Peter and Fevronia of Murom. eternal love story

In the Orthodox calendar you can find one very amazing day - the holiday of Peter and Fevronia, the history of which is so beautiful and interesting that it cannot go unnoticed by the modern generation. Honoring the memory of Peter and Fevronia of Murom takes place on July 8. This date was approved in 2008 at the Russian Federation Council. The initiator of this event was the wife of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Svetlana. She also came up with the symbol of the holiday - daisies.

Peter and Fevronia of Murom. History of Holiness

The marital union of Peter and Fevronia became an exemplary example of Christian marriage, which is why these saints are revered as its patrons. It is very important to note that the story of Saints Peter and Fevronia will not leave a single truly Orthodox person indifferent. People perceive this holiday with great joy and response in their hearts. The story of Peter and Fevronia is simply amazing, and God’s providence is clearly visible in it.

Peter and Fevronia died on the same day - June 25, 1228 according to the old calendar according to the new one). Their bodies, left in different temples, somehow miraculously suddenly ended up in one coffin, prepared by them in advance. People regarded this as a great miracle. In 1547, Peter and Fevronia of Murom, whose history is simply amazing, were canonized. Today their holy relics are kept in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in the Holy Trinity Monastery in the city of Murom.

Truly, the city of Murom is rich in various epic heroes. Everyone remembers the hero Ilya Muromets very well, but few people know that his holy relics are kept in the burial caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

Poetic story

The love story of Saints Peter and Fevronia has existed for many centuries on Murom land. Over time, the true story about these faithful and reverend miracle workers acquired fabulous outlines that merged with the parables and legends of this region. Today in Murom there is a shrine with the relics of the married couple of Saints Peter and Fevronia, and pilgrims come from everywhere to honor their memory, ask for help and pray.

The story about the life of the faithful Peter and Fevronia was written by the clergyman Ermolai the Pregreshny, a brilliant writer who lived in the era of Ivan the Terrible. The story of Peter and Fevronia, in the writer’s original interpretation, acquired the colors of folklore and became a poetic story about love and wisdom, which are given only to a pure heart from God and the Holy Spirit.

About love and fidelity

This amazing story of Peter and Fevronia began at a time when Prince Pavel ruled on Russian soil in the city of Murom. And he had a beautiful wife, to whom the devil, out of his dislike and hatred of the human race, began to send a winged serpent for fornication. Using his unclean magical power, he appeared before her in the form of a prince. The wife did not hide this obsession from her husband and said that the insidious snake had mastered her by cunning. The annoyed prince did not know what to do with the villain of darkness. However, he ordered his wife to use flattering speeches to find out from the insidious tempter whether he knew from what death would come to him. When the serpent once again appeared to her, the princess found out from him that death was prepared for him at the shoulder of Petrov and Agrikov’s sword.

Savior Peter

She immediately told Prince Pavel about all this. He called his brother Peter to him and began to share his thoughts with him. Peter immediately realized that it was he who was destined to kill the serpent. However, the only thing that truly bothered him was that he did not have Agric's sword.

But at that time, Peter, completely alone, loved to go to churches and pray. One day he found himself in a convent, in the Church of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, and a young youth approached him, who told the prince that he knew where the treasured weapon was hidden. And, leading Peter to the altar wall, he pointed out to him the place between the slabs where Agrikov’s sword lay. Peter took it and went to his brother to tell him everything and think about a plan for his next actions.

And when Peter came to brother Pavel, and then went to his daughter-in-law to express his respect, he noticed that Prince Pavel, in some incredible way, was in two places at once, in his chambers and with his wife. Peter immediately saw through the serpent’s cunning in his reincarnation and, of course, not without God’s help, killed the monster.

Getting to know Fevronia

But the story of Peter and Fevronia did not end there. After the blows of the sword, the snake took on its real brutal form, trembled and died, spattering Prince Peter with its blood. From this, the whole prince was covered with fetid scabs, his body was covered with terrible ulcers. From that time on, all those close to him were knocked off their feet, they looked for doctors all over the world, but not one took up his treatment.

One day one of his youths went to the Ryazan lands, where there were many folk healers, and ended up in a small village called Laskovo, where he met a very wise young maiden named Fevronia. She promised to cure Prince Peter if he was sincere and humble in his thoughts. And she ordered him to be brought to her.

When the prince came to Fevronya, he began to promise her a huge reward. But she told him that she would cure him if he took her as his wife. And the prince lied, promising to take her as his wife for healing. Then the girl scooped up a bowl of sourdough, then blew on it and ordered the prince to heat the bath and anoint his sick body with it, but only so that one scab remained unanointed.

Peter did just that, and the illness immediately subsided. However, the prince was in no hurry to fulfill the main condition and soon became covered with sores again. Then he still had to marry Fevronia. After that, they left for Murom and lived there according to God’s commandments.

Leave to come back

After the death of Prince Paul, his brother Peter took over as ruler of the city. But the boyars did not like the princess and one day, after drinking wine for courage, they came to her and asked her to take everything her soul desired and leave their city. But she did not take the wealth, but asked for one thing - to give her her beloved Peter.

The boyars were even delighted at this turn of affairs, because in their hearts everyone dreamed of taking the throne of the prince. Well, what's decided is decided. The pious Prince Peter did not violate the laws of God and wished to leave with his wife. They got into the boat and sailed along the Oka River. The merciful intercessor did not leave them in trouble. Having landed on one bank, they stopped for the night. The nobles from Murom immediately appeared and tearfully asked them to return, since the struggle for power led to strife and deaths between the boyars.

Blessed Peter and Fevronia with great humility returned to the city of Murom and began to rule there happily ever after. When they grew old, they decided to take a vow of monasticism, and during tonsure they received the names of David and Euphrosyne. And then together they began to pray to the Lord that He would send them death at the same time. The godly couple wanted to be buried together. A special coffin for two with a partition in the middle was even prepared in advance. But after their death, in their cells, people considered it impious to bury the monks in the same coffin and did not fulfill the will of the deceased. Their bodies were left twice in different temples, but in the morning they always somehow miraculously ended up together in the same coffin. Then it was decided to bury them together.

This is how Peter and Fevronia of Murom, whose love story deserves respect and recognition, became patrons of family, love and fidelity. And now every believer can come to the Murom Holy Trinity Convent to venerate their holy relics.

Peter and Fevronia of Murom help many Orthodox Christians. The story of eternal love will forever remain in the heart of everyone who was ever able to hear or read it.

On July 8, the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of the holy noble princes Peter and Fevronia of Murom - patrons of family well-being, mutual respect and sincere love. Their marriage has been a model of Christian marriage for many centuries.

Their story is reminiscent of a good fairy tale about love - big and pure. They serve as an example for all lovers, because they lived in sorrow and joy, wealth and poverty, and no one could separate them, not even death.

Great love story

According to the lives of the saints, the blessed Prince Peter was the second son of Murom Prince Yuri Vladimirovich. He ascended the Murom throne in 1203. A few years earlier, Prince Peter fell ill with leprosy, from which no one could cure him.

And then the prince had a prophetic dream that he could be healed by the beekeeper’s daughter Fevronia, a peasant woman from the village of Laskovoy in the Ryazan land. Since childhood, the girl studied herbs and had the gift of healing, and even wild animals obeyed her and did not dare to show aggression.

The prince fell in love with Fevronia for her piety, wisdom and kindness and vowed to marry her after healing. The girl healed the prince, but he did not keep his word. The illness resumed, Fevronia again cured the prince, and he married the healer.

When Peter inherited the principality after his brother, the boyars did not want to have a princess of simple rank and demanded that the prince abandon her. Peter, having learned that they wanted to separate him from his beloved wife, chose to voluntarily renounce power and wealth and go into exile with her.

In exile, the young, wise princess supported her saddened husband in every possible way. When there were difficulties with food and money in the house, she always found a wonderful way out. Peter still idolized his wife and never reproached him for the fact that for her sake he had to renounce the principality and live in deprivation.

Soon, unrest began in Murom, the boyars quarreled, seeking the vacated princely throne, and blood was shed. Then the boyars, who came to their senses, gathered a council and decided to call Prince Peter back. The prince and princess returned, and Fevronia managed to earn the love of the townspeople. They ruled happily ever after.

The Saints

In their old age, Peter and Fevronia took monastic vows in different monasteries with the names David and Euphrosyne, and they prayed to God to die on the same day, and they bequeathed to bury themselves together in a specially prepared coffin with a thin partition in the middle.

Tradition says that they actually passed away on the same day - it happened on July 8, 1228 according to the new style. Considering burial in the same coffin incompatible with the monastic rank, their bodies were placed in different monasteries, but the next day they found themselves together.

After such a miracle happened for the second time, the monks buried the holy spouses together in the city of Murom in the cathedral church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

About 300 years after his death, Prince Peter of Murom and his wife Fevronia were canonized. The Orthodox Church declared them patrons of the family, and the relics of the saints found peace in the Holy Trinity Convent in the city of Murom.

Day of Family, Love and Fidelity

The memory of the miracles and exploits of these saints was passed on from generation to generation. The Orthodox holiday is celebrated in many countries around the world, but the main celebrations take place in Murom.

Residents of Murom, where the holy spouses have always been revered, decided to combine City Day with an Orthodox holiday. Thus, in 2008, a new Russian holiday was born, glorifying love and devotion.

The symbol of the holiday of pure and selfless love is chamomile, a flower that is especially popular among all lovers. Later, Family Day got its own medal, with a daisy depicted on one side and the faces of Peter and Fevronia on the other.

The medal is traditionally awarded to married couples in whom love and mutual understanding reign.

The eighth of July in Russia has become an analogue of Valentine's Day, which Catholics celebrate on February 14. Peter and Fevronia Day is celebrated as Valentine's Day.

Traditions and signs

There are many customs and signs associated with the holiday of Peter and Fevronia.

According to tradition, people go to church to pray for love, family happiness, preservation of marriage and well-being. They ask the saints for intercession if the relationship between spouses has deteriorated and only hope remains for divine help.

You can pray at the icon of Saints Peter and Fevronia for family happiness, for the birth of children, for the health of loved ones, and even for a successful marriage. Many believers recognized the fact that after appeals and requests to these saints, their family life improved.

On this day, in the old days, according to customs, young people celebrated their engagement. In Rus', such a ceremony was an analogue of a modern marriage contract. Couples exchanged rings and swore an oath of fidelity to each other in the presence of their parents and invitees. From that moment on, they received the status of bride and groom.

The duration of such an agreement was approximately three to six months, after which a final decision was made.

On the day of Peter and Fevronia, it was possible to find out the weather for the next 40 days. It is believed that if July 8 is clear, it means that the weather will be clear and warm for all 40 days.

On the day of family, love and fidelity, various fortune-telling and rituals are also carried out related to family, marriage, weddings, the birth of children, establishing peace in the family and preserving love between spouses.

The material was prepared based on open sources

Apart from the legends of the Murom land, the poetic story of Ermolai the Preregreshny tells about the life of the Venerables Peter and Fevronia. It was written at the request of Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow and timed to coincide with the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, where the spouses were canonized as saints.

According to legend, the dying serpent-tempter splashed the blood of the younger brother of the Murom prince, Peter. As a result, his whole body was covered with non-healing wounds that no healer could cure. The daughter of a honey collector named Fevronia healed the young prince by preparing a healing ointment for him. According to the girl’s conditions, Peter was supposed to marry her after recovery, but he decided to pay off with rich gifts. But Fevronia did not accept them. After some time, the illness returned to the prince. He was forced to turn to the girl for help again and this time he kept his word to her.

Soon Paul died, and princely power passed to Peter. The boyars were dissatisfied with the low origin of the princess. They suggested that she take whatever she wanted and leave the city. Fevronia took only her husband. After they left the city, bloodshed began. Residents of the city begged the couple to return back.

The princely couple ruled Murom fairly: the couple decorated churches, reconciled warring parties, helped those in need, and were faithful and devoted to each other: Peter did not leave Fevronia for the sake of people’s slander and complaints, and she, in turn, did not leave him in difficult times. They lived to a ripe old age. At the end of their lives they took monastic vows and ordered them to be buried together. Peter and Fevronia died on the same day and hour. But the last behest of the spouses was not fulfilled: they were placed in separate coffins and taken to different churches. However, the deceased were soon found together. People tried several times to separate the bodies of Peter and Fevronia, but they still ended up nearby.

Although the lives of the righteous were written on the basis of legends, there are chronicles (for example, Voskresenskaya and others) confirming the fact that Murom was ruled in 1203 by a prince who was cured by a girl from the common class, who later became his wife. Fevronia (Euphrosyne) helped Peter (David) with practical advice and also did charity work. They reigned for 25 years, they had two sons and a grandson. According to chronicles, the eldest son Yuri and grandson Oleg died during the battle with the Volga-Kama Bulgars, and the youngest son Svyatoslav died a few days before the death of his parents.

The veneration of Peter and Fevronia began long before their canonization. Services for these saints were held back in the 15th century. In 1446, the Murom spouses became patrons of the Russian tsars.

For the first time, Peter and Fevronia were mentioned as an ideal married couple in the letter of Metropolitan Macarius to Tsar Ivan IV. Ivan the Terrible also revered saints as assistants in military affairs.

Over the centuries, many of the highest persons came to venerate the relics of the Murom miracle workers: Tsarina Irina Godunova, Peter I, Catherine II, Nicholas I, Alexander II and many others. To this day, thousands of people come to Murom to venerate the holy relics of the couple. And the clergy keep a special book in which they record miracles that happen to believers after praying to Peter and Fevronia.

Saints Peter and Fevronia are spouses who achieved holiness not through monastic feats or martyrdom, but through observance in family life. Their example became the ideal of the Orthodox family.

Peter was the son of Murom Prince Yuri Vladimirovich. According to “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” written in the 16th century, during a fight with a demon in the form of a serpent, drops of snake blood fell on Peter, and he became covered with scabs. For a long time no one could cure him, until one day Peter learned that the peasant woman Fevronia, the daughter of a Ryazan beekeeper, could cure him. Peter found Fevronia, and she was really able to heal him. Fevronia made Peter promise that he would marry her if he was healed, and he kept his promise, despite the fact that the Murom nobility condemned the prince’s marriage to a simple peasant woman.

When Peter became the Prince of Murom, the boyars demanded that he divorce Fevronia and take a boyar’s daughter as his wife, not wanting the Murom princess to be from a peasant family. Peter refused, and the boyars expelled him and Fevronia from the city. But after their expulsion, a bloody struggle for power began in Murom, and the Murom residents begged Prince Peter and his wife to return. Peter and Fevronia returned.

They lived and ruled for a long time, in love and harmony. In old age they took monasticism with the names David and Euphrosyne. The couple prayed to God to die on the same day. And so it happened. They even bequeathed to bury themselves in the same coffin.

Saints Peter and Fevronia were canonized in 1547 under the Moscow Metropolitan Macarius, but were revered by the people as miracle workers and saints of God long before that. Many believers testify that miraculous grace emanates from any icon of Peter and Fevronia, if you turn to the holy spouses with sincere prayer and pure thoughts.

Interesting facts about Peter and Fevronia of Murom

After the canonization of the holy couple in the middle of the 16th century, Metropolitan Macarius commissioned Ermolai (Erasmus) the Sinner, a well-known Russian writer at that time, to put into literary form the oral folk tradition about Peter in Fevronia. This is how it appeared "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom"- the only written source of information about the life of the holy spouses. The author of "The Tale..." especially admired Fevronia's intelligence and insight.

Since their canonization, the Day of Remembrance of Saints Peter and Fevronia has been celebrated on July 8 (June 25, old style). In 2008, this day was officially declared an all-Russian public holiday - Happy day of family, love and fidelity. There is an icon of Peter and Fevronia in almost every church.

Before the revolution, the relics of the saints were in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Murom. In Soviet times, they were exhibited in the Murom Museum for the purpose of anti-religious propaganda, and then were stored in storage rooms. Since 1992, the relics of the holy prince and princess have been in Murom Holy Trinity Monastery, and the day of memory of Peter and Fevronia is celebrated together with the Day of the City of Murom.

Back in the 15th century, before the canonization of the holy spouses, Ivan III prayed at their relics. Several years before the canonization of Peter and Fevronia, Ivan IV the Terrible prayed at their relics before the campaign against Kazan, and after the victory he made a donation for the construction of a new temple over the tomb of the saints.

Before Fevronia, the only Russian officially canonized woman was.

In Russia, since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia of Murom for their significant contribution to strengthening the institution of the family.

The tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day appeared here relatively recently, but quickly became as popular as in the West. Unfortunately, much fewer people know about another reason to more often confess their love to each other - Orthodox feast of Saints Peter and Fevronia. July 8th proclaimed Happy day of family, love and fidelity, and this holiday is called Slavic alternative to Valentine's Day. Why not organize such holidays twice a year? Moreover, the story of Peter and Fevronia is really very interesting and deserves admiration.

Saint Valentine is the patron saint of all lovers, Peter and Fevronia are the patrons of conjugal love, family and marriage, because they lived their whole lives together in harmony and fidelity, died on the same day and bequeathed to be buried side by side. Their story is known to us thanks to the ancient Russian “Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” written in the 16th century. Ermolai Erasmus. At the same time, in 1547, the Murom spouses were canonized at a church council.

The Old Russian “Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” is a real hymn of marital love and fidelity, in addition, it is a glorification of female wisdom and male self-denial. Peter and Fevronia lived in the 13th century, but their story remains interesting and relevant for our contemporaries.

Peter was the brother of the Murom ruler, Prince Pavel. He helped him get rid of the evil snake that was plaguing their family. Having killed the enemy, he himself suffered - the poisoned blood of the snake fell on Peter's skin, causing it to become covered with scabs. None of the doctors could cure him of this disease.

In search of a healer, the prince went to the Ryazan land, and in the village of Laskovo he found a girl wise beyond her years, the daughter of a tree frog beekeeper. She promised to cure the prince if he later marries her. Peter promised, but did not keep his vow - the prince could not marry a peasant woman. After this, the disease returned to him. Peter again turned to Fevronia for help, and she helped him again. This time he kept his word and took her as his wife. So Fevronia became a princess.

Soon Prince Pavel died, and Peter began to rule in Murom. The boyars' wives disliked Fevronia for her simple origin and planned to get rid of her. The boyars told Peter that their wives did not want to obey Fevronia and asked her to leave the city. Then Peter renounced his reign and left with his wife.

When they were sailing in ships along the Oka, Fevronia noticed that one man, whose wife was on the same ship, was looking at her “with thoughts.” Then she asked him to scoop up water from one side and the other of the vessel and tell him whether it tasted different. Of course, there were no differences. Then Fevronia said: “So female nature is the same. Why, having forgotten about your wife, are you thinking about someone else’s?”

Soon the Murom nobles came to ask Peter to return - after his departure, turmoil and strife began. The couple returned and ruled Murom in accordance with the commandments, “they did not like cruelty and money-grubbing, and did not spare perishable wealth.” In old age they became monks and agreed to leave on the same day. After their death on June 25 (July 8 according to the new style), they did not dare to put them in one coffin, as they requested. Their bodies were in different churches, but the next morning they found themselves in the same tomb. So love was able to conquer even death, so the holiday began to be celebrated on this day.

The story of Peter and Fevronia has become an example of love, loyalty and respect for family values. Centuries later, she deserves the same admiration as many years ago. Should you celebrate July 8th as the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity? You still have time to think about it, but for now