Saint Peter of Athos: history and fiction. Venerable Peter of Athos Prayer to Saint Peter of the Baltic Sea

In the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Athos and other monasteries of the Holy Mountain, on June 12/25 they celebrate the memory of St. Peter of Athos (+734), some of the saints miraculous relics which is kept in the Holy Intercession Cathedral of the Russian Svyatogorsk monastery, reports a correspondent of the Russian Athos portal.

Originally Greek, he served as a governor in the Byzantine imperial army and lived in Constantinople. In 667, during the war with the Syrians, Saint Peter was captured and imprisoned in the fortress of the city of Samara on the Euphrates River.

For a long time he languished in prison and thought about what sins he had been punished by God for. Saint Peter remembered that he once had the intention of leaving the world and entering a monastery, but he never fulfilled it. He began to observe strict fasting in prison, pray fervently, and asked St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for intercession before God.

Saint Nicholas appeared to Saint Peter in a dream and gave advice to call upon Saint Simeon the God-Receiver for help. Strengthening the prisoner in patience and hope, the saint once again appeared to him in a dream. For the third time he appeared together with Saint Simeon the God-Receiver in reality. Saint Simeon touched the chains of Saint Peter with his rod, and the iron melted like wax. The doors of the prison opened, and Saint Peter came out to freedom. Saint Simeon the God-Receiver became invisible, and Saint Nicholas escorted Saint Peter to the border of the Greek land. Having recalled the vow, Saint Nicholas also became invisible.

To receive the monastic image at the tomb of the Apostle Peter, Saint Peter went to Rome. Saint Nicholas did not leave him without his help: he appeared in a dream to the Pope and told about the circumstances of the release of Saint Peter from captivity, ordering the Pope to tonsure former prisoner into monasticism.

The next day, with a crowd of people during the Divine Service, the Pope said loudly: “Peter, who came from the Greek land, whom St. Nicholas freed from prison in Samara, come to me.” Saint Peter appeared before the Pope, who tonsured him as a monk at the tomb of the Apostle Peter. The Pope taught Saint Peter the rules of monastic life and kept the monk with him. Then, with a blessing, he released Saint Peter to wherever God would deign to send him.

Saint Peter boarded a ship sailing east. The shipmen, who went ashore during a stop, asked Saint Peter to come and pray to one house, where the owner and all the household were lying sick. Saint Peter healed them with his prayer.

Appeared to Saint Peter in a dream Holy Mother of God and indicated the place where he was to live until the end of his days - Holy Mount Athos. When the ship sailed past Athos, it stopped by itself. Saint Peter realized that at this place he must disembark, and he went ashore. This was in 681.

The Monk Peter spent 53 years in the deserted places of the Holy Mountain, without seeing any people. His clothes decayed, and his hair and beard grew and covered his body instead of clothes.

At first, the Monk Peter was repeatedly subjected to demonic attacks. Trying to force the saint to leave the cave, the demons took the form of either armed warriors or ferocious animals and reptiles ready to tear the hermit to pieces. But with fervent prayer to God and the Mother of God, the Monk Peter defeated demonic attacks. Then the enemy began to act with cunning. Appearing under the guise of a youth sent to him from his home, he tearfully begged the monk to leave the desert and return to his home. The monk shed tears, but answered without hesitation: “The Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos brought me here, without Her permission I will not leave here.” Hearing the name of the Mother of God, the demon disappeared.

Seven years later, the demon appeared before the saint in the form of a bright angel and said that God commanded him to go into the world to enlighten and save people who needed his guidance. The experienced ascetic again replied that without command Mother of God will not leave the desert. The demon disappeared and no longer dared to approach the monk.

The Mother of God appeared to St. Peter in a dream along with St. Nicholas and told the courageous hermit that every 40 days an Angel would bring him Heavenly manna. From that time on, the Monk Peter fasted for 40 days, and on the fortieth day he was strengthened by Heavenly manna, receiving strength for a further forty days of abstinence.

One day, a hunter, chasing a deer, saw a naked man, overgrown with hair and girded around his loins with leaves. He got scared and started running. The Monk Peter stopped him and told him about his life. The hunter asked permission to stay with him, but the saint sent him home. The Monk Peter gave the hunter a year for self-examination and forbade him to talk about his meeting with him.

A year later, the hunter returned with his brother, possessed by a demon, and other companions. When they entered the cave of the Monk Peter, they saw that he had already reposed before God. The hunter, with bitter weeping, told his companions about the life of St. Peter, and his brother, as soon as he touched the saint’s body, received healing.

The Monk Peter died in 734. His holy relics were located on Mount Athos in the monastery of St. Clement. During the iconoclasm they were hidden, and in 969 they were transferred to the Thracian village of Photoki. Part of the holy miraculous relics of St. Peter of Athos is kept in the Holy Intercession Cathedral of the Russian on Athos St. Panteleimon Monastery.

The name of St. Peter of Athos is associated with the sacred covenant of the Mother of God about her earthly destiny - Holy Mount Athos, which to this day remains in force: “In Mount Athos there will be his rest, that is, My lot from My Son and God, given to Me, so that he is separated from worldly rumors and embraces spiritual exploits according to the strength of his deeds, by faith and love from souls calling on My name, there they spend their temporary life without sorrow, and those who are pleasing to God for the sake of their deeds will receive eternal life: for I love that place dearly and I want to increase the monastic rite on that, and the mercy of My Son and God to those who have monasticism there will not be ruined forever, if and they will keep the saving commandments; and I will spread them in the Mountain to the south and north, and they will prevail from world to world, and I will make their name praiseworthy in all the sunflowers and protect those who will patiently strive there in fasting.”

VIDEO:

IN Orthodox Church About thirty saints with the name Peter are venerated. Saint Peter of Athos is not the most famous of them, but also does not belong to those whose memory remains only in the form of one mention by some synaxar: two texts are dedicated to him - one narrative and one liturgical.

Canon to Saint Peter of Athos

The canon to Saint Peter was written by Joseph the Hymnographer. The name of the author establishes a terminus ante quem regarding the time of compilation of the canon: this is the year 886, in which Joseph is believed to have died. However, a more precise date can be set.

Indeed, the story about the discovery of certain miraculous relics on Mount Athos, which the canon mentions, could more easily become known in Thessaloniki than in Constantinople. Apparently Joseph, who relied on oral tradition in compiling his canon, discovered material about his activities in Thessaloniki, where he arrived around 831 and where he stayed until his final departure, which happened a little earlier than 841. Joseph compiled his canon in during his stay in Thessaloniki or a little later. Thus the composition of the canon should be placed between 831 and 841.

Brief overview of the canon's themes

The Church shows you as the new Peter; you killed your members and revived your soul, hiding in the mountains and caves and fighting passions and lowlands; your relics, hidden for many years, have now appeared for our salvation, emanating waves of healing and blessed myrrh; you are the disciple and namesake of Supreme Peter; incense of Christ, with your peace, which you pour out from your relics, you inspire martyrs and drive away passions; the uninhabited desert and steep cliffs speak of your labors and exploits; you populated Mount Athos like Elijah populated Mount Carmel; your myrrh flows from your relics and attracts believers with its aroma; become a mediator for all of us who flow to you with faith and reverence.

Obviously, the historical content is very scarce: a certain ascetic lived for a certain number of years in the most inaccessible parts of Athos; his relics were found years after his death; The Church recognized his holiness and established a celebration of his memory. This is the chronology of the compilation of the canon, which from a historical point of view has special meaning: if, as seems likely, the canon was compiled in 831-841, then this means that at least from the beginning of the 9th century. the monks lived on Mount Athos, and from the middle of this century the news about them began to spread, which is also evident from other sources.

Life of Saint Peter of Athos

A certain Athonite monk named Nicholas, somewhere at the end of the 10th century, wrote the life of Peter the Athonite. The work consists of three separate parts:

1. Miracle of St. Nicholas, who benefited a certain Peter Scholarius, whom the author arbitrarily identifies with Peter of Athos.
2. Description of the life of Peter, who spent “fifty years” in a cave on Mount Athos.
3. Miracles that occurred in Thrace and which the author attributes to the relics of Peter Athos, although apparently we're talking about about a certain local saint.

Consequently, only the middle part of the life can be used to substantiate the historical existence of Peter and can provide information about the lifestyle of the monks on Athos in the 9th century.

Unfortunately, reality refutes this hope: the author of the life does not provide any new information, since the canon of Joseph, overcrowded commonplaces known in hagiography, is the only source from which information is taken. Consequently, we will not use the life of St. Peter of Athos as a source, unless it gives information about the way of life Athonite monks in the era when the author himself lived, that is, in the last quarter of the 10th century.

Development of veneration of St. Peter of Athos

According to information from sources, we can trace the gradual stages of religious veneration of the hermit Peter, until the moment it took final shape. In the first decades of the 9th century, the relics of a certain hermit were discovered in one deserted place on Athos. Of course, in that place the memory of a certain ascetic named Peter was also preserved; the combination of the acquisition and the memory of the ascetic happened naturally and probably rightly. Immediately after this, or a little later, the surrounding monks began to pay religious veneration to the remains. This tradition of recognition as a saint immediately after the discovery of relics was very widespread, despite its condemnation by the Church. After the establishment of veneration, it became natural to perform the annual liturgical day memory, apparently on the anniversary of the discovery of the relics. There is no doubt that veneration was extended by the Athonites not only to the specific ascetic Peter, but also to all the nameless and unnoticed heroes of ascetic life.

How much time passed between the beginning of his veneration on Mount Athos and the compilation of the canon in honor of Peter by Joseph the Hymnographer will remain unknown forever; however, it is obvious that this was not a long period of time.

The information that Joseph provides (deeply rooted veneration, devotion to the day of his memory, prayerful request for his intercession) would have been enriched much more if these two events had been separated by a greater period of time.

In accordance with all of the above, it seems logical that the veneration of Peter took root first in the place where his relics were found, but the news about him quickly spread further: one Menaion for June from the monastery of Akataliptou in Constantinople, dating from the end of the 10th century, contains an old cult of St. Peter. This means that it should be assumed that this monastery, at least for some time, commemorated St. Peter of Athos. On the contrary, the typicon of the Great Church does not contain any traces of veneration of St. Peter. Based on the fact that Byzantine monasteries freely formed their liturgical regulations, the fact that one capital monastery glorified Peter among its saints in X-XI centuries, do not mean that Great Church recognized Peter as a saint in that era, and also that Peter was at some point listed among the saints in her typicon. However, it should be recognized that the memory of St. Peter was also celebrated outside Athos in the 12th century, since one of the Menaia of this period, the origin of which is not connected with Athos, contains a tribute to Peter.

These two mentioned Menaions are the oldest manuscripts that contain the following of St. Peter, give us one important information: in them the day of remembrance is placed on June 22, and not on June 12 - a day that will be established later and until today will remain the day of memory of Peter of Athos together with the Egyptian ascetic St. Onufriy. These two celebrations were initially separate, but the close location in the liturgical calendar of two saints, who became famous for similar ascetic deeds, resulted in the unification of the two celebrations on one day - on the anniversary of the most famous of them - St. Onuphrius. It is now impossible to know exactly when this happened.

The theory that Josephus the Hymnographer combined the two celebrations has no basis, since manuscripts dating one or two centuries after Josephus's time continue to separate the two celebrations. The unification of the celebration of Peter and Onuphrius took place on Athos, where the monks had deep respect for the ascetics of the desert, and the day of memory of Peter, although it did not stop being celebrated at all, nevertheless lost some of its luster between the 11th and 14th centuries. The transfer of the memory of St. Peter from June 22 to June 12 probably occurred in the 11th century. It remains questionable whether this change in the day of remembrance coincided with a significant decline in the zeal of the Athonites towards St. Peter. In any case, not a single manuscript outside Athos older than the 15th century contains his life and not a single Menaion outside Athos, except for what was described above, contains his succession. On the contrary, his veneration, which, as was said, faded somewhat during the 12th and 13th centuries, and on Athos itself, starting from the 14th century, returned again with its former splendor and from that moment did not stop developing.

It is curious that in the 15th century an icon appeared in Novgorod, which testifies to the united veneration of not only St. Peter of Athos together with St. Onuphrius, as hermits, distinguished by the most ascetic way of life, but also includes the image of St. Macarius the Great, who had a similar life.

LITERATURE

Based on the book: Παπαχρυσάνθου Δ . Ο Αθωνικός μοναχισμός. Αρχές και οργάνωση. Ελληνική έκδοση βελτιωμένη και επαυξημένη. Αθήνα, 1992. Σ. 85-92.

Venerable Peter of Athos

St. Peter was from Constantinople. There is no reliable information about the name and rank of his parents historical information, and he himself was one of the holastics of the Byzantine capital, and at the same time had the rank of commander. Since he was skilled and experienced in military affairs, the king repeatedly sent him to war. During one of these campaigns into the borders of great Syria, which lies on the border of Babylon and Phenicia, by God's permission Peter happened to suffer a complete defeat.

He is with many other warriors was taken prisoner and the barbarians took him to one of the strong fortresses in Arabia, Samara, located on the banks of the Euphrates. In Samara, they surrounded the captive with heavy shackles and threw him into a stinking prison, under strong guard, prohibiting all entry to him and thus depriving him of all consolation. Bearing such a bitter fate, the prudent scholastic, instead of grumbling, began to constantly test himself: was he himself the cause of such misfortune? - And he remembered that once, more than once, he promised God to leave the world and everything in the world and to be a monk, and yet to this day he has not fulfilled his promise. Therefore, fully aware of himself as worthy of his misfortune, he blamed himself a lot and cruelly and, thus, with gratitude endured the punishment sent down to him from God.

I've already spent a lot of time Peter Afonsky in this bitter imprisonment and, not expecting any human means to free himself, he decided to ask for help from above, from the omnipotent God, who could free him from these difficult bonds through unknown destinies, just as He delivered the Apostle Peter from Herod’s prison. Then Peter remembered the great wonderworker Nicholas, for whom he always had great faith and love and was deeply in awe of his miracles, which the saint performed for everyone who called him with faith in their needs. Therefore, with many tears, he began to cry out to the quick helper of all those in trouble, St. Nicholas.

Saint Peter also added fasting and vigil to his warm prayers, so that once during the whole week he did not taste any food. At the end of such an intense prayer of the prisoner, the great Nicholas appeared to him in a dream, an ambulance to all those who called upon him.

The Great Nicholas then commanded Saint Peter to have patience in his labors and, ordering him to refresh himself with food, he became invisible. After this, Peter further intensified his feats of fasting and prayer. Finally, as if with a triumphant air, St. appears to Blessed Peter. the wonderworker Nicholas, already in reality, says: “Be of good cheer, brother Peter, and give glory to God: He finally heard our prayer for you, and now the great Simeon, whom I offered you as an assistant in our prayers to God, came to free you from your bonds ."

When Peter looked and saw the great righteous man under the law coming towards him, then an involuntary fear and trembling overwhelmed him from the wonderful sight of the heavenly visitor. The sacred elder Simeon had a golden rod in his hand and was dressed in full Old Testament bishop's vestments. Peter showed him his feet, which were nailed into a tree. But the God-Receiver touched the shackles with his rod, and in the blink of an eye they disintegrated, like wax from fire. Having thus freed Peter from his bonds, Saint Simeon went out of prison and ordered him to follow him, and immediately all three of them - Saint Nicholas, the God-Receiver Simeon and Peter - found themselves walking outside the Samara fortress. Out of amazement, Peter considered this glorious miracle that had happened to him to be a dream.

Having thus become convinced of the truth of his miraculous deliverance and having given thanks to God and his heavenly intercessors Simeon and Nicholas, Peter began exactly fulfill your vows, given by them to the Lord God during the time of suffering - i.e. from Arabia, having reached the borders of the Greeks, did not go to his homeland, but directed his steps straight to Ancient Rome. Saint Nicholas of Christ, having once taken him under his protection, no longer left him with his help along the entire journey, but, like a compassionate and child-loving father or like a good teacher, guided him visibly and invisibly and soon brought him to Rome in complete safety and well-being.

Before Peter's entry into Rome, Saint Nicholas of Christ appeared in a dream to the pope, to whom, holding Peter by the hand and pointing to him, he told everything in detail, and announced to him his very name and at the same time commanded him to immediately clothe the person he was introducing in a monastic angelic image in front of him. tomb of the Holy Supreme Apostle Peter. Dad, getting up from sleep, thought for a long time about what he had seen at night. When the time came for the Liturgy, he went to church. The day was Sunday. Among many other pilgrims, Peter also came to the church of the Supreme Apostle. The pope diligently examined the assembled prayer books, wanting to recognize the man he had seen in a dream, and as soon as he recognized him among the multitude of people, he immediately gave him a sign to come up to him.

Then the pope immediately, in front of all the people, clothed Peter with the monastic rank. After accepting this holy image, Peter spent some time with the pope, listening to his soul-saving and saving instructions. And then the pope, following the will of God revealed to him, released him from Rome and gave him his holy blessing. So, Saint Peter, having asked his father, the blessed pope, for holy prayers and, for his part, wishing him eternal salvation and greeting his entire clergy, left old Rome with a fervent prayer to God, may He accompany him everywhere with His all-holy will , and soon appeared on the seashore. By the dispensation of God, there was then a ship going to the east, and Peter, surrendering himself to the Providence of God, entered it. Soon a tailwind blew, and the ship rushed in its direction.

During the voyage, Saint Peter wanted to fall asleep a little, and as soon as a light sleep closed his eyes, the Queen of heaven and earth appeared to him, illuminated by heavenly glory, and indicated that “... for the free service of God there is no other more convenient place than Mount Athos, which I received from My Son and God as an inheritance for Myself, so that those who want to retire from worldly worries and confusions would come there and serve God there unhindered and calm.”

Having woken up, the monk still imagined seeing the Divine vision that had happened to him in a dream, and then, having calmed down a little, with all his heart he praised and thanked God, who had made him worthy to see this Divine miracle. When they sailed against St. Mount Athos, their ship, by some miracle, stopped near a place now called Karavastasi, and stood rooted to the spot there, and Peter went ashore.

Left alone on the shore of the mountain, Saint Peter offered there a diligent prayer to the Lord God, and then, having created the sign of the Honorable Cross on his entire body, he began to ascend the mountain along a certain narrow, rocky path, barely made in the terrible density of the forest not by human foot, but wild animals, - in the intention to find a place that is completely consistent with the desires of one’s soul, that is, in all respects convenient for deep silence. With great difficulty and much sweat, he climbed to the top of the mountain. Having examined many mountains and valleys, chasms and abysses of Mount Athos, the saint finally found one deep and very dark cave, since the entrance to it was cluttered with dense trees, but very convenient for the room. In this cave nested countless snakes and poisonous reptiles, and even more demons.

As soon as the demons saw the saint approaching their nest, they rebelled against him with all their malice, but he, despising their malice, decided to settle in this God-created refuge, because he found it in everything consistent with his holy thoughts. So, calling on the powerful name of Jesus and His Most Pure Mother and armed with the all-powerful weapon of the Cross, he boldly entered this cave - and the whole multitude of demons and reptiles disappeared like smoke.

After this, the saint, glorifying Christ God and His Immaculate Mother, labored in his angelic exploits for 53 years. For so many years he did not even see the semblance of a human being. During all this time, manna, shown by the Angel, served him as food; it fell from the sky in the form of dew, then thickened and became like honey. And he had no thought about clothes, about bed, about buildings and other requirements of human nature: primitive innocence served as clothing for him; He did not worry about the effects of heat, storms and cold, animated by fiery love for his Creator and God and the thought of future reward for all his suffering; The earth was his bed, and the sky decorated with stars served as his cover. In a word, he lived on earth in an unearthly way as if bodiless; Until the time that manna was shown to him, he ate roots and desert potions.

Tradition

God wanted to reveal the angelic life of His saint to people and arranged it this way.One hunter, having come to Mount Athos to catch animals, already walked around many places on it and finally reached the place where the saint spent his life as an angel. Not far from Petrova's cave, he saw one huge and beautiful doe, and at the sight of such good prey, leaving the pursuit of all other animals, he managed to catch only this beautiful animal all day. The doe, as if guided by someone, avoided the hunter’s pursuit for a long time and finally stopped right at the saint’s cave. The hunter had been chasing her for a long time and now, having almost caught up with her, he was just about to throw an arrow, when suddenly on the right side of the cave he saw a certain man with a very long gray beard, with white hair at the head (covering half of his body) and no hair. no other clothing except grass leaves.

The saint told the hunter where he came from, how long he had been living here and what he was eating, what suffering he had endured for the sake of heavenly consolations, what consolations he had in his sorrows, and what guarantees of eternal bliss he had received: in a word, he described to him in detail his entire life.

So, glorifying and thanking God that he was worthy to see such a saint of His, the catcher retired home and, living there, spent the entire next year according to the instructions of the saint.

At the end of this year, the catcher, taking with him two monks and his brother, arrived at the Holy Mountain. Having reached the shore of Athos, they all went to the cave of St. Peter. The catcher, having great love for him against his companions, warned his companions and reached his cave before the others, but - what grief! - he found the saint already deceased in the Lord; his hands were folded crosswise on his chest, his eyes were closed, as they should be, and his whole body lay honestly on the ground.

Reverend Peter died in 734. His holy relics were located on Mount Athos in the monastery of St. Clement. During the iconoclasm they were hidden, and in 969 they were transferred to the Thracian village of Photoki. And here, too, from these holy relics countless miracles were performed, to the joy and consolation of strangers and natives, to the glory of the Consubstantial Trinity, in honor and praise of our reverend and God-bearing father Peter, who labored above mankind on the holy Mount Athos.

The Monk Peter of Athos, a Greek by birth, served as a commander in the imperial troops and lived in Constantinople. In the year, during the war with the Syrians, Saint Peter was captured and imprisoned in the fortress of the city of Samarra in Syria.

For a long time he languished in prison and thought about what sins he had been punished by God for. Saint Peter remembered that he once had the intention of leaving the world and entering a monastery, but he never fulfilled it. He began to observe strict fasting in prison, pray fervently, and asked St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for intercession before God. Saint Nicholas appeared to the saint in a dream and gave advice to call upon Saint Simeon the God-Receiver for help. Strengthening the prisoner in patience and hope, the saint once again appeared to him in a dream. For the third time he appeared together with Saint Simeon the God-Receiver in reality. Saint Simeon touched the chains of Saint Peter with his rod and the iron melted like wax. The doors of the prison opened, and Saint Peter came out to freedom. Saint Simeon the God-Receiver became invisible, and Saint Nicholas escorted Saint Peter to the border of the Greek land. Having recalled the vow, Saint Nicholas also became invisible.

To receive the monastic image at the tomb of the Apostle Peter, Saint Peter went to Rome. Saint Nicholas did not leave him without his help: he appeared to the Pope in a dream and told about the circumstances of the release of Saint Peter from captivity, ordering the Pope to tonsure the former prisoner into monasticism. The next day, with a crowd of people during the Divine Service, the Pope said loudly: “Peter, who came from the Greek land, whom St. Nicholas freed from prison in Samarra, come to me.” Saint Peter appeared before the Pope, who tonsured him as a monk at the tomb of the Apostle Peter. The Pope taught Saint Peter the rules of monastic life and kept the monk with him. Then, with a blessing, he released the saint to wherever God would deign to send him.

Saint Peter boarded a ship sailing east. The shipmen, who went ashore during a stop, asked Saint Peter to come and pray to one house, where the owner and all the household were lying sick. Saint Peter healed them with his prayer.

In a dream, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Saint Peter and indicated the place where he was to live until the end of his days - Holy Mount Athos. When the ship sailed past Athos, it stopped by itself. Saint Peter realized that at this place he must disembark, and he went ashore. This was in the year. Since then, the Monk Peter spent 53 years in the deserted places of the Holy Mountain without seeing any people. His clothes decayed, and his hair and beard grew and covered his body instead of clothes.

Seven years later, the demon appeared before the saint in the form of a bright angel and said that God commanded him to go into the world to enlighten and save people who needed his guidance. The experienced ascetic again replied that he would not leave the desert without the command of the Mother of God. The demon disappeared and no longer dared to approach the monk. The Mother of God appeared to St. Peter in a dream along with St. Nicholas and told the courageous hermit that every 40 days an angel would bring him Heavenly manna. From that time on, the Monk Peter fasted for 40 days, and on the fortieth day he was strengthened by Heavenly manna, receiving strength for a further forty days of abstinence.

One day, a hunter, chasing a deer, saw a naked man, overgrown with hair and girded around his loins with leaves. He got scared and started to run, but the Monk Peter stopped him and told him about his life. The hunter asked permission to stay with him, but the saint sent him home, giving him a year for self-examination, and forbade him to talk about their meeting.

A year later, the hunter returned with his brother, possessed by a demon, and other companions. When they entered the cave of the Monk Peter, they saw that he had already reposed before God. The hunter, with bitter weeping, told his companions about the life of St. Peter, and his brother, as soon as he touched the saint’s body, received healing.

The Monk Peter died in the year. His holy relics were located on Mount Athos in the monastery of St. Clement. During the iconoclasm they were hidden, and in the year they were transferred to the Thracian village of Fotokami. The name of St. Peter of Athos is associated with the sacred covenant of the Mother of God conveyed to him in a dream about his earthly destiny - Holy Mount Athos, which remains in force to this day:

In Mount Athos there will be his rest, for that is My lot from My Son and God, given to Me, so that he who is absent from worldly rumors and who embraces spiritual exploits according to the strength of his deeds, but who calls on My name with faith and love from the soul, spends his temporary life there without sorrow. , and those who are pleasing to God for the sake of their deeds will receive eternal life: for I love that place dearly and I want to increase the monastic rite there, and the mercy of My Son and God to those who have monasticism there will not be ruined forever, if they also keep the saving commandments; and I will spread them in the Mountain to the south and north, and they will prevail from world to world, and I will make their name praiseworthy in all the sunflowers and protect those who will patiently strive there in fasting.

Prayers

Troparion, tone 4

You forsook the world, Peter, for your sake, Peter, and took the cross upon your frame, and you reached Mount Athos, like Elijah the Tishbite of old. Offering the Most Pure Mother of God the Prayer Book, / for this sake we cry out to you: / pray to Christ God that he may save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 2

Having removed yourself from human cohabitation, you lived in stone caves and crevices, with divine desire and love, Peter, your Lord, received a crown from the Worthless One: pray unceasingly for us to be saved.

Used materials

• Portal article Pravoslavie.ru:
• St. Dimitry Rostovsky, Lives of the Saints:

First prayer

Reverend Father Peter! Look upon us mercifully and lead those who are devoted to the earth to the heights of heaven. You are a mountain in heaven, we are on earth below, removed from you, not only by place, but by our sins and iniquities, but we run to you and cry: teach us to walk in your way, teach us and guide us. Your entire holy life has been a mirror of every virtue. Do not stop, servant of God, crying to the Lord for us. By your intercession, ask from our All-Merciful God the peace of His Church, under the sign of the militant cross, agreement in faith and unity of wisdom, destruction of vanity and schism, confirmation in good deeds, healing for the sick, consolation for the sad, intercession for the offended, help for the needy. Do not disgrace us, who come to you with faith. All Orthodox Christians, having performed your miracles and beneficent mercies, confess you to be their patron and intercessor. Reveal your ancient mercies, and to whom you helped the Father, do not reject us, their children, who are marching towards you in their footsteps. Standing before your most honorable icon, as I live for you, we fall down and pray: accept our prayers and offer them up on the altar of God’s mercy, so that we may receive your grace and timely help in our needs. Strengthen our cowardice and confirm us in faith, so that we undoubtedly hope to receive all the good things from the mercy of the Master through your prayers. Oh, great servant of God! Help all of us who flow to you with faith through your intercession to the Lord, and guide us all in peace and repentance, end our lives and move with hope into the blessed bosom of Abraham, where you now rest joyfully in your labors and struggles, glorifying God with all the saints , in the Trinity glorified, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Second prayer

Oh, sacred head, reverend father, most blessed Abvo Peter, do not forget your poor to the end, but always remember us in your holy and auspicious prayers to God. Remember your flock, which you yourself shepherded, and do not forget to visit your children. Pray for us, holy father, for your spiritual children, as if you have boldness towards the Heavenly King, do not be silent for us to the Lord, and do not despise us, who honor you with faith and love. Remember us unworthy at the Throne of the Almighty, and do not stop praying for us to Christ God, for you have been given the grace to pray for us. We do not imagine that you are dead, even though you have passed away from us in body, but even after death you remain alive. Do not give up on us in spirit, keeping us from the arrows of the enemy and all the charms of the devil and the snares of the devil, our good shepherd. Even though your relics are always visible before our eyes, your holy soul is with the angelic hosts, with the disembodied faces, with heavenly powers, those who stand at the Almighty Throne, are having fun with dignity. Knowing that you are truly alive even after death, we bow down to you and pray to you: pray for us to Almighty God, for the benefit of our souls, and ask us time for repentance, so that we may pass from earth to heaven without restraint, from the bitter ordeals of the demons of the air princes and may we be delivered from eternal torment, and may we be heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom with all the righteous, who from all eternity have pleased our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, with His Beginning Father and with His Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and ever. Amen.

Troparion to St. Peter of Athos

Troparion, tone 4

You left the world, Peter, the Lord for your sake and took the cross on your frame, you reached Mount Athos, like Elijah the Tishbite of old. And having remained in it with fasting, and prayers, and vigil, making God merciful, and offering the Most Pure Theotokos the Prayer Book, for this reason we cry out to you: pray to Christ God that he may save our souls.