory also ascends to the divine face;
The image also includes both men and women, and even children, since the Saint is able to help absolutely everyone who has even the slightest faith that his request will be fulfilled.


A miracle created by a divine image

The saint became famous for his many miracles, but the most famous of them was the miracle of the serpent:

According to legend, not far from the town of Beirut there lived a snake in a lake, local residents were in constant fear, because the monster was devouring people.

Some superstitious residents, in order to quench the serpent’s rage, constantly, according to the lot that fell, gave a young girl or young man to be devoured by the monster.

According to legend, once the lot pointed to the king’s daughter, she was sent to be torn to pieces by the serpent, and then the divine appearance of the Wonderworker took place. The saint saved the princess by piercing the monster with a spear, and also stopped pagan rituals and called on the residents to accept the Christian faith.

When is the day of veneration of St. George celebrated?

In Christian churches, celebrations in honor of the Reverend are celebrated several times a year:

December 9 (Old Style November 26) – Russian christian church even at the behest of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (baptismal name George), she began to celebrate as a memory of the consecration of the Kyiv Cathedral by the Great Martyr on that day;
November 23 (November 10, old style) - this day Georgia celebrates the venerable wheeling;
November 16 (old style November 2) - a memory of the cathedral in Lydda, renovated in the 4th century, named after the Saint;
May 6 (old style April 23).

In which temples can you find a shrine?

The miraculous icon of St. George the Victorious is located in Starye Luchniki (Moscow) in the Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr;
In the Moscow region you can also find a shrine named in honor of St. George;
See the image Orthodox people they can in the St. George Church (Odintsovo deanery, Moscow diocese);
In the village of Monino you can see the miraculous face in the cathedral named after the Holy Great Martyr.

Prayers addressed to the miraculous image

Prayer for help in work

“Saint George, Victorious and Savior. Come down to me from heaven, give me strength in work, endow me with your spirit in tireless struggle. Help me overcome the litigation that happens at work, don’t let the bosses swear. If I am destined to be cut short, I want to be forgiven by Christ. Thy will be done. Amen".

Petition for victory in sports

“Oh, all-praised holy great martyr and wonderworker George! Look upon us with your quick help and beg God, the lover of mankind, not to judge us sinners according to our iniquities, but to deal with us according to His great mercy. Do not despise our prayer, but ask us from Christ our God for a quiet and godly life, mental and physical health, fertility of the earth and abundance in everything, and may we not turn the good things given to us by you from the all-generous God into evil, but into the glory of the holy name Him and in glorification of your strong intercession, may He grant our Orthodox people victory as adversaries and may He strengthen us with irreplaceable peace and blessing. May His angel protect us saints more generously with a militia, so that we, upon our departure from this life, may be delivered from the wiles of the evil one and his difficult airy ordeals, and may present ourselves uncondemned to the throne of the Lord of glory.
Hear us, passion-bearing George of Christ, and pray for us unceasingly to the Trinitarian Lord of all God, so that by His grace and love for mankind, with your help and intercession, we may find mercy with the Angels and Archangels and all the saints at the right hand of the just Judge, and we may glorify him with the Father and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".

Prayer for Protection

“Holy, glorious and all-praised Great Martyr George! Gathered in your temple and before your holy icon, people worshiping, we pray to you, known to the desires of our intercessor, pray with us and for us, beseeching God from His mercy, may he mercifully hear us asking for His goodness, and not abandon all ours to salvation and life needful petitions, and grants our country victory in the face of resistance; and again, falling down, we pray to you, victorious saint: strengthen the Orthodox army in battle with the grace given to you, destroy the forces of the rising enemies, so that they will be ashamed and put to shame, and let their insolence be crushed, and let them know what we have Divine help, and to all those in sorrow and present circumstances, show your powerful intercession. Pray to the Lord God, the Creator of all creation, to deliver us from eternal torment, so that we glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we confess your intercession now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen".

The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, originally from Cappadocia (a region in Asia Minor), grew up in a deeply religious Christian family. His father suffered martyrdom for Christ when George was still in childhood. The mother, who owned estates in Palestine, moved with her son to her homeland and raised him in strict piety.

Having entered the service of the Roman army, Saint George, handsome, courageous and brave in battle, was noticed by the emperor Diocletian and accepted into his guard with the rank of comit - one of the senior military leaders.

The pagan emperor, who did a lot to revive Roman power and clearly understood the danger the triumph of the Crucified Savior posed to pagan civilization, recent years reign especially intensified the persecution of Christians. At the Council of the Senate in Nicomedia, Diocletian gave all rulers complete freedom to deal with Christians and promised his full assistance.

Saint George, having learned about the emperor’s decision, distributed his inheritance to the poor, set his slaves free and appeared in the Senate. The courageous warrior of Christ openly opposed the imperial plan, confessed himself to be a Christian and called on everyone to recognize the true faith in Christ: “I am a servant of Christ my God, and, trusting in Him, I appeared among you of my own free will to testify to the Truth.” “What is Truth?” one of the dignitaries repeated Pilate’s question. “The truth is Christ Himself, persecuted by you,” answered the saint.

Stunned by the daring speech of the valiant warrior, the emperor, who loved and exalted George, tried to persuade him not to destroy his youth, glory and honor, but to make a sacrifice to the gods, according to the custom of the Romans. This was followed by a decisive response from the confessor: “Nothing in this fickle life will weaken my desire to serve God.” Then, by order of the angry emperor, the squires began to push Saint George out of the meeting hall with spears in order to take him to prison. But the deadly steel itself became soft and bent as soon as the spears touched the saint’s body, without causing him pain. In prison, the martyr's feet were put in stocks and his chest was pressed with a heavy stone.

The next day, during interrogation, exhausted, but strong in spirit, Saint George again answered the emperor: “It is more likely that you will become exhausted, tormenting me, than I, tormented by you.” Then they wheeled him around. At first the sufferer loudly called on the Lord, but soon fell silent, not emitting a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured man had already died, and, having ordered that the tortured body be removed from the wheel, he went to the temple to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice. At that moment it became dark all around, thunder struck, and a voice was heard: “Don’t be afraid, George, I’m with you.”

Then a wondrous light shone, and the Angel of the Lord appeared at the wheel in the form of a luminous youth. And as soon as he laid his hand on the martyr, saying to him: “Rejoice!”, Saint George arose healed. When the soldiers took him to the temple where the emperor was, the latter did not believe his eyes and thought that in front of him was another person or a ghost. In bewilderment and horror, the pagans peered at Saint George and became convinced that a miracle had indeed happened. Many then believed in the Life-Giving God of Christians.

It was November 10 (November 23, New Style) 303, and now this day is celebrated by the Orthodox churches.

The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, originally from Cappadocia (a region in Asia Minor), grew up in a deeply religious Christian family. His father suffered martyrdom for Christ when George was still a child. The mother, who owned estates in Palestine, moved with her son to her homeland and raised him in strict piety.

Having entered the service of the Roman army, Saint George, handsome, courageous and brave in battle, was noticed by the emperor Diocletian and accepted into his guard with the rank of comit - one of the senior military leaders.

The pagan emperor, who did a lot to revive Roman power and clearly understood the danger the triumph of the Crucified Savior posed to pagan civilization, especially intensified the persecution of Christians in the last years of his reign. At the council of the Senate in Nicomedia, Diocletian gave all rulers complete freedom to deal with Christians and promised his full assistance.

Saint George, having learned about the emperor’s decision, distributed his inheritance to the poor, set his slaves free and appeared in the Senate. The courageous warrior of Christ openly opposed the imperial plan, confessed himself to be a Christian and called on everyone to recognize the true faith in Christ: “I am a servant of Christ my God, and, trusting in Him, I appeared among you of my own free will to testify to the Truth.” "What is Truth?" - one of the dignitaries repeated Pilate’s question. “The truth is Christ Himself, persecuted by you,” answered the saint.

Stunned by the daring speech of the valiant warrior, the emperor, who loved and exalted George, tried to persuade him not to destroy his youth, glory and honor, but to make a sacrifice to the gods, according to the custom of the Romans. This was followed by a decisive response from the confessor: “Nothing in this fickle life will weaken my desire to serve God.” Then, by order of the angry emperor, the squires began to push Saint George out of the meeting hall with spears in order to take him to prison. But the deadly steel itself became soft and bent as soon as the spears touched the saint’s body, and did not cause him pain. In prison, the martyr's feet were put in stocks and his chest was pressed with a heavy stone.

The next day, during interrogation, exhausted but strong in spirit, Saint George again answered the emperor: “It is more likely that you will become exhausted, tormenting me, than I, tormented by you.” At first the sufferer loudly called on the Lord, but soon fell silent, not emitting a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured man had already died, and, having ordered the removal of the tortured body from the wheel, he went to the temple to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice. At that moment it became dark all around, thunder struck, and a voice was heard: “Don’t be afraid, George, I am with you.”

Then a wondrous light shone and the Angel of the Lord appeared at the wheel in the form of a luminous youth. And he barely laid his hand on the martyr, saying to him: “Rejoice!” - how Saint George rose healed. When the soldiers took him to the temple where the emperor was, the latter did not believe his eyes and thought that before him was another person or a ghost. In bewilderment and horror, the pagans peered at Saint George and became convinced that a miracle had indeed happened. Many then believed in the Life-Giving God of Christians.

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