The Monk Sergius gave the commandment: “before going to him, pray for the repose of his parents over their tomb.” All those who undertake a pilgrimage trip to the Trinity Lavra make it their duty - in accordance with the will of the Monk - to first visit the Khotkovo Intercession Monastery and venerate the tombs of his parents. ( Reliquary with the relics of the Venerable Schema-Monk Cyril and Schema-Nun Maria of Radonezh and Khotkovo Wonderworkers in this moment located in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Intercession Khotkov Monastery).
At the end of the 13th - beginning of the 14th century, 4 km from Rostov the Great, on the banks of the Ishni River, in the village of Varnitsa, there was an estate of the noble Rostov boyars Kirill and Maria ( On the site of the estate of Cyril and Mary near Rostov there is now the Varnitsky Monastery).
Trinity-Sergius Varnitsky Monastery
Kirill was in the service of the Rostov princes - first with Prince Konstantin II Borisovich, and then with Konstantin III Vasilievich, whom he, as one of the people closest to them, more than once accompanied on Golden Horde. St. Cyril owned a fortune sufficient for his position, but due to the simplicity of the morals of that time, living in the countryside, he did not neglect ordinary rural labor.
The couple already had a son, Stephen, when God gave them another son - the future founder of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, St. Sergius ( in total, the couple had 3 children - Stefan, Bartholomew (the future Sergius of Radonezh) and Peter). Long before his birth, God's Providence gave a sign of him as a great chosen one of God. According to legend, when his mother, pregnant with him, was in church, the child, to the great amazement of all those present, exclaimed three times in a loud voice in his mother’s womb: at the beginning of the reading of the Gospel, before the singing of the Cherubim and at the moment when the priest exclaimed: “Let us hear, Holy One.” saints! After this, the mother began to especially monitor her spiritual state, remembering that she was carrying a baby in her womb, who was destined to be the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit. Maria observed fasting throughout her pregnancy, without giving herself any concessions.
Righteous Mary and her husband make a vow: if they have a boy, they will bring him to church and give him to God.
May 3, 1314 The righteous parents were visited by great joy: a boy was born. On the 40th day after his birth, the Baby was brought to church to perform the sacrament of baptism on him. Priest Michael named the baby Bartholomew, for on this day (June 11) the memory of the holy Apostle Bartholomew was celebrated. This name in its meaning - “Son of joy (consolation)” was especially comforting for parents. The priest felt that this was a special baby and, overshadowed by the Divine Spirit, predicted: “ rejoice and be glad, for this child will be the chosen vessel of God, the abode and servant of the Holy Trinity».
From the first days of his life, baby Bartholomew surprised everyone with his fasting: on Wednesdays and Fridays he ate nothing at all, and on other days he refused his mother’s milk if Mary ate meat. Abstained by fasting in the womb, the baby, even at birth, seemed to require fasting from the mother. And she began to observe fasting more strictly: she completely abandoned meat food, and the baby, except for Wednesdays and Fridays, always fed on her milk after that.
When Bartholomew was 7 years old, his parents sent him to learn to read and write so that he could read and understand the Word of God. His two brothers also studied with him: the elder Stefan and the younger Peter. The brothers studied successfully, but Bartholomew was far behind them. The teacher punished him, his comrades reproached him and even laughed at him, his parents persuaded him; and he himself strained all the efforts of his childish mind, spent his nights over a book, and often, hiding from human gaze, somewhere in solitude, he wept bitterly about his inability, fervently and fervently prayed to the Lord God: “ Give me, Lord, to understand this letter; teach me. Lord, enlighten and enlighten!“But he still wasn’t given a diploma. Until one day, sent by his father to the field to fetch horses, 13-year-old Bartholomew met an elder schema-monk. He asked him to come to his parents’ house; at dinner, the elder predicted to Cyril and Mary that “the boy will be great before God and people for his virtuous life.” Having blessed them, the schema-monk left. From then on, Bartholomew’s diploma, to his parents’ joy, began to come easily.
When Bartholomew turned 15 years old (around 1328), the Rostov Principality came under the rule of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan Kalita. One of the Moscow boyars was appointed governor of Rostov, who oppressed and robbed the inhabitants. Many of the Rostovites began to leave the city. Among them was boyar Kirill. In addition to the oppression of the Moscow governors, he also went bankrupt, and did not want to stay where he once lived in wealth and honor. For his residence he chose the small town of Radonezh in the Moscow lands ( 12 km from the Trinity Lavra, towards Moscow, there is the village of Gorodishche or Gorodok, which in ancient times bore the name Radonezh).
According to the custom of that time, Cyril was supposed to receive an estate, but due to his old age he could no longer serve the Moscow prince, and this responsibility was assumed by his eldest son Stefan, who by that time was already married. The youngest of the sons of Cyril and Mary, Peter, also married, but Bartholomew continued his exploits in Radonezh. When he was about twenty years old, he asked his parents for a blessing to become a monk. The parents did not object, but asked to wait only until their death: with their departure they would have lost their last support, since the two older brothers were already married and lived separately. The blessed son obeyed and did everything to appease the old age of his parents, who did not force him to marry.
At that time, the custom of accepting monasticism in old age was widespread in Rus'. This is what simple people, princes and boyars did. According to this pious custom, at the end of their lives, Cyril and Maria also took first monastic tonsure, and then the schema in the Khotkovsky Intercession Monastery, which was located 3 km from Radonezh and at that time was both male and female. Almost at the same time, a sad change occurred in the life of their eldest son Stefan: his wife died, leaving two sons. Having buried his wife in the Khotkovo Monastery, Stefan did not want to return to the world. Entrusting your children younger brother Peter, he became a monk here in Khotkovo.
Venerable Sergius at the relics of his parents
In 1337 Schemamonk Kirill and schemanun Maria departed to the Lord. Before their blessed death, they blessed Bartholomew for his monastic feat.
The children buried them under the shadow of the Intercession Monastery, which from that time became the last shelter and tomb of the Sergius family.
The reliquary with the relics of the Venerable Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria of Radonezh and Khotkovo Wonderworkers is currently in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Intercession Khotkovo Monastery
Relics of Saints Cyril and Mary in the Intercession Cathedral
Already being an abbot, Venerable Sergius often walked from the monastery he founded ( now – Trinity-Sergius Lavra) to the graves of his parents and, according to legend, bequeathed to those coming to him to first pray for his parents in Khotkovo. And so it happened: before going to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, pilgrims came to the Intercession Monastery in Khotkovo, wanting to “bow at the grave of his righteous parents in order to appear to the blessed son from his dear grave as if with parting words from the righteous parents themselves.”
Until the revolution of 1917, the relics of the saints rested under the floor of the Intercession Cathedral in the Khotkovsky Monastery. And after the liquidation of the monastery, the workers who were rebuilding it into warehouses and workshops... allowed the believers to take away the relics and, moreover, they themselves helped open the floors of the temple and take out the remains. The relics were placed in a crypt on the territory of the monastery, and no signs or inscriptions were placed on the crypt - only the direct participants in these events remembered the place...
The church-wide glorification of Cyril and Mary as saints took place in 1992, exactly 600 years after the repose of their “son of joy,” St. Sergius of Radonezh.
Today their relics have been returned to the Khotkovsky Monastery. The memory is celebrated the day after their memory famous son – October 11, January 31 and on the day of the council of Radonezh saints - July 19, the day after the commemoration of the discovery of the relics of St. Sergius, abbot of Radonezh.
Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery
The chronicle of the Khotkovo Intercession Monastery provides evidence of how a prayerful appeal to St. Sergius and his parents saved people from serious illnesses. Their intercession was especially evident during national disasters - the terrible pestilence of 1770-1771, cholera epidemics in 1848 and 1871. Thousands of people flocked to Khotkovo. At the tomb of the saint’s parents, the Psalter and prayer to the saints Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria were read vigilantly. At the same time, they were already locally revered in the monastery. And every time many people were saved from destructive diseases.
Prayer to Saints Cyril and Mary
O servants of God, St. Cyril and Mary! Even though you have ended your natural temporary life in body, you do not depart from us in spirit; you guide us to Christ God, instructing us to walk according to the commandments of the Lord and to bear our cross and follow our Master. You, reverend ones, together with our reverend and God-bearing father Sergius, your beloved son, have boldness towards Christ our God and towards His Holy Mother of God. Be prayer books and intercessors for us, unworthy, living in holy monastery yours, and you are her boss. Be the helpers and intercessors of this squad gathered by God, so that those who live in this place and come with faith, preserve by your prayers, remain unharmed from demons and from evil people, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever centuries. Amen.
Troparion, tone 3
Participant of the beatitudes of Christ, honorable marriage and care for the children of the good image, the righteous Cyril and Mary, the fruit of piety, the Venerable Sergius showed us, with him earnestly pray to the Lord to send down to us the spirit of love and humility, so that in peace and unanimity we glorify the Trinity of the Consubstantial.
Kontakion, tone 4
Today, having come together, let us praise the blessed duo of the blessed Cyril and the good-natured Mary, for they pray together with their beloved son, the Venerable Sergius, to the One in Holy Trinity To God, establish our fatherland in orthodoxy, protect our homes with peace, save our youth from misfortunes and temptations, strengthen our old age and save our souls.
Greatness
We bless, we bless you, Reverend Cyril and Mary and Reverend Our Father Sergius, and we honor your holy memory, mentor of monks and interlocutor of Angels.
Russian Orthodoxy and the entire Russian World have to endure difficult trials - as if the darkness of the earth has again taken up arms against us.
Our faithful respond to challenges with spiritual action. July 16 procession tens of thousands of pilgrims walked from the Pokrovsky Khotkov stauropegial monastery near Moscow to the Annunciation Field in Sergiev Posad; led the procession His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Kirill.
The distance is considerable - almost two dozen kilometers. What's the matter? Why Khotkovo?
Russian Orthodoxy remembers and honors not only its saints, but also their parents. It is very natural to understand from which apple tree such a valuable, healing apple came from in our garden, and to bow down respectfully. It is always with joy to learn about the family in which this or that ascetic was born and raised. Do you come to the place in Yuryev-Polsky where the house stood, where the family lived and where you were born? Reverend Nikon Radonezh, second abbot of the Holy Trinity, disciple of St. Sergius, or you will freeze on the hill in Borovsk, in the cemetery chapel over the grave of John and Photinia, the parents of St. Paphnutius of Borovsk, or you will think in Kursk about the courtyard through which the sick Prokhor Moshnin, who later became Sarov, was carried the wonderworker Seraphim, may you remember his parents Isidore and Agafya.
The Russian people treat with special reverence the parents of one of the pillars of Russian Orthodoxy - St. Sergius of Radonezh, who instilled in Rus' the amazing teaching of great icon“Holy Trinity”, which blessed the holy noble prince Demetrius Donskoy for a sacrificial and important battle.
And in 2012, the 675th anniversary of the repose of the holy couple was celebrated. By human standards, this is a huge period of time, but eternity, of course, has no time.
It was fitting for such a child... to have saintly parents
Speaking about Cyril and Mary, Blessed Epiphanius, the author of the Life of Sergius, wrote: “The Lord, who deigned that the great lamp should shine in the Russian land, did not allow it to be born from unrighteous parents, for such a child, which, according to God’s dispensation, was later to serve spiritual benefit and it was fitting for the salvation of many to have holy parents, so that good might come from good and better would be added to better, so that the praise of both the begotten and those who gave birth would mutually increase to the glory of God. And their righteousness was known not only to God, but also to people. Strict guardians of all church statutes, they also helped the poor; but they especially sacredly kept the commandment of the Apostle: “Do not forget the love of strangers: therefore there are no angels who know no more and accept strangers” (Heb. 13: 2).”
For centuries, Cyril and Maria rested where they rested - in the Radonezh region, in Khotkovo.
Directories claim that the beginning of the town of Khotkov was laid by the Intercession Khotkov Monastery, founded here in 1308. It is believed that the name locality received from the surname of the landowner Khotkov, to whom it belonged. Some people derive the toponym from the ancient Slavic name Khot, or Khotk. The current Khotkovo is located on the Pazhe River, 60 km northeast of Moscow and 11 km southwest of Sergiev Posad, it is a railway station on the Moscow-Yaroslavl line.
This place is truly extraordinary. Nearby is the village of Radonezh, where the parents of Sergius of Radonezh lived, nearby. From here on foot it is very close to Abramtsevo, which became famous already in the 19th century, famous for the names of outstanding painters and other figures of Russian culture. It was in Abramtsevo, among the local landscapes, that the great M. Nesterov painted the famous painting “Vision to the Youth Bartholomew” - about the miracle, as a result of which the Reverend Sergius later grew out of the youth.
It’s picturesque here, gratifying, blessed. And can a place that gives birth to national spiritual nurturers be unfavorable?
Who were these people, Kirill and Maria? Lives will tell that they came from noble Rostov boyars and lived not far from Rostov the Great, on their estate. Kirill, who was in the service of the Rostov prince Konstantin II Borisovich, and then Konstantin III Vasilyevich, more than once accompanied his leaders to the Golden Horde. He was quite comfortable, but did not disdain simple rural labors and worries.
Kirill and Maria already had a son, Stefan, and their wife was expecting a second child when the unheard of happened to her. During the liturgy, the child three times - after the Trisagion hymn (before reading the Holy Gospel), during the Cherubic hymn and during the priestly exclamation “Let us attend! Holy to Saints! - he exclaimed loudly in his womb. Yes, so that the parishioners heard! Accustomed to listening to signs, Maria understood what this instruction meant. Being a prayer book, she began to avoid meat, dairy foods and even fish, eating only bread, vegetables and water.
The narrators of the life of righteous Mary liken her to Saint Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel, since together with her husband she made a vow: in the event of the birth of a boy, she would give him to the Church. And - the second son was born. This truly cosmic event for Rus' took place on May 3, 1314. And on the fortieth day, June 11, the baby was baptized Bartholomew in honor of his heavenly co-name, the apostle, revered on that day. (The year of birth is now approved by the Church, but historians, including old church ones, also called the years 1319 and 1322.)
Priest Michael, who named the baby, pointed out to the parents examples from the Bible, when God’s chosen ones, even from their mother’s womb, were destined to serve God, in particular, the words of the Apostle Paul: “God called me from the womb of my mother to reveal His son in me, that I might preach Him in pagans" (Gal. 1:16) and others. Father predicted: “Rejoice and be merry, for this child will be the chosen vessel of God, the abode and servant of the Holy Trinity.”
The mother immediately noticed: when she ate meat, the baby refused mother's milk, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he refused to eat at all. Bartholomew retained a similar fasting habit while growing up, sometimes disturbing his mother.
Various disturbances, and most of all, in the words of St. Epiphanius, “the great army, or the invasion of Turalykovo, in 1327,” had an extremely unfavorable effect on Cyril’s financial condition and almost brought him to poverty, which became the reason for the family’s relocation from the Rostov principality to the Moscow one. to the village of Radonezh.
Due to Kirill's age, Stefan, who was already married, replaced him in the Moscow princely service. The third son of Kirill and Maria, Peter, has also already started his own family. Bartholomew, upon reaching his twentieth birthday, asked his parents for a blessing for monasticism. His parents only asked him to wait for their death.
The spirit of monasticism was insensitively communicated from the son to the parents
As Orthodox sources sublimely and reverently write, “the spirit of monasticism was insensitively communicated from the son to the parents: at the end of their sorrowful life, Cyril and Maria themselves, according to the pious custom of antiquity, wished to take on the angelic image.” That is, bowing with age, they first took monastic tonsure, and then the schema - in the Intercession Khotkovsky Monastery, which then had two sections - for elders and elders, located 3 versts from Radonezh. It is noteworthy that Stefan, who at the same time buried his wife Anna in the Khotkovsky Monastery, handed over his two sons to his brother Peter and his wife Catherine and also took monastic vows and began to care for his weak parents. Subsequently, he chose desert life and left the monastery.
The schema-boyars soon departed to the Lord, in 1337, before their blessed death, blessing Bartholomew for his monastic feat. The children buried them in the Intercession Monastery, which from that time became the last shelter and tomb of the Sergius family.
And Bartholomew, having mourned his parents, took monastic vows and retired to live in the desert in a remote corner of the Radonezh land, on Makovets Hill, where he later founded the Trinity Monastery.
Already being an abbot, the Monk Sergius often came to the graves of his parents and, according to legend, bequeathed to those coming to him to first pray for his parents in Khotkovo. As if indicating a necessary spiritual connection. And so it happened: before going to the Trinity-Sergius monastery, pilgrims came to the Intercession Khotkov Monastery, so that later “to appear to the blessed son from his dear grave, as if with parting words from the righteous parents themselves.”
The intercession of Cyril and Mary was especially evident during the pestilence of 1770-1771 and the cholera epidemic in 1848 and 1871.
In the 19th century, veneration spread throughout Russia, although there was evidence of miracles associated with them earlier. The chronicle of the monastery provides evidence of how a prayerful appeal to St. Sergius and his parents saved people from serious illnesses. Their intercession was especially evident during the terrible pestilence in 1770-1771 and the cholera epidemic in 1848 and 1871. Thousands of people flocked to Khotkovo. At the tomb of the Rev.’s parents, the Psalter and prayer to the saints Schemamonk Cyril and Schemanun Maria were vigilantly read. They have long been locally revered in the monastery: already in the 14th century, in the personal life of St. Sergius, his parents are depicted with halos.
Photo07 - Cancer with the relics of St. Cyril and Mary in the Intercession Cathedral of the Khotkov Monastery at the beginning of the 20th century.
The relics of Schemamonk Kirill and Schemanun Maria invariably rested in the Intercession Cathedral, even after its numerous reconstructions.
The relics were buried in a crypt on the territory of the monastery, without any signs or inscriptions on the crypt.
After the liquidation of the monastery in the godless times of the 20th century, the workers who were rebuilding it into warehouses and workshops allowed the believers to take the relics and even helped themselves to open the floor of the temple and remove the remains. The relics were buried in a crypt on the territory of the monastery, without any signs or inscriptions on the crypt - only the direct participants in these events remembered the place.
Only in July 1981 was the celebration of the Council of Radonezh Saints established on July 6 (19), the day after the holiday in honor of the discovery of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Schemamonk Kirill and schemanun Maria were also glorified in the Cathedral of the Radonezh Saints.
In 1989, the Intercession Church of the former Khotkov Monastery was returned to the Church, and in the same year, on the day of the celebration of St. Sergius, the relics of his righteous parents were transferred here.
Khotkovsky convent in honor after ungodly times opened in 1992. In the same year, when the 600th anniversary of the death of St. Sergius was celebrated, the church-wide glorification of St. Cyril and Mary, the parents of the great lamp of the Russian land, who gave the world an example of holiness and Christian family structure, took place.
The memory of Saints Cyril and Mary is celebrated on September 28, January 18 (old style), July 6 (Council of Radonezh Saints), as well as on the Thursday of the Week of the Publican and Pharisee, the day after the memory of the discovery of the relics of Saint Sergius, abbot of Radonezh.
Prayer to Saints Cyril and Mary,
parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh
Commemoration: September 28 (October 11, New Art.), January 18/31, July 6/19 (Council of Radonezh Saints), Thursday of the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee
Kirill and Maria were kind and godly people. Speaking about them, blessed Epiphanius notes that the Lord, who deigned the great lamp to shine in the Russian land, did not allow it to be born from unrighteous parents, for such a child, which, according to God’s dispensation, was later to serve the spiritual benefit and salvation of many, was befitting to have parents saints, so that good comes from good and better is added to better, so that the praise of both the begotten and those who give birth may mutually increase to the glory of God. And their righteousness was known not only to God, but also to people. Strict guardians of all church statutes, they also helped the poor; but they especially sacredly kept the commandment of the Apostle: “do not forget the love of strangers: for the angels do not see the angels who are strangers” (Heb. 13:2).
They taught the same to their children, strictly instructing them not to miss the opportunity to invite a traveling monk or other tired wanderer to their home. We didn't get it detailed information O godly life this blessed couple; for this we can, together with St. Plato, say that “the very fruit that came from them showed, better than any eloquent praise, the kindness of the blessed tree. Happy are the parents whose names are glorified forever in their children and offspring! Happy are the children who not only did not disgrace, but also increased and exalted the honor and nobility of their parents and glorious ancestors, for true nobility lies in virtue!”
Cyril and Maria already had a son, Stefan, when God gave them another son - the future founder of the Trinity Lavra, the beauty of the Orthodox Church and an indestructible support native land. Long before the birth of this holy baby, the wondrous one had already given a sign about him that this would be the great chosen one of God and a holy branch of the blessed root. One Sunday his pious mother came to church to Divine Liturgy and humbly stood, according to the custom of that time, in the vestibule of the church, along with the other wives. The liturgy began; They had already sung the Trisagion hymn, and now, not long before the reading of the Holy Gospel, suddenly, in the midst of general silence and reverent silence, the baby cried out in her womb, so that many paid attention to this cry. When they began to sing the Cherubic Song, the baby cried out another time, and this time so loudly that his voice could be heard throughout the church. Meanwhile, the liturgy continued. The priest exclaimed: “Let's take a look! Holy to Saints! At this exclamation, the baby screamed for the third time, and the embarrassed mother almost fell from fear: she began to cry... Then women surrounded her and, perhaps wanting to help her calm the crying child, they began to ask: “Where is your baby? Why is he screaming so loudly? But Mary, in emotional agitation, shedding tears, could hardly say to them: “I have no baby; ask someone else." The women began to look around, and not seeing the baby anywhere, they again pestered Mary with the same question. Then she was forced to tell them frankly that she really did not have a baby in her arms, but she was carrying him in her womb...
According to the custom of that time, Cyril was supposed to receive the estate, but he himself, due to old age, could no longer carry out the service, and therefore his eldest son Stefan, who probably got married while still in Rostov, took on this responsibility. The youngest of the sons of Cyril and Mary, Peter, also chose married life. Bartholomew continued his exploits in Radonezh. More than once he told his father: “Let me go, father, with a blessing, and I will go to the monastery.” “Slow down, child,” the father answered him, “you see for yourself: we have become old and weak, there is no one to serve us - your brothers have a lot of concern for their families. We rejoice that you are concerned about how to please the Lord God, this is a good thing. But believe, my son: your good part will not be taken away from you, just serve us a little until God shows His mercy on us and takes us from here. Here, take us to the grave, then no one will stop you from fulfilling your cherished wish" Bartholomew did not leave the will of his father.
But the spirit of monasticism was insensitively communicated from the son to the parents: at the end of their sorrowful life, Cyril and Maria themselves, according to the pious custom of antiquity, wished to take on the angelic image. About three versts from Radonezh there was the Intercession Khotkov Monastery, which consisted of two sections: one for the elders, the other for the elders. The righteous parents of Bartholomew sent their feet to this monastery in order to spend the rest of their days here in the feat of repentance and preparation for another life. Almost at the same time, Stefan's wife and eldest son died. Having buried her in the Khotkovsky Monastery, Stefan did not want to return to the world. Having entrusted his children, probably to Peter, he remained in Khotkovo, took monastic vows and began to care for his weak parents. However, the schema-boyars, overworked by old age and sorrows, did not labor long in their new title: no later than 1339, they had already gone to the Lord in peace for eternal rest. The children honored them with tears of filial love and buried them under the shadow of the same Pokrovsky monastery, which from that time on became the last shelter and tomb of the Sergiev family.
From generation to generation, the covenant of St. Sergius was passed down that anyone wishing to visit his monastery should first pray at the holy remains of his parents - the righteous Cyril and Mary - in the Khotkovsky monastery.
In the year of the 600th anniversary of the repose of St. Sergius (1992), the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church ranked the locally revered saints of Radonezh - Schemamonk Kirill and Schemanun Maria - among the holy saints of God for church-wide veneration. The memory of Saints Cyril and Mary is celebrated on September 28 (October 11, New Art.), January 18/31, July 6/19 (Council of Radonezh Saints), as well as on the Thursday of the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee.
When we honor Orthodox saints, we do not always think about their parents, and often we do not even know them. But there are cases when the parents of revered saints show no less virtue and give help. Thus, prayer to Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, the parents of Sergius of Radonezh, helps in family and home affairs, as well as in marriage.
The story of Cyril and Mary of Radonezh
Before taking monastic vows, St. Kirill served with the princes of Rostov. Their family was wealthy, but despite this, he and his wife lived simple life, helped those in need, and did not refuse shelter to travelers. They raised their children in piety and love of God.
The sign of their son as God's Chosen One came to them even before he was born.
How do prayers to saints help?
Years later, Cyril and Maria first accepted monasticism, then the schema. The Venerable Schemamonk Kirill and Schemanun Maria died in 1337. Their relics have since rested in the Intercession Cathedral. They say that Sergius of Radonezh indicated:
Before going to him, pray for the repose of his parents over their coffin.
Therefore, many believers consider it their duty to pray near the relics of his parents and honor their memory.
Prayer to Cyril and Mary of Radonezh is addressed in the following cases:
- request for assistance in raising children;
- a request for the gift of family well-being.
Prayer to St. Cyril and Mary, parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh
O servants of God, Schema-monk Kirill and Schema-nun Maria! Hear our humble prayer. Even though your temporary life has naturally ended, you do not depart from us in spirit, always following the commandments of the Lord, teaching us and patiently bearing your cross, helping us. Therefore, together with our reverend and God-bearing father Sergius, your beloved son, we naturally acquired boldness towards Christ God and His Most Pure Mother. Even now, be prayer books and intercessors for us, unworthy servants of God (names). Be our intercessors of strength, so that by living faith, by your intercession, we may remain unharmed from demons and evil men, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer for the granting of Christian marriage
Prayer to St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh will help you find family happiness and well-being. Girls resort to this prayer when they ask the Lord to send them a spouse.
O blessed duo, truly the adornment of the Russian land, the holy Venerable Kirill and the holy Venerable Mary; image of a Christian marriage, the Lord reveal your glorious life; You lived gloriously by nature during the difficult years for the earth and our people, and by nature you endured all the sorrows and temptations of this world in one flesh - for this reason the Lord glorified you and your marriage. In the same way, I humbly pray to you, falling before your holy image: beg the Lord to send me a Christian spouse. I know that it is not good for man to be alone: may the Lord correct my paths. She, blasy intercessor for us before God, ask me for humility, meekness and Christian reasoning. Help me cleanse my heart of passions. You are a teacher and an example of a pure life of superior nature and intercessor for us according to God forever and ever. Amen.
Troparion to Saints Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, tone 3
Participant of the beatitudes of Christ, honorable marriage and care for the children of the good image, the righteous Cyril and Mary, the fruit of piety, the Venerable Sergius, who revealed to us, with him earnestly pray to the Lord to send down to us the spirit of love and humility, so that in peace and unanimity we glorify the Trinity of the Consubstantial.
Kontakion to St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, tone 4
Today, having come together, let us praise the blessed two, the blessed Cyril and the good-natured Mary, for they pray, together with their beloved son, the Venerable Sergius, to the One God in the Holy Trinity, to establish our Fatherland in orthodoxy, to protect our homes in peace, young people from misfortunes and temptations deliver, strengthen old age and save our souls.
All prayers to St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh
Memory: January 18 / 31, September 28 / October 11
Before his tonsure, St. Kirill was in the service first of the Rostov prince Konstantin II Borisovich, and then of Konstantin III Vasilyevich, whom he, as one of the people closest to them, more than once accompanied to the Golden Horde. He was rich, which did not prevent him and his wife from living in simplicity, piety and hard work. Together with his wife, in their old age, according to a common custom at that time for boyars, they took monastic vows. They pray to them for the establishment of family piety, assistance in the upbringing and moral and religious growth of children.
Venerable Cyril and Mary of Radonezh. Icon with Life, 2008
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Troparion to St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh, tone 3
Participant of the beatitudes of Christ, honorable marriage and care for the children of the good image, the righteous Cyril and Mary, the fruit of piety, the Venerable Sergius, who revealed to us, with him earnestly pray to the Lord to send down to us the spirit of love and humility, so that in peace and unanimity we glorify the Trinity of the Consubstantial.
Kontakion to St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh, tone 4
Today, having come together, let us praise the blessed two, the blessed Cyril and the good-natured Mary, for they pray, together with their beloved son, the Venerable Sergius, to the One God in the Holy Trinity, to establish our Fatherland in orthodoxy, to protect our homes in peace, young people from misfortunes and temptations deliver, strengthen old age and save our souls.
Prayer to St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh, parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh
O servants of God, Schema-monk Kirill and Schema-nun Maria! Hear our humble prayer. Even though your temporary life has naturally ended, you do not depart from us in spirit, always following the commandments of the Lord, teaching us and patiently bearing your cross, helping us. Therefore, together with our reverend and God-bearing father Sergius, your beloved son, we naturally acquired boldness towards Christ God and His Most Pure Mother. Even now, be prayer books and intercessors for us, unworthy servants of God ( names). Be our intercessors of strength, so that by living faith, by your intercession, we may remain unharmed from demons and evil men, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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- Lives of the parents of St. Sergius, Schemamonk Kirill and Schemanun Maria- Archimandrite Nikon Rozhdestvensky
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Prayer to St. Sergius of Radonezh:
- Prayer to St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Sergius of Radonezh is one of the most famous Russian saints. Founder of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, teacher and mentor of many dozens of Russian saints. The monk truly became the abbot and intercessor of the entire Russian Land, an example of meekness and humility for monks and laity. St. Sergius pray for help in learning, in monastic work, for overcoming passions, for increasing faith, for preserving the Fatherland from the invasion of foreigners
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