Holy Ustinya. The legend about the holy martyrs Cyprian and Justinia has existed since ancient times. They lived at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th century. Then, raising his hand, he crossed himself, and the devil immediately jumped away from him, like an arrow shot from a bow.

The first centuries of Christianity are full amazing stories conversion and martyrdom - at that time the second was often a consequence of the first. But people died joyfully, with the name of Christ on their lips. For them, this was a transition to the kingdom of God. The martyrs Cyprian and Ustinya, who are often depicted together on icons, also gave their lives for the faith.

How does the icon of Cyprian and Ustinya help?

Cyprian was initiated into the priesthood from childhood and studied magic in different cities. He wore a special ring on his finger that gave him power over unclean spirits. The sorcerer was very strong in his craft - he cast spells on people and summoned the dead. Today, near the icon of Cyprian and Ustinya, those who seek protection read prayers:

• from magic;
• from witchcraft;
• from love spells;
• ill-wishers;
• diseases.

Having learned the lives of these saints, one can more deeply understand why such a turn occurred with the sorcerer. The story of Cyprian sounds very instructive in our time, when every TV channel advertises the services of magicians, psychics, and “healers.” He lived in Antioch at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th century, at that time paganism still flourished there.

A certain young rich man Aglaid fell in love with a girl. But she did not reciprocate, because she decided to devote herself to Christ, maintaining her virginity. Then Aglaid turned to the priest for help. This is how fate first brought together Cyprian and Ustinya (in Greek - Justina), who stand side by side on the icons. At first they were enemies: in any case, the sorcerer’s intentions could not be called good - he sent demons to the maiden in order to seduce her and lead her astray.

However, the fragile young Justina defeated the demons with the help of prayer and fasting. This made the priest very angry, because the devil himself promised him help and so far any wishes of his clients have been fulfilled. But the unclean is powerless against those who with sincere faith call on Christ for help. Then Cyprian decided to take revenge - he sent a pestilence to the entire city, and said that it was all the fault of the stubborn girl.

Conversion of the Magus

But even here the Christian did not retreat - through her prayers the Lord stopped the epidemic. Then many saw the power of Christ and began to glorify Him as the true God. Even the pagan sorcerer saw that he was doing terrible things. He immediately repented and came to the bishop to have him burn all his witchcraft books. The hagiographic icon of the martyr Cyprian shows this moment. Ustinya herself was very happy about the change that had occurred: repentance meant that the soul of the former sorcerer was now free.

There are many episodes in the Holy Scriptures when the wise men compete with the righteous. Those who confess the Lord have always won. But the wicked did not always convert to the true faith after this. Cyprian did the right thing by admitting his errors and receiving baptism. This requires wisdom and courage. The Lord blessed him for this with the gift of healing diseases. I accepted Christ and Aglaid into my heart.

What happened next?

Very soon the former sorcerer was awarded the rank of deacon, then priest. Therefore, on the icons Cyprian is called a holy martyr (this means that the saint bore the holy rank during his lifetime), and Ustinya is called a martyr. Years passed, the virgin went to a monastery, and Cyprian became a bishop. But the main tests were ahead.

By order of Emperor Diocletian, the saints were captured and sentenced to torture. Seeing that they were not producing results, it was decided to behead the martyrs with a sword. The warrior who witnessed what was happening announced that he also accepted Christ. For this he was also executed. The veneration of Cyprian and Justinia began immediately after their death, as evidenced by written documents that era.

The relics of the saints rest in Italy, as well as in Cyprus. In 2005 they were brought to Moscow. The Ark was available for worship in the Conception Monastery. If you want to address the saints at home, you can purchase an icon. Where to hang the image of Cyprian and Ustinha is not of fundamental importance. It is important that the shrine is located in an appropriate place, away from digital technology, entertainment posters, and photographs.

Special prayers have been written to address the saints; you should not deviate from them. You can ask in your own words for strengthening of faith and protection from enemies. But the main hope must be placed in the Lord Jesus Christ, pray to him more often, confess sins, wear a cross - this protection is quite enough, as the history of the saints demonstrates.

Prayer to the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina

Oh, holy martyr Cyprian and martyr Justino! Hear our humble prayer. Even though you naturally died as a martyr for Christ during your temporary life, you do not depart from us in spirit, always following the commandments of the Lord, teaching us and patiently bearing your cross with us. Behold, boldness towards Christ God and His Most Pure Mother was acquired by nature. Even now, be prayer books and intercessors for us unworthy (names). Be our intercessors of the fortress, so that through your intercession we may remain unharmed from demons, wise men and evil men, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Listen to the akathist to Saints Cyprian and Ustinya

Icon of Cyprian and Ustinya - meaning, what it helps with, history was last modified: July 8th, 2017 by Bogolub

Great article 0

The multitude of miracles and healings that took place at the relics of the saints cannot be described. The Hieromartyr Cyprian left no one unconsoled, and he gave everyone exactly what was most needed.

A son was found

The servant of God N. lost her son. A fifteen-year-old teenager left home and never returned. For a long time, the mother searched for the missing boy, but to no avail. Having learned about the arrival of the relics of the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina in Conception Monastery, N. hurried to the monastery to ask the Holy Martyr Cyprian in fervent prayer for her need. And a miracle happened: soon after visiting the monastery, N. discovered her son in one of the hospitals near Moscow, where he had been with a severe traumatic brain injury for a long time. Shocked by what had happened, joyful from meeting her son, the mother came to the monastery to thank the holy martyr Cyprian for the miracle of finding her son.

"Now I can talk..."

Servant of God N. underwent throat surgery, during which doctors accidentally touched vocal cords. As a result, N. lost his voice and could only whisper. Doctors did not find it possible to fix the ligaments. Arriving at the monastery to the relics of the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina, N. asked the saints for help. The next day, when he woke up, he discovered that he could speak and heard not hissing and wheezing, but his own real voice. In amazement and joy, he called the doctors he was treating and, introducing himself, explained that he could now speak. “This can’t be!” - the doctors were amazed.

“Mom, it doesn’t hurt me anymore”

A mother and her four-year-old daughter came to the Hieromartyr Cyprian with their misfortune. The girl developed stomatitis; the disease progressed, and the baby could no longer swallow. The situation was serious. The mother gave her daughter consecrated water to drink, applied it to the holy relics, and anointed her with consecrated oil. The next day, the joyful girl told her mother that nothing hurt anymore. The touched mother came with her daughter to the monastery to thank her healer.

“When the Lord punished me, He did not give me over to death.”

In one reviving convent near Bolkhov, on the eve of a big holiday, such an incident occurred. The evening before the holiday, the abbess gave her blessing to stop all work. One novice decided to complete her assigned obedience of putting things in the attic. Having once again climbed the stairs, she suddenly stumbled and flew down. She fell, hitting her chest on the table, and some things fell on top of her. When the alarmed sisters came running to help, the “miserable girl” was barely alive. She couldn’t breathe; there was terrible pain in her chest and back. What to do? They resorted to the help of the shrine. The victim’s chest was anointed twice with consecrated oil from the relics of the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina. After the second time, the novice sighed and said that she felt good. Indeed, after some time she was able to get up and move around without assistance. What happened was regarded as the obvious mercy of God through the prayers of the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina.

Hieromartyr Cyprian is terrible for unclean spirits

During the period that the relics were in the monastery, a considerable number of people possessed by an evil spirit—possessed people—came here. When they approached the holy relics, they began to scream, their bodies shook, and often several guards could not lead the sufferers to the relics. After kissing, these people became quiet, lost their strength, and were led away by the arms. When they screamed, their lips did not move, and the sounds came from somewhere deep in the body. Sometimes words were heard cursing the Hieromartyr Cyprian, recognizing his strength, that he was God’s favorite. There was also evidence that the evil spirit clings to its presence in a person in every possible way and does not want to let the soul out from under its power. It often happened that the possessed approached the relics several times, and each time they felt better. There were also cases of visible lasting relief. Among the possessed were small children; at first they did not agree to take the kiss, cried, and broke free from their parents’ hands. When they were applied to the relics, they shuddered and screamed, but then, as a rule, they calmed down.

Such incidents made a deep impression on everyone present. For many who saw those possessed by demons, this served as a sobering up, for a more serious attitude towards that invisible spiritual warfare that has been going on continuously since the beginning of time. Once, through the mouth of a sick woman, an unclean spirit expressed his powerless hatred of prayer, of invoking the Name of God.

I remember one girl named Nadezhda, 22 years old. She and her mother came to the relics every day, and the changes taking place in the girl were obvious to everyone. The first time, venerating the relics, she began to struggle, scream, and then began to squirm in the most incredible way, so much so that she even stood on her head. Mom, with the help of several men, lifted her and sat her on a bench not far from the ark with the relics. Nadezhda calmed down and began to quietly pray. All day long he and his mother sat and listened to prayer singing. Nadya watched the candles by the candlestick. She had seizures from time to time. She fell to the floor unconscious, then came to her senses. On the last day of the relics’ stay, she venerated the shrine several times without outside help and calmly walked away. Her health has improved significantly. Mom was incredibly happy. She said that the spirit has been tormenting her daughter since she was 13 years old. They visited many holy places, and at times the daughter felt better. Mom admitted that the relics of the Holy Martyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina have special power. Nowhere has the girl felt as good as here. They said goodbye to the monastery with gratitude, promising to come and pray.

One sick woman, approaching the sisters in church, warned that she had been possessed by an unclean spirit for a long time, 35 years, and it was difficult for even six men to cope with her. The sisters called the guards and some of the parishioners. Several times six men tried to lead her to the relics, but were thrown aside.

There were cases when those who came did not suspect that they were possessed by an evil spirit, and when they began to shudder or “as if they were being showered with fire,” it was a real shock for them.

During the days of the presence of the holy relics, the monastery was visited by many pilgrims, about 90 thousand in total. Among them were representatives of the Government of the Russian Federation and Moscow, prominent public and statesmen. Russian bishops came to venerate the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina. Orthodox Church, governors of monasteries with brethren, abbess with sisters. Whole parishes came, sometimes at night: for example, a bus arrived from Tula at 2.30 am and brought 60 people, including small children. A Sunday school group of 15 people, led by a priest, arrived from the Vyatka diocese, having arranged a reception in advance, and the children endured all the difficulties of a long journey with great patience.

Among the pilgrims were different people. Some crossed the threshold of the temple for the first time, others went to the relics “for company,” because “everyone is coming.” Brought someone everyday need, an insoluble problem, for some - curiosity, for others - fear.

It would be more correct to say that God's grace, acting through His saints, the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina, led people to the temple to cleanse, strengthen, enlighten, heal, and instruct, for the Lord loves His creation and does not desire its destruction, but salvation.

And now, when a lot of time has passed since the memorable visit, many people are flocking to the Conception Monastery in the hope of the help of the Holy Martyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina, who help people get rid of passions, learn virtue, unite with Christ and inherit eternal life.

With a contrite heart and tears, they venerate the icon of the holy martyr Cyprian and the martyr Justina with a particle of the celibate relics, and come to prayer services for these saints, who are regularly served in the monastery, in the temple and at home the akathist is read to them. And by their faith they receive healing, for the Lord said: “I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11).

Prayer to the Holy Martyr Cyprian

Holy servant of God, holy disciple of Cyprian, quick helper and prayer book for all who come running to you! Accept this praise from us, the unworthy; ask the Lord God for strength in weaknesses, for consolation in sorrows, and for all that is useful in our life; Offer up your blessed prayer to the Lord, may he protect us from the falls of sins, may he teach us true repentance, may he deliver us from the captivity of the devil and all captivity of unclean spirits and tame those who offend us. Be a strong champion for us against all enemies, visible and invisible; grant us patience in temptation and at the hour of our death show us intercession from the torturers in the air trials; May we, led by you, reach Heavenly Jerusalem and be honored in the Heavenly Kingdom with all the saints to glorify and sing the Most Holy Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

The Life and Suffering of the Holy Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Holy Martyr Justina

During the reign of Decius1 there lived in Antioch2 a certain philosopher3 and famous sorcerer4 named Cyprian, originally from Carthage5. Coming from wicked parents, even as a child he was dedicated by them to the service of the pagan god Apollo. For seven years he was given to sorcerers to learn sorcery and demonic wisdom. Upon reaching the age of ten, he was sent by his parents to prepare for priestly service on Mount Olympus,7 which the pagans called the home of the gods; there were countless idols in which demons lived. On this mountain, Cyprian learned all the devil's tricks: he comprehended various demonic transformations, learned to change the properties of the air, induce winds, produce thunder and rain, disturb the sea waves, harm gardens, vineyards and fields, send diseases and ulcers to people, and generally learned destructive wisdom and evil-filled devilish activity. He saw there countless hordes of demons with the prince of darkness at their head, whom some stood before, others served, others exclaimed, praising their prince, and others were sent into the world to seduce people. There he also saw them in imaginary images of pagan gods and goddesses, as well as various ghosts and apparitions, which he learned to summon during a strict forty-day fast; After sunset he ate, and not bread or any other food, but oak acorns.

When he was fifteen years old, he began to listen to the lessons of the seven great priests, from whom he learned many demonic secrets. Then he went to the city of Argos8, where, after serving the goddess Hera9 for some time, he learned many seductions from her priest. He also lived in Tavropol10, serving Artemis, and from there he went to Lacedaemon11, where he learned to use various sorceries and obsessions to call the dead from their graves and force them to speak. At the age of twenty, Cyprian came to Egypt, and in the city of Memphis12 he studied even greater sorcery and sorcery. In the thirtieth year he went to the Chaldeans13 and, having learned stargazing there, completed his teaching, after which he returned to Antioch, having been committed in every crime. So he became a sorcerer, sorcerer and murderer, a great friend and faithful slave of the infernal prince14, with whom he talked face to face, receiving great honor from him, as he himself openly testified.

Believe me,” he said, “that I saw the prince of darkness himself, for I appeased him with sacrifices; I greeted him and spoke to him and his elders; he fell in love with me, praised my intelligence and said in front of everyone: “Here is the new Zamri15, always ready for obedience and worthy of communicating with us!” And he promised to make me a prince upon my departure from the body, and during my earthly life to help me in everything; At the same time, he gave me a regiment of demons to serve. When I left him, he turned to me with the words: “Take courage, zealous Cyprian, get up and accompany me: let all the demonic elders marvel at you.” As a result of this, all his princes were attentive to me, seeing the honor shown to me. Appearance his was like a flower; his head was crowned with a crown made (not in reality, but ghostly) of gold and shiny stones, as a result of which the whole space was illuminated, and his clothes were amazing. When he turned in one direction or another, the whole place shook; many evil spirits various degrees they stood obediently at his throne. I, too, gave myself entirely to his service, obeying his every command.

This is how Cyprian himself spoke about himself after his conversion.

From this it is clear what kind of person Cyprian was: as a friend of demons, he committed all their deeds, harming people and deceiving them. While living in Antioch, he seduced many people to all sorts of iniquities, destroyed many with poison and sorcery, and sacrificed young men and maidens to demons. He taught many his disastrous sorcery: some to fly through the air, others to swim in boats on the clouds, and others to walk on the waters. He was revered and glorified by all pagans as the chief priest and wisest servant their vile gods. Many turned to him in their needs, and he helped them with the demonic power with which he was filled: he helped some in fornication, others in anger, enmity, revenge, envy. Already all of him was in the depths of hell and in the mouth of the devil, he was the son of Gehenna, a participant in the demonic inheritance and their eternal death. The Lord, who did not want the death of the sinner, by His indescribable goodness and mercy not overcome by human sins, deigned to seek out this lost man, to extract him from the abyss, mired in the depths of hell, and save him, in order to show all people His mercy, for there is no sin that can defeat Him. philanthropy. He saved Cyprian from death in the following way.

At that time, there lived in the same place, in Antioch, a certain girl named Justina. She came from pagan parents: her father was an idol priest named Edesius, and her mother was called Cleodonia. One day, sitting at the window in her house, this girl, then already of age, accidentally heard words of salvation from the lips of a passing deacon named Prailius. He spoke about the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ - that He was born of the Most Pure Virgin and, having performed many miracles, deigned to suffer for the sake of our salvation, rose from the dead with glory, ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father and reigns forever. This sermon of the deacon fell on good soil, in the heart of Justina, and soon began to bear fruit, uprooting the thorns of unbelief in her. Justina wanted to learn the faith better and more completely from the deacon, but did not dare to seek him, restrained by girlish modesty. However, she secretly went to the Church of Christ and, often listening to the word of God, with the influence of the Holy Spirit on her heart, she believed in Christ. Soon she convinced her mother of this, and then led her elderly father to faith. Seeing the mind of his daughter and hearing her wise words, Edesius reasoned with himself: “Idols are made by human hands and have neither soul nor breath, and therefore - how can they be gods?” Reflecting on this, one night he saw in a dream, by Divine permission, a wonderful vision: he saw a great host of luminous angels, and among them was the Savior of the world, Christ, who said to him:

Come to Me and I will give you the Kingdom of Heaven.

Rising in the morning, Edesius went with his wife and daughter to a Christian bishop named Ontat, asking him to teach them the faith of Christ and perform holy baptism on them. At the same time, he related the words of his daughter and the angelic vision he himself had seen. Hearing this, the bishop rejoiced at their conversion and, having instructed them in the faith of Christ, baptized Edesius, his wife Cleodonia and daughter Justina, and then, having communed them with the Holy Mysteries, sent them away in peace. When Edesius became stronger in the faith of Christ, the bishop, seeing his piety, made him a presbyter. After this, having lived virtuously and in the fear of God for a year and six months, Edesius ended his life in holy faith. Justina labored valiantly in keeping the commandments of the Lord and, having loved her Bridegroom Christ, served Him with diligent prayers, virginity and chastity, fasting and great abstinence. But the enemy, the hater of the human race, seeing her life like this, envied her virtues and began to harm her, causing various disasters and sorrows.

At that time, there lived in Antioch a certain young man named Aglaid, the son of rich and noble parents. He lived luxuriously, completely surrendering to the vanity of this world. One day he saw Justina when she was going to church and was struck by her beauty. The devil instilled evil intentions in his heart. Inflamed with lust, Aglaid began to try by all means to gain the favor and love of Justina and, through seduction, to lead the pure lamb of Christ to the defilement he had planned. He watched all the paths along which the girl had to go, and, meeting her, spoke flattering speeches to her, praising her beauty and glorifying her; showing his love for her, he tried to entice her into fornication with a cunningly woven network of seduction. The girl turned away and avoided him, abhorring him and not even wanting to listen to his flattering and crafty speeches. Not cooling in his lust for her beauty, the young man sent to her with a request that she agree to become his wife.

She answered him:

My groom is Christ; I serve Him and for His sake I maintain my purity. He protects both my soul and body from all defilement.

Hearing such an answer from the chaste maiden, Aglaid, incited by the devil, became even more inflamed with passion. Unable to seduce her, he plotted to kidnap her by force. Gathering reckless young men like himself to help, he waylaid the girl on the path along which she usually went to church to pray; there he met her and, grabbing her, forcibly dragged her into his house. She started screaming loudly, hitting him in the face and spitting on him. Hearing her cries, the neighbors ran out of their houses and snatched the immaculate lamb, Saint Justina, from the hands of the wicked youth, as if from a wolf’s mouth. The rioters fled, and Aglaid returned to his home in shame. Not knowing what to do next, he, with an increase in unclean lust in him, decided on a new evil deed: he went to the great sorcerer and sorcerer - Cyprian, the priest of idols, and, telling him his grief, asked him for help, promising to give him a lot of gold and silver. After listening to Aglaidas, Cyprian consoled him, promising to fulfill his desire.

“I,” he said, “will make sure that the girl herself will seek your love and will feel a passion for you even stronger than you do for her.”

Having thus consoled the young man, Cyprian sent him away reassured. Then taking books on his secret art, he called upon one of the unclean spirits, in whom he was sure that he could soon inflame Justina’s heart with passion for this young man. He reluctantly promised to fulfill this and said proudly:

This is not a difficult task for me, for many times I shook cities, ravaged walls, destroyed houses, caused bloodshed and parricides, created enmity and great anger between brothers and spouses, and brought many who took a vow of virginity to sin; I instilled in the monks who settled in the mountains and were accustomed to strict fasting, who never even thought about the flesh, lust and taught them to serve carnal passions; I again turned people who repented and turned away from sin to evil deeds; I plunged many chaste people into fornication. Will I really not be able to persuade this girl to love Aglaid? What am I saying? I will soon show my strength. Here, take this potion (he handed over a vessel filled with something) and give it to that young man: let him sprinkle Justina’s house with it, and you will see that what I said will come true.

Having said this, the demon disappeared. Cyprian called Aglaidas and sent him to secretly sprinkle Justina's house from the devil's vessel. When this was done, the prodigal demon entered there with kindled arrows of carnal lust in order to wound the girl’s heart with fornication and inflame her flesh with unclean lust.

Justina had the custom of offering prayers to the Lord every night. And so, when, as usual, she got up at three o’clock in the morning and prayed to God, she suddenly felt excitement in her body, a storm of bodily lust and the flame of hell fire. She remained in such excitement and internal struggle for quite a long time: the young man Aglaid came to her memory, and bad thoughts were born to her. The girl was surprised and ashamed of herself, feeling that her blood was boiling, like in a cauldron; She was now thinking about what she had always abhorred as filth. But, in her prudence, Justina realized that this struggle arose in her from the devil; She immediately turned to the weapon of the sign of the cross, ran to God with warm prayer and from the depths of her heart cried out to Christ, her Bridegroom:

Lord my God, Jesus Christ! Behold, my enemies rose up against me, prepared a net to ensnare me, and exhausted my soul. But I remembered in the night your name and rejoiced, and now, when they oppress me, I run to You and hope that my enemy will not triumph over me, for You know, O Lord my God, that I, Your servant, have preserved the purity of my body for You and entrusted my soul You. Save Your sheep, good Shepherd, and do not give them over to be devoured by the beast that seeks to devour me; grant me victory over the evil lust of my flesh.

Having prayed long and earnestly, the holy virgin put the enemy to shame. Defeated by her prayer, he fled from her in shame, and calm again came in Justina’s body and heart; the flame of lust went out, the struggle ceased, the boiling blood calmed down. Justina glorified God and sang a song of victory. The demon returned to Cyprian with the sad news that he had achieved nothing.

Cyprian asked him why he could not defeat the maiden.

The demon, albeit reluctantly, revealed the truth:

I could not overcome her because I saw a certain sign on her, which I was afraid of.

Then Cyprian summoned a more evil demon and sent him to seduce Justina. He went and did a lot more than the first, attacking the girl with greater fury. But she armed herself with warm prayer and took upon herself an even stronger feat: she put on a hair shirt and mortified her flesh with abstinence and fasting, eating only bread and water. Having thus tamed the passions of her flesh, Justina defeated the devil and drove him away in shame. He, like the first, having accomplished nothing, returned to Cyprian. Then Cyprian called one of the demonic princes, told him about the weakness of the sent demons, who could not defeat one girl, and asked him for help. He strictly reproached the former demons for their lack of skill in this matter and for their inability to ignite passion in the girl’s heart. Having reassured Cyprian and promised to seduce the girl in other ways, the demonic prince took on the appearance of a woman and entered Justina. And he began to talk piously with her, as if wanting to follow the example of her virtuous life and chastity. While talking like this, he asked the girl what could be the reward for such a strict life and for maintaining cleanliness.

Justina replied that the reward for those who live chastely is great and indescribable, and it is very surprising that people do not care at all about such a great treasure as angelic purity. Then the devil, revealing his shamelessness, began to seduce her with cunning speeches:

How could the world exist? How would people be born? After all, if Eve had retained her purity, how would the multiplication of the human race have occurred? A truly good deed is a marriage that God Himself established; The Holy Scripture praises him, saying: “Let marriage be honorable in all and the bed undefiled” (Heb. 13:4). And weren’t many of God’s saints married, which the Lord gave to people as a consolation, so that they would rejoice in their children and praise God?

Listening to these words, Justina recognized the cunning seducer - the devil, and more skillfully than Eve, she defeated him. Without continuing the conversation, she immediately resorted to the protection of the Cross of the Lord and placed its honorable sign on her face, and turned her heart to Christ, her Bridegroom. And the devil immediately disappeared - with even greater shame than the first two demons.

In great confusion, the proud prince of demons returned to Cyprian. Cyprian, having learned that he had not managed to do anything, said to the devil:

Is it really possible that you, a strong prince and more skilled than others in this matter, could not defeat the maiden? Which of you can do anything with this invincible girl’s heart? Tell me, with what weapon does she fight you and how does she make your strong strength weak?

Defeated by the power of God, the devil reluctantly confessed:

We cannot look at the sign of the cross, but we run from it, because it burns us like fire and drives us far away.

Cyprian was indignant at the devil for disgracing him, and, blaspheming the demon, said:

Such is your strength that even a weak maiden defeats you!

Then the devil, wanting to console Cyprian, made another attempt: he took on the image of Justina and went to Aglaid in the hope that, having accepted him for the real Justina, the young man would satisfy his desire and, thus, neither his demonic weakness would be revealed, nor Cyprian will not be put to shame. And so, when the demon came to Aglaid in the form of Justina, he jumped up in unspeakable joy, ran up to the imaginary virgin, hugged her and began to kiss her, saying:

It’s good that you came to me, beautiful Justina!

But as soon as the young man uttered the word “Justina,” the demon immediately disappeared, not being able to bear even the name of Justina. The young man was very frightened and, running to Cyprian, told him about what had happened. Then Cyprian, through his sorcery, gave him the image of a bird and, making him capable of flying through the air, sent him to Justina’s house, advising him to fly into her room through the window. Carried by a demon through the air, Aglaid flew in the form of a bird to Justina’s house and wanted to sit on the roof. At this time Justina happened to look out the window of her room. Seeing her, the demon left Aglaid and fled. At the same time, the ghostly appearance of Aglaid, in which he seemed like a bird, also disappeared, and the young man almost hurt himself while flying down. He grabbed the edge of the roof with his hands and, holding on to it, hung, and if he had not been lowered from there to the ground by the prayer of Saint Justina, he would have fallen, wicked, and broken. So, having achieved nothing, the young man returned to Cyprian and told him about his grief. Seeing himself humiliated, Cyprian was greatly saddened and decided to go to Justina, hoping for the power of his magic. He turned into both a woman and a bird, but before he even had time to reach the door of Justina’s house, he was already a ghostly likeness beautiful woman, as well as the birds disappeared, and he returned with sorrow.

After this, Cyprian began to take revenge for his shame and with his sorcery brought various disasters on the house of Justina and on the houses of all her relatives, neighbors and acquaintances, just as the devil once did on the righteous Job (Job 1:15-19; 2:7). He killed their cattle, struck their slaves with plagues, and thus plunged them into excessive sorrow. He struck Justina herself with the disease, so that she lay in bed, and her mother cried for her. Justina consoled her mother with the words of the prophet David: “I will not die, but I will live and proclaim the works of the Lord” (Ps. 117:17).

Cyprian brought disaster not only on Justina and her relatives, but also on the entire city, by God’s permission, as a result of his indomitable rage and great shame. Ulcers appeared on animals and various diseases among people; and, through demonic action, a rumor spread that the great priest Cyprian would execute the city for Justina’s resistance to him. Then the most honorable citizens came to Justina and angrily urged her not to grieve Cyprian any more and to marry Aglaidas, in order to avoid even greater disasters for the whole city because of her. She calmed everyone down, saying that soon all the disasters caused by Cyprian with the help of demons would stop. And so it happened. When Saint Justina prayed fervently to God, immediately all demonic obsession ceased; all were healed of ulcers and recovered from diseases. When such a change took place, people glorified Christ, and they mocked Cyprian and his magical cunning, so that out of shame he could no longer appear among people and avoided meeting even his acquaintances. Convinced that nothing could defeat the power of the sign of the cross and the Name of Christ, Cyprian came to his senses and said to the devil:

O destroyer and seducer of all, source of all uncleanness and defilement! Now I have recognized your weakness. For if you fear even the shadow of the Cross and tremble at the Name of Christ, then what will you do when Christ Himself comes upon you? If you cannot defeat those who cross themselves, then whom will you tear out of the hands of Christ? Now I have realized what a nonentity you are; You can’t even take revenge! Having listened to you, I, the unfortunate one, was seduced and believed your cunning. Get away from me, you damned one, get away, for I should beg the Christians to have mercy on me. I should turn to pious people so that they will save me from death and take care of my salvation. Get away, get away from me, lawless one, enemy of truth, opponent and hater of all good!

Hearing this, the devil rushed at Cyprian to kill him, and, attacking, began to beat and crush him. Finding no protection anywhere and not knowing how to help himself and get rid of the cruel demonic hands, Cyprian, already barely alive, remembered the sign of the holy cross, by the power of which Justina resisted all demonic power, and exclaimed:

God of Justina, help me!

Then, raising his hand, he crossed himself, and the devil immediately jumped away from him, like an arrow shot from a bow. Having gathered his courage, Cyprian became bolder and, calling on the Name of Christ, made the sign of the cross and stubbornly resisted the demon, cursing and reproaching him. The devil, standing far from him and not daring to approach, for fear of the sign of the cross and the Name of Christ, threatened Cyprian in every possible way, saying:

Christ will not deliver you from my hands!

Then, after long and furious attacks on Cyprian, the demon roared like a lion and left.

Then Cyprian took all his books of magic and went to the Christian bishop Anthimus. Falling at the feet of the bishop, he begged to show him mercy and perform holy baptism on him. Knowing that Cyprian was a great and terrible sorcerer for everyone, the bishop thought that he had come to him with some kind of cunning, and therefore refused him, saying:

You do much evil among the pagans; Leave the Christians alone, so that you don’t die soon.

Then Cyprian confessed everything to the bishop with tears and gave him his books to be burned. Seeing his humility, the bishop taught him and instructed him in the holy faith, and then ordered him to prepare for baptism; He burned his books in front of all believing citizens.

Having left the bishop with a contrite heart, Cyprian cried about his sins, sprinkled ashes on his head and sincerely repented, crying out to the true God for the cleansing of his iniquities. Coming to church the next day, he listened to the word of God with joyful emotion, standing among the believers. When the deacon ordered the catechumens to go out, shouting: “The catechumens go out”16 - and some were already leaving - Cyprian did not want to go out, saying to the deacon:

I am a servant of Christ; don't drive me out of here.

The deacon said to him:

Since holy baptism has not yet been performed on you, you must leave the temple.

To this Cyprian replied:

Christ lives, my God, who delivered me from the devil, who kept the maiden Justina pure and had mercy on me; You will not drive me out of the church until I become a perfect Christian.

The deacon told the bishop about this, and the bishop, seeing Cyprian’s zeal and devotion to the faith of Christ, called him to himself and immediately baptized him in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Having learned about this, Saint Justina thanked God, distributed a lot of alms to the poor and made an offering to the church. On the eighth day the bishop made Cyprian a reader, on the twentieth a subdeacon, on the thirtieth a deacon, and a year later he ordained him a priest. Cyprian completely changed his life, every day he increased his exploits and, constantly mourning his previous evil deeds, improved and ascended from virtue to virtue. He was soon made a bishop and in this rank he led such a holy life that he became equal to many great saints; At the same time, he zealously cared for the flock of Christ entrusted to him. He appointed the holy maiden Justina a deaconess, and then entrusted her with a nunnery, making her abbess over other Christian maidens. With his behavior and instruction, he converted many pagans and won them for the Church of Christ. Thus, idolatry began to cease in that country, and the glory of Christ increased.

Seeing the strict life of Saint Cyprian, his concern for the faith of Christ and the salvation of human souls, the devil gnashed his teeth at him and prompted the pagans to slander him before the ruler eastern country in that he disgraced the gods, turned many people away from them, and glorified Christ, who was hostile to their gods. And so many wicked people came to the ruler Eutholmius, who owned those countries, and slandered Cyprian and Justina, accusing them of being hostile to the gods, and the king, and all authorities - that they were confusing the people, deceiving them and leading them after himself, disposed to worship the crucified Christ. At the same time, they asked the governor to put Cyprian and Justina to death for this. Having heard the request, Eutolmius ordered to seize Cyprian and Justina and put them in prison. Then, going to Damascus, he took them with him for trial. When the prisoners of Christ, Cyprian and Justina, were brought to his trial, he asked Cyprian:

Why did you change your former glorious activities, when you were a famous servant of the gods and brought many people to them?

Saint Cyprian told the ruler how he recognized the weakness and deception of demons and understood the power of Christ, of which the demons fear and tremble, disappearing from the sign honorable cross, and also explained the reason for his conversion to Christ, for whom he showed readiness to die. The torturer did not take Cyprian’s words into his heart, but, not being able to answer them, he ordered the saint to be hanged and his body flogged, and Saint Justina to be beaten on the lips and eyes. Throughout their long torment, they unceasingly confessed Christ and endured everything with thanksgiving. Then the tormentor imprisoned them and tried with gentle admonition to return them to idolatry. When he was unable to convince them, he ordered them to be thrown into the cauldron; but the boiling cauldron did not cause them any harm, and they, as if in a cool place, glorified God. Seeing this, one idol priest named Athanasius said:

In the name of the god Asclepius17, I will also throw myself into this fire and shame those wizards.

But as soon as the fire touched him, he died immediately. Seeing this, the tormentor was frightened and, not wanting to judge them any longer, sent the martyrs to the ruler Claudius in Nicomedia,18 describing everything that happened to them. This ruler condemned them to be beheaded by the sword. Then they were brought to the place of execution, then Cyprian asked himself some time for prayer, so that Justina would be executed first: he was afraid that Justina would not be frightened at the sight of his death. She joyfully bowed her head under the sword and reposed before her Bridegroom, Christ. Seeing the innocent death of these martyrs, a certain Theoktistus, who was present there, greatly regretted them and, having inflamed his heart towards God, fell to Saint Cyprian and, kissing him, declared himself a Christian. Together with Cyprian, he was immediately condemned to beheading. So they gave their souls into the hands of God; their bodies lay unburied for six days. Some of the strangers who were there secretly took them and took them to Rome, where they gave them to a virtuous and holy woman named Rufina, a relative of Claudius Caesar. She buried with honor the bodies of the holy martyrs of Christ - Cyprian, Justina and Theoctistus. At their graves many healings took place for those who came to them with faith. With their prayers may the Lord heal our illnesses, both physical and mental!

1 Decius (Decius) - Roman emperor from 249 to 271.
2 Antioch is a frequently used name for cities. Here, most likely, is Phoenician Antioch, between Syria and Palestine, or Pisidian Antioch, on the border with Phrygia, in the western part of Asia Minor.

3 Pagan sage, in the sense of a false sage.

4 In ancient times, the name “magi” or “magicians” meant wise people who had high and extensive knowledge, especially knowledge of the secret forces of nature, inaccessible ordinary people. At the same time, this name was associated with the concepts of magic, witchcraft, divination, spells and various deceptions and superstitions. Magic among the pagans has been highly developed since ancient times; It is spoken against in many places in the Holy Scriptures. According to many teachers of the Church, the pagan magicians performed their, sometimes remarkable, sorceries under the influence and with the help of spirits of darkness.

5 Carthage is the oldest, famous colony of the Phoenicians in northern Africa, reaching ancient history highest degree power and destroyed in 146 BC; on the ruins of ancient Carthage, under the first Roman emperors, a new Carthage arose, which existed with great splendor for a very long time. In Carthage, the pagan Greco-Roman cult was very developed, with all its superstitions, sorcery and “magical art”.

6 Apollo is one of the most revered Greco-Roman pagan gods. He was revered as the god of the sun and mental enlightenment, as well as the well-being of society and order, the guardian of the law, and the deity of predicting the future. One of the main places of his cult was, by the way, the Tempean Valley, in Northern Greece, spread out at the foot of the famous Mount Olympus in ancient times.

7 Olympus is actually an entire (southeastern) branch of the chain of mountains that forms the border between Macedonia and Thessaly, in Northern Greece. Olympus was considered by the ancient Greeks to be the seat of their pagan gods.

8 Argos is the ancient Greek capital of the eastern region of the Peloponnese (Southern Greece) - the Argolids; not far from it was the famous temple of the pagan goddess Hera.

9 Hera (Juno) was revered by the ancient Greeks and Romans as the sister and wife of their main god Zeus, the most exalted and revered among the goddesses; was considered the goddess of earth and fertility and the patroness of marriage.

10 Tavropol is actually a temple in honor of the goddess Artemis (Diana - the goddess of the moon, who was also revered as the patroness of the fresh, blooming life of nature) on the island of Icarus, in the southeastern part of the Aegean Sea (Archipelago). The name of this place comes from the fact that the Greeks, equating the goddess of the ancient inhabitants of the Tauride Peninsula - Orsilokha, with Artemis, called both Tauropola indifferently.

11 Lacedaemon or Laconia is the southeastern region of the Peloponnese (Southern Greece). This name meant main city Laconia Sparta, of which only small ruins now remain.

12 Memphis - the ancient powerful capital of all Egypt - was located in Middle Egypt near the Nile, between main river and its tributary, which washed the western side of the city. Of the brilliant capital of Ancient Egypt, only the most insignificant, meager remains are now preserved near the villages of Metrasani and Mogannan.

13 Chaldeans were the Babylonian sages and scientists who were engaged in the sciences, especially astronomy and the observation of celestial bodies; they were also priests and magicians who were engaged in secret teachings, fortune telling, interpretation of dreams, etc. Subsequently, this name was used, especially in the East, to refer to all kinds of wise men, wizards and fortune-tellers, even if they were not from the Chaldeans, i.e. did not come from Babylon.

14 According to the teaching of Holy Scripture, in the dark kingdom of evil fallen spirits there is its own chief leader, whom Scripture often calls “the prince of demons,” as well as Beelzebub, Belial, Satan, etc., clearly distinguishing him from other demons who are depicted as if subordinate to him. In general, Scripture distinguishes evil spirits according to their degrees and the strength of their power.

15 In the sense of a new evil sorcerer, sorcerer and obedient servant of the devil. The name Zamri here obviously means the famous ancient Egyptian magician, who is known from ancient classical writers, famous for his extraordinary enchantments and who, according to the Fathers of the Church, was in communion with dark demonic forces.

16 The name catechumens in the ancient Church meant adults who wanted to be baptized and prepared for it through familiarization with the teachings of the Church. Having the right to enter the temple to listen to the Holy Scriptures and teachings and even to be present at the beginning of the Liturgy (at the Liturgy of the Catechumens), before the onset of the most important and significant part of the Liturgy - the Liturgy of the Faithful - they had to immediately leave the temple, about which they were loudly announced by the deacon through an exclamation, and is still preserved in the Church during the celebration of the Liturgy.

17 Asklipius, or Aesculapius, is the Greco-Roman god of medical art.

18 Nicomedia is a city in Asia Minor. Many ruins remain from the ancient flourishing Nicomedia, testifying to its glorious past.

19 Roman Emperor Claudius II reigned from 268 to 270 - Death of Sts. Cyprian, Justina and Theoctistus followed around 268.

Prayer to Cyprian and Ustinya from witchcraft, evil eye and damage

Every person is afraid of damage and the evil eye, even those who are skeptical about witchcraft. These magical effects are characterized by a strong negative energy message towards the victim and have a destructive effect on her life program, and sometimes end in fatal. A powerful means of protection against negative witchcraft, damage and the evil eye is orthodox prayer Cyprian and Ustinya (Justine).

What are the signs to recognize damage and the evil eye?

Under the influence of damage or the evil eye, bad changes suddenly begin in the life of the victim. First of all, they affect the well-being, health and character of a person, then they begin to deteriorate and general position affairs, troubles follow one after another. It is very important not to miss this moment and promptly recognize the symptoms of negative witchcraft in the victim. Damage and often manifest themselves in the form of the following signs:

• regular and persistent headaches and weakness;
• feeling tired and powerless;
• regular illnesses that are not amenable to traditional drug treatment;
• constant feeling of anxiety, uncertainty;
• voices in your head calling you to commit terrible acts;
• sudden and causeless attacks of aggression, anger, inadequacy;
• loss of interest in life;
• depression when the world begins to be seen only in gloomy tones;
• conflicts and quarrels with loved ones and relatives. The victim moves away from friends, begins to see enemies in them, and reaches out to his enemies;
• development of addictions (addiction to alcohol, drugs, promiscuity);
• As if from a cornucopia, troubles begin to fall on a person.

The evil eye and damage can be very strong - under the influence of some of these rituals, the victim can even fade away in a matter of seconds, abruptly and unexpectedly for all the people around him. The prayer to Cyprian and Justina will help to avoid this, protecting against all types of dark witchcraft.

Protective prayer to Cyprian and Justina

The prayer directed to Cyprian and Justina helps the person praying to receive the support of higher powers and protect himself from the influence of black magic. This is both a reliable invisible shield and a powerful weapon that mercilessly defeats any witchcraft. The prayer text also has a good healing effect on a person who has already become a victim of damage or the evil eye. Proof of the effectiveness of the prayer to Cyprian and Justina is the numerous testimonies of those who have tried its effect on themselves and their loved ones.

For help about protection from evil spells, you can turn to both the Hieromartyr Cyprian himself and Cyprian and Justina together.

Prayer to Cyprian from damage and the evil eye

The protective powers of this prayer will increase significantly if, after pronouncing it, the performer turns to visualization and imagines in the most colorful and detailed way how the dark forces leave him.

Prayer to Cyprian and Justina for protection from witchcraft

The prayer text addressed to the Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justina is said at dawn, when the sun begins to rise from the horizon. The performer must repeat the words 7 times, standing facing the daylight:

After reading the prayer seven times, the person praying should wash himself with running water and say:

“I wash away the evil eye, damage and dark witchcraft with water. As soon as the water leaves your face, everything bad follows. Amen!"

This ritual can be performed for several weeks until relief occurs. To consolidate the result, it is also recommended to say a prayer "Our Father"– morning and evening, several times, several weeks in a row.

An ancient prayer for protection from dark forces to Cyprian and Justina

You can turn to Justina and Cyprian with a request to protect them from dark witchcraft with one more prayer. This text, characterized by special power, has come to us from ancient times. You need to read it, facing the east, at least 12 times a day, for several weeks. The greatest effect will be achieved when reading in the pre-dawn time. Words of prayer:

In this video you can listen online to another prayer from evil spirits to these saints:

If a child suffers from the evil eye

The negative influence of witchcraft, unfortunately, can affect not only adults - often children also suffer from it, especially under 7 years of age (in the first 7 years of their lives, young children are most vulnerable).

Most often, a child can suffer from the evil eye, and in most cases it occurs unintentionally. A protective prayer directed to Cyprian will help protect the baby. It must be pronounced by a female relative (mother, grandmother, aunt or sister). During the process of saying the prayer, the child should sit in the arms of the performer of the ritual. The text must be read three times:

For best result The protective prayer text should be read once a week, for several weeks in a row. The same words can be used as a prayer against the evil eye of a child if there is a suspicion of its presence. In this case, the ritual is performed daily until the baby recovers.

From the biography of Cyprian and Justina

Why is it customary to turn specifically to the martyrs Cyprian and Justina with a prayer for protection from envy, corruption, the evil eye and any negative witchcraft? The answer to this question is the biography of Saint Cyprian and Justina.

Cyprian, the future great martyr and saint, from the age of 7 was brought up in the society of pagan warlocks and became acquainted with the basics of dark sorcery (witchcraft). As a result, by the age of 30 he became a master of black magic, a skilled sorcerer. Cyprian served the forces of evil, taught everyone to do the same, and received the fame of a murderer. People approached him with requests for magical effects and were ready to pay any amount of money for his work.

In the same city lived the righteous Christian Justina. She was pure and innocent, regularly attended church, observed all the canons of the Church and called herself the bride of Christ. A rich man somehow set his sights on her, but Justina was adamant. The rich man turned to Cyprian for help and asked him to bewitch her. The sorcerer did everything possible, sent demons and even the devil himself to Justina, subjected her relatives to terrible suffering and danger, but his attempts led to nothing. The girl continued to pray to God and ask Him for protection, and the Lord protected the righteous Christian.

When Cyprian realized that Justina would not renounce the Almighty, he broke all his ties with the master of darkness, burned all the witchcraft books and turned to the Christian faith, prayed earnestly, asking the Creator for forgiveness for all his sins. He wrote many Christian works and glorified the Lord for the rest of his life.

The saints refused to worship the pagan idol, which is why they were forced to come under persecution and endure a lot of torment and suffering for their faith. In the end, they were executed, after which their bodies were thrown into the street. The dead Cyprian and Justina were secretly taken to Rome and buried there. Miracles still continue to occur at the graves of Cyprian and Justina.

Thank you for your prayer, it will come in handy! I have Small child, I’m very afraid of all kinds of evil eyes, now I know how to protect him.

Thank you for your prayers! Now I really need them. There was a new employee at work who disliked me from the first day. Recently I started finding strange objects on my desk (needles, salt, etc.), my health deteriorated sharply, and things went awry. I suspect that magic could not have happened here... I will pray!

I suspect that in my life without participation dark forces doesn't work. There are always troubles unseen circumstances. I'll try to pray to these saints. I only now learned about Cyprian and Justin from the article; I had not contacted them before. I think they will help me.

© 2017. All rights reserved

The unknown world of magic and esotericism

By using this site, you agree to the use of cookies in accordance with this cookie type notice.

If you do not agree to our use of this type of file, you should set your browser settings accordingly or not use the site.

Orthodox prayer of the Hieromartyr Kupriyan and Ustinya against witchcraft and corruption

Dark witchcraft forces never sleep, they try to seduce any mortal, deceive and turn his earthly path into a complete hell. Therefore, it is necessary to learn to protect yourself and your loved ones from their attacks. Prayer to Cyprian and Ustina against witchcraft, their intercession for those asking before the Almighty is the strongest protection from the devil’s machinations. The prayer to the holy martyrs has incredible power and awes the demonic forces.

Prayer of Kupriyan and Ustina from evil spirits

It is recommended to read prayers against witchcraft, damage and the evil eye after a sincere confession, Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and the priest’s blessing for prayer work.

Before you start reading prayers, you should get rid of distracting sounds in the apartment, eliminate thoughts about everyday problems and believe in help from Heaven. The main thing in prayer is sincere and strong faith.

About the holy martyr Cyprian and martyr Justina! Hear our humble prayer. Even though you naturally died as a martyr for Christ during your temporary life, you do not depart from us in spirit, always following the commandments of the Lord, teaching us and patiently bearing your cross with us. Behold, boldness towards Christ God and His Most Pure Mother was acquired by nature. In the same way, now also be the prayer books and intercessors for us, the unworthy (names). Be our intercessors of strength, so that through your intercession we may remain unharmed from demons, wise men and evil men, glorifying the Holy Trinity: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, protect me with Your holy Angels and the prayers of our All-Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, by the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, the holy Archangel of God Michael and other incorporeal Heavenly powers, the holy Prophet and the Forerunner of the Baptist of the Lord John, the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Hieromartyr Cyprian and Martyr Justina, St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, Wonderworker, St. Leo, Bishop of Catania, St. Joasaph of Belgorod, St. Metropolitan of Voronezh, St. Sergius, Hegumen of Radonezh, Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, the wonderworker, holy martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia , holy and righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna and all your saints, help me, your unworthy servant (name of the person praying), deliver me from all the slander of the enemy, from all witchcraft, sorcery, sorcery and from wicked people, so that they will not be able to harm me evil. Amen.

When to Contact Cyprian and Justina

If there is the will and mercy of God, then prayer to the righteous can work miracles. Important condition: the one asking and the one for whom prayers are asked must be baptized in Orthodoxy. Otherwise, Cyprian and Justina will not be able to grant the grace of healing to a person who has not accepted Christ in his heart. One should pray to the holy martyrs for protection in cases where it is necessary:

• expel body diseases resulting from damage or other magical rituals;
• when the soul is tormented by a love spell or a lapel (the feeling of love seems disguised);
• get rid of the evil eye, intentionally or involuntarily induced;
• to protect a child, family, home if they are attacked by demons;
• for the sake of healing a victim of witchcraft who has lost the ability of sanity.

How to recognize damage

It is necessary to call upon the help of heavenly patrons if the following signs are present:

• there is complete discord in the family, constant quarreling between close people;
• misfortunes “fall” on a person: he loses money, then jewelry disappears, then job cuts are coming, thieves ruin the apartment, fires occur in the house;
• household members are often tormented by nightmares;
• pets do not take root in the apartment;
• Deaths often occur in the family (especially due to the same illness or people of the same sex die).

The Hieromartyrs Cyprian and Justina will certainly intercede for those praying and their relatives; they are capable of defeating the hellish demonic army.

Description of life path

The philosopher Cyprian lived in Antioch. From an early age, he was given by his parents to serve the pagan deity Apollo. Upon reaching the age of 7, his mother gave him to sorcerers so that they could teach the boy witchcraft wisdom. At the age of 10, he was sent to Mount Olympus, where he prepared for priestly service. There was huge number idols in which the demonic army lived. Here the boy learned to cause bad weather, turn back the wind, harm orchards, send illnesses and sorrows to humanity, summon ghosts, raise the dead from their graves and talk to them. By the age of 15, he comprehended many demonic secrets and went to Argos, and by the age of 30, he perfectly mastered various methods of crime, learned astronomy, murder, and became a faithful slave of the prince of hell. The King of Darkness gave Cyprian a regiment of demons to help him. Cyprian destroyed the souls of many people by teaching disastrous sorcery: they soared through the air, walked on water, soared into the clouds on snow-white boats. People turned to him for help in enmity, revenge, and envy.

The Almighty did not want the death of Cyprian’s soul and deigned to save the great sinner. And it was like this...

There lived a girl named Justina in Antioch; her ancestors were also pagans. One day, a girl accidentally overheard a conversation between a deacon and one of the parishioners about the salvation of the soul, the incarnation of Christ, His birth from the Most Pure Virgin and Ascension to heaven after terrible suffering for the salvation of the human race. Justina’s heart sank, her soul gradually began to see clearly. The girl wanted to learn faith. She secretly came to God's abode and over time believed in Christ. Soon she convinced her parents of this, who begged the Christian bishop to baptize them in Orthodoxy. Justina's father was appointed to the rank of presbyter. Edesei lived in virtue for a year and a half, after which he peacefully completed his earthly journey. Justina loved Christ, the Heavenly Bridegroom, with all her soul, and served him through virginity, fervent prayer, fasting and strict abstinence. But the forces of darkness, seeing the girl’s virtues, caused her great troubles.

In the same city the young man Aglaid lived in luxury and worldly bustle. Having met Justina, he was struck by her beauty, and immediately lustful intentions leapt into his soul. He tried to seduce the girl, persuaded her to become his wife, spoke flattering speeches, and pursued her absolutely everywhere she went. Chaste Justina answered only one thing: “My Groom is Christ.” Aglaid decided to forcibly abduct the girl with the help of reckless friends, and one day he waylaid her on the street and forcibly dragged her into his home. People came running to the desperate cries of the girl and freed the virgin from the wicked man. Aglaid conceived a new crime: he came to Cyprian for help, promising large sums of gold and silver in return. He promised to help and summoned to himself a spirit capable of inflaming passion for the guy in Justin’s heart. The demon calmly entered the house and tried to bite the girl’s flesh.

Justina, as usual, was praying at night and suddenly felt a storm of carnal lust in her body. Immediately, sinful thoughts arose in her and she remembered her admirer Aglaida. But she stopped short, realizing that lust had come from a demon in her chaste body. She prayed to Christ for help. The Lord helped and the girl’s heart calmed down, and the devil returned to Cyprian with bad news.

Then the sorcerer decided to send a stronger and more evil demon to the girl. He furiously attacked Justina, but she again prayed to the Almighty, abstained, fasted most strictly and again defeated the devil.

For the third time, Cyprian sent a skilled demonic prince, who accepted female image. He put on ladies' clothes and went in to Justina. He tried to seduce the girl with cunning speeches, but she recognized the evil seducer and immediately crossed herself with the Cross, prayed to the Savior and the devil immediately disappeared.

The saddened Cyprian decided to take revenge on the maiden and sent troubles to her home, to her relatives and friends, neighbors and acquaintances, killed cattle, and struck bodies with ailments and ulcers. The whole city was engulfed in disaster, people knew the reason for the great execution. They persuaded Justina to marry Aglaid and save the people. But the girl calmed them down, prayed to God, and immediately the people recovered, but they greatly mocked Cyprian’s magic. In a fit of anger, he attacked the demon, then the devil rushed at Cyprian and tried to kill him. The man remembered that demons are terribly afraid of the Sign of the Cross; he, barely alive, made the sign of the Cross over himself. The devil roared like a lion and left.

Then the sorcerer went to the bishop and begged him to perform the Sacrament of Baptism on him. Cyprian confessed his own atrocities to him and gave him the sorcery Talmuds to be burned. Bishop Anfim taught him Orthodox faith and seeing his heartfelt devotion to Christ, he immediately baptized.

Cyprian soon became a reader and was then ordained to the minor priesthood. He later became a bishop and spent the rest of his life in holiness, caring for the believers. He made Justina a deaconess, and soon entrusted her with being the abbess of the monastery. Many pagans, thanks to Cyprian, accepted the Orthodox faith, thereby serving idols began to cease.

During the persecution of Christians, Cyprian and Justina were slandered and imprisoned. The man was ordered to be hanged and his body flogged, and the girl was ordered to be beaten in the face and eyes. After hellish torment, they were thrown into a bubbling cauldron of boiling water, which, surprisingly, did not harm the people. Then they were handed over to be beheaded by the sword. The bodies of the martyrs were taken to Rome and buried with honor, and in the 13th century they were transported to Cyprus. At the tombs of the holy martyrs, many healings occurred among people who flocked to them with faith.

With their prayers may the Lord heal our illnesses, both physical and mental! Amen.

Icon “Cyprian and Ustinya”: how to pray, meaning and how it will help

Good day everyone! We will be glad to see you on our video channel on YouTube Video Channel. Subscribe to the channel, watch the video.

There are saints to whom people turn in any situation, and there are those who are responsible only for certain areas of a person’s life and help solve only some problems. They are mainly addressed in temples or at home. This is often done in front of saints. Among these are the icons of Cyprian and Ustinya.

Holy Martyrs

Orthodoxy has a large number strong prayers, which are directed to the saints. But do not forget that it is undesirable to use them often. The main reasons for their use may be situations when you need the help of saints to protect yourself from evil and enemies. many often ask about what they pray to the icon of Cyprian and Ustinya? They are often approached with the following requests:

• remove damage
• protect from enemy attacks,
• protect a person from danger,
• protect from demonic tricks.

Frequent use of strong prayers can lead to a paranoid feeling of the presence of dark forces, witches and other evil spirits. It is for protection against them that they are used miraculous icon Cyprian and Ustinya.

These saints are considered one of the most revered in Orthodoxy. They are often asked for help in different situations. Tales about them circulate not only across Russian soil, but also far beyond its borders. They lived in the 3rd century in lands near Syria. Even from birth, Cyprian was a unique child. He was born into a family of idolaters and sorcerers. Since childhood, his parents introduced him to the mystery of dark affairs, initiated him into all the intricacies of black magic. The guy grew up, traveled around the world and improved his skills.

It got to the point where he had no equal in strength. There were rumors that he even met with the prince of darkness and he said that Cyprian would become his successor. Armed with all the necessary knowledge, he began to do terrible things and harm the people around him. He could:

• control the elements
• send damage
• harass people to death
• cause death of livestock,
• bring illness to people
• calling the dead and making them speak and so on.

People were afraid of all this and tried to avoid it. But there were also those who were not afraid and came to him so that he would help them solve their dirty deeds. So in the city of Antioch, where Cyprian lived, there was a girl named Ustinya. She was beautiful and pure. Her parents were idolaters. And they tried to win the girl over to their side. One day she heard a monk preaching about the Lord and it touched the girl’s heart.

Since then, Ustinya decided to serve God. She began visiting the temple and listening to sermons. Soon she managed to convince her parents and they also accepted Christianity. But the son of rich parents also lived in this village. The guy who had everything he could want. And so he wanted to have fun with the girl. But he was refused. Then he decided to steal her and take her by force.

But again, nothing worked out for him. Then the angry man went to Cyprian and asked her to make her run after him. The black magician promised him and he, hopeful, went home. Three times the villain sent demons to the maiden and three times she managed to resist their temptations. Faith in the Lord and his intercession helped her in this. Then he decided to come to her himself. But he also left disgraced. Then he said that it would be his way anyway and began to torment the girl with diseases and misfortunes.

Not only she suffered, but also her relatives and city residents. But she did not give up, but firmly knew that this would soon end. Very little time passed and the evil sorcerer also believed in the Lord and went over to his side. Thanks to her, he took the right path. That is why many turn to the icon of the holy martyr Cyprian and Ustinya for protection from negative influence from the outside.

Icon and prayer to the saints

The meaning of the icon of Cyprian and Ustinya is explained by the fact that they are intercessors from troubles, human attacks and others negative manifestations. In churches you can hear a prayer to the icon of Cyprian. Many people expect help from him in solving magical matters. Memorial Day – October 15th.

“Oh, holy martyr Cyprian and martyr Justino! Hear our humble prayer. Even though you naturally died as a martyr for Christ during your temporary life, you do not depart from us in spirit, always following the commandments of the Lord, teaching us and patiently bearing your cross with us. Behold, boldness towards Christ God and His Most Pure Mother was acquired by nature.

Even now, be prayer books and intercessors for us unworthy (names). Be our intercessors of the fortress, so that through your intercession we may remain unharmed from demons, wise men and evil men, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."

Remember that the most important thing is not the words, but the thoughts with which you say the prayer.

Evil spirits are strong and never subside, they try to seduce every person living on Earth, deceive, change his life and turn him into complete hell. That is why you need to be able to deal with them correctly and protect yourself and your loved ones. Prayer to Cyprian and Ustinya against the evil eye is the most powerful defense against the tricks of the devil.

Prayer directed to the saints carries very strong energy and evokes evil forces only fear and trembling. Cyprian and Justinia who are they? Icons located in the temple.

Prayer of Kupriyan and Ustina from evil spirits

Start reading a prayer for damage, witchcraft and the evil eye are advised only after a sincere confession in church, Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and blessings from the priest himself on petitions and prayers to higher powers.

Before the process of reading the text of the prayer, you need to remove all irritants and unnecessary noise around, get rid of thoughts about everyday problems and sincerely believe in the power of God. The main thing in prayer considered sincere and pure faith in Christ.

Prayer to Cyprian and Ustinya against witchcraft

O holy priests Cyprian and Justina! Hear the humble prayer. Like your temporary life of martyrdom, you died for Christ, but do not leave us in spirit, according to the commandments of the Lord, you followed us teaching and help us to patiently carry your cross. This prayer to Christ God and His Most Holy Mother was received by nature. In the same way now, wake up prayer books and protectors for us, unworthy of the name. Be intercessors for us, so that through your protection we may remain protected from the influence of evil forces, magicians and demons, glorifying the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and then, and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to the Hieromartyr Cyprian against damage and the evil eye

O holy servant of God, Hieromartyr Cyprian, we soon pray and ask for all those who come running to you! Take from us, unworthy, this praise, and ask the Lord God for strength in weaknesses, consolation in sadness and everything useful in our life; Offer your strong prayer to the Lord, may he protect us from possible problems, may he teach us true repentance, may he deliver us from the captivity of the devil and other actions of evil spirits and pacify our enemies.

May we have strong protection from all enemies, visible and invisible, give us patience in temptations, during the time of our death, show us protection from torturers in the air ordeals, and together with you, we will reach Mount Jerusalem and come to Heavenly Kingdom, where he will sing with all the saints the holy name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

In what life situation should you ask Cuprian and Justinia for help?

If you believe in God, then prayer to the saints can create real miracles. The main thing is that the person asking, or the one for whom the request is being made, must be Orthodox and Christian. Otherwise, Justina and Cyprian will not be able to give mercy and healing to that person who has not accepted the Lord God in his soul and heart. You should ask the saints for your protection in order to:

How to recognize damage, how can prayer help?

You should rely on the help of saints, if the following factors exist:

1. There is a complete misunderstanding in the family, constant fights and swearing occur between family members.
2. Difficulties and failures simply fall on a person: a budget is lost, precious items go missing, layoffs occur in an enterprise or company, thieves rob property, unexplained fires occur in the house.
3. Family members are plagued by nightmares.
4. Pets do not feel well in the house and cannot live in it for a long time.
5. Deaths often occur in the family (especially during the same illness, people of the same sex die).

The Hieromartyrs Justina and Cyprian will soon come to the aid of those praying to them, they will be able to deal with the hellish demonic army.

The life story of Justinia and Cyprian

The philosopher Cyprian lived in Antioch. From childhood, his parents gave him to serve the pagan deity Apollo. At the age of seven, his mother gave her son to sorcerers so that they could teach the boy to perform witchcraft rituals. At the age of 10, the child was sent to Mount Olympus, where he was trained for priestly service. A large number of idols were located in this place, in which the demons themselves lived.

It was in this place that the boy learned to cause grief, change the direction of the wind, harm gardeners' gardens, send grief and illness to people, summon ghosts, raise the dead from their graves to talk with them. At the age of 15 he learned big number of demonic secrets went to Argos, and by the age of 30 he perfectly used various magical tricks, learned astrologers, murder, and became a real slave of the prince of hell. The prince gave Cyprian as assistants a whole regiment of demons. A large number of Cyprian destroyed peaceful souls by learning disastrous witchcraft: they flew in the air, walked on the surface of the water, rose into the skies and circled on snow-white clouds. People came to him to get help in revenge, bad deeds, and enmity.

The Lord did not want Cyprian’s soul to perish and decided to save her. It all happened like this:

A girl named Justina also lived in Antioch; her ancestors were also considered pagans. One day, by chance, a girl heard a conversation between a deacon and one of the parishioners about the salvation of the soul, the humanization of God, His birth from the Most Pure Virgin and departure to heaven after long and difficult torment for the sake of salvation human souls. Then Justina’s heart suddenly changed, and her soul sincerely began to see clearly. Justina firmly decided to learn to believe in God.

She quietly came to church and over time began to believe in Christ. She soon proved this to her loved ones, who asked a Christian bishop to initiate them into Orthodoxy. Justina's father became promoted to . Edesei lived in virtue for about a year and a half, and after that he peacefully ended his journey. Justina sacredly believed in Christ and loved him with all her heart. But the forces of darkness, seeing the girl’s virtue, began to cause her great trouble.

In the same city the young man Aglaid lived in the wealth and bustle of the world. Having once seen Justina, he was surprised by her beauty, and at that same moment lust appeared in his soul. He tried to seduce the girl, asked her to marry him, told beautiful speeches, followed on her heels, wherever she was. The chaste girl in response repeated only one thing: “My Groom is Christ.” Then Aglaid decided to forcibly kidnap the girl with the help of his stupid friends and waylaid her on the street and forcefully dragged her into his house. To the loud screams and sobs of the girl All the townspeople came running and freed her from the wicked man.

Then Aglaid decided to commit a new evil; he came to Cyprian for help and offered a lot of gold and silver in exchange. He promised to fulfill his wish and called on a spirit who was supposed to inflame a passion for Aglaid in the girl’s heart. The demon easily made his way into the house and tried to seduce the girl’s flesh.

Justina, as always, was praying at night and suddenly felt the ignition of lust in her body. Immediately she had bad thoughts and immediately remembered Aglaid. But she quickly came to her senses, realizing that lust appeared in her body due to the influence of a demon. Then Justina began a prayer to God. The Lord heard her words and helped her, the girl’s soul calmed down, and the devil came to Cyprian with sad news.

Then the sorcerer decided to send an even more powerful and stronger devil to the girl. He furiously attacked the girl, but she again resorted to the help of the Lord, abstained, fasted for a long time, prayed to the icons and again defeated the demon.

For the third time, Cyprian sent a skilled demonic prince to Justina, who changed into a female form, dressed in women’s clothes and came to Justina. With cunning, enticing conversations, he tried to seduce Justina, but she quickly realized that in front of her was an evil seducer and crossed herself with the Cross, prayed to the Lord and the demon left at that very moment.

So, the offended Cyprian decided to take revenge and sent misfortune to the girl’s house, her relatives, friends and acquaintances, killed animals, and infected human bodies with ulcers and diseases. Trouble spread throughout the city, people understood why this was happening. They asked Justina to become the wife of Aglaid and save the entire city. But the girl quickly calmed them down, prayed to Christ, and all the people immediately began to recover, and they began to laugh at Cyprian’s magic for a long time. In a rage, Cyprian attacked one of the demons; in response, the devil attacked Cyprian and tried to kill him. The man remembered that the devil was very afraid of the Sign of the Cross; on the verge of death, he made the sign of the Cross over himself. Then the devil roared like a lion and rushed away.

After Cyprian decided to go to the bishop and asked him to perform the rite of the Sacrament. Cyprian told him about his evil deeds and gave him the sorcery Talmuds to be burned. Bishop Anfim taught the man the Orthodox faith and, seeing his sincere devotion and faith in Christ, immediately baptized him.

Soon Cyprian became a reader, and then was elevated to the junior rank of priesthood. Then he became a bishop and spent the rest of his life in faith, caring for those around him. He decided to make Justina a deaconess, and soon ordered her to become the abbess of the monastery. A large number of pagans with the help of Cyprian accepted Orthodox religion , thus the service of idols began to disappear.

During the persecution and attacks on Christians, Justina and Cyprian were slandered and sent to prison. They decided to hang Cyprian, and ordered the girl to be beaten in the face and eyes. After much suffering, they were thrown into a seething cauldron, which, to their amazement, did nothing harm to the young people. Then they were entrusted with beheading them with a sword. The bodies of the saints were taken to Rome and buried with honor, and in the 13th century they were sent to Cyprus. Near the tombs of the saints, healings of the sick who came to them with faith took place.

How to properly read the text of a petition?

If your friend or loved one is very sick, and therefore he simply cannot pray on his own, you can read this prayer over water and give it to the patient to drink. He will immediately feel better and will be able to continue the treatment process on his own.

October 15 marks the feast of Ustinya and Cyprian. On this day it is worth going to church and ordering a prayer service in front of the icon. In this way you will definitely ensure take the protection of the saints and receive their support. they can be found in Cyprus.

Which the pagans called the home of the gods; there were countless idols in which demons lived. On this mountain, Cyprian learned all the devil's tricks: he comprehended various demonic transformations, learned to change the properties of the air, induce winds, produce thunder and rain, disturb the sea waves, harm gardens, vineyards and fields, send diseases and ulcers to people, and generally learned destructive wisdom and evil-filled devilish activity. He saw there countless hordes of demons with the prince of darkness at their head, whom some stood before, others served, others exclaimed, praising their prince, and others were sent into the world to seduce people. There he also saw in imaginary images pagan gods and goddesses, as well as various ghosts and apparitions, which he learned to summon during a strict forty-day fast; After sunset he ate, and not bread or any other food, but oak acorns.

When he was fifteen years old, he began to listen to the lessons of the seven great priests, from whom he learned many demonic secrets. Then he went to the city of Argos, where, after serving the goddess Hera for some time, he learned many seductions from her priest. He also lived in Tavropol, serving Artemis, and from there he went to Lacedaemon, where he learned to use various sorceries and obsessions to call the dead from their graves and force them to speak. At the age of twenty, Cyprian came to Egypt, and in the city of Memphis he studied even greater sorcery and sorcery. In the thirtieth year he went to the Chaldeans and, having learned stargazing there, completed his teaching, after which he returned to Antioch, being committed in every crime. So he became a sorcerer, sorcerer and murderer, a great friend and faithful slave of the infernal prince, with whom he talked face to face, receiving great honor from him, as he himself openly testified.

“Believe me,” he said, “that I saw the prince of darkness himself, for I appeased him with sacrifices; I greeted him and spoke to him and his elders; he loved me, praised my intelligence and said in front of everyone: “here is the new Zamri, always ready for obedience and worthy of communicating with us! And he promised to make me a prince upon my departure from the body, and during earthly life to help in everything.” me; with this he gave me a regiment of demons to serve. When I left him, he turned to me with the words: “Take courage, zealous Cyprian, arise and accompany me: let all the elders of the demons marvel at you.” As a result of this, and all his princes were attentive to me, seeing the honor shown to me. His appearance was like a flower; his head was crowned with a crown made (not in reality, but ghostly) of gold and shiny stones, as a result of which the whole space was illuminated - and his clothes were amazing. When he turned in one direction or the other, the whole place shook; many evil spirits of various degrees obediently stood at his throne. He and I then gave all of myself to his service, obeying his every command.

This is how Cyprian himself spoke about himself after his conversion.

From this it is clear what kind of person Cyprian was: as a friend of demons, he committed all their deeds, harming people and deceiving them. Living in Antioch, he seduced many people to all sorts of iniquities, destroyed many with poison and sorcery, and sacrificed young men and maidens to demons. He taught many his disastrous sorcery: some to fly through the air, others to swim in boats on the clouds, and others to walk on water. He was revered and glorified by all pagans as the chief priest and wisest servant of their vile gods. Many turned to him in their needs, and he helped them with the demonic power with which he was filled: he helped some in fornication, others in anger, enmity, revenge, envy. Already all of him was in the depths of hell and in the mouth of the devil, he was the son of Gehenna, a participant in the demonic inheritance and their eternal death. The Lord, who did not want the death of the sinner, out of His ineffable goodness and mercy not overcome by human sins, deigned to seek out this lost man, to extract him from the abyss, mired in the depths of hell, and save him in order to show all people His mercy, for there is no sin that can defeat Him philanthropy. He saved Cyprian from death in the following way.

At that time, there lived in the same place, in Antioch, a certain girl named Justina. She came from pagan parents: her father was an idol priest named Edesius, and her mother was called Cleodonia. One day, sitting at the window in her house, this girl, then already of age, accidentally heard words of salvation from the lips of a passing deacon named Prailia. He spoke about the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ - that He was born of the Most Pure Virgin and, having performed many miracles, deigned to suffer for the sake of our salvation, rose from the dead with glory, ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father and reigns forever. This sermon of the deacon fell on good soil, in the heart of Justina, and soon began to bear fruit, uprooting the thorns of unbelief in her. Justina wanted to learn the faith better and more completely from the deacon, but did not dare to seek him, restrained by girlish modesty. However, she secretly went to the Church of Christ and, often listening to the word of God, with the influence of the Holy Spirit on her heart, she believed in Christ. Soon she convinced her mother of this, and then led her elderly father to faith. Seeing the mind of his daughter and hearing her wise words, Edesius reasoned with himself: “Idols are made by human hands and have neither soul nor breath, and therefore how can they be gods.” Reflecting on this, one night he saw in a dream, by Divine permission, a wonderful vision: he saw a great host of luminous angels, and among them was the Savior of the world, Christ, who said to him:

- Come to Me, and I will give you the kingdom of heaven.

Rising in the morning, Edesius went with his wife and daughter to a Christian bishop named Ontatu, asking him to teach them the faith of Christ and perform holy baptism on them. At the same time, he related the words of his daughter and the angelic vision he himself had seen. Hearing this, the bishop rejoiced at their conversion and, having instructed them in the faith of Christ, baptized Edesius, his wife Cleodonia and daughter Justina, and then, having communed them with the Holy Mysteries, sent them away in peace. When Edesius became stronger in the faith of Christ, the bishop, seeing his piety, made him a presbyter. After this, having lived virtuously and in the fear of God for a year and six months, Edesius ended his life in holy faith. Justina labored valiantly in keeping the commandments of the Lord and, having loved her Bridegroom Christ, served Him with diligent prayers, virginity and chastity, fasting and great abstinence. But the enemy, the hater of the human race, seeing her life like this, envied her virtues and began to harm her, causing various disasters and sorrows.

At that time, there lived in Antioch a certain young man named Aglaid, the son of rich and noble parents. He lived luxuriously, completely surrendering to the vanity of this world. One day he saw Justina when she was going to church and was struck by her beauty. The devil instilled evil intentions in his heart. Inflamed with lust, Aglaid began to try by all means to gain the favor and love of Justina and, through seduction, to lead the pure lamb of Christ to the defilement he had planned. He watched all the paths along which the girl had to go, and, meeting her, spoke flattering speeches to her, praising her beauty and glorifying her; showing his love for her. He tried to lure her into fornication with a cunningly woven network of seduction, but the girl turned away and avoided him, abhorring him and not even wanting to listen to his flattering and crafty speeches. Not cooling in his lust for her beauty, the young man sent to her with a request that she agree to become his wife.

She answered him:

- My groom is Christ; I serve Him and for His sake I maintain my purity. He protects both my soul and body from all defilement.

Hearing such an answer from the chaste maiden, Aglaid, incited by the devil, became even more inflamed with passion. Unable to seduce her, he plotted to kidnap her by force. Gathering reckless young men like himself to help, he waylaid the girl on the path along which she usually went to church to pray; there he met her and, grabbing her,<…>punched him in the face and spat on him. Hearing her cries, the neighbors ran out of their houses and snatched the immaculate lamb, Saint Justina, from the hands of the wicked youth, as if from a wolf’s mouth. The rioters fled, and Aglaid returned to his home in shame. Not knowing what to do next, he, with an increase in unclean lust in him, decided on a new evil deed: he went to the great sorcerer and sorcerer - Cyprian, the priest of idols and, telling him his grief, asked him for help, promising to give him a lot gold and silver. After listening to Aglaidas, Cyprian consoled him, promising to fulfill his desire.

“I,” he said, “will make sure that the girl herself will seek your love and feel a passion for you even stronger than you do for her.”

Having thus consoled the young man, Cyprian sent him away reassured. Then taking books on his secret art, he called upon one of the unclean spirits, in whom he was sure that he could soon inflame Justina’s heart with passion for this young man. He reluctantly promised to fulfill this and said proudly:

“This is not a difficult task for me, for many times I shook cities, ravaged walls, destroyed houses, caused bloodshed and parricides, created enmity and great anger between brothers and spouses, and brought many who took a vow of virginity to sin; I instilled in the monks who settled in the mountains and were accustomed to strict fasting, who never even thought about the flesh, lust and taught them to serve carnal passions; I again turned people who repented and turned away from sin to evil deeds; I plunged many chaste people into fornication. Will I really not be able to persuade this girl to love Aglaid? What am I saying? I will soon show my strength. Take this potion (he handed over a vessel filled with something) and give it to that young man: let him sprinkle Justina’s house with it, and you will see that what I said will come true.

Having said this, the demon disappeared. Cyprian called Aglaidas and sent him to secretly sprinkle Justina's house from the devil's vessel. When this was done, the prodigal demon entered there with kindled arrows of carnal lust in order to wound the girl’s heart with fornication and inflame her flesh with unclean lust.

Justina had the custom of offering prayers to the Lord every night. And so, when, according to custom, she got up at three o’clock in the morning and prayed to God, she suddenly felt excitement in her body, a storm of bodily lust and the flame of hell fire. She remained in such excitement and internal struggle for quite a long time: the young man Aglaid came to her memory, and bad thoughts were born to her. The girl was surprised and ashamed of herself, feeling that her blood was boiling like in a cauldron; She was now thinking about what she had always abhorred as filth. But, in her prudence, Justina realized that this struggle arose in her from the devil; She immediately turned to the weapon of the sign of the cross, ran to God with warm prayer and from the depths of her heart cried out to Christ, her Bridegroom:

- Lord my God, Jesus Christ! - behold, my enemies have risen up against me, prepared a net to ensnare me and exhausted my soul. But in the night I remembered Your name and rejoiced, and now when they oppress me, I run to You and hope that my enemy will not triumph over me. For You know, Lord my God, that I, Your servant, have preserved the purity of my body for You and entrusted my soul to You. Save Your sheep, good Shepherd, and do not give them over to be devoured by the beast that seeks to devour me; grant me victory over the evil lust of my flesh.

Having prayed long and earnestly, the holy virgin put the enemy to shame. Defeated by her prayer, he fled from her in shame, and calm again came in Justina’s body and heart; the flame of lust went out, the struggle ceased, the boiling blood calmed down. Justina glorified God and sang a song of victory. The demon returned to Cyprian with the sad news that he had achieved nothing.

Cyprian asked him why he could not defeat the maiden.

The demon, albeit reluctantly, revealed the truth:

“The reason I couldn’t overcome her was because I saw a certain sign on her, which I was afraid of.”

Then Cyprian summoned a more evil demon and sent him to seduce Justina. He went and did much more than the first, attacking the girl with greater fury. But she armed herself with warm prayer and took upon herself an even stronger feat: she put on a hair shirt and mortified her flesh with abstinence and fasting, eating only bread and water. Having thus tamed the passions of her flesh, Justina defeated the devil and drove him away in shame. He, like the first, having accomplished nothing, returned to Cyprian. Then Cyprian called one of the demonic princes, told him about the weakness of the sent demons, who could not defeat one girl, and asked him for help. He strictly reproached the former demons for their lack of skill in this matter and for their inability to ignite passion in the girl’s heart. Having reassured Cyprian and promised to seduce the girl in other ways, the demonic prince took on the appearance of a woman and entered Justina. And he began to talk piously with her, as if wanting to follow the example of her virtuous life and chastity. While talking like this, he asked the girl what could be the reward for such a strict life and for maintaining cleanliness.

Justina replied that the reward for those who live chastely is great and indescribable, and it is very surprising that people do not care the least about such a great treasure as angelic purity. Then the devil, revealing his shamelessness, began to seduce her with cunning speeches:

- How could the world exist? How would people be born? After all, if Eve had remained pure, how would the multiplication of the human race have occurred? A truly good deed is a marriage that God Himself established; The Holy Scriptures praise him, saying: “Let everyone’s marriage [be] honorable and the bed undefiled”(Heb. 13:4). And weren’t many of God’s saints married, which the Lord gave to people as a consolation, so that they would rejoice in their children and praise God?

Listening to these words, Justina recognized the cunning seducer - the devil, and more skillfully than Eve, she defeated him. Without continuing the conversation, she immediately resorted to the protection of the Cross of the Lord and placed its honorable sign on her face, and turned her heart to Christ, her Bridegroom. And the devil immediately disappeared with even greater shame than the first two demons.

In great confusion, the proud prince of demons returned to Cyprian. Cyprian, having learned that he had not managed to do anything, said to the devil:

“Could it really be that you, a strong prince and more skilled than others in this matter, could not defeat the maiden?” Which of you can do anything with this invincible girl’s heart? Tell me, with what weapon does she fight you, and how does she make your strong strength weak?

Defeated by the power of God, the devil reluctantly confessed:

“We cannot look at the sign of the cross, but we run from it, because it burns us like fire and drives us far away.”

Cyprian was indignant at the devil for putting him to shame and, blaspheming the demon, said:

“Such is your strength that even a weak maiden can defeat you!”

Then the devil, wanting to console Cyprian, made another attempt: he took on the image of Justina and went to Aglaid in the hope that, having accepted him for the real Justina, the young man would satisfy his desire, and thus neither his demonic weakness would be revealed, nor Cyprian will not be put to shame. And so, when the demon came to Aglaid in the form of Justina, he jumped up in unspeakable joy, ran up to the imaginary virgin, hugged her and began to kiss her, saying:

“It’s good that you came to me, beautiful Justina!”

But as soon as the young man uttered the word “Justina,” the demon immediately disappeared, not being able to bear even the name of Justina. The young man was very frightened and, running to Cyprian, told him about what had happened. Then Cyprian, through his sorcery, gave him the image of a bird and, making him capable of flying through the air, sent him to Justina’s house, advising him to fly into her room through the window. Carried by a demon through the air, Aglaid flew in the form of a bird to Justina’s house and wanted to sit on the roof. At this time Justina happened to look out the window of her room. Seeing her, the demon left Aglaid and fled. At the same time, the ghostly appearance of Aglaid, in which he seemed like a bird, also disappeared, and the young man almost hurt himself while flying down. He grabbed the edge of the roof with his hands and, holding on to it, hung, and if he had not been lowered from there to the ground by the prayer of Saint Justina, he would have fallen, wicked, and broken. So, having achieved nothing, the young man returned to Cyprian and told him about his grief. Seeing himself humiliated, Cyprian was greatly saddened and decided to go to Justina, hoping for the power of his magic. He turned into both a woman and a bird, but before he had time to reach the door of Justina’s house, the ghostly likeness of a beautiful woman, and equally of a bird, disappeared, and he returned with sorrow.

After this, Cyprian began to take revenge for his shame and with his sorcery brought various disasters on the house of Justina and on the houses of all her relatives, neighbors and acquaintances, just as the devil once did on the righteous Job (Job 1:15-19; 2:7). He killed their cattle, struck their slaves with plagues, and thus plunged them into excessive sorrow. He struck Justina herself with the disease, so that she lay in bed, and her mother cried for her. Justina consoled her mother with the words of the prophet David: “I will not die, but will live and proclaim the works of the Lord.”(Ps. 118:17).

Cyprian brought disaster not only on Justina and her relatives, but also on the entire city, by God’s permission, as a result of his indomitable rage and great shame. Ulcers appeared on animals and various diseases among people; and, through demonic action, a rumor spread that the great priest Cyprian would execute the city for Justina’s resistance to him. Then the most honorable citizens came to Justina and angrily urged her not to grieve Cyprian any more and to marry Aglaidas, in order to avoid even greater disasters because of her for the whole city. She calmed everyone down, saying that soon all the disasters caused by Cyprian with the help of demons would stop. And so it happened. When Saint Justina prayed fervently to God, immediately all demonic obsession ceased; all were healed of ulcers and recovered from diseases. When such a change took place, people glorified Christ, and they mocked Cyprian and his magical cunning, so that out of shame he could no longer appear among people and avoided meeting even his acquaintances. Convinced that nothing could defeat the power of the sign of the cross and the Name of Christ, Cyprian came to his senses and said to the devil:

- Oh, destroyer and seducer of all, the source of all uncleanness and defilement! Now I have recognized your weakness. For if you fear even the shadow of the cross and tremble at the Name of Christ, then what will you do when Christ Himself comes upon you? If you cannot defeat those who cross themselves, then whom will you tear out of the hands of Christ? Now I have realized what a nonentity you are; You can’t even take revenge! Having listened to you, I, the unfortunate one, was seduced and believed your cunning. Get away from me, you damned one, get away, for I should beg the Christians to have mercy on me. I should turn to pious people so that they will save me from death and take care of my salvation. Get away, get away from me, lawless one, enemy of truth, opponent and hater of all good.

Hearing this, the devil rushed at Cyprian to kill him, and, attacking, began to beat and crush him. Finding no protection anywhere and not knowing how to help himself and get rid of the cruel demonic hands, Cyprian, already barely alive, remembered the sign of the holy cross, by the power of which Justina resisted all demonic power, and exclaimed:

- God of Justina, help me!

Then, raising his hand, he crossed himself, and the devil immediately jumped away from him, like an arrow shot from a bow. Having gathered his courage, Cyprian became bolder and, calling on the name of Christ, made the sign of the cross and stubbornly resisted the demon, cursing and reproaching him. The devil, standing far from him and not daring to approach, for fear of the sign of the cross and the Name of Christ, threatened Cyprian in every possible way, saying:

“Christ will not deliver you from my hands!”

Then, after long and furious attacks on Cyprian, the demon roared like a lion and left.

Then Cyprian took all his books of magic and went to the Christian bishop Anthimus. Falling at the feet of the bishop, he begged to show him mercy and perform holy baptism on him. Knowing that Cyprian was a great and terrible sorcerer for everyone, the bishop thought that he had come to him with some kind of cunning, and therefore refused him, saying:

- You do a lot of evil among the pagans; Leave the Christians alone, so that you don’t die soon.

Then Cyprian confessed everything to the bishop with tears and gave him his books to be burned. Seeing his humility, the bishop taught him and instructed him in the holy faith, and then ordered him to prepare for baptism; He burned his books in front of all believing citizens.

Having left the bishop with a contrite heart, Cyprian cried about his sins, sprinkled ashes on his head and sincerely repented, crying out to the true God for the cleansing of his iniquities. Coming to church the next day, he listened to the word of God with joyful emotion, standing among the believers. When the deacon ordered the catechumens to go out, shouting: “Go out of the catechumens,” some were already leaving, Cyprian did not want to go out, saying to the deacon:

- I am a servant of Christ; don't drive me out of here.

The deacon said to him:

- Since holy baptism has not yet been performed on you, you must leave the temple.

To this Cyprian replied:

- Christ lives, my God, who delivered me from the devil, who kept the maiden Justina pure and had mercy on me; You will not drive me out of the church until I become a perfect Christian.

The deacon told the bishop about this, and the bishop, seeing Cyprian’s zeal and devotion to the faith of Christ, called him to himself and immediately baptized him in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Having learned about this, Saint Justina thanked God, distributed a lot of alms to the poor and made an offering to the church. On the eighth day the bishop made Cyprian a reader, on the twentieth a subdeacon, on the thirtieth a deacon, and a year later he ordained him a priest. Cyprian completely changed his life, every day he increased his exploits and, constantly mourning his previous evil deeds, improved and ascended from virtue to virtue. He was soon made a bishop and in this rank he led such a holy life that he became equal to many great saints; At the same time, he zealously cared for the flock of Christ entrusted to him. He appointed the holy maiden Justina a deaconess, and then entrusted her with a nunnery, making her abbess over other Christian maidens. With his behavior and instruction, he converted many pagans and won them for the Church of Christ. Thus, idolatry began to cease in that country, and the glory of Christ increased.

Seeing the strict life of Saint Cyprian, his concern for the faith of Christ and the salvation of human souls, the devil gnashed his teeth at him and prompted the pagans to slander him before the ruler of the eastern country in that he had disgraced the gods, turned many people away from them, and Christ, who was hostile to the gods glorifies them. And so many wicked people came to the ruler Eutholmius, who owned those countries, and slandered Cyprian and Justina, accusing them of being hostile to the gods, and the king, and all authorities - that they were confusing the people, deceiving them and leading them after himself, disposed to worship the crucified Christ. At the same time, they asked the governor to put Cyprian and Justina to death for this. Having heard the request, Eutolmius ordered to seize Cyprian and Justina and put them in prison. Then, going to Damascus, he took them with him for trial. When the prisoners of Christ, Cyprian and Justina, were brought to his trial, he asked Cyprian:

- Why did you change your former glorious activities, when you were a famous servant of the gods and brought many people to them?

Saint Cyprian told the ruler how he recognized the weakness and deception of demons and understood the power of Christ, of which the demons fear and tremble, disappearing from the sign of the honorable cross, and also explained the reason for his conversion to Christ, for Whom he showed readiness to die. The torturer did not take Cyprian’s words into his heart, but, not being able to answer them, he ordered the saint to be hanged and his body flogged, and Saint Justina to be beaten on the lips and eyes. Throughout the long torment, they unceasingly confessed Christ and endured everything with thanksgiving. Then the tormentor imprisoned them and tried with gentle admonition to return them to idolatry. When he was unable to convince them, he ordered them to be thrown into the cauldron; but the boiling cauldron did not cause them any harm, and they, as if in a cool place, glorified God. Seeing this, one idol priest named Athanasius said:

- In the name of the god Asclepius, I, too, will throw myself into this fire and shame those wizards.

But as soon as the fire touched him, he died immediately. Seeing this, the tormentor was frightened and, not wanting to judge them any longer, sent the martyrs to the ruler Claudius in Nicomedia, describing everything that happened to them. This ruler condemned them to be beheaded by the sword. When they were brought to the place of execution, Cyprian asked himself some time for prayer, so that Justina would be executed first: he was afraid that Justina would be afraid at the sight of his death. She joyfully bowed her head under the sword and reposed before her Bridegroom, Christ. Seeing the innocent death of these martyrs, a certain Theoktistus, who was present there, greatly regretted them and, having inflamed his heart towards God, fell to Saint Cyprian and, kissing him, declared himself a Christian. Together with Cyprian, he was immediately condemned to beheading. So they gave their souls into the hands of God; their bodies lay unburied for six days. Some of the strangers who were there secretly took them and took them to Rome, where they gave them to a virtuous and holy woman named Rufina, a relative of Claudius Caesar.

That is, a pagan sage, in the sense of a false sage.

In ancient times, the name “magi” or “magicians” meant wise people who possessed high and extensive knowledge, especially knowledge of the secret forces of nature, inaccessible to ordinary people. At the same time, this name was associated with the concepts of magic, witchcraft, divination, spells and various deceptions and superstitions. Magic among the pagans has been highly developed since ancient times; It is spoken against in many places in the Holy Scriptures. According to many teachers of the Church, the pagan magicians performed their, sometimes remarkable, sorceries under the influence and with the help of spirits of darkness.

Carthage is the oldest, famous colony of the Phoenicians in northern Africa, which reached the highest degree of power in ancient history and was destroyed in 146 BC; on the ruins of ancient Carthage, under the first Roman emperors, a new Carthage arose, which existed with great splendor for a very long time. In Carthage, the pagan Greco-Roman cult was very developed, with all its superstitions, sorcery and “magical art”.

Apollo is one of the most revered Greco-Roman pagan gods. He was revered as the god of the sun and mental enlightenment, as well as the well-being of society and order, the guardian of the law, and the deity of predicting the future. One of the main places of his cult was, by the way, the Tempean Valley, in Northern Greece, spread out at the foot of the famous Mount Olympus in ancient times.

Olympus is actually an entire (southeastern) branch of the chain of mountains that forms the border between Macedonia and Thessaly, in Northern Greece. Olympus was considered by the ancient Greeks to be the seat of their pagan gods.

Argos is the ancient Greek capital of the eastern region of the Peloponnese (southern Greece) - the Argolids; not far from it was the famous temple of the pagan goddess Hera.

Hera (Juno) was revered by the ancient Greeks and Romans as the sister and wife of their main god Zeus, the most exalted and revered among the goddesses; was considered the goddess of earth and fertility and the patroness of marriages.

Tavropol is actually a temple in honor of the goddess Artemis (Diana - the goddess of the moon, who was also revered as the patroness of the fresh, blooming life of nature) on the island of Icare, in the southeastern part of the Aegean Sea (Archipelago). The name of this place comes from the fact that the Greeks, equating the goddess of the ancient inhabitants of the Tauride Peninsula - the Tauri Orsiloha, with Artemis, called both Tauropola indifferently.

Lacedaemon or Laconia is a southeastern region of the Peloponnese (Southern Greece). More often, this name designated the main city of Laconia, otherwise Sparta, of which only small ruins have now survived.

Memphis, the ancient powerful capital of all Egypt, was located in Middle Egypt near the Nile, between the main river and its tributary, which washed the western side of the city. From the brilliant capital of ancient Egypt, only the most insignificant, meager remains are now preserved near the villages of Metrasani and Mogannan.

Chaldeans were the Babylonian sages and scientists who were engaged in the sciences, especially astronomy and the observation of celestial bodies; they were priests and magicians who were engaged in secret teaching, fortune telling, interpretation of dreams, etc. Subsequently, all kinds of wise men, wizards and fortune-tellers were called by this name, especially in the east, even if they were not from the Chaldeans, i.e. ... did not come from Babylon.

According to the teachings of Holy Scripture, in the dark kingdom of evil fallen spirits there is its own chief leader, whom Scripture often calls “the prince of demons,” as well as Beelzebub, Belial, Satan, etc., clearly distinguishing him from other demons, who are depicted as being subordinate in relation to him. In general, Scripture distinguishes evil spirits according to their degrees and the strength of their power.

In the sense of a new evil sorcerer, sorcerer and obedient servant of the devil. The name Zamri here obviously refers to the famous ancient Egyptian magician, who is known from ancient classical writers, famous for his extraordinary enchantments and who, according to the Fathers of the Church, was in communion with dark demonic forces.

The name “catechumens” in the ancient church meant adults who wanted to be baptized and prepared for it through familiarization with the teachings of the Church. Having the right to enter the temple to listen to the Holy Scriptures and teachings and even to be present at the beginning of the Liturgy (at the Liturgy of the Catechumens), before the onset of the most important and significant part of the Liturgy - the Liturgy of the Faithful - they had to immediately leave the temple, about which they were loudly announced by the deacon through an exclamation, and is still preserved in the Church during the celebration of the Liturgy.

Asklipius, or Aesculapius, is the Greco-Roman god of healing.

Nicomedia is a city in Asia Minor. — Many ruins remain from the ancient flourishing Nicomedia, testifying to its glorious past.

Roman Emperor Claudius II reigned from 268 to 270 - Death of Sts. Cyprian, Justina and Theoctistus followed around 268.