From childhood, the boy stood out for his meek character, remarkable mind, sensitive heart and had a special desire for spiritual life: prayer, fasting, church services, reading spiritual literature, visiting holy places. The parents rejoiced at such inclinations of their son, but were afraid that he might go to a monastery. They decided to marry him to a beautiful girl from the royal family, hoping that by doing this they would be able to keep their son in the world.
But Alexy was not thinking about family happiness. Seeing the decline of morals in Rome, he prepared for the life of a Christian ascetic. However, seeing the grief of his father and mother, he, like a loving son, decided to fulfill their request. The young couple were also married in the Church of the Martyr Boniface on the Aventine Hill in Rome. That same day in the evening, Alexy told his young wife about his firm decision to devote his life to God and, disguised as a commoner, secretly left home. This action was not easy for him. He mourned the separation from his parents and wife, but the desire for spiritual achievement was stronger than these feelings. He prayed that he, a noble Roman, the owner of untold wealth and thousands of slaves, would be able to endure all the sorrows, humiliation and suffering that the last slave was subjected to in Rome. He wanted to experience for himself all the centuries-old untruths of Iron Rome and atone for it.
Alexy boarded a ship bound for Asia Minor. Arriving there, he visited the cities of Laodicea and Colossae, with which the memory of the Apostle Paul is associated, and then his path lay to Palestine and Egypt. Wandering through the Holy Land, he prayed that the Lord would bless him with a life of hardships and exploits for His glory. After this, Alexy arrived in the city of Edessa, where the shroud with the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands was kept.
Contact with the great shrine inspired him so much that he decided to stay in this city. Having distributed the last money, putting on rags, he began to lead the life of a homeless beggar, begging for alms on the porch of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, remaining day and night in unceasing prayer. This was the beginning of the feat that he himself chose for himself. Alexy decided to be a hermit among people, to represent a desert amid the noisy bustle of the city. He rejected all concerns about the comforts of life and ate only bread and water. If he received alms, he shared it with other beggars who were most in need. With his soul, Alexy constantly strived for Heaven, but his eyes were always cast down to the ground. He lived like this for seventeen years.
The inhabitants of Edessa became accustomed to the beggar, noting that no one prayed more earnestly than him and no one was more humble than him. One day, the Mother of God appeared to the church watchman in a dream and revealed that the beggar Alexy, standing at the temple, was a man of God who was worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. After this vision, which became known to everyone, the townspeople began to treat the beggar with special reverence. Soon after this, the secret holy life of Alexy became known to all the townspeople, they rushed to see the saint and express their respect to him. But the glory from people troubled the heart of the ascetic; he was burdened by these honors. And Alexy decided to continue his feat in another place.
He secretly left Edessa, boarding a ship that was sailing to Cilicia. However, on the way, a storm suddenly broke out, and the sea carried the ship to the shores of his native Italy. Saint Alexy, seeing the Providence of God in this, went to his father’s house, hoping to remain unrecognized, because his appearance had changed greatly from many years of harsh life. Having met his father, he asked him for shelter. He, not recognizing his son, felt sympathy for the poor wanderer, gave him a place in the entryway of his house and ordered him to carry food from the master's table. Alexy remained to live in his home. Out of envy, the servants often insulted the beggar and laughed at him, but he accepted all the bullying silently and humbly. Also, with great patience, he endured the suffering that squeezed his heart at the sight of his relatives crying for him. Alexy invisibly lived his inner, spiritual life, eating only bread and water, in tireless prayer for people. So another seventeen years passed. Only when he sensed the approach of death, the saint wrote a letter in which he outlined his life in detail and left evidence confirming his identity.
On that day, Pope Innocent celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Apostles. Emperor Honorius and many people were present at the service. Suddenly, at the end of the service, a wonderful voice was heard from the altar: “Seek the man of God, so that he may pray for Rome and all her people.” People began to prayerfully ask for directions on where to look for this person. And they received the answer: “There is a man of God in the house of Euthymian, look there.” Emperor Honorius and Pope Innocent came to Euthymian's house and told about what had happened, but the owner of the house did not know who they were talking about. One of the servants recalled a beggar who lived under the stairs, who prayed and fasted a lot. Everyone hurried there and saw the lifeless body of the saint. His face shone with heavenly grace and was like the face of an angel. The ascetic held a letter in his hand. From him everyone learned who the man of God was. The parents and wife fell sobbing to the body of their newfound son and husband.
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| Revered icon of St. Alexy, man of God. Temple of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy to all who mourn." Moscow |
Meaning of the icon
In Rus', the Life of St. Alexy, the Man of God began to spread widely from the 10th century and became one of the most beloved. This poor righteous man became for the Russian people a symbol of renunciation of temporary earthly material goods, an image of humility, meekness and non-covetousness.
The famous Athonite elder Joseph the Hesychast said that true righteousness does not have a bell that would ring and attract attention. True righteousness is always humble, it is not flaunted, and people can often learn about the power of this spiritual life only after the death of a saint.
Both in Europe and in Rus', Saint Alexy became the hero of numerous spiritual poems. Rimsky-Korsakov's cantata was dedicated to him. In the famous literary work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” by Alexander Radishchev, the story of St. Alexy is told in the song of a blind soldier who begs for alms in the city of Klin. Many icon painters in different centuries sought to capture the image of the great ascetic.
In our time, perhaps someone would regard the act of Saint Alexy as the step of a madman. Why does he make such a decisive and irrevocable choice: secretly leaving the home where he is loved to lead the harsh life of a homeless wanderer? This can be understood by remembering that already in his youth Saint Alexy reached spiritual heights and acquired the grace of God. He understood that, spending his life in the world, it would be difficult for him to preserve the main treasure that he had acquired - the hidden life with God. Heavenly gifts are incomparably higher than earthly blessings, therefore, for a person who has known the joy of connection with the Highest, the choice is obvious.
Saint Alexy showed great lessons to the world through the example of his life. He became a hermit among people, alien to temptations among possible temptations, he became a man of God among those who had forgotten God. He revealed the dignity of the human soul in the midst of poverty despised by people and showed that even in these poor creatures, in whom the powerful of this world hardly see the image of man, the grace and great power of God can manifest themselves.
The diseases of our time are strong, but the counteraction to these diseases is also strong - the moral deeds of saints who have shone through the centuries. Great are the hardships to which they voluntarily subjected themselves in the name of higher spiritual aspirations, in order to show the world the triumph of the spirit over temporary worldly pleasures.
Alexey is a man of God, (REMEMBER DAY MARCH 30 ), along with poor Lazarus, became their own heroes of the poor precisely because they were beggars. But unlike poor Lazar, Alexey voluntarily renounced all earthly blessings. For centuries, the Russian “poor brethren” sang about his sufferings as if they were their own.
In Russian icon painting originals, the similarity of the image of Alexy with John the Baptist is noted:
On the left is Saint Alexis, on the right is John the Baptist
Alexey, a man of God, is a saint, the son of a noble Roman, Senator Euthymian, who lived during the time of Pope Innocent I (402-417) and his wife Aglaida. In his youth, Alexey left his native place; at first he lived in the Syrian city Latakia, grazed mules there and with the drivers reached Edessa. For a long time he was a beggar at the temple in Edessa in Syria ( now it is a Turkish citySanliurfa, the city of five prophets, in which, according to legend, Avram was born). Here Alexy distributed the remains of his property, dressed in rags and began to beg for alms. Over the next seventeen years, Alexy lived on alms, ate only bread and water, and spent all his nights in vigil and prayer. Over the years, the saint changed so much in appearance that the servants sent by his parents to search for their missing son and who also visited Edessa gave him alms, but did not recognize him.After seventeen years of asceticism, the rumor about Alexius’s holiness spread widely throughout Syria. Moreover, in a vision to the church watchman, the Most Holy Theotokos pointed out Alexy as a man of God. Confused by the popular respect shown to him, Alexy secretly fled from Edessa, intending to cross by ship to Tarsus. But the ship was caught in a storm and many days later was washed up on the Italian shores.
And then he returned to Rome, to his parents’ house, where, unrecognized by his loved ones and neglected by the servants, he lived on alms in his parents’ house under the stairs.The most difficult test for the saint was hearing the sobs of his mother and bride, who continued to mourn him. So another seventeen years passed.
Shortly before the death of Alexei, during the service on the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, when the emperors Arcadius and Honorius were present at the service, Holy Pope Innocent heard a voice from the altar: “ Find a man of God who will pray for Rome. At dawn on Friday he will leave his body and the Lord will accept his offering" On Thursday evening, the pope, emperors and people gathered in the temple and began to pray that the Lord would point them to the saint. Finally a voice was heard: “ Euthymian's house contains his remains." Euthymian himself had no idea who he was talking about, but the servant told his master about the beggar whom Euthymian had once entrusted him with taking care of, and told about what a pious life that beggar led. Euthymian ran to the saint, but he had already died. A scroll was found in the hands of the deceased, but no one could remove this scroll. Then the emperors came to Euthymian’s house and Pope Innocent. After the prayers, the pope took a scroll from the saint’s hands, which turned out to be an autobiography. After reading it, it was discovered that Saint Alexei was the son of Euthymian.
Pope Innocent I and Emperor of Rome Honorvius
He was probably buried in the Roman Church of St. Peter, where the coffin with the body of Alexei was displayed in the square in front of the cathedral,and at his grave numerous healings took place. The Pope and the Emperor personally carried the body of the saint in the funeral procession.
Later, the relics of St. Alexei were transferred to the temple Saint Boniface on the Aventine Hill and now they rest in the same place, under the throne in the same shrine with the relics of the martyr St. Bonifatia . The Church of St. Boniface was built on the very spot where the house of St. Alexis’s parents was located, where he returned as a beggar after wandering around Syria.
Church of Boniface in which the relics of Alexei rest.
The story of Saint Alexis became widespread in the Orthodox East. The first mentions of the man of God (as yet nameless), who lived on alms in Edessa under Bishop Ravbul (412-435) and who later turned out to come from a noble Roman family, are found already in the 5th century in Syrian sources.
Above the altar of the Catholic Church is Boniface, the same staircase under which Saint Alexy lived in his parents’ house. Now it's just been gilded
Until the 9th century inclusive, the veneration of Saint Alexis spread first throughout Syria, and from there throughout Byzantine Empire. Starting from the 10th century, the name of Saint Alexis appears in the Roman calendar.
A well from the parental home of St. Alexis from which the saint drank water. The well stood near the house on the site of the temple
Edessa icon of the Mother of God of St. Alexis. The miraculous icon is located in the same temple and is called
Madonna di Sant'Alessio (Madonna of St. Alexios)
Boniface Church
In 977 the Church of St. Boniface was transferred by the Pope Benedict VII Metropolitan Sergius of Damascus. Sergius founded a monastery at the church for monks of both the Greek and Latin rites. The resulting monastery became famous as “ Abode of Saints", in subsequent centuries the monastery became one of the centers of piety, and its inhabitants carried out missionary work in Eastern Europe. The most famous person from this monastery was the Catholic saint bishop of Prague Adalbert .
Tomb with the relics of St. Alexey under the altar of the church in Rome.
In 1216, the relics of St. Alexius were discovered and placed under the high altar of the church on the Aventine Hill. The church itself, already in 986, began to be named in honor of two saints - Boniface and Alexis - their relics rest in one tomb under the main altar.
The relics of Saint Alexy were divided: the chapter is kept in the Greek monastery of Agia Lavra in Kalavryta(according to legend, it was donated to the monastery by Emperor Manuel II)
Golden ark with the head of St. Alexey
From Byzantium, the veneration of Saint Alexis, the man of God, passed to Russia, where the life of this saint was one of the most widely read. Rimsky-Korsakov's cantata is dedicated to Saint Alexis. IN " Traveling from St. Petersburg to Moscow»
In the Novgorod Cathedral of St. Sophia, the hand of the saint was kept, stolen, according to a 17th-century legend, from Rome by a Novgorod merchant.
Particles are still separated from the relics: for example, in In 2006, a particle of the relics of St. Alexius was donated to the St. John the Baptist Monastery from Italy..
Alexy was the heavenly patron of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. During this period, he was often depicted together with the Venerable Mary of Egypt (the Tsar’s first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, was named in her honor) or with the martyr Natalya (heavenly patroness of the Tsar’s second wife, Natalya Naryshkina).
Saint Alexius is the patron saint of the Catholic order of Alexians (or Cellites), which arose in Europe in the 14th century to help the sick (especially the mentally ill) and combat plague epidemics. According to the Annuario Pontificio in 1997, the order consisted of 124 people.Alexians looked after those sentenced to death, helped the mentally ill, and buried those who died from the plague..
SACRED TEMPLE.
. Temple icon of St. Alexia the man of God
. Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Georgia
. Icon of St. Philaret of Moscow
. Relics of the Kiev-Pechersk saints
. Reliquary of the Kiev-Pechersk Saints of the Church of St. Alexia the man of God
. Miraculous icon "Healer"
. Venerable Martyr Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna.
There is a beautiful 18th century church in honor of St. Alexei the man of God in the city of Kostroma.
All this says that the saint from distant Rome was very revered in Russia.
Having risen to virtue and purified the mind, /
You have reached the Desired and Extreme, /
having adorned your life with dispassion, /
and let us accept a fair amount of fasting with a clear conscience, /
in prayers as if he were incorporeal, /
You have shone like the sun in the world, /
Blessed Alexie.
Product code: 3.82_new
Width: 3.3cm
Height: 5cm
Material: brass, hot enamels
Saint Alexy is an example of the greatest Christian humility. After many years of wandering, he returned to his parents’ house, where, posing as a beggar, unrecognized, he lived until his death in tireless prayers, patiently enduring sorrows. The prayer addressed to the icon of St. Alexy will help patients suffering from mental illnesses, as well as people experiencing financial difficulties who need support in difficult life circumstances.
In Orthodox churches, the icon of St. Alexis, the man of God, was always placed next to the images of the most revered ascetics. Worship of this saint was especially noticeable during the reign of the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who immensely revered his heavenly patron.
The image of Saint Alexy, the man of God, is addressed with prayer for recovery from mental and physical illnesses. His icon will protect you from the consequences of serious illnesses, relieve you from fear of trials of fate, and facilitate the humble acceptance of difficult life changes.
The icon of St. Alexis, the man of God, guides us on the righteous path, helps us not to become attached to material goods and earthly pleasures, and not to forget about God.
By turning to the image of St. Alexy, you can get help in overcoming addictions and addictions, and gaining the determination to change your life towards spiritual improvement.
Doesn't life experience convince us that attachment to the body and various blessings of the world makes people commit atrocities? Therefore, in our time, the example of ascetics is especially valuable, who through the power of spirit rose above earthly attachments and petty interests and radically changed their lives in the name of higher spiritual aspirations.
Prayer:
Oh, great servant of Christ, holy man of God Alexis, stand with your soul in Heaven before the Throne of the Lord, and perform various miracles on the earth given to you from above by grace! Look mercifully at the people standing before your holy icon, tenderly praying and asking for your help and intercession. Stretch out your honest hand in prayer to the Lord God and ask Him for forgiveness of our sins, voluntary and involuntary, healing for the afflicted, intercession for the afflicted, consolation for the grieving, quick help for the needy, and for all who honor you, a peaceful and Christian death and a good answer to the terrible Judgment of Christ. To her, saint of God, do not disgrace our hope, which we place in you according to God and the Mother of God, but be our helper and protector for salvation, and, having received grace and mercy from the Lord with your prayers, let us glorify the love of mankind of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Trinity glorified and worshiped God, and your holy intercession, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Life of Saint Saint Alexis, Man of God
Saint Alexius was born at the end of the 4th century in the family of a Roman senator. The principles of life of this family were an exception to the norms of life of the Roman Empire of that time, which took place in idleness and the pursuit of luxury. The Gospel commandments of abstinence, love of philosophy, and piety were observed by only a few. Alexy's parents, Evfimian and Aglaida, were rich and noble people, distinguished by their good disposition and mercy. They always helped the poor and welcomed strangers. For a long time, the couple did not have children, they were very sad about this and prayed to God for parental happiness. God heeded their prayers and gave them a son, who was named Alexy.
From childhood, the boy stood out for his meek character, remarkable mind, sensitive heart and had a special desire for spiritual life: prayer, fasting, church services, reading spiritual literature, visiting holy places. The parents rejoiced at such inclinations of their son, but were afraid that he might go to a monastery. They decided to marry him to a beautiful girl from the royal family, hoping that by doing this they would be able to keep their son in the world.
But Alexy was not thinking about family happiness. Seeing the decline of morals in Rome, he prepared for the life of a Christian ascetic. However, seeing the grief of his father and mother, he, like a loving son, decided to fulfill their request. The young couple were also married in the Church of the Martyr Boniface on the Aventine Hill in Rome. That same day in the evening, Alexy told his young wife about his firm decision to devote his life to God and, disguised as a commoner, secretly left home. This action was not easy for him. He mourned the separation from his parents and wife, but the desire for spiritual achievement was stronger than these feelings. He prayed that he, a noble Roman, the owner of untold wealth and thousands of slaves, would be able to endure all the sorrows, humiliation and suffering that the last slave was subjected to in Rome. He wanted to experience for himself all the centuries-old untruths of Iron Rome and atone for it.
Alexy boarded a ship bound for Asia Minor. Arriving there, he visited the cities of Laodicea and Colossae, with which the memory of the Apostle Paul is associated, and then his path lay to Palestine and Egypt. Wandering through the Holy Land, he prayed that the Lord would bless him with a life of hardships and exploits for His glory. After this, Alexy arrived in the city of Edessa, where the shroud with the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands was kept.
Contact with the great shrine inspired him so much that he decided to stay in this city. Having distributed the last money, putting on rags, he began to lead the life of a homeless beggar, begging for alms on the porch of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, remaining day and night in unceasing prayer. This was the beginning of the feat that he himself chose for himself. Alexy decided to be a hermit among people, to represent a desert amid the noisy bustle of the city. He rejected all concerns about the comforts of life and ate only bread and water. If he received alms, he shared it with other beggars who were most in need. With his soul, Alexy constantly strived for Heaven, but his eyes were always cast down to the ground. He lived like this for seventeen years.
The inhabitants of Edessa became accustomed to the beggar, noting that no one prayed more earnestly than him and no one was more humble than him. One day, the Mother of God appeared to the church watchman in a dream and revealed that the beggar Alexy, standing at the temple, was a man of God who was worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. After this vision, which became known to everyone, the townspeople began to treat the beggar with special reverence. Soon after this, the secret holy life of Alexy became known to all the townspeople, they rushed to see the saint and express their respect to him. But the glory from people troubled the heart of the ascetic; he was burdened by these honors. And Alexy decided to continue his feat in another place.
He secretly left Edessa, boarding a ship that was sailing to Cilicia. However, on the way, a storm suddenly broke out, and the sea carried the ship to the shores of his native Italy. Saint Alexy, seeing the Providence of God in this, went to his father’s house, hoping to remain unrecognized, because his appearance had changed greatly from many years of harsh life. Having met his father, he asked him for shelter. He, not recognizing his son, felt sympathy for the poor wanderer, gave him a place in the entryway of his house and ordered him to carry food from the master's table. Alexy remained to live in his home. Out of envy, the servants often insulted the beggar and laughed at him, but he accepted all the bullying silently and humbly. Also, with great patience, he endured the suffering that squeezed his heart at the sight of his relatives crying for him. Alexy invisibly lived his inner, spiritual life, eating only bread and water, in tireless prayer for people. So another seventeen years passed. Only when he sensed the approach of death, the saint wrote a letter in which he outlined his life in detail and left evidence confirming his identity.
On that day, Pope Innocent celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Apostles. Emperor Honorius and many people were present at the service. Suddenly, at the end of the service, a wonderful voice was heard from the altar: “Seek the man of God, so that he may pray for Rome and all her people.” People began to prayerfully ask for directions on where to look for this person. And they received the answer: “There is a man of God in the house of Euthymian, look there.” Emperor Honorius and Pope Innocent came to Euthymian's house and told about what had happened, but the owner of the house did not know who they were talking about. One of the servants recalled a beggar who lived under the stairs, who prayed and fasted a lot. Everyone hurried there and saw the lifeless body of the saint. His face shone with heavenly grace and was like the face of an angel. The ascetic held a letter in his hand. From him everyone learned who the man of God was. The parents and wife fell sobbing to the body of their newfound son and husband.
The body of the Monk Alexy was taken to the main square of the city, and miraculous healings began to occur from him: the blind began to see, the feeble-minded gained reason, the weak began to walk. Before burial, the saint’s body was taken to the cathedral, and for a whole week a stream of people came to him, until all the sufferers were able to touch the relics and honor the memory of the ascetic.
Meaning of the icon
In Rus', the Life of St. Alexy, the Man of God began to spread widely from the 10th century and became one of the most beloved. This poor righteous man became for the Russian people a symbol of renunciation of temporary earthly material goods, an image of humility, meekness and non-covetousness.
The famous Athonite elder Joseph the Hesychast said that true righteousness does not have a bell that would ring and attract attention. True righteousness is always humble, it is not flaunted, and people can often learn about the power of this spiritual life only after the death of a saint.
Both in Europe and in Rus', Saint Alexy became the hero of numerous spiritual poems. Rimsky-Korsakov's cantata was dedicated to him. In the famous literary work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” by Alexander Radishchev, the story of St. Alexy is told in the song of a blind soldier who begs for alms in the city of Klin. Many icon painters in different centuries sought to capture the image of the great ascetic.
In our time, perhaps someone would regard the act of Saint Alexy as the step of a madman. Why does he make such a decisive and irrevocable choice: secretly leaving the home where he is loved to lead the harsh life of a homeless wanderer? This can be understood by remembering that already in his youth Saint Alexy reached spiritual heights and acquired the grace of God. He understood that, spending his life in the world, it would be difficult for him to preserve the main treasure that he had acquired - the hidden life with God. Heavenly gifts are incomparably higher than earthly blessings, therefore, for a person who has known the joy of connection with the Highest, the choice is obvious.
Saint Alexy showed great lessons to the world through the example of his life. He became a hermit among people, alien to temptations among possible temptations, he became a man of God among those who had forgotten God. He revealed the dignity of the human soul in the midst of poverty despised by people and showed that even in these poor creatures, in whom the powerful of this world hardly see the image of man, the grace and great power of God can manifest themselves.
The diseases of our time are strong, but the counteraction to these diseases is also strong - the moral deeds of saints who have shone through the centuries. Great are the hardships to which they voluntarily subjected themselves in the name of higher spiritual aspirations, in order to show the world the triumph of the spirit over temporary worldly pleasures.
The Monk Alexy, a man of God, was born in Rome from noble and pious parents. His father Euthymian was a senator. He was distinguished by his kindness of soul, was merciful to the sick and suffering, and set up three tables in his home every day: for orphans and widows, for travelers and for the poor. Euthymian and his wife Aglaida did not have children for a long time, and this darkened their happiness. But the pious Aglaida did not give up hope - and God heard her and sent them a son. The father named the baby Alexy (translated from Greek as “protector”). Saint Alexy grew up as a healthy child and studied well and diligently. When he reached adulthood, Evfimian and Aglaida decided to marry him. They chose a girl of royal blood, very beautiful and rich, for their son. Left alone with his young wife after the wedding, Saint Alexy gave her his gold ring and belt buckle with the words: “Keep this, and may the Lord be between you and me until He renews us with His grace.” Then he left the bridal chamber and left his father’s house that same night.
Boarding a ship sailing to the East, the young man arrived in Syrian Laodicea. Here he accosted the donkey drivers and reached with them the city of Edessa, where the Holy Image of the Lord, imprinted on the shroud, was kept. Having distributed the remainder of his property, the young man dressed himself in rags and began to beg for alms in the vestibule of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos. Every Sunday he partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. At night Alexy stayed awake and prayed. He ate only bread and water.
Meanwhile, the parents and wife of Saint Alexis, saddened by his disappearance, sent their servants to search. They were also in Edessa, entered the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos and gave alms to Saint Alexis, without recognizing him. After some time, the servants returned to Rome without finding Saint Alexius. And none of the relatives had a revelation about him. Then they humbled themselves, and although they continued to grieve and yearn for him, they relied on the will of God.
The Monk Alexy spent seventeen years in Edessa, begging for alms in the vestibule of the Church of the Mother of God. The Most Pure One herself, appearing in a dream to the church watchman, revealed that the beggar Alexy was a man of God. When the inhabitants of Edessa began to honor him, the Monk Alexy fled secretly. He thought of going to the city of Tara (in Asia Minor, the homeland of the holy Apostle Paul), but the ship on which the monk was sailing fell into a strong storm and lost its course, wandered for a long time and finally landed on the shores of Italy, not far from Rome. Saint Alexy, seeing the Providence of God in this, went to his father’s house, for he was sure that he would not be recognized. Having met his father Euthymian, he asked him for shelter and mentioned his relatives who were on a journey. He was glad to receive the beggar, gave him a place in the entryway of his house, ordered him to carry food from the master's table and assigned a servant to help him. The rest of the servants, out of envy, began to surreptitiously insult the beggar, but the Monk Alexy saw the devil's instigation in this and accepted the mockery with humility and joy. He still ate bread and water, and at night he stayed awake and prayed. So another seventeen years passed. When the hour of his death approached, the Monk Alexy wrote down his entire life, both the secret things that were known to his father and mother, and the words spoken to his wife in marital peace.
On Sunday after the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of St. Apostle Peter, a miracle occurred. A voice from above came from the Holy See: “Seek the man of God, so that he may pray for Rome and all her people.” The whole people fell on their faces in horror and delight. On Thursday evening in the Cathedral of the Apostle Peter they prayed to the Lord to reveal to them the man of God - and a voice came from the throne: “In the house of Euthymian there is a man of God, look there.” The Roman Emperor Honorius (395-423), as well as Pope Innocent I (402-417), were present in the temple. They turned to Euthymian, but he knew nothing. Then the servant assigned to Saint Alexius told Euthymian about his righteousness. Euthymian hurried to the Monk Alexy, but did not find him alive.
The face of the blessedly deceased saint shone with an unearthly light. In his hand, the Monk Alexy held a tightly clutched scroll. The body of Saint Alexis was carried with due honor and laid on a bed. The Emperor and the Pope knelt, asking the saint to open his hand. And Saint Alexy fulfilled their request. The scroll with the biography of the saint was read by the reader of the temple in the name of the holy Apostle Peter. The father, mother and wife of Saint Alexy fell weeping to the body of the saint and bowed to his venerable remains. At the sight of such grief, many cried. The bed with the body of Saint Alexis was placed in the middle of the central square. People began to flock to him to be cleansed and relieved of their ailments. The dumb began to speak, the blind began to see, the possessed and the mentally ill were cured. Seeing such grace, Emperor Honorius and Pope Innocent I themselves carried the body of the saint in the funeral procession. The honorable remains of Saint Alexis, the man of God, were buried in the church in the name of Saint Boniface on March 17, 411. On this day the memory of St. Alexy, the man of God, is celebrated. In 1216 the relics of the saint were found. From time immemorial, his life was one of the most beloved in Rus'.
Sources:
1. Menaion, March. M., 1997.
2. Orthodox Encyclopedia, vol. II, M. 2001