At the time when Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavovich (1058–1078) ruled in Kyiv, there lived a young man named Nikita, who at an early age was one of the first to take monastic vows in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. No information has been preserved about his past, who he is, what family he is from. It is only known that he was originally from Kyiv. And so, at the dawn of his ascetic life, Nikita fell into a great temptation, which Saint Polycarp tells about in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon...

Reclusion

Like other Pechersk monks, Nikita wished for a special feat and decided to seclude himself in a secluded cell. Hegumen Nikon objected to his decision. Usually the retreat must be preceded by a period of novitiate lasting at least 3 years. In his opinion, the young monk was not ready to spend days and nights in solitude and prayer. " Your desire is beyond your strength“- the abbot told him. However, Nikita did not listen; he could not overcome his strong jealousy for the reclusive life. The young man locked himself in a cave, tightly blocked the entrance and remained in prayer alone, without leaving anywhere.

Left alone, Saint Nikita was confident that the Lord would reward him with the gift of miracles. Few days passed until the monk escaped the snares of the devil. While he was singing, he heard a certain voice, as if someone was praying with him. At the same time, Nikita smelled an indescribable fragrance. The young man immediately thought that he felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. He began to ask frantically that the Lord would appear before him. Then a demon appeared before him in the form of an Angel. Saint Nikita did not even doubt the Divine nature of his vision. It was madness on his part to mistake the devil's temptation for the mercy of God. And the inexperienced ascetic, seduced, bowed to him as an Angel. Then the demon said to him: “ From now on, don’t pray anymore, but read books and you will talk with God and give useful words to those who come to you. I will always pray to the Creator for your salvation" Nikita, believing what was said and being even more deceived, stopped praying, but began to read books more diligently, seeing the demon constantly praying for him. Nikita rejoiced, thinking that the Angel himself was praying for him.

Nikita studied the books of the Old Testament so much and memorized them that no one could compare with him in knowledge of these books. When his brilliant knowledge of the Old Testament Scripture became known to many, princes and boyars began to come to him for listening and instruction. One day the monk Nikita sent to tell Prince Izyaslav that he should quickly send his son Svyatopolk to the Novgorod throne, since Prince Gleb Svyatoslavovich was killed in Zavolochye. And indeed, a few days later the news came that Prince Gleb had been killed. This happened on May 30, 1078. And from that time on, great fame began to spread about the recluse Nikita. The princes and boyars believed that the recluse was a prophet, and in many ways they obeyed him. But the demon did not know the future, and what he himself did or taught evil people - whether to kill or steal - he proclaimed. When they came to the recluse to hear a word of consolation from him, the demon, an imaginary angel, told what happened through himself, and Nikita prophesied. And his prophecy always came true.

Place of retreat of St. Nikitas

But here’s what attracted the special attention of the Pechersk ascetics: the monk Nikita knew all the books of the Old Testament by heart and did not want to see, hear, or read the Gospels and other books of the New Testament. It became clear to everyone that the monk Nikita was seduced by the enemy of the human race. The venerable fathers of Pechersk could not tolerate this. Together with their abbot, the Monk Nikon, they came to the seduced recluse and, with the power of their prayers, drove the demon away from him. Having brought Nikita out of seclusion, they asked him about the Old Testament, but he swore that he had never read those books that he previously knew by heart. He couldn’t even read a single word in them, and the brothers barely taught Nikita to read and write.

When the young man realized what was happening to him in seclusion, he sincerely repented of his sin. After this, Nikita left his arbitrary retreat. Continuing to strictly fast, he began to diligently pray to God, and after a short time he surpassed other monks with his obedience and humility.

At the Novgorod department

And just as Christ said to Peter, who denied three times, after his repentance: “Feed My sheep,” so the Lord showed His mercy to Nikita, who sincerely repented, for he then elevated him to the bishop of Novgorod. In 1096 the Monk Nikita was elevated Metropolitan Ephraim of Kyiv to the episcopate and appointed to the see of Veliky Novgorod. In the “Mural, or short chronicler of the Novgorod rulers,” Saint Nikita is listed as the sixth Bishop of Novgorod.

Novgorod

The Lord glorified His saint with the gift of miracles. In the second year of his ministry, Saint Nikita stopped a great fire in Novgorod with his prayers. Another time, during a drought that threatened the Novgorod land with famine, through his prayers, rain revived the fields and meadows with fields and herbs.

The saint was an example of a virtuous life for his flock. The Eulogy to Saint Nikita says that he secretly gave alms to the poor, fulfilling the word of God: When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret (Matthew 6:3-4).

The Novgorod saints were the first to show their activity in various public endeavors: they built and decorated churches with the help of the best craftsmen who were invited from Byzantium and Western Europe. The most significant literary works of Novgorod were created mainly at the Vladychny court. Thanks to the labors of Saint Nikita, several churches were built in Novgorod that have not survived to this day: the Transfiguration Church on Ilyin Street, the Annunciation Church on Gorodishche, the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Anthony Monastery.

Anthony's Monastery - the second in Novgorod - was founded with the blessing of St. Nikita by the Monk Anthony the Roman († 1147) at the beginning of the 12th century. With the assistance of Saint Nikita, the Monk Anthony received territory for the monastery on the banks of the Volkhov River, where the stone on which Anthony miraculously sailed from Rome stopped. Shortly before his death, Saint Nikita, together with the Monk Anthony, marked out the site for a new stone monastery church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Nikita with his own hands began to dig a ditch for its foundation. But the temple was built already under his successor - Bishop John.

Anthony's Monastery

Despite his numerous labors and concerns for the improvement of the Novgorod diocese, Saint Nikita never abandoned the special feat of the hermit monks: under his saintly robes he wore heavy iron chains.

For 13 years Saint Nikita ruled the Novgorod flock and peacefully died in 1109, January 31. The saint was buried in the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral, in the chapel in the name of Saints Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos.

After the death of Saint Nikita, painting of the walls of the Novgorod Cathedral in the name of St. Sophia the Wisdom of God began, according to the will of Saint Nikita.

Worship and miracles

In 1547, during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible, a certain pious boyar walked around the St. Sophia Cathedral during the service on Easter night and found the saint’s tomb completely neglected. Having sat down nearby, the boyar dozed off and heard a voice in his sleep that said to him: “ The coffin of Bishop Nikita must be covered" Obeying this voice, the boyar went home; from there he soon returned with a covering, which he laid on the tomb of Saint Nikita, having first cleansed it of dust and debris. In the same year, at a church council, the all-Russian glorification of the saint took place.

On the night of April 30, 1558, a husband with a barely noticeable beard appeared in a dream to the Novgorod Saint Pimen and said: “ Peace be with you, beloved brother! Do not be afraid, I am your predecessor, the sixth bishop of Novgorod, Nikita. The time has come, and the Lord commands that my relics be revealed to the people.“When Archbishop Pimen woke up, he heard the bell for matins and hurried to the cathedral. On the way, he met the pious Novgorodian Isaac, who that same night also saw Saint Nikita in a dream, who ordered him to tell the bishop not to delay in opening the relics. Having heard from Isaac about the vision he had, the archbishop immediately began to open the holy relics. When the lid of the tomb was lifted, they saw the sacred treasures of grace: not only the body of the saint of God, but also his vestments were preserved incorruptible. At the same time, a posthumous portrait was drawn from the face of the saint, the details of the appearance and vestments of the saint were specified, and the information was sent to Metropolitan Macarius in Moscow to clarify the icon-painting tradition.

Archbishop Pimen ordered the icon painter Simeon to paint an icon of the Mother of God with the Child of God, and in front of Them, St. Nikita standing and praying with raised hands. The saint had no beard at all. And the icon painter thought that at least a small beard on the face of Saint Nikita should be depicted on the icon. Simeon dozed off and heard a voice in his thin sleep: “ Simeon, are you thinking of writing a message to Bishop Nikita! Don’t think about it, because he didn’t have a brad. And tell other icon painters not to paint Bishop Nikita with a braid on icons" The image of the saint was painted as he himself commanded.

Soon after the discovery of the relics of St. Nikita, one of the city leaders revealed his doubts about their incorruptibility. To dispel his doubts, Archbishop Pimen opened the cover on the relics of the saint before Persia. Seeing the saint’s face, like that of a healthy sleeping person, the mayor repented of his sin. Despite this, soon the city priests came to the archbishop with a request to give them the opportunity to see with their own eyes the incorruptibility of the relics of St. Nikita. The archbishop imposed a seven-day fast on them to repent of their sins, after which the clergy gathered to the relics of St. Nikita, and then the archbishop, having removed the cover from them, showed them the body of the saint to the extremities of the legs, then put his hands under the head of the saint so that it rose, and with it the whole body began to move. The priests were amazed by the miracle and asked the archbishop to allow them to annually, in memory of this incident, send the entire cathedral to sing a prayer service at the relics of the saint, which is why the archbishop established a holiday on the heel of the second week in the week of All Saints.

The demand made by the clergy of Novgorod to their archpastor to examine the relics of St. Nikita can be explained as follows. At that time, the heresy of Theodosius the Oblique was very widespread, which rejected, among other things, the veneration of holy icons and relics; it also had an effect on the clergy and partly shook their faith in miracles.

Meanwhile, many miracles took place at the relics of St. Nikita, upon their discovery. But what is especially noteworthy is that, through the gracious help of the saint, it was mainly those with eyes and the blind who received healing. Once, during the liturgy, the old and blind Ksenia prayed at the relics of the saint, who had not seen anything for 12 years. She persistently asked Archbishop Pimen to pray for her to St. Nikita. He said: “Get away from me, old lady, go away, go to Saint Nikita, and he will save you according to your faith, if he wants.” At the tomb of Saint Xenia she prayed earnestly, and one of her eyes received sight. With tears of joy, she again persistently begged that through the prayers of the archbishop her other eye would receive the light. The Bishop answered her: “I see, old lady, that you are many years old, and one eye would be enough to serve you until your death.” And again he sends her to the saint’s tomb with the words: “He who opened one eye for you will open the other.” She again fell to the shrine with tears, and her hope was not in vain: she also regained sight in her second eye, to the general surprise of those who were then in the Church of Hagia Sophia.

During the discovery of the relics of Saint Nikita, through his prayers, God crowned Russian weapons with victory in the war with the Livonians. During the capture of Rugodiv, both the Russian army and the enemy saw Saint Nikita riding along the banks of the Narova River on a horse in holy robes and with a staff in his hand, crowned with a cross, repelling enemies from the Russian regiments. This was witnessed by the soldiers themselves who returned to Novgorod; The same was confirmed by the elder of the city of Rugodiva, a Latin named John, when he saw the image of St. Nikita.

The relics of the saint were transferred in 1629 from a dilapidated tomb to a new, wooden one, lined with basma silver. The Novgorodians brought a lamp with a gilded inscription as a gift to their heavenly patron: “The candle of Veliky Novgorod, of all Orthodox Christians, was put on the new Novgorod wonderworker Nikita in the summer of 7066, April 30, under Archbishop Pimen.” This “candle” of St. Nikita, together with the ancient tomb, vestments, staff and chains, were later kept in the sacristy of the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral.

After 1917, when open persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church began, the relics of the saint, like many saints of the Russian Church, were desecrated. Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum, and the relics of the saint, packed in a paper bag, lay in the museum's storage room. And only in 1957, with the blessing of Archbishop Sergius (Golubtsov), on a dark evening, on a truck, the relics of St. Nikita were reverently transported to the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Yaroslav's Dvorishche. But they did not stay there long. During the years of Khrushchev's persecution of the Orthodox Church, this cathedral was closed, like many other churches, and the relics of the saint were transferred to Church of St. Philip the Apostle, where they stayed until 1993.

On May 13, 1993, with the blessing of His Eminence Leo, Archbishop of Novgorod and Staraya Russia, the relics of the saint were solemnly transferred from the Church of the Apostle Philip to St. Sophia Cathedral and were placed with honor in the very place where they had rested centuries before.

St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod

Reliquary with the relics of St. Nikita

Relics of the saint during World War II

But here is one amazing fact from the times of the Great Patriotic War: after the Novgorodians driven into captivity, the Novgorod saints of God, led by St. Nikita, followed to their rescue...

In 1942, the Nazis deported over 3,000 Novgorod residents to Lithuania. In the autumn of the same year, to the Lithuanian town of Vekshni, where the Novgorodians were assigned to settle, a German military train brought five silver shrines with the relics of Novgorod saints. The rector of the local church, Archimandrite Alexy (Cheran), who arrived immediately, was the first to identify the shrine of St. Nikita. All the relics were immediately transported to the church, and Metropolitan Sergius of Lithuania, in a telephone conversation, instructed the rector to open the shrines and straighten the robes of the saints before the all-night vigil. Father Archimandrite himself writes:

« After a long journey, the saints in the shrines moved from their place and they had to be placed in the proper way, and therefore the Lord vouchsafed me, unworthy, to raise Saint Nikita entirely, in my arms, with the help of Hierodeacon Hilarion. The saint was dressed in a dark crimson velvet veil, on top of which lay a large omophorion of forged gold brocade. His face was covered with great air; on the head there is a golden miter, darkened by time. The face of the saint is remarkable; the completely preserved features of his face express strict calm and at the same time meekness and humility. The beard is almost invisible, only sparse hair on the chin is noticeable. The right hand, blessing, is folded with two fingers - a very darkened place from application for 400 years clearly stands out on it. God is marvelous in His saints!»

The entire Orthodox people who found themselves in that Lithuanian region greeted the holy relics with trepidation and inspiration. At the same time, Hierodeacon Hilarion, who was helping the rector of the temple put in order the relics of the saints, a man not very educated, but burning with faith, saw the same dream twice: Saint Nikita, dressed in a mantle, stood in the middle of the temple and read the canon of repentance. The hierodeacon, who entered the temple and saw the bishop, immediately fell at his feet and asked for a blessing. The saint blessed the Novgorodian with a gesture and said: “ Pray all for deliverance from the disasters coming to our homeland and people. The evil enemy is taking up arms. Before the service of God, you should all receive a blessing».

After these words the saint became invisible. Having learned about this, Metropolitan Sergius established a rule that before the start of each service, when the shrine of St. Nikita is opened, the clergy should go out and venerate the right hand of St. Nikita, return to the altar, and then only begin the liturgy. This tradition is still honored by the Novgorod priesthood. It is especially adhered to by the priests of St. Sophia Cathedral, who do not think of starting a divine service without venerating the relics of the saint.

Troparion, tone 4:
Having enjoyed the divine wisdom of abstinence, and having curbed the desire of your flesh, you sat down on the throne of the sanctity, and like a many-bright star, enlightening the faithful hearts with the dawn of your miracles, Our Father to Saint Nikito: and now pray to Christ God that he may save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 6:
Having honored the rank of bishop, and standing before the purest, you diligently offered prayer for your people, just as you brought down the rain with prayer, and when you extinguished the burning of hail. And now pray to Saint Nikita, Christ God, to save the Orthodox Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, and your praying people, and we all cry out to you: Rejoice, wonderful holy father.

. The Kiev-Pechersk Patericon reports that he was tempted by the devil and could not stand it:

...and the devil deceived him. ...a demon stood before him in the form of an angel. The monk fell on his face and bowed to him as if he were an angel. And the demon said to him: “ Don’t pray, just read books, and in this way you will talk with God, and from books you will begin to give useful words to those who come to you. I will constantly pray to my Creator for your salvation." Having been seduced, the monk stopped praying, and diligently occupied himself with reading and book wisdom; seeing the demon constantly praying for him, he rejoiced at him, like an angel praying for him.

Nikita began to prophesy, knew all the books of the Old Testament by heart, but refused to study the Gospel. The fame of him reached the Kyiv prince Izyaslav, to whom he informed about the murder of Prince Gleb Svyatoslavich and advised him to send his son Svyatopolk to Novgorod to reign. Hegumen Nikon, together with other monks, cast out the demon with prayers. Nikita, answering the questions of the brethren, swore that he had never read the books that he had previously quoted and even stopped understanding the alphabet and he was taught to read and write again. After this, according to the patericon, Nikita surrendered “ abstinence, and obedience, and a pure and humble life, so that he surpassed everyone in virtue».

Nikita died in 1108 and was buried in the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral. In 1547, at the first Makarievsky Council, he was canonized for church-wide veneration. On April 30, 1558, Archbishop Pimen found the relics of Nikita, which were declared incorruptible.

Saint NIKITA, recluse of Pechersk, Bishop of Novgorod (†1108)

At the time when Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavovich (1058-1078) ruled in Kyiv, there lived a young man named Nikita, who at an early age was one of the first to take monastic vows in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. No information has been preserved about his past, who he is, what family he is from. It is only known that he was originally from Kyiv. And so, at the dawn of his ascetic life, Nikita fell into a great temptation, which Saint Polycarp tells about in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon...

Reclusion

Like other Pechersk monks, Nikita wished for a special feat and decided to seclude himself in a secluded cell. Hegumen Nikon objected to his decision. Usually the retreat must be preceded by a period of novitiate lasting at least 3 years. In his opinion, the young monk was not ready to spend days and nights in solitude and prayer. "Your desire is greater than your strength"- the abbot told him. However, Nikita did not listen; he could not overcome his strong jealousy for the reclusive life. The young man locked himself in a cave, tightly blocked the entrance and remained in prayer alone, without leaving anywhere.

Left alone, Saint Nikita was confident that the Lord would reward him with the gift of miracles. Few days passed until the monk escaped the snares of the devil. While he was singing, he heard a certain voice, as if someone was praying with him. At the same time, Nikita smelled an indescribable fragrance. The young man immediately thought that he felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. He began to ask frantically that the Lord would appear before him. Then a demon appeared before him in the form of an Angel. Saint Nikita did not even doubt the Divine nature of his vision. It was madness on his part to mistake the devil's temptation for the mercy of God. And the inexperienced ascetic, seduced, bowed to him as an Angel. Then the demon said to him: “From now on, don’t pray anymore, but read books and you will talk with God and give useful words to those who come to you. I will always pray to the Creator for your salvation.” Nikita, believing what was said and being even more deceived, stopped praying, but began to read books more diligently, seeing the demon constantly praying for him. Nikita rejoiced, thinking that the Angel himself was praying for him.

Nikita studied the books of the Old Testament so much and memorized them that no one could compare with him in knowledge of these books. When his brilliant knowledge of the Old Testament Scripture became known to many, princes and boyars began to come to him for listening and instruction. One day the monk Nikita sent to tell Prince Izyaslav that he should quickly send his son Svyatopolk to the Novgorod throne, since Prince Gleb Svyatoslavovich was killed in Zavolochye. And indeed, a few days later the news came that Prince Gleb had been killed. This happened on May 30, 1078. And from that time on, great fame began to spread about the recluse Nikita. The princes and boyars believed that the recluse was a prophet, and in many ways they obeyed him. But the demon did not know the future, and what he himself did or taught evil people - whether to kill or steal - he proclaimed. When they came to the recluse to hear a word of consolation from him, an imaginary angel told what happened through himself, and Nikita prophesied. And his prophecy always came true.

Place of retreat of St. Nikitas

But here’s what attracted the special attention of the Pechersk ascetics: the monk Nikita knew all the books of the Old Testament by heart and did not want to see, hear, or read the Gospels and other books of the New Testament. It became clear to everyone that the monk Nikita was seduced by the enemy of the human race. The venerable fathers of Pechersk could not tolerate this. Together with their abbot, the Monk Nikon, they came to the seduced recluse and, with the power of their prayers, drove the demon away from him. Having brought Nikita out of seclusion, they asked him about the Old Testament, but he swore that he had never read those books that he previously knew by heart. He couldn’t even read a single word in them, and the brothers barely taught Nikita to read and write.

When the young man realized what was happening to him in seclusion, he sincerely repented of his sin. After this, Nikita left his arbitrary retreat. Continuing to strictly fast, he began to diligently pray to God, and after a short time he surpassed other monks with his obedience and humility.

At the Novgorod department

And just as Christ said to Peter, who denied three times, after his repentance: “Feed My sheep,” so the Lord showed His mercy to Nikita, who sincerely repented, for he then elevated him to the bishop of Novgorod. In 1096 Reverend Nikita was erected Metropolitan Ephraim of Kyiv to the episcopate and appointed to the see of Veliky Novgorod . In the “Mural, or short chronicler of the Novgorod rulers,” Saint Nikita is listed as the sixth Bishop of Novgorod.

Novgorod

The Lord glorified His saint with the gift of miracles. In the second year of his ministry, Saint Nikita stopped a great fire in Novgorod with his prayers. Another time, during a drought that threatened the Novgorod land with famine, through his prayers, rain revived the fields and meadows with fields and herbs.

The saint was an example of a virtuous life for his flock. The Eulogy to Saint Nikita says that he secretly gave alms to the poor, fulfilling the word of God: When you do alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret (Matthew 6:3-4).

The Novgorod saints were the first to show their activity in various public endeavors: they built and decorated churches with the help of the best craftsmen who were invited from Byzantium and Western Europe. The most significant literary works of Novgorod were created mainly at the Vladychny court. Thanks to the labors of Saint Nikita, several churches were built in Novgorod that have not survived to this day: the Transfiguration Church on Ilyin Street, the Annunciation Church on Gorodishche, the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Anthony Monastery.

Anthony's Monastery - the second in Novgorod - was founded with the blessing of St. Nikita by the Monk Anthony the Roman († 1147) at the beginning of the 12th century. With the assistance of Saint Nikita, the Monk Anthony received territory for the monastery on the banks of the Volkhov River, where the stone on which Anthony miraculously sailed from Rome stopped. Shortly before his death, Saint Nikita, together with the Monk Anthony, marked out the site for a new stone monastery church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Nikita with his own hands began to dig a ditch for its foundation. But the temple was built already under his successor, Bishop John.

Anthony's Monastery

Despite his numerous labors and concerns for the improvement of the Novgorod diocese, Saint Nikita never abandoned the special feat of the hermit monks: under his saintly robes he wore heavy iron chains.

For 13 years Saint Nikita ruled the Novgorod flock and peacefully died in 1109, January 31 . The saint was buried in the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral, in the chapel in the name of Saints Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos.

After the death of Saint Nikita, painting of the walls of the Novgorod Cathedral in the name of St. Sophia the Wisdom of God began, according to the will of Saint Nikita.

Worship and miracles

In 1547, during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible, a certain pious boyar walked around the St. Sophia Cathedral during the service on Easter night and found the saint’s tomb completely neglected. Having sat down nearby, the boyar dozed off and heard a voice in his sleep that said to him: “Bishop Nikita’s coffin must be covered.” Obeying this voice, the boyar went home; from there he soon returned with a covering, which he laid on the tomb of Saint Nikita, having first cleansed it of dust and debris. In the same year, at a church council, the all-Russian glorification of the saint took place.

On the night of April 30, 1558, a husband with a barely noticeable beard appeared in a dream to the Novgorod Saint Pimen and said: “Peace be with you, beloved brother! Do not be afraid, I am your predecessor, the sixth bishop of Novgorod, Nikita. The time has come, and the Lord commands that my relics be revealed to the people.” Waking up, Archbishop Pimen heard the bell for matins and hurried to the cathedral. On the way, he met the pious Novgorodian Isaac, who that same night also saw Saint Nikita in a dream, who ordered him to tell the bishop not to delay in opening the relics. Having heard from Isaac about the vision he had, the archbishop immediately began to open the holy relics. When the lid of the tomb was lifted, they saw the sacred treasures of grace: not only the body of the saint of God, but also his vestments were preserved incorruptible. At the same time, a posthumous portrait was drawn from the face of the saint, the details of the appearance and vestments of the saint were specified, and the information was sent to Metropolitan Macarius in Moscow to clarify the icon-painting tradition.

Archbishop Pimen ordered the icon painter Simeon to paint an icon of the Mother of God with the Child of God, and in front of Them, St. Nikita standing and praying with raised hands. The saint had no beard at all. And the icon painter thought that at least a small beard on the face of Saint Nikita should be depicted on the icon. Simeon dozed off and heard a voice in his thin sleep: “Simeon, are you thinking of writing a message to Bishop Nikita! Don’t think about it, because he didn’t have a brad. And tell other icon painters not to paint Bishop Nikita with a brad on their icons.” The image of the saint was painted as he himself commanded.

Soon after the discovery of the relics of St. Nikita, one of the city leaders revealed his doubts about their incorruptibility. To dispel his doubts, Archbishop Pimen opened the cover on the relics of the saint before Persia. Seeing the saint’s face, like that of a healthy sleeping person, the mayor repented of his sin. Despite this, soon the city priests came to the archbishop with a request to give them the opportunity to see with their own eyes the incorruptibility of the relics of St. Nikita. The archbishop imposed a seven-day fast on them to repent of their sins, after which the clergy gathered to the relics of St. Nikita, and then the archbishop, having removed the cover from them, showed them the body of the saint to the extremities of the legs, then put his hands under the head of the saint so that it rose, and with it the whole body began to move. The priests were amazed by the miracle and asked the archbishop to allow them to annually, in memory of this incident, send the entire cathedral to sing a prayer service at the relics of the saint, which is why the archbishop established a holiday on the heel of the second week in the week of All Saints.

The demand made by the clergy of Novgorod to their archpastor to examine the relics of St. Nikita can be explained as follows. At that time, the heresy of Theodosius the Oblique was very widespread, which rejected, among other things, the veneration of holy icons and relics; it also had an effect on the clergy and partly shook their faith in miracles.

Meanwhile, many miracles took place at the relics of St. Nikita, upon their discovery. But what is especially noteworthy is that, through the gracious help of the saint, it was mainly those with eyes and the blind who received healing. Once, during the liturgy, the old and blind Ksenia prayed at the relics of the saint, who had not seen anything for 12 years. She persistently asked Archbishop Pimen to pray for her to St. Nikita. He said: “Get away from me, old lady, go away, go to Saint Nikita, and he will save you according to your faith, if he wants.” At the tomb of Saint Xenia she prayed earnestly, and one of her eyes received sight. With tears of joy, she again persistently begged that through the prayers of the archbishop her other eye would receive the light. The Bishop answered her: “I see, old lady, that you are many years old, and one eye would be enough to serve you until your death.” And again he sends her to the saint’s tomb with the words: “He who opened one eye for you will open the other.” She again fell to the shrine with tears, and her hope was not in vain: she also regained sight in her second eye, to the general surprise of those who were then in the Church of Hagia Sophia.

During the discovery of the relics of Saint Nikita, through his prayers, God crowned Russian weapons with victory in the war with the Livonians. During the capture of Rugodiv, both the Russian army and the enemy saw Saint Nikita riding along the banks of the Narova River on a horse in holy robes and with a staff in his hand, crowned with a cross, repelling enemies from the Russian regiments. This was witnessed by the soldiers themselves who returned to Novgorod; The same was confirmed by the elder of the city of Rugodiva, a Latin named John, when he saw the image of St. Nikita.

The relics of the saint were transferred in 1629 from a dilapidated tomb to a new, wooden one, lined with basma silver. The Novgorodians brought a lamp with a gilded inscription as a gift to their heavenly patron: “The candle of Veliky Novgorod, of all Orthodox Christians, was put on the new Novgorod wonderworker Nikita in the summer of 7066, April 30, under Archbishop Pimen.” This “candle” of St. Nikita, together with the ancient tomb, vestments, staff and chains, were later kept in the sacristy of the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral.

After 1917, when open persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church began, the relics of the saint, like many saints of the Russian Church, were desecrated. Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum, and the relics of the saint, packed in a paper bag, lay in the museum's storage room. And only in 1957, with the blessing of Archbishop Sergius (Golubtsov), on a dark evening, on a truck, the relics of St. Nikita were reverently transported to the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Yaroslav's Dvorishche. But they did not stay there long. During the years of Khrushchev's persecution of the Orthodox Church, this cathedral was closed, like many other churches, and the relics of the saint were transferred to Church of St. Philip the Apostle , where they stayed until 1993.

On May 13, 1993, with the blessing of His Eminence Leo, Archbishop of Novgorod and Staraya Russia, the relics of the saint were solemnly transferred from the Church of the Apostle Philip to St. Sophia Cathedral and were placed with honor in the very place where they had rested centuries before.

St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod

Reliquary with the relics of St. Nikita

Relics of the saint during World War II

But here is one amazing fact from the times of the Great Patriotic War: after the Novgorodians driven into captivity, the Novgorod saints of God, led by St. Nikita, followed to their rescue...

In 1942, the Nazis deported over 3,000 Novgorod residents to Lithuania. In the autumn of the same year, to the Lithuanian town of Vekshni, where the Novgorodians were assigned to settle, a German military train brought five silver shrines with the relics of Novgorod saints. The rector of the local church, Archimandrite Alexy (Cheran), who arrived immediately, was the first to identify the shrine of St. Nikita. All the relics were immediately transported to the church, and Metropolitan Sergius of Lithuania, in a telephone conversation, instructed the rector to open the shrines and straighten the robes of the saints before the all-night vigil. Father Archimandrite himself writes:

“After a long journey, the saints in the shrines moved from their place and they had to be laid down in the proper way, and therefore the Lord vouchsafed me, unworthy, to raise Saint Nikita entirely, in my arms, with the help of Hierodeacon Hilarion. The saint was dressed in a dark crimson velvet veil, on top of which lay a large omophorion of forged gold brocade. His face was covered with great air; on the head there is a golden miter, darkened by time. The face of the saint is remarkable; the completely preserved features of his face express strict calm and at the same time meekness and humility. The beard is almost invisible, only sparse hair on the chin is noticeable. The right hand, blessing, is folded with two fingers - a very darkened place from application for 400 years clearly stands out on it. God is marvelous in His saints!”

The entire Orthodox people who found themselves in that Lithuanian region greeted the holy relics with trepidation and inspiration. At the same time, Hierodeacon Hilarion, who was helping the rector of the temple put in order the relics of the saints, a man not very educated, but burning with faith, saw the same dream twice: Saint Nikita, dressed in a mantle, stood in the middle of the temple and read the canon of repentance. The hierodeacon, who entered the temple and saw the bishop, immediately fell at his feet and asked for a blessing. The saint blessed the Novgorodian with a gesture and said: “Pray all for deliverance from the disasters coming to our homeland and people. The evil enemy is taking up arms. You should all receive a blessing before God’s service.”

After these words the saint became invisible. Having learned about this, Metropolitan Sergius established a rule that before the start of each service, when the shrine of St. Nikita is opened, the clergy should go out and venerate the right hand of St. Nikita, return to the altar, and then only begin the liturgy. This tradition is still honored by the Novgorod priesthood. It is especially adhered to by the priests of St. Sophia Cathedral, who do not think of starting a divine service without venerating the relics of the saint.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

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

Troparion, tone 4:
Having enjoyed the divine wisdom of abstinence, and having curbed the desire of your flesh, you sat down on the throne of the sanctity, and like a many-bright star, enlightening the faithful hearts with the dawn of your miracles, Our Father to Saint Nikito: and now pray to Christ God that he may save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 6:
Having honored the rank of bishop, and standing before the purest, you diligently offered prayer for your people, just as you brought down the rain with prayer, and when you extinguished the burning of hail. And now pray to Saint Nikita, Christ God, to save the Orthodox Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, and your praying people, and we all cry out to you: Rejoice, wonderful holy father.

Prayer to Saint Nikita, recluse of Pechersk, bishop. Novgorodsky:
O Hierarch of God, Saint Nikito, hear us, your sinful servants, who have flocked today to this sacred temple, praying to you and flowing to your sacred race and crying out with emotion: as if sitting on the throne of the sanctity in this Great Novegrad, and the only rainless rain that lies ahead With prayers you brought this city, which was surrounded by a fiery flame, with prayer you extinguished the fiery flame, and now we pray to you, O Saint of Christ Nikita, praying to the Lord to deliver this Veliky Novgrad and all Christian cities and countries from cowardice, flood, famine, fire, hail, sword and from all enemies, visible and invisible, For through your chosen prayers we are saved, we glorify the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and your merciful intercession now and ever and forever centuries. A min.

Reverend Nikita, a native of Kiev, was one of the first tonsures of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery. He labored there under the Venerable Abbot Nikon (1078–1088). In his youth, the monk Nikita, wanting to become famous among the monks, began to ask the abbot to bless him to strive alone, in seclusion. The abbot prevented him, saying: “Child! It is not good for you to sit idle when you are young. It is better for you to be with your brethren, working together, and you will not lose your reward. You yourself saw our brother Isaac the cave dweller, how he was seduced by demons in seclusion; and only the grace of God and the prayers of our venerable fathers Anthony and Theodosius saved him. Your desire is beyond your strength.” Nikita did not want to listen to the abbot’s words at all, since he could not overcome his strong zeal for a reclusive life, and therefore he did what he wanted. And he, having closed himself, blocked the door tightly and, without leaving, remained alone in prayer. Few days passed until the monk escaped the snares of the devil. While he was singing, he heard a certain voice, as if someone was praying with him. At the same time, Nikita smelled an indescribable fragrance. Then a demon appeared before him in the form of an Angel. And the inexperienced ascetic, seduced, bowed to him as an Angel. Then the demon said to him: “From now on, don’t pray anymore, but read books and you will talk with God and give useful words to those who come to you. I will always pray to the Creator for your salvation.” Nikita, believing what was said and being even more deceived, stopped praying, but began to read books more diligently, seeing the demon constantly praying for him. Nikita rejoiced, thinking that the Angel himself was praying for him.

Soon Nikita became so improved in the study of the Old Testament that he knew it by heart. He also talked a lot with those who came to him from the Scriptures about the benefits for the soul. At the inspiration of the tempter, he began to prophesy, and great fame spread about him, everyone marveled at the fulfillment of his prophetic words. So, Nikita informed Prince Izyaslav about the murder of the Novgorod prince Gleb Svyatoslavich. Indeed, news soon arrived that confirmed his words. The chronicles report that Prince Gleb was killed on May 30, 1079. So Nikita’s prophecies were fulfilled with amazing accuracy. This convinced the recluse that his chosen path was correct. Nikita did not think about prayer and repentance.

He often talked about the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, but avoided even mentioning the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, avoided talking about the Holy Gospel. Having learned about this, the holy fathers of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra realized that the monk was in a dangerous state of spiritual delusion. They did not leave their brother in trouble. The reverend fathers, having made many prayers for Nikita, cast out the demon from him. After this they asked Nikita; whether he knows anything from the books of the Old Testament. Nikita swore that he had never read them and even found himself forgetting to read and write, so his fathers taught him to read and write again. Then, having come to his senses, Nikita “confessed his sin and wept bitterly about it, giving himself great abstinence and obedience, let us adopt a pure and humble life, so that he would surpass everyone in virtue.” The humane Lord, seeing such great feats of the blessed one, as well as his previous virtues, accepted his true repentance. And just as Christ said to Peter, who denied three times, after his repentance: “Feed My sheep,” so the Lord showed His mercy to Nikita, who sincerely repented, for he then elevated him to the bishop of Novgorod.

In 1096, the Monk Nikita was elevated to the rank of bishop by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kyiv (second half of the 11th century) and appointed to the see of Veliky Novgorod. In the “Mural, or short chronicler of the Novgorod rulers,” Saint Nikita is listed as the sixth Bishop of Novgorod.

Since the time of his episcopal consecration, the works of Saint Nikita have multiplied, and the exploits that he performed in the monastery have increased. “He received the flock and decorated himself with various kindnesses, having in himself the root of silence, the branch of abstinence, the flower of fasting, the fruit of humility, adorned with love, perfected by alms, purity, and chastity, and righteousness from both sides, like walls, fenced off by all abounds in good morals.” The subject of special concern of Saint Nikita was missionary activity to establish Christianity, spread and maintain piety in the diocese. During his twenty years of episcopal service, he was an example of a virtuous life for his flock. In the Eulogy to Saint Nikita it is said that he secretly gave alms to the poor, fulfilling the word of God: When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret (Matt. 6 :3-4).

Saint Nikita was a zealous man of prayer and intercessor for his flock, and the Lord glorified his virtuous life by giving him the gift of working miracles. The chronicles have preserved evidence of two cases of miraculous salvation of Novgorod from disasters: in 1097, Saint Nikita with his prayer extinguished a fire that was destroying the city, and another time, during a disastrous drought, he brought down rain. Obviously, this is why he is revered by believers as a protector from fires and the patron of agriculture. It is also known that Saint Nikita was revered as a defender of the fatherland and patron of warriors. The chronicler, talking about the campaign of the Novgorod prince Mstislav and his victories, notes that Mstislav returned “to his city through the prayers of the Monk Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod.”

The Novgorod saints were the first to show their activity in various public endeavors: they built and decorated churches with the help of the best craftsmen who were invited from Byzantium and Western Europe. The most significant literary works of Novgorod were created mainly at the ruler's court. Thanks to the labors of Saint Nikita, several churches were built in Novgorod that have not survived to this day, information about which is available in chronicles and ancient lives: the Transfiguration Church on Ilyin Street (rebuilt in 1574), the Annunciation Church on the Settlement (rebuilt in 1342 ), wooden Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Anthony Monastery.

Anthony's Monastery - the second in Novgorod - was founded with the blessing of St. Nikita by the Monk Anthony the Roman (†1147; commemorated January 17/30, August 3/16, also on the first Friday after the day of remembrance of the apostles Peter and Paul) at the beginning of the 12th century. With the assistance of Saint Nikita, the Monk Anthony received territory for the monastery on the banks of the Volkhov River, where the stone on which Anthony miraculously sailed from Rome stopped. Shortly before his death, Saint Nikita, together with the Monk Anthony, marked out the site for a new stone monastery church, which he blessed to consecrate in the same way as the previous (wooden) one - in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Nikita with his own hands began to dig a ditch for its foundation. The temple was already built under his successor, Bishop John (1108–1130).

Saint Nikita ruled the Novgorod flock for 13 years and died peacefully in 1109, on January 31.

After the death of Saint Nikita, painting of the walls of the Novgorod Cathedral in the name of St. Sophia the Wisdom of God began, according to the will of Saint Nikita.

To this day, the stone building of the Novgorod bishop's house is intact, both in monuments and in folk tradition, known under the name Nikitinsky. This is the oldest building of the bishop's building that has survived to our time and was rebuilt to the middle vaults.

Despite his numerous labors and concerns for the improvement of the Novgorod diocese, Saint Nikita never abandoned the special feat of the hermit monks: under his saintly robes he wore heavy iron chains. The saint was buried in the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral, in the chapel in the name of Saints Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In 1547, under Archbishop Feodosius of Novgorod (1542–1551), a certain pious Christian, on Easter night during a divine service, received a revelation command to decorate the tomb of St. Nikita with a cover, which was carried out. In the same year, at a church council, the all-Russian glorification of the saint took place. A few years later, Archbishop Pimen of Novgorod (1553–1570) opened the tomb with the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow († 1563). The discovery of the incorruptible relics of St. Nikita took place on April 30, 1558. It is noteworthy that, thanks to the gracious help of the saint, it is mainly those with eyes and the blind who receive healing.

The relics of the saint were transferred in 1629 from a dilapidated tomb to a new, wooden one, lined with basma silver. Since the Joachim chapel was small, with the blessing of Archbishop Pimen of Novgorod, a semicircular extension was built on the eastern side of the chapel, connected by an arch to the Nativity chapel. Under this arch the relics of the saint were placed in the tomb. The Novgorodians brought a lamp with a gilded inscription as a gift to their heavenly patron: “The candle of Veliky Novgorod, of all Orthodox Christians, was placed on the new Novgorod miracle worker Nikita in the summer of 7066, April 30, under Archbishop Pimen.” This “candle” of St. Nikita, together with the ancient tomb, vestments, staff and chains, were later kept in the sacristy of the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral.

Currently, the tomb of St. Nikita is located in the church in the name of St. Apostle Philip, where it resides in the northern aisle in the name of St. Nicholas.

Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod. Icon from the Novgorod church in the name of St. Nikita. Con. XX – beginning XXI century

2008 marks the 900th anniversary of the repose of one of the most famous Russian saints, Bishop Nikita, who labored in Veliky Novgorod from 1096 to 1108. Novgorodians faithfully preserved his memory for four and a half centuries - until his glorification as an all-Russian saint in 1547. The discovery of the saint's incorruptible relics took place on April 30, 1558. Let us emphasize an interesting fact: another 450 years have passed since that April event. That’s why we celebrate two anniversaries in one year.

When you look at the images of Bishop Nikita, you involuntarily pay attention to his lack of a beard. It’s hard to even remember any of the saints who were beardless. Sometimes you get the impression that some icon painters really painted Nikita at a young age. However, if even for the “exploits” in the cave the reverend fathers did not bless him because of his youth, then who would bless and elect the young man to the episcopal see? Without a doubt, while living in Novgorod, the saint was in mature years. This is confirmed by life. Then, perhaps, the bishop, according to the custom established in Europe, shaved?! And shaving is excluded. Seven years before the discovery of the relics of the Novgorod bishop, the Council of the Hundred Heads, held on the initiative of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, sternly reminded: “Whoever shaves his hair and reposes thus, is not worthy to serve over him, neither sing the magpie for him, nor sing the prosper, nor send a candle for him to the church bring it, let it be due to the infidel, from the heretic you have a habit.” And, probably, that is why on one Moscow icon (and not only on this one) the Novgorod ascetic praying next to St. Sergius of Radonezh was painted in the 1560s with a beard. So that the common people do not consider him a heretic. But on other icons there is no beard. Why?

Michael Dorfman put forward his own outlandish version: “One of the possible reasons could be that Nikita was a eunuch, as indicated in his life: “he imposed special abstinence on himself.” Strange logic. If any “special abstinence” is considered eunuchs, then the majority of Orthodox ascetics would turn out to be eunuchs. Although Dorfman himself acknowledges: “Skoptsy... was not encouraged by the official Church,” he cites as a compelling argument a couple of names of Byzantine eunuchs, who ruled Russian dioceses in the 12th century. In this case, let us quote the 21st Apostolic Canon: “An eunuch, if he was made such by human violence, or was deprived of his male members during persecution, or was born this way, then, if he is worthy, let him be a bishop.” Therefore, there is nothing supernatural in the fact that some priests and hierarchs were at one time castrated against their will. However, why should the author's will turn St. Nikita into a eunuch? The intent of those who write this is completely obvious: this is to tarnish the glory of Russian shrines.

But if Nikita is not an eunuch, then why did the icon painters depict him without a beard? To answer this question, you shouldn’t even resort to hagiographic and chronicle materials. The answer can be found in events that took place in the twentieth century, which few people know about. And that’s why they deserve special mention.

In 1942, the Nazis forcibly deported over three thousand Novgorodians to Lithuania. In the autumn of the same year, in the Lithuanian town of Vekshni, where the Novgorodians were assigned to settle, a German military train stopped, from which five “coffins” were unloaded. The head of the railway station immediately called the rector of the local St. Sergius Church, Archimandrite Alexy (Chernai) and informed him about this. Father Alexy, who arrived immediately, saw silver shrines with the relics of Novgorod saints. The first was the shrine of St. Nikita. All the relics were immediately transported to the church. Metropolitan Sergius of Lithuania and Vilna, in a telephone conversation, instructed the rector to open the shrines and straighten the robes of the saints before the all-night vigil. Father Archimandrite himself writes about it this way: “After a long journey, the saints in the shrines moved from their place and they had to be laid down in the proper way, and therefore the Lord vouchsafed me, unworthy, to raise St. Nikitas entirely, in my arms, with the help of Hierodeacon Hilarion. The saint was dressed in a dark crimson velvet veil, on top of which lay a large omophorion of forged gold brocade. His face was covered with great air; on the head there is a golden miter, darkened by time. The face of the saint is remarkable; the completely preserved features of his face express strict calm and at the same time meekness and humility. The beard is almost invisible, only sparse hair on the chin is noticeable. The right hand, blessing, is folded with two fingers - a very darkened place from application for 400 years clearly stands out on it. God is marvelous in His saints!”

We draw the attention of Dorfman, who is very interested in the national question in matters of faith: the description of the archimandrite’s father does not contain any indication of the Semitic features of the saint. Nothing of the kind is said in the letter to Metropolitan Macarius of All Rus', sent on the occasion of the discovery of the relics of St. Nikita in 1558. Nevertheless, Dorfman, as already mentioned, even in the title of his article focuses on the Jewish origin of the Novgorod bishop. The American author does not hide this indifference, since for him Nikita’s belonging to the Jews is of paramount importance. Ivan Ilyin wrote: “We remember the words of the Apostle Paul: there is no longer Jew, nor pagan; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28); but with a clear understanding we attribute these words to faith, and not to the nation: for the nation is just as little eliminated by these words as the male and female sexes are abolished by them.” In relation to our case, the philosopher’s words would have acquired particular relevance if Saint Nikita had been a secular national political leader. From a nationalist point of view, the nationalist Dorfman could be understood to some extent. But we remain on Orthodox positions. The saint is for us a man of prayer and an intercessor before God, therefore the unity in Christ preached by the Apostle Paul remains the most important evidence of faith. Even hypothetically assuming the Jewish origin of the Novgorod bishop, as Dorfman wants, for Christians it would essentially not change anything. For unity in Christ is an irreplaceable value within the Church.

And the fact that Bishop Nikita is a great man of prayer and intercessor before God is clearly revealed from the further story of Archimandrite Alexy. The rector of the church in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh described the great celebration celebrated by the Orthodox of Lithuania on the occasion of the arrival of the relics of the Novgorod saints. “People gathered from all sides to take part in the procession of the cross to meet the great shrines, telling each other with tears of joy about the wonderful choice of the place of rest, at least for a while, by the holy saints. There was great excitement near the church. A religious procession was being formed. The people carried icons and banners out of the temple with devout reverence. Something great was happening. There was an expression of deep spiritual joy on the faces of those present. The shrines were approaching. The bell buzzed continuously and turned into the ringing of all the bells. A procession of the cross took place, stretching far along the Mazheiskaya road. Autumn was dry and golden already. The icons sparkled in the sun, and banners fluttered over them, as if protecting them. The popular singing carried far across the fields and forests, mingling with the ringing of bells, which became more and more distant, but the folk singing grew stronger. “Most Holy Theotokos, save us,” “St. Father Nikito, pray to God for us,” burst from the depths of Russian souls, tormented by disasters and a terrible war that devastated the Novgorod region and threw thousands of people into distant Lithuania. It is difficult to describe the religious fervor with which this religious procession took place... At the seventh kilometer, in the distance, at the edge of the forest, the procession finally appeared. A joyful thrill overwhelmed us all. “Relics, holy relics!” - flashed through the people. The religious procession slowly walked towards the shrines and, coming very close, stopped. The banners bowed, and the people fell on their faces. Crying, singing troparions - everything merged into one. The prayer service began. People crawled on their knees to touch the holy crayfish, asking their heavenly patrons for protection and prayerful intercession before God...” writes Father Alexy. An amazing fact: after the Novgorodians driven into captivity, the Novgorod saints of God, led by Saint Nikita, followed to their rescue... And the saints, and the Novgorodians, and the Orthodox Lithuanians, and people of any other nationalities who professed the Orthodox faith and were present there, became one whole in Christ Jesus, for they were Christ’s, and therefore, representing the seed of Abraham, according to the promise they are considered heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.

This amazing story, told by Archimandrite Alexy (Chernai), had a continuation. Hierodeacon Hilarion, who helped the rector of the church put the relics of the saints in order after transportation, served before he ended up in Lithuania, in one of the churches of Poozerie, Novgorod diocese, and the meeting with the relics made a stunning impression on him. This was a man not very educated, but burning with faith. And it was not at all by chance that he saw a dream, which was repeated twice: Saint Nikita, dressed in a robe, stood in the middle of the temple and read the penitential canon. The hierodeacon, who entered the temple and saw the bishop, immediately fell at his feet and asked for a blessing. The saint blessed the Novgorodian with a gesture and said: “Pray, everyone, for deliverance from the disasters coming to our homeland and people. The evil enemy is taking up arms. You should all receive a blessing before God’s service.” After these words the saint became invisible.

Vekshni. Interior of the church in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Modern look. July 2001

Archimandrite Alexy writes: “With great spiritual trepidation, Fr. Hilarion about this vision. Subsequently, I reported this to the Metropolitan. After listening to me with attention and upon arriving to us in Vekshni, asking the pious elder Fr. Hilarion, the bishop made an order: to establish a rule that before the start of each service, when the shrine of St. Nikita is opened, the clergy should go out and venerate the right hand of St. Nikita, return to the altar and then only begin the liturgy.” This tradition is also honored by the Novgorod priesthood. It is especially adhered to by the priests of St. Sophia Cathedral, who do not think of starting a divine service without venerating the relics of the saint.

The story told by Archimandrite Alexy additionally reminds us of the dogma of icon veneration: “The honor given to an icon belongs to its prototype, and the one who worships the icon worships the hypostasis of the person depicted on it.” For living man is called to be the image of God. Saints, as we see, become icons of glory even after their death. The existence of a real icon is not based on the artist’s imagination, but on real historical evidence of the saint. Today it is customary for some iconologists to contrast a portrait and a cult image, but in ancient times both were in complete agreement. According to academician N.P. Kondakov, in the year 1558, already known to us, during the discovery of the relics of the Novgorod saint, a posthumous portrait was drawn from his face and sent to Moscow to Metropolitan Macarius with a letter with the following content: “We, Lord, for the sake of the saint’s mercy, sent you on paper the image of Saint Nikita the Bishop... And with then, Lord, they ordered him to paint an icon from the sample - the image of the saint.” Additionally, details related to the characteristic features of the appearance of the saint and his vestments were clarified. A similar portrait (unfortunately, not preserved) back in the 14th century, during the life of Sergius of Radonezh, was painted by his young nephew, who later became Saint Theodore of Rostov, of the sad man of the Russian land. The ancient isographers did not create icons of their own free will, but, remembering the patristic ditaxy, they certainly took the blessing of the hierarch for this. The portrait helped to paint the icon, but the icon did not abolish the portrait. “The sparse hair on Nikita’s chin” confirms the indisputable truth: the saint did not use a razor, for the presence of a beard corresponded to the medieval understanding of the image of God in man. Nikita simply did not have a beard, just like the writer of his life, Marcellus, nicknamed the Beardless by his contemporaries.

This truth is conveyed by the icons of the Novgorod saint, one of the most beloved in our Church for 900 years.

There is Divine Providence in the fact that the saint ordered, but did not see, the paintings of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod. Being numbered among the host of saints, the saint blesses us not from the walls, but in real life; the face of his glory shines and will continue to shine through the thickness of the thousand-year history of our country.

The life of the saint appeared in four editions almost simultaneously. The first edition belonged to the Novgorod monk Markell Bezborody (let’s pay attention to his nickname), who in 1555 was abbot at the Khutyn monastery, and two years later retired to the Anthony Monastery and there “created the life of Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod” shortly before the discovery of the relics of the saint in 1558 d. The second edition is by Abbot Joasaph of the Danilov Monastery, who set to work on behalf of the Novgorod ruler Pimen immediately after the discovery of the relics, repeating the legend of Polycarp from the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon about the former recluse Nikita, about his temptations, described in sufficient detail the discovery of the relics and the miracles that followed. The third edition is attributed by scientists to the famous monk and theologian of the Novgorod Otney Hermitage, Zinovy, who doubted Polycarp’s legend. The author of the fourth edition is the Pskov presbyter Vasily, monk Varlaam, who wrote the life on behalf of the former Archbishop of Novgorod, Metropolitan of All Rus' Macarius. Stoglav. Kazan, 1911. Chapter 40: From the sacred rules on tonsure. P. 60. Dorfman Michael. Jewish fragments of the life of St. Nikita // Swan: Independent almanac. NY. December 7, 2003. No. 352. The very title of the article is surprising, and the title, as you know, highlights the main author’s idea. We will return to this problem later: Rules of the Holy Apostles, Holy Ecumenical and Local Councils and Holy Fathers with interpretations. M., 2000. T. 1. P. 52–53. Neither Dorfman nor we have any reason to consider the bishops mentioned as volunteer eunuchs. Otherwise, they would invariably fall under the influence of the following two canons: “Let him who castrates himself not be accepted into the clergy, for he is a suicide and an enemy of God’s creation,” says the 22nd Apostolic Canon. Rule 23 states similarly: “If anyone from the clergy castrates himself, then let him be cast out. For the murderer is himself” (Rules of the Saints Apostle... P. 53, 54). Some modern authors insist that “eunuchism flourished in Byzantium; many eunuchs reached the highest positions.” Firstly, it is unknown how individuals who reached the “highest positions” became eunuchs. Secondly, history knows other examples: under Emperor Constantine the Great, castration was punishable by death; under Justinian the Great, the emasculator was punished with the same emasculation and deprivation of property. The encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron explains: “In the Christian world, the first case of castration is known in the 3rd century: the famous scientist Origen castrated himself in order to avoid temptation, for which he was deprived of the priesthood. Defending himself, Origen referred to a misinterpreted text by the Evangelist Matthew... Castration as a heresy appeared in the 3rd century, regardless of the influence of Origen, in Palestine, in Philadelphia, under the name of the Valesian heresy, named after the Arabian philosopher Valesius. In 249 this heresy was condemned; her further fate is unknown. Cases of skopchestvo continued to occur, despite the severity of church laws, which subjected the perpetrators to excommunication.” The basis for this heresy was the proximity to Byzantium of Muslim countries, where captives and slaves were castrated, where eunuchs were entrusted with the protection of harems. Dorfman's clumsy attempt to classify St. Nikita among the eunuchs represents another provocation aimed at revaluing Orthodox values. Alexy (Chernay), archimandrite. Shepherd during the war // St. Petersburg Diocesan Gazette. St. Petersburg, 2002. No. 26–27. Dorfman’s surprising paradigm is based on the following argument in favor of Nikita’s Jewish roots: “There is no mention in the life of the saint’s childhood or his origin. It must be said that the lives were written according to a very strict canon. Taking liberties “from one’s own invention” was impossible. Any particularity is strictly determined by the hagiographic canon, which, in turn, is based on time-honored religious traditions. The canon of the life required that it contain information about the place of birth, about the parents, about the childhood of the saint... Contrary to the hagiographic canons, the life of Nikita does not contain anything about his birth. He seems to emerge from oblivion as a devout and self-confident monk of the Pechersk Monastery” (Michael Dorfman. Jewish fragments of the life of St. Nikita). Such “violations” of the hagiographic canon are a common occurrence in medieval Rus'. Childhood is not described, for example, in the life of another Pechersk recluse - Lavrenty, Bishop of Turov, as well as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Hermogenes. According to Dorfman's logic, should these saints also be considered Jews? When there was not enough information, the authors of hagiographical narratives should not have invented them! The canon is not a stencil or a source for fantasies. Ilyin I.A. Fundamentals of Christian culture // Ilyin I.A. Collection cit.: In 10 volumes. M., 1993. T. 1. P. 294. The American writer certainly knows all this, since he casually notes: “However, a Jew on the patriarchal throne in Constantinople also happened: from 1353– 1354 and from 1364–1376 The Ecumenical Patriarch was Philotheus, outstanding for many deeds and exploits, a bright figure comparable in the breadth of knowledge and interests, and also in political philosophy, with the figures of the early Renaissance. In Russian history, Patriarch Philotheus is associated with the canonization of one of the most famous Russian saints - Sergius of Radonezh" (Michael Dorfman. Jewish fragments of the life of St. Nikita). The comparison of Philotheus with “figures of the early Renaissance” is highly questionable. It is enough to familiarize yourself with the chapter “The Other Side of Titanism” in the work of A.F. Losev “Aesthetics of the Renaissance” (Moscow, 1978, pp. 129–138), in order to be convinced of the impossibility of comparing the truly Orthodox Patriarch Philotheus with the Catholic popes of his time, who considered, in unison with their era, “a criterion for human behavior to be an individual who felt isolated” (There same. P. 137), and not the commandments of God. And Patriarch Philotheus could not have anything to do with the canonization of St. Sergius, since he died in 1376, and the saint in 1392. But the patriarch in 1355 sent Sergius (apparently with his deacon George Perdika) a cross, a paramand, a schema and a letter, in which he proposed introducing a communal structure in the monastery. Dorfman, however, is more concerned not with the deliberate distortion of historical dates, but with proof that Orthodoxy is supposedly hostile to Jews, and with proof of the special merits of Jews over Christians. In other words, the American has the task of separating the Greek and the Jew in Christ. Alexy (Chernay), archimandrite. Shepherd during the war. The relics of the Novgorod saints - the builder of the St. Sophia Cathedral, Prince Vladimir, his mother Grand Duchess Anna, Alexander Nevsky's younger brother Theodore, Prince Mstislav and, of course, Bishop Nikita himself - will return to Novgorod with the liberation of Lithuania from the Nazis in 1944. They were accompanied by Hierodeacon Hilarion (Andreev ). The holy relics will be transferred to the Novgorod Museum. All of them, with the exception of the relics of St. Nikita, will lie in storage until the end of the twentieth century, until regular services begin in the St. Sophia Cathedral. Then the saints will take their original places. The relics of the saint of Novgorod will be returned to the Novgorod diocese in 1957. On a dark evening they will be transported by truck to the St. Nicholas Cathedral and, with the blessing of Archbishop Sergius (Golubtsov), put up for veneration by the people of Novgorod, however, they will not stay there for long: the outbreak of Khrushchev’s persecution of the Church will force The local authorities will close the cathedral, and the believing people will reverently transfer the relics of the saint to the Church of the Apostle Philip, located nearby. From there they will arrive at St. Sophia Cathedral on May 13, 1993. But during their last transfer, the bridge across the Volkhov, which had previously seen loads and much more, will sway vertically to such an extent that the procession led by Archbishop Leo, in order to avoid disaster, will be forced to stop, and then continue moving only in small groups. Today we even hear from believers: “People unwittingly followed the rhythm of the chants; This is a textbook case of bridge swaying.” But did the religious procession really move with the singing of marching songs, marking the step?!! And there weren’t enough participants to be able to swing the bridge. No, we were enlightened by a mysterious force about the formidability and significance of the event itself. Alexy (Chernay), archimandrite. Shepherd during the war. Acts of the Ecumenical Councils. Council of Nicaea II, Ecumenical VII. Kazan, 1891. P.285. Kondakov N.P. Russian icon. M., 2004.H. 1. pp. 18–19.

Life of Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod

The future Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod, was from Kyiv. In his youth, he took monastic vows at the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and soon, despite the objections of Abbot Nikon, he wished to go into seclusion. While in retreat, Saint Nikita fell into temptation because he did not listen to Abbot Nikon, but relied on himself, taking on a difficult feat for a young monk. The Kiev-Pechersk Patericon reports that he was tempted by the devil and could not stand it:

...and the devil deceived him. ...a demon stood before him in the form of an angel. The monk fell on his face and bowed to him as if he were an angel. And the demon said to him: “Don’t pray, just read books, and in this way you will talk with God, and from books you will begin to give useful words to those who come to you. I will constantly pray to my Creator for your salvation.

Monk Nikita was seduced, abandoned prayer and took up reading and book wisdom. He surpassed everyone in his knowledge of the books of the Old Testament, but did not want to talk or listen to the Gospel. The Kiev-Pechersk monks came to him and, after praying, drove the demon away from him. After this, the monk Nikita, leaving the seclusion with the blessing of the monks, began to spend his life in strict fasting and prayer, most of all practicing obedience and humility. God, through His mercy and the prayers of the monks, raised him from the depths of his fall to a high degree of spiritual perfection.

In 1096, Nikita was elevated to the rank of bishop by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kyiv (11th century) and appointed to the Novgorod see; in “Painting, or a short chronicler of the Novgorod rulers” Nikita is called the sixth Bishop of Novgorod. During Nikita's bishopric, several churches were built (the Transfiguration Church on Ilyin Street (rebuilt in 1374), the Annunciation Church on Gorodishche, the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Anthony Monastery). Bishop Nikita, for his pious life, was awarded by God the gift of miracles. Once, during a drought, he brought down rain from the sky with prayer, another time, through his prayer, a fire in the city stopped. In 1108, Bishop Nikita reposed and was buried in the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral.

Veneration of Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod

In 1547, at the first Makarievsky Council, Bishop Nikita was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. On April 30, 1558, Archbishop Pimen found the incorruptible relics of St. Nikita. At the same time, a posthumous portrait was drawn from the saint’s face, the details of the saint’s appearance and vestments were clarified, and the information was sent to Metropolitan Macarius in Moscow to clarify the iconographic tradition. F.G. Solntsev in his work “Antiquities of the Russian State” noted:

At the opening of St. of his relics in 1550, a vestment was found on him, preserved incorrupt in the grave, where it lay for 450 years. The entire vestment consists of a phelonion, an epitrachelion, a bridle, a club, a brown damask belt, an omophorion made of white lustrine, and a blue grodetour cap (made of thick taffeta) trimmed with ermine fur; crosses and seraphim with the words Seraphim are embroidered on it in gold. This cap served as a miter. To this episcopal utensil of the 11th century. belongs to the bishop's staff, which will be discussed below, and iron chains weighing 20 pounds, found on the relics of the Hierarch. On the day of the discovery of his incorruptible remains, the Novgorodians brought to his tomb an iron lamp, stored in the sacristy, with a circular incised inscription: “The candle of Veliky Novgorod for all Orthodox Christians, placed to the new wonderworker Nikita...

In 1956, the relics of St. Nikita were transferred by Bishop Sergius (Golubtsov; 1906-1982) from St. Sophia Cathedral to St. Nicholas Cathedral, and in 1962 - to the church in the name of the Apostle Philip. In 1993, the relics of St. Nikita were returned to the St. Sophia Cathedral. The first Life of St. Niketas is found in the letter of Polycarp to Akindinos of the 13th century. In 1942, the Nazis drove over three thousand Novgorodians to Lithuania. In the autumn of the same year, to the Lithuanian town of Vekshni, where the Novgorodians were assigned to settle, a German military train brought five silver shrines with the relics of Novgorod saints. The rector of the local church, Archimandrite Alexy (Cheran), who arrived immediately, was the first to identify the shrine of St. Nikita. All the relics were immediately transported to the church, and Metropolitan of Lithuania Sergius (Voskresensky) in a telephone conversation instructed the rector to open the shrines and straighten the robes of the saints before the all-night vigil. Archimandrite writes:

After a long journey, the saints in the shrines moved from their place, and they had to be laid down in the proper way, and therefore the Lord vouchsafed me, unworthy, to raise Saint Nikita entirely, in my arms, with the help of Hierodeacon Hilarion. The saint was dressed in a dark crimson velvet veil, on top of which lay a large omophorion of forged gold brocade. His face was covered with great air; on the head there is a golden miter, darkened by time. The face of the saint is remarkable; the completely preserved features of his face express strict calm and at the same time meekness and humility. The beard is almost invisible, only sparse hair on the chin is noticeable. The right hand, blessing, is folded with two fingers - a very darkened place from application for 400 years clearly stands out on it. God is marvelous in His saints!” At the same time, Deacon Hilarion, who was helping the rector of the temple put the relics of the saints in order, saw the same dream twice: Saint Nikita, dressed in a mantle, stood in the middle of the temple and read the penitential canon. The hierodeacon, who entered the temple and saw the bishop, immediately fell at his feet and asked for a blessing. The saint blessed the Novgorodian with a gesture and said: “Pray, everyone, for deliverance from the disasters coming to our homeland and people. The evil enemy is taking up arms. You should all receive a blessing before God's service.

After these words the saint became invisible. Having learned about this, Metropolitan Sergius established a rule that before the start of each service, when the shrine of St. Nikita is opened, the clergy should go out and venerate the right hand of St. Nikita, return to the altar, and then only begin the liturgy.

Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod. Icons

It is known that Archbishop Pimen ordered the icon painter Simeon to paint an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Infant Christ, and in front of Them St. Nikita standing and praying with raised hands. The saint did not have a beard. And the icon painter thought that at least a small beard on the face of Bishop Nikita should be depicted on the icon. Simeon dozed off and heard a voice in his thin sleep:

Simeon, are you thinking of writing a message to Bishop Nikita! Don’t think about it, because he didn’t have a brad. And tell other icon painters not to paint Bishop Nikita with a brad on their icons.

The image of the saint was painted as he himself commanded. On the icons, Bishop Nikita is depicted in holy vestments with the Gospel in his hands. On the icon “St. Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod, and St. Sergius of Radonezh,” St. Nikita is depicted with a small beard, probably because the presence of a beard corresponded to the medieval understanding of the image of God in man.

>Prayers of warriors. During
disasters and invasions of enemies, foreigners and infidels

Reclusion

Like other Pechersk monks, Nikita wished for a special feat and decided to seclude himself in a secluded cell. Hegumen Nikon objected to his decision. Usually the retreat must be preceded by a period of novitiate lasting at least 3 years. In his opinion, the young monk was not ready to spend days and nights in solitude and prayer. “Your desire is beyond your strength,” the abbot told him. However, Nikita did not listen; he could not overcome his strong jealousy for the reclusive life. The young man locked himself in a cave, tightly blocked the entrance and remained in prayer alone, without leaving anywhere.

Left alone, Saint Nikita was confident that the Lord would reward him with the gift of miracles. Few days passed until the monk escaped the snares of the devil. While he was singing, he heard a certain voice, as if someone was praying with him. At the same time, Nikita smelled an indescribable fragrance. The young man immediately thought that he felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. He began to ask frantically that the Lord would appear before him. Then a demon appeared before him in the form of an Angel. Saint Nikita did not even doubt the Divine nature of his vision. It was madness on his part to mistake the devil's temptation for the mercy of God. And the inexperienced ascetic, seduced, bowed to him as an Angel. Then the demon said to him: “From now on, don’t pray anymore, but read books and you will talk with God and give useful words to those who come to you. I will always pray to the Creator for your salvation.” Nikita, believing what was said and being even more deceived, stopped praying, but began to read books more diligently, seeing the demon constantly praying for him. Nikita rejoiced, thinking that the Angel himself was praying for him.

Nikita studied the books of the Old Testament so much and memorized them that no one could compare with him in knowledge of these books. When his brilliant knowledge of the Old Testament Scripture became known to many, princes and boyars began to come to him for listening and instruction. One day the monk Nikita sent to tell Prince Izyaslav that he should quickly send his son Svyatopolk to the Novgorod throne, since Prince Gleb Svyatoslavovich was killed in Zavolochye. And indeed, a few days later the news came that Prince Gleb had been killed. This happened on May 30, 1078. And from that time on, great fame began to spread about the recluse Nikita. The princes and boyars believed that the recluse was a prophet, and in many ways they obeyed him. But the demon did not know the future, and what he himself did or taught evil people - whether to kill or steal - he proclaimed. When they came to the recluse to hear a word of consolation from him, the demon, an imaginary angel, told what happened through himself, and Nikita prophesied. And his prophecy always came true.

Place of retreat of St. Nikitas

But here’s what attracted the special attention of the Pechersk ascetics: the monk Nikita knew all the books of the Old Testament by heart and did not want to see, hear, or read the Gospels and other books of the New Testament. It became clear to everyone that the monk Nikita was seduced by the enemy of the human race. The venerable fathers of Pechersk could not tolerate this. Together with their abbot, the Monk Nikon, they came to the seduced recluse and, with the power of their prayers, drove the demon away from him. Having brought Nikita out of seclusion, they asked him about the Old Testament, but he swore that he had never read those books that he previously knew by heart. He couldn’t even read a single word in them, and the brothers barely taught Nikita to read and write.

When the young man realized what was happening to him in seclusion, he sincerely repented of his sin. After this, Nikita left his arbitrary retreat. Continuing to strictly fast, he began to diligently pray to God, and after a short time he surpassed other monks with his obedience and humility.

At the Novgorod department

And just as Christ said to Peter, who denied three times, after his repentance: “Feed My sheep,” so the Lord showed His mercy to Nikita, who sincerely repented, for he then elevated him to the bishop of Novgorod. In 1096, the Monk Nikita was elevated to the rank of bishop by Metropolitan Ephraim of Kyiv and appointed to the see of Veliky Novgorod. In the “Mural, or short chronicler of the Novgorod rulers,” Saint Nikita is listed as the sixth Bishop of Novgorod.

Novgorod

The Lord glorified His saint with the gift of miracles. In the second year of his ministry, Saint Nikita stopped a great fire in Novgorod with his prayers. Another time, during a drought that threatened the Novgorod land with famine, through his prayers, rain revived the fields and meadows with fields and herbs.

The saint was an example of a virtuous life for his flock. The Eulogy to Saint Nikita says that he secretly gave alms to the poor, fulfilling the word of God: When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret (Matthew 6:3-4).

The Novgorod saints were the first to show their activity in various public endeavors: they built and decorated churches with the help of the best craftsmen who were invited from Byzantium and Western Europe. The most significant literary works of Novgorod were created mainly at the Vladychny court. Thanks to the labors of Saint Nikita, several churches were built in Novgorod that have not survived to this day: the Transfiguration Church on Ilyin Street, the Annunciation Church on Gorodishche, the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Anthony Monastery.

Anthony's Monastery - the second in Novgorod - was founded with the blessing of St. Nikita by the Monk Anthony the Roman († 1147) at the beginning of the 12th century. With the assistance of Saint Nikita, the Monk Anthony received territory for the monastery on the banks of the Volkhov River, where the stone on which Anthony miraculously sailed from Rome stopped. Shortly before his death, Saint Nikita, together with the Monk Anthony, marked out the site for a new stone monastery church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Nikita with his own hands began to dig a ditch for its foundation. But the temple was built already under his successor - Bishop John.

Anthony's Monastery

Despite his numerous labors and concerns for the improvement of the Novgorod diocese, Saint Nikita never abandoned the special feat of the hermit monks: under his saintly robes he wore heavy iron chains.

Saint Nikita ruled the Novgorod flock for 13 years and died peacefully in 1109, on January 31. The saint was buried in the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral, in the chapel in the name of Saints Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos.

After the death of Saint Nikita, painting of the walls of the Novgorod Cathedral in the name of St. Sophia the Wisdom of God began, according to the will of Saint Nikita.

Worship and miracles

In 1547, during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible, a certain pious boyar walked around the St. Sophia Cathedral during the service on Easter night and found the saint’s tomb completely neglected. Having sat down nearby, the boyar dozed off and heard a voice in his sleep that told him: “Bishop Nikita’s coffin must be covered.” Obeying this voice, the boyar went home; from there he soon returned with a covering, which he laid on the tomb of Saint Nikita, having first cleansed it of dust and debris. In the same year, at a church council, the all-Russian glorification of the saint took place.

On the night of April 30, 1558, a husband with a barely noticeable beard appeared in a dream to the Novgorod Saint Pimen and said: “Peace be with you, beloved brother! Do not be afraid, I am your predecessor, the sixth bishop of Novgorod, Nikita. The time has come, and the Lord commands that my relics be revealed to the people.” Waking up, Archbishop Pimen heard the bell for matins and hurried to the cathedral. On the way, he met the pious Novgorodian Isaac, who that same night also saw Saint Nikita in a dream, who ordered him to tell the bishop not to delay in opening the relics. Having heard from Isaac about the vision he had, the archbishop immediately began to open the holy relics. When the lid of the tomb was lifted, they saw the sacred treasures of grace: not only the body of the saint of God, but also his vestments were preserved incorruptible. At the same time, a posthumous portrait was drawn from the face of the saint, the details of the appearance and vestments of the saint were specified, and the information was sent to Metropolitan Macarius in Moscow to clarify the icon-painting tradition.

Archbishop Pimen ordered the icon painter Simeon to paint an icon of the Mother of God with the Child of God, and in front of Them, St. Nikita standing and praying with raised hands. The saint had no beard at all. And the icon painter thought that at least a small beard on the face of Saint Nikita should be depicted on the icon. Simeon dozed off and heard a voice in his thin sleep: “Simeon, are you thinking of writing a message to Bishop Nikita! Don’t think about it, because he didn’t have a brad. And tell other icon painters not to paint Bishop Nikita with a brad on their icons.” The image of the saint was painted as he himself commanded.

Soon after the discovery of the relics of St. Nikita, one of the city leaders revealed his doubts about their incorruptibility. To dispel his doubts, Archbishop Pimen opened the cover on the relics of the saint before Persia. Seeing the saint’s face, like that of a healthy sleeping person, the mayor repented of his sin. Despite this, soon the city priests came to the archbishop with a request to give them the opportunity to see with their own eyes the incorruptibility of the relics of St. Nikita. The archbishop imposed a seven-day fast on them to repent of their sins, after which the clergy gathered to the relics of St. Nikita, and then the archbishop, having removed the cover from them, showed them the body of the saint to the extremities of the legs, then put his hands under the head of the saint so that it rose, and with it the whole body began to move. The priests were amazed by the miracle and asked the archbishop to allow them to annually, in memory of this incident, send the entire cathedral to sing a prayer service at the relics of the saint, which is why the archbishop established a holiday on the heel of the second week in the week of All Saints.

The demand made by the clergy of Novgorod to their archpastor to examine the relics of St. Nikita can be explained as follows. At that time, the heresy of Theodosius the Oblique was very widespread, which rejected, among other things, the veneration of holy icons and relics; it also had an effect on the clergy and partly shook their faith in miracles.

Meanwhile, many miracles took place at the relics of St. Nikita, upon their discovery. But what is especially noteworthy is that, through the gracious help of the saint, it was mainly those with eyes and the blind who received healing. Once, during the liturgy, the old and blind Ksenia prayed at the relics of the saint, who had not seen anything for 12 years. She persistently asked Archbishop Pimen to pray for her to St. Nikita. He said: “Get away from me, old lady, go away, go to Saint Nikita, and he will save you according to your faith, if he wants.” At the tomb of Saint Xenia she prayed earnestly, and one of her eyes received sight. With tears of joy, she again persistently begged that through the prayers of the archbishop her other eye would receive the light. The Bishop answered her: “I see, old lady, that you are many years old, and one eye would be enough to serve you until your death.” And again he sends her to the saint’s tomb with the words: “He who opened one eye for you will open the other.” She again fell to the shrine with tears, and her hope was not in vain: she also regained sight in her second eye, to the general surprise of those who were then in the Church of Hagia Sophia.

During the discovery of the relics of Saint Nikita, through his prayers, God crowned Russian weapons with victory in the war with the Livonians. During the capture of Rugodiv, both the Russian army and the enemy saw Saint Nikita riding along the banks of the Narova River on a horse in holy robes and with a staff in his hand, crowned with a cross, repelling enemies from the Russian regiments. This was witnessed by the soldiers themselves who returned to Novgorod; The same was confirmed by the elder of the city of Rugodiva, a Latin named John, when he saw the image of St. Nikita.

The relics of the saint were transferred in 1629 from a dilapidated tomb to a new, wooden one, lined with basma silver. The Novgorodians brought a lamp with a gilded inscription as a gift to their heavenly patron: “The candle of Veliky Novgorod, of all Orthodox Christians, was put on the new Novgorod wonderworker Nikita in the summer of 7066, April 30, under Archbishop Pimen.” This “candle” of St. Nikita, together with the ancient tomb, vestments, staff and chains, were later kept in the sacristy of the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral.

After 1917, when open persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church began, the relics of the saint, like many saints of the Russian Church, were desecrated. Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum, and the relics of the saint, packed in a paper bag, lay in the museum's storage room. And only in 1957, with the blessing of Archbishop Sergius (Golubtsov), on a dark evening, on a truck, the relics of St. Nikita were reverently transported to the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Yaroslav's Dvorishche. But they did not stay there long. During the years of Khrushchev's persecution of the Orthodox Church, this cathedral was closed, like many other churches, and the relics of the saint were transferred to the Church of the Holy Apostle Philip, where they remained until 1993.

On May 13, 1993, with the blessing of His Eminence Leo, Archbishop of Novgorod and Staraya Russia, the relics of the saint were solemnly transferred from the Church of the Apostle Philip to the St. Sophia Cathedral in a procession of the cross in front of thousands of citizens and were honorably placed in the very place where they had rested centuries before.

St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod

Reliquary with the relics of St. Nikita

Relics of the saint during World War II

But here is one amazing fact from the times of the Great Patriotic War: after the Novgorodians driven into captivity, the Novgorod saints of God, led by St. Nikita, followed to their rescue...

In 1942, the Nazis deported over 3,000 Novgorod residents to Lithuania. In the autumn of the same year, to the Lithuanian town of Vekshni, where the Novgorodians were assigned to settle, a German military train brought five silver shrines with the relics of Novgorod saints. The rector of the local church, Archimandrite Alexy (Cheran), who arrived immediately, was the first to identify the shrine of St. Nikita. All the relics were immediately transported to the church, and Metropolitan Sergius of Lithuania, in a telephone conversation, instructed the rector to open the shrines and straighten the robes of the saints before the all-night vigil. Father Archimandrite himself writes:

“After a long journey, the saints in the shrines moved from their place and they had to be laid down in the proper way, and therefore the Lord vouchsafed me, unworthy, to raise Saint Nikita entirely, in my arms, with the help of Hierodeacon Hilarion. The saint was dressed in a dark crimson velvet veil, on top of which lay a large omophorion of forged gold brocade. His face was covered with great air; on the head there is a golden miter, darkened by time. The face of the saint is remarkable; the completely preserved features of his face express strict calm and at the same time meekness and humility. The beard is almost invisible, only sparse hair on the chin is noticeable. The right hand, blessing, is folded with two fingers - a very darkened place from application for 400 years clearly stands out on it. God is marvelous in His saints!”

The entire Orthodox people who found themselves in that Lithuanian region greeted the holy relics with trepidation and inspiration. At the same time, Hierodeacon Hilarion, who was helping the rector of the temple put in order the relics of the saints, a man not very educated, but burning with faith, saw the same dream twice: Saint Nikita, dressed in a mantle, stood in the middle of the temple and read the canon of repentance. The hierodeacon, who entered the temple and saw the bishop, immediately fell at his feet and asked for a blessing. The saint blessed the Novgorodian with a gesture and said: “Pray, everyone, for deliverance from the disasters coming to our homeland and people. The evil enemy is taking up arms. You should all receive a blessing before God’s service.”

After these words the saint became invisible. Having learned about this, Metropolitan Sergius established a rule that before the start of each service, when the shrine of St. Nikita is opened, the clergy should go out and venerate the right hand of St. Nikita, return to the altar, and then only begin the liturgy. This tradition is still honored by the Novgorod priesthood. It is especially adhered to by the priests of St. Sophia Cathedral, who do not think of starting a divine service without venerating the relics of the saint.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

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

Troparion, tone 4:
Having enjoyed the divine wisdom of abstinence, and having curbed the desire of your flesh, you sat down on the throne of the sanctity, and like a many-bright star, enlightening the faithful hearts with the dawn of your miracles, Our Father to Saint Nikito: and now pray to Christ God that he may save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 6:
Having honored the rank of bishop, and standing before the purest, you diligently offered prayer for your people, just as you brought down the rain with prayer, and when you extinguished the burning of hail. And now pray to Saint Nikita, Christ God, to save the Orthodox Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, and your praying people, and we all cry out to you: Rejoice, wonderful holy father.

Prayer to Saint Nikita, recluse of Pechersk, bishop. Novgorodsky:
O Hierarch of God, Saint Nikito, hear us, your sinful servants, who have flocked today to this sacred temple, praying to you and flowing to your sacred race and crying out with emotion: just as we sat on the throne of the sanctity in this Great Novegrad, and brought down the rain with our prayers to the only rainless area. Thou art and again this city, which was engulfed in a fiery flame, through prayer thou didst extinguish the fiery flame, and now we pray to thee, O Saint Nikito of Christ, pray to the Lord to deliver this Great Novgrad and all Christian cities and countries from cowardice, flood, famine, fire, hail, sword and from all enemies, visible and invisible, For through your chosen prayers for the sake of salvation, we glorify the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and your merciful intercession now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.