Peter and Paul when. Day of the Holy Glorious Apostles Peter and Paul. What date is Peter's Day celebrated

This holiday is well known to all Christians. It was established in honor of the disciples of Jesus Christ - Peter and Paul. They made a huge contribution to the spread of the Christian religion. The memory of them is alive among the people to this day. Evidence of this is the Day of Peter and Paul in 2018.

What date is Peter's Day celebrated

In the people this holiday is called very simply: Peter's day. In different denominations, it is celebrated on different days:

On this day, Petrov Fast ends. In general, everything is not so simple here. If the holiday coincides with Wednesday or Friday, then the fast is extended. True, there is still a relaxation in the diet, which consists in the ability to eat fish. This year, the holiday falls on Thursday, which means that there will be no food restrictions.

Since this day belongs to purely religious holidays, it will naturally be a full-time working day.

The origin of the holiday

Many people ask why this holiday is celebrated on July 12, 2018. According to ancient books, it was on this date that the relics of the holy apostles Peter and Paul were transferred to the Roman catacombs of St. Sebastian. To be precise, the transfer of the relics took place on July 12, 258.

A few centuries later, another interpretation of the origin of this holiday appeared. The ministers of the church began to assert that the holiday was created on the occasion of the adoption of holy martyrdom on July 12 by Peter and Paul. By the way, historians still do not know exactly how the apostles died. There is a version that they departed to another world on the same day. True, there are researchers who believe that Paul was executed a year after the death of Peter. Regardless of these two points of view, it is safe to say that these faithful followers of Jesus Christ died for the Christian cause in the time of Nero.

To understand why these people became saints, you need to remember what life path these followers of Christianity went through.

The Apostle Peter was born into an ordinary fishing family. When he was born, he was given the name Simon. Probably, the young man would have continued the work of his father if his brother had not brought him together with Jesus Christ. After their meeting, Simon was baptized and became a preacher of the new religion. He traveled the world and talked about the Savior. However, after the Roman sermon in the sixty-seventh year, he was captured. The court decided to crucify the heretic. Peter believed that he could not accept death, like his teacher, and therefore demanded that he be executed upside down.

Another follower of Christ, Paul, went through a slightly different life path. Saul, that's what he was called at birth, was not at first a supporter of Christianity. On the contrary, he persecuted the followers of the new religion. But one day, when Saul went to Damascus, God himself spoke to him. He asked the traveler why he did not believe in the new doctrine. Either a bright blinding light, or a voice from above influenced the young man, that upon arrival in Damascus he became a follower of Christianity and was baptized on the third day. When the sacred sacrament took place, Saul finally received his sight and later became a zealous worshiper of Christ. He also began to bring the truth about the Savior to the people everywhere. For his sermons, the apostle was put in prison many times. In the sixty-seventh year, he was once again captured. The verdict of the court was merciless - beheading. According to the rules of that time, he could not be crucified, since he was a Roman citizen.

After the execution of these two apostles, all believers began to revere them. By the way, the first temples, which began to be built around 324, were dedicated to these apostles.

In our country, this holiday appeared with the advent of Christianity. Since that time, in all the churches of Russia on July 12, a solemn service has been held, in which the disciples of our God are remembered. In the St. Sophia Cathedral of Novgorod, the first icon, which was brought to ancient Russia and which is dedicated to the apostles, has been preserved to this day.

How do Orthodox people celebrate?

• This day traditionally begins with a prayer. Believers ask Saints Peter and Paul for prosperity and well-being for their families. Everyone who has the opportunity to go to church on a working day puts candles at the icons dedicated to the apostles and attends the festive service.
• On the holiday there is a tradition to help the poor. If you have the opportunity to help those in need, do so. The church has always supported donations.
• The next tradition, which is still alive in our country, is a common feast for the whole family. The hostesses prepare the most favorite family dishes and, of course, fish, which is the symbol of this day. After all, as you remember, Peter comes from a fishing family, and now he is considered the patron of all fishermen.
• In the traditions of the Russian people and visiting relatives, especially godchildren. On this holiday, godparents treat their godchildren with pies, and sons and daughters must prepare congratulations for this day. Kumovievs are usually invited to dinner.

What not to do on this day

On this holiday, it is not recommended to engage in:

• heavy physical labor;
• household chores (cleaning, ironing, laundry);
• bathing in reservoirs;
• foul language;
• quarrels, etc.

In the old days, all physical work on home improvement (whitewashing, cleaning, washing) was done before the holiday. By Peter's Day, the house was decorated with wildflowers and tree branches.

Rites

Since ancient times, it has been customary to “guard the Sun” on this day. The youth went out into the open field to meet the sunrise and drive away the mermaids. After that, Petrovka began - folk festivals with songs and dances. At this time, fairs were held everywhere, which were called Petrovsky.

They also believed in the old days that if you wash yourself with water from three streams on Peter's Day, you will definitely get rid of terrible diseases and troubles.

On the holiday, the girls were engaged in fortune-telling. It was believed that if a girl goes through 12 fields, collects 12 herbs and puts them under her pillow on Peter's Day, then she will see her betrothed in a dream.

Also on the holiday, it was customary to weave branches of a young birch into braids and make a wish on the betrothed.

If a girl wanted to marry a guy, on July 12 she gave him a handkerchief embroidered with her own hands.

Even on the holiday it was customary to help the poor. On the feast, the last fruits were collected on cherries and given to the poor at the church, so that the next year there would be a good harvest.

In order to prevent cattle from getting sick next year, shepherds tied red ribbons on the horns of animals.

On the day of Peter, beekeepers clipped the wings of several insects so that there would be no theft of hives.

Signs

The history of the holiday in honor of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul

The apostles Peter and Paul were very different. The unlearned Peter and the well-educated Paul. Peter was the closest disciple of Christ, and Paul was the persecutor of Christians. Peter was married and Paul was a virgin. But the Church honors them equally: Holy Glorious Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul, pray to God for us!» The Apostles Peter and Paul died as martyrs on the same day - June 29 according to the Julian calendar. This is stated in the Roman (4th c.) and Carthaginian (5th c.) calendars, the martyrology (list of martyrs) of Blessed Jerome (4th c.) and the sacramentary (missal) of Pope Gregory the Great (6th c.). The Apostle Peter was crucified on the cross head down, the Apostle Paul was beheaded. According to some church historians, the apostle Paul died exactly one year after the apostle Peter. The transfer of the relics of the holy apostles took place in the year 258, also on June 29.

The holiday in honor of the supreme apostles has been known since the first centuries of Christianity. Around 324, during the reign of Constantine the Great in Rome and Constantinople - the two capitals of the Roman Empire, the first churches were built in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul. Since that time, the holiday began to be celebrated even more solemnly.

Life of the Apostle Peter

Simple Galilean fishermen Simon and Andrew, having heard the call of Christ: “Follow me!”, leave the nets and become apostles, “fishers of men”. Simon was one of the Lord's closest disciples. Witness of many miracles, long before the Resurrection, he speaks of his religion: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" and hears in response:

You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:16-18).

Simon's new names are Peter and Cephas, the Greek and Aramaic words for rock.

The closest disciples of the Savior - Peter, John and James - saw him on Mount Tabor, together with him they came to the Garden of Gethsemane and were witnesses of His arrest. Peter even cut off the ear of one of the guards. A sincere believer, who witnessed the Divine Transfiguration, Peter on the night of the Passion of Christ denied his Teacher three times, and then “went out, weeping highlander” (Matt. 26:75). So sincere was his repentance and ardent faith that he heard the words of forgiveness from the Lord after the Resurrection:

Do you love me?.. Feed my sheep (John 21:15-17).

It was the Apostle Peter who delivered an inspired sermon after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, after which 3,000 people turned to Christ. A few days later, his second sermon, after healing the lame man, converted another 5,000 people to the faith of Christ. Even his shadow healed the sick (Acts 5:15).

The Apostle Peter preached in Judea, the countries of Asia Minor, and Italy. According to church historians, he came to Rome in 67. When Emperor Nero began persecuting Christians, the disciples persuaded the Apostle Peter to hide. But, leaving Rome, on the Appian Way, the apostle saw Christ: “Where are you going, Lord?” Hearing the answer: “To Rome, to be crucified again,” the apostle returned to the city, was arrested and imprisoned in the dungeon of the Mamertine prison. On the Vatican Hill, where the circus of Nero was located, a cross was prepared for the apostle. Out of humility, he asked to be crucified upside down. Here, on the hill, Hieromartyr Clement of Rome and other disciples buried the body of the apostle. Thus the words of the Lord were fulfilled:

Truly, truly, I say to you: when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you, and lead you where you do not want to (John 21:18).

Over the tomb of the Apostle Peter in the 2nd century, Christians erected a small chapel. At the same place, Emperor Constantine the Great built a large temple, consecrated in 329. The relics of the Apostle Peter are in the basement of the Basilica. The cathedral is located on the territory of the state of Vatican City, which is ruled by the Pope - the head of the Catholic Church.

Life of the Apostle Paul

Before converting to Christ, Paul's name was Saul. He was born in Tarsus, the capital of the province of Cilicia in Asia Minor. He came from the tribe of Benjamin, like King Seoul, in whose honor he received the name. By birth he was a Roman citizen, which in those days gave enormous privileges, especially in the provinces. The Roman name Paul (lat. - small), probably also received at birth, but he began to use it only after turning to Christ.

The future apostle Paul was a zealous Pharisee, he studied in Jerusalem with Gamaliel, the most authoritative Jewish teacher of that time. When they stoned the first martyr Archdeacon Stephen, Saul guarded the clothes of the tormentors. He hated Christians so much that he persecuted them anywhere and everywhere. On the way to Damascus, where he went to persecute Christians, the Lord miraculously called him to the apostolic ministry. Suddenly, a very bright light shone and a voice was heard: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He went blind and fell to the ground. The satellites heard only the voice, but did not see anything. They brought Saul by hand to Damascus, where Ananias, one of the seventy apostles, taught him the faith of Christ and baptized him. Vision returned during immersion in water.

Saul became the apostle Paul. Just as zealously as before he persecuted him, now he preached the faith of Christ in Arabia, Syria, Palestine, Antioch, on the island of Cyprus and in Athens. He founded many local churches, to which he sent his messages, which made up most of the book of the Apostle, read during the morning service in Orthodox churches.

The Apostle Paul, unlike Peter, received an excellent education. He knew well not only the Old Testament scriptures, but was also familiar with the Greco-Roman culture of that time: philosophy, literature, religion, mastered the techniques of rhetoric. All this allowed him to freely argue with the Greek philosophers in Athens. The sermon of the Apostle Paul was addressed primarily to the pagans.

When the Apostle Paul once again visited Jerusalem, the Jews accused him of leading the Gentiles to the Temple of Solomon. The court of the Sanhedrin could not sentence a Roman citizen to death, so he was sent to Caesarea, where the Roman procurator who ruled the province was located. Taking advantage of the right of a Roman citizen to demand the trial of the emperor himself, the arrested Paul, in chains under escort, goes to Rome. The trial continued for about two more years. Even while in prison, he had the opportunity to see the apostle Peter and the Roman Christians.

The removal of a water source in the Mamertine dungeon. Fresco in the catacombs of St. Thekla. Second half of the 4th - first half of the 5th c. Rome

According to legend, the last days before the execution, the apostles spent together in the dungeon of the Mamertine prison. There they baptized the prison guards Prokess and Martinian and 47 other prisoners. There was no water for baptism, but a miracle happened: the source clogged.

The apostles were led to the execution together, they said goodbye on the Ostian road. Peter was crucified on the Vatican hill, Paul was taken outside the city, to the waters of Salvia. A Roman citizen was not supposed to be crucified, so they cut off his head with a sword. At the place where the head of the apostle fell, three springs were clogged, which have survived to this day.

The body of the Apostle Paul was buried in the same place. Emperor Constantine the Great built a church over the tomb. Subsequently, the basilica was expanded and decorated. The church was destroyed in a fire in 1823. In 1854, a huge cathedral 120 meters long was built again.

Service to the Chief Apostles Peter and Paul

At present, in Orthodoxy, the feast of Peter and Paul is one of the great ones, equated to. On this day, Peter's fast ends, which began a week after the holiday. But if the holiday falls on Wednesday or Friday, then food is allowed. only with fish.

The verses for the service to Peter and Paul were written in the 7th-8th centuries by the Patriarch of Constantinople German, saint Andrew of Crete, reverend John of Damascus, Kozma Mayumsky and other Orthodox hymnographers.

Part of the stichera is addressed simultaneously to Peter and Paul:

Thou hast given the affirmation of Thy Church, Lord, Peter's firmness, and Paul's mind, and luminous wisdom, and both the true God-Will, driving away the Hellenic charm. The same we secretly teach from both, we sing to Thee, Jesus Almighty, Savior to our souls.

Translation: “The affirmation of Your Church, Lord, You gave the firmness of Peter and Paul reason and luminous wisdom, and both true divine preaching, driving away the deception of godlessness. Therefore, we, taught by them both the mysteries of the Divine, sing to Thee, O almighty Jesus, the Savior of our souls.

Other verses are addressed only to Peter:

The third question, hedgehog: Peter, do you love me? Christ corrected the third rejection. The same to Simon the Mysterious: Lord, you know everything, you know everything, You know, because I love You. The same to him, the Savior: feed My sheep, feed My chosen ones, feed My lambs, I have provided with His blood for salvation. Pray that, O God-blessed Apostle, grant us great mercy.

Translation: “Three times asking, “Peter, do you love Me?” Christ corrected the threefold renunciation. Therefore, Simon answered the Knower of the secret: “Lord, You know everything, You know everything, You know that I love You!” Then the Savior turned to him: “Feed My sheep, feed My chosen ones, feed My lambs, whom I purchased with My blood for salvation!” Pray him, God-blessed Apostle, to grant us great mercy.”

There are also such verses in the service that are addressed to Paul alone:

I am over all the city your bonds and sorrows, who will say, glorious apostle Paul? Works, illnesses and vigils, even in hunger and thirst for malice. I am in winter and nakedness, a kosher and beating rods. Stone throwing and contempt. Depths of heating. Shame was an angel and a man. You endured everything, O Christ Who strengthens you, that you may gain peace, O Christ Jesus, your Lord. The same we pray to you, who create your memory faithfully, pray unceasingly, that our souls be saved.

Translation: “In all cities, who will enumerate your bonds and sorrows, glorious Apostle Paul? Labors, struggles, vigils, sufferings of hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, a basket and blows with sticks, stoning and contempt of people, the depth in which he drowned during a shipwreck. You have become a spectacle for angels and people. You endured everything for Christ who strengthens you, so that you might gain the whole world in Christ Jesus your Lord. Therefore, we ask you, making your remembrance with faith: Pray without ceasing for the salvation of our souls.

Glory to the holy apostles:

We magnify you Christ's apostles Peter and Paul. Who have enlightened the whole world with their teachings, and who have led all the ends to Christ.

During the evening service on the eve of the holiday, proverbs are read - excerpts from the conciliar epistle of the Apostle Peter. Since the texts of the New Testament book are being read, the worshipers listen to them standing up (usually you can sit on paroemias). At Matins, two canons are read, written by St. John of Damascus (8th century). One canon is addressed to the Apostle Peter, the other to Paul.

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Folk traditions of the feast of Peter and Paul

The day of the holy apostles Peter and Paul is popularly considered the holiday of fishermen, since the apostle Peter was known everywhere as the patron saint of fishing, and among the riverside and lakeside inhabitants he even bore the name "fisherman". Petrov's day ended the spring and began the summer fishing season: on this day, settlements for spring fishing were completed and new deals for the summer were concluded. The fishermen prayed to the Apostle Peter, served prayers, and in some places even established the custom every year, on the day of June 29, to collect "Peter the fisherman on a worldly candle", which was placed in the temple in front of his image. For the rest of the population, St. the apostles was not considered paramount and was not associated with any special religious rites.

In the cycle of agricultural work, Petrov's day was considered the beginning of grass mowing, although it was almost never associated with any special signs. They only said that "from Peter's day the lightning will light up the bread" and that "if millet is in a spoon on Peter's day, then it will be on a spoon." The "Key-Apostle", to whom, according to ancient legend, the Lord gave the key to the Kingdom of Heaven, was considered one of the most reliable - after "Nikola the Merciful" - patrons of the fields sown with bread.

Even from the evening before the holiday, the village youth went to the field and here, away from parental supervision, spent the whole night “watching the sun”: according to the popular concept, the sun on the day of Peter and Paul, as well as on the day of Christ’s Bright Sunday, plays with some special colors that shimmer and sparkle like a rainbow. In some areas, they converged on Peter's day for three springs, washed themselves with "peter's water" and treated themselves to intoxicating drinks. They arranged Petrovsky round dances, “party-Petrovka”, in some villages the girls went to the forest to “baptize the cuckoo”.

Among the peasants, the Petrovsky fast was observed in all the strictness of the church charter, and the days of “zagovin” and “razgovina” were considered holidays. For example, in the Vologda province there was even a custom of common conversations with the whole world. Each family prepared in advance for Peter's Day: they baked, fried and boiled, as everyone had in mind the reception of guests and relatives who even came from distant villages on Peter's Day. If the holiday fell on Wednesday or Friday, then the people said that "the meat-eater fraternized with fasting."

Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Icons

The iconographic tradition of depicting the holy apostles Peter and Paul came to Russia from Byzantium.

Apostles Peter and Paul. The bottom of the memorial vessel. Byzantium, IV century. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Apostles Peter and Paul. Frescoes in the catacombs of St. Thekla. Second half of the 4th - first half of the 5th c. Rome. Combined Fragments Apostles Peter and Paul. Icons from the Deesis tier of the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Rev. Andrei Rublev, 1425-1427

In the Russian state, it was creatively processed. This led to the fact that the apostles Peter and Paul on Russian icons (unlike most other apostles) are easily recognizable: in the mosaics of Kyiv Sophia and on early Novgorod icons, in the deesis tier from the Vysotsky monastery, at St. Andrei Rublev, even on the miniature of Khludovskaya Psalms. Pronounced portrait features of the apostles Peter and Paul can be traced already in early Christian iconography: in the painting of the Roman catacombs of the 3rd - early 4th centuries. one can recognize the apostle Peter with short gray hair and a small beard, and Paul with his characteristic Jewish appearance, high forehead and long dark beard.

Faces of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Basilica of Cosmas and Damian (Santi Cosma e Damiano). First third of the 6th century

Apostles Peter and Paul. Fresco detail. Monastery of Vatopedi. End of the 12th century

Typical for the pre-Mongolian period is the full-length depiction of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, standing side by side. This is how they are depicted on the oldest (XI century) of the icons that have come down to us - from St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod. It is possible that the Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir himself brought this icon from Korsun to Kyiv, and later it ended up in Novgorod. Currently, researchers date it to the middle of the 11th century. - perhaps this is a list of an earlier Kyiv icon, transferred to Novgorod. The icon was revered as miraculous, so in the XVI century. John IV, along with other revered shrines, took her from Novgorod to Moscow.

Icon of the Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul from the Novgorod Sophia Cathedral. Mid 11th century

Later, the icon was returned to Novgorod, and it was in St. Sophia Cathedral until the middle of the 20th century. During the Great Patriotic War, the icon was taken by the German invaders to Germany, but in the early 1950s. she was returned to Novgorod. After restoration, already in the 21st century, it again entered the Novgorod Museum-Reserve. In the iconography of our earliest icon of the apostles, there are details that have become canonical for subsequent times. This is not only the characteristic appearance of the apostles. The Apostle Paul holds a closed book in a precious frame, Peter has a rolled scroll - a symbol of his apostolic writings, a long golden staff (John 21:15-17) and golden keys (Matt. 16:19). Between the apostles, a little higher, as if in the distance - a shoulder-length image of the blessing Savior with the Gospel in his left hand.

Another well-known icon depicting the supreme apostles in pairs comes from the church of the apostles Peter and Paul in Belozersk, dates back to the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries. and is in the State Russian Museum. It differs from the Novgorodian strict conciseness: the apostles are depicted side by side and facing the viewer, they are quite recognizable by their portrait resemblance to canonical samples, but their hands are folded in almost the same blessing gesture, the arrangement of their writings is almost the same - the books of the Apostle Paul and the scroll of Peter . Peter does not have a staff or keys. This iconographic type also became widespread in Russia: an example is the icon of the 15th century. from the Petrozavodsk Museum of Fine Arts.

Apostles Peter and Paul. XII - first half of the XIII centuries. From the Church of the Resurrection in Belozersk. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Apostles Peter and Paul. Middle - second half of the 15th century. Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk

The image is extremely simplified; the apostles have only their writings in their hands, moreover, Paul holds the book with both hands, while Peter's right hand holding the scroll is folded for blessing. The portrait resemblance is noticeable, but the apostle Paul's beard is not quite dark. There are many examples of the further development of the first - "Novgorod" iconographic type of the paired image of the supreme apostles. On the icon of the beginning of the XVII century. from the village of Sludka (Perm Art Gallery), the portrait resemblance is undeniable, although the Apostle Peter does not have emphasized gray hair, and Paul's beard is not as dark and long as on early icons. They stand in prayer before the Savior, who is seated on the Throne in clouds, surrounded by the disembodied powers of Heaven. The hands of the apostles are depicted not in a blessing gesture, but prayerfully stretched out to Christ. A thin chain with an elegant golden key is put on Peter's open palm. But most of the surviving images of the supreme apostles are icons of the Deesis tier. They, depending on the adopted scheme, can be waist, as, for example, located in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the famous "Vysotsky" rank (from the Vysotsky monastery in Serpukhov), and full-length. A remarkable example of a half-length image is the icon of the Apostle Paul from the Zvenigorod tier, painted by the Monk Andrei Rublev (TG). Only three icons from the Deesis tier have survived to our time, painted by the Monk Andrei, apparently for the Moscow Resurrection Monastery "on Vysoky".

Icons from the beginning of the 16th century are stored in the Novgorod Museum-Reserve. from the deesis tier of the Archangel Michael Church in the village of Podchevary, Kirillovsky district, Novgorod province (the rank was taken out for the exhibition of the XV Archaeological Congress in Novgorod in 1911 and entered the NGOMZ from the Novgorod diocesan ancient repository).

The iconography of the Apostles Peter and Paul resembles the icons of the Deesis tier of the Dormition Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and the Nativity Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery. I would like to draw attention to interesting details: on the chain thrown over the palm of the apostle Peter, only a bunch of keys hangs, but the arm bent at the elbow, apparently, supported the scroll with the writings of the apostle (the image of the scroll has not been preserved). The Apostle Paul has a book, which he supports with his left hand, and is preparing to leaf through with his right fingers.

Apostles Peter and Paul. From the deesis. OK. 1497 Kirillo-Belozersky Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve, Kirillov

The icons of the deesis tier of the main iconostasis of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, painted by icon painters Andrei Lavrentiev and Ivan Derma Yartsev, date back to 1509 (there is an entry about this in the Novgorod Fourth Chronicle: , and the masters painted Ondrey Lavrentiev and Derma Yartsev son "(PSRL, vol. 4, part 1, p. 461). In 1537, the icons were decorated with silver frames with basma, gilding and enamel. Icons of the deesis tier from the church of St. Demetrius in the Field (Pskov Museum) are combined with the festive rite: the Apostle Peter with the Presentation of the Lord, and Peter with the Ascension.The Apostle Peter, with a gesture of his right hand, seems to point to a scroll with his writings, and Paul holds the book with both hands and seems to give it to the viewer for reading .

Apostle Peter. From the deesis. Lavrentiev Andrey, Derma Ivan Yartsev. 1509 Hagia Sophia, Novgorod

On the icons of the middle of the XVI century. from the deesis tier of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the Spassky Monastery in Yaroslavl (they are in the Yaroslavl State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve), only the Apostle Paul is endowed with a portrait resemblance, and his Jewish facial features are minimized - this is rather a Mongolian type of face. The Apostle Peter is depicted as rather young and red-haired; it can be identified, perhaps, only by the key hanging on a red cord from his left hand, with which he tightly holds the scroll.

Apostle Paul. The first half - the middle of the XVI century. From the Deesis tier of the iconostasis of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the Spassky Monastery in Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl Historical, Architectural and Art Museum Reserve, Yaroslavl

Rarely enough are the images of the apostles Peter and Paul on the royal gates; iconographically, these are all the same deesis icons - as, for example, on the royal gates of the monastery of St. Paul on Athos. Of great interest are the hagiographic icons of the apostles Peter and Paul. On the Novgorod icon of the apostles Peter and Paul with life (XVI century), some atypical details attract attention. The Apostle Peter is dressed in a golden-colored himation, and the scroll in his left hand is fan-shaped (the right hand is folded in a nominative blessing). The Apostle Paul holds a book almost horizontally with both hands; it is difficult to read it in this position. The hagiographic hallmarks show scenes from the life of the holy apostles, including their martyrdom: the crucifixion of the apostle Peter on the cross headlong, that is, head down, and the beheading of the head of the apostle Paul with a sword.

Peter and Paul with life. 16th century Novgorod state. historical-architectural and art museum-reserve, Novgorod

Thus, in the ancient Russian monuments of the iconography of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul, we see not only adherence to the canon, but the diversity of its interpretations, which can be traced already in the earliest images.

Apostles Peter and Paul. Mid 14th century Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai, Egypt
Apostle Paul. From the deesis. Second half of the 16th century Pokrovsky Cathedral of the Rogozhsky cemetery, Moscow
Apostles Peter and Paul, Prophet Elijah and St. Vlasiy. Mid 16th century State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Apostles Peter and Paul. Last quarter of the 17th century Rybinsk State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve

Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Paintings

Famous painters such as El Greco (1541–1614), V.L. Borovikovsky (1757–1825), N.N. Ge (1831–1894) and others depicted the apostles Peter and Paul in their works.

Apostles Peter and Paul, El Greco. Between 1587-1592
Holy Apostles Paul and John. Borovikovsky Vladimir Lukich. 1770s. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Apostle Peter. Ge Nikolai Nikolaevich. 1863 State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. sculptures

Apostle Peter. Bernardo Chuffany. Sculpture of the facade of the Church of Orsanmichele in Florence. 1415 Italy
Apostle Peter. Ivan (Giovanni) Vitali. Western doors of St. Isaac's Cathedral. 1841-1846 Fragment
Apostle Paul. Statue in the atrium of the Basilica of St. Paul outside the city walls (Sao Paulo fuori le Mura). Rome

Peter and Paul churches and monasteries

For a long time in Russia were built temples in the name of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul. Perhaps the oldest one has been preserved in Smolensk. It was built in 1140-1150 by the princely artel. Consecrated Simeon, the first bishop of Smolensk. Subsequently, the temple was rebuilt several times, the original appearance was restored by P.D. Baranovsky. The church, built of brick, is an example of a cross-domed one-domed ancient Russian temple. Smolensk masters continued the traditions of Kievan Rus and Byzantium. This temple is similar to Vladimir-Suzdal and early Moscow ones, but some decorative elements are reminiscent of examples of Novgorod and Pskov architecture.

Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul on Gorodyanka in Smolensk. Built in 1146

Several ancient churches in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul have been preserved in Veliky Novgorod. Built at the end of the 12th century Church of Peter and Paul on Sinichya Gora. Its construction was carried out in 1185-1192. Perhaps the temple was built on the site of an older one. Under him were a convent and a cemetery. This place was outside the city. The Swedes attacked the monastery in 1611. In 1764 the monastery was abolished. From 1925 to the present, the temple has been inactive and is in disrepair. In 1992 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Church of Peter and Paul on Sinichya Gora. Velikiy Novgorod

Another church is the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki, built in 1406. This is a single-domed, four-pillared Novgorod church on Bredova-Zverina Street, near the southern part of the former Zverin Pokrovsky Monastery.

Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki. Velikiy Novgorod

Church of Peter and Paul in Slavna built in 1367, next to the Old Believer Church in the name of the prophet Elijah (Znamenskaya street). Now the church is abandoned.

Church of Peter and Paul in Slavna. Velikiy Novgorod

In Bryansk, Prince Oleg in 1275 founded Peter and Paul Monastery, in which he himself was tonsured, leaving the reign. Under Catherine II, the monastery was deprived of all its land and it fell into decay. Abolished in 1830. Later, the monastery was restored as a women's cenobitic. Several residential buildings and the Cathedral of the Presentation of the Virgin, built at the beginning of the 18th century on the site of an old wooden church, have survived to this day.

On the shores of Lake Onega in the village of Povenets in 1600 a cathedral was built in the name of the supreme Apostles Peter and Paul. Abolished around 1945.

Cathedral of Peter and Paul in the village. Povenets. Drawing from the magazine "World Illustration"

In the city of Pskov there is a temple of Peter and Paul from the Buy. Initially, a temple stood on the site of the existing church in 1373, the building was restored in 1540 at the convergence of the main streets of the city. The temple was placed on the site of the most ancient city cemetery - Buya, near the fortress wall of the middle city. In 1810, two dilapidated chapels and a belfry were dismantled, and a porch was added to the western narthex.

Church of Peter and Paul in Pskov

Old Believer Peter and Paul Churches

Tradition to build and consecrate temples in the name of the apostles Peter and Paul preserved in the Old Believers. Today is a patronal feast in the communities of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church in the city, Nizhny Novgorod Region, p. Dubyanskaya, Stripishkskaya and communities (Lithuania).

Church of the Russian Orthodox Church in the name of Peter and Paul in Kasli, Chelyabinsk Region

The feast of Peter and Paul has long been revered in the community of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church in the village of the Kostroma region, where a religious procession takes place, as well as on the patronal feast of the Intercession of the Virgin.

Cities named after apostles

Several cities also bear the name of Petropavlovsk. One of them, founded on July 12, 1752 as a military fortress, is now in Kazakhstan. Trade routes from Russia and Central Asia converged here. At the end of the 18th century, in the Peter and Paul Fortress, the sultan of the Middle Kirghiz Horde, Vali, took an oath of allegiance to the Russian government. In 1896, the Petropavlovsk station of the Trans-Siberian railway was built near the city. In 1920, the Kyrgyz Republic was formed, later the Kazakh ASSR, to which Petropavlovsk was also assigned. It is worth noting that this city was not renamed during the Soviet years.

Petropavlovsk is also called one of the very first Russian cities in the Far East. Ostrog was founded by the Cossacks in 1697. In 1740, Bering's expedition arrived here, the ships of which were called "The Holy Apostle Peter" and "The Holy Apostle Paul". On the site of the prison, a settlement was founded, which is now the capital of Kamchatka - the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

old style).
Celebrating on this day the memory of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul, the Orthodox Church glorifies the spiritual firmness of St. Peter and the mind of St. Paul, sings in them the image of the conversion of sinners and those who are corrected: in the Apostle Peter - the image of one who rejected the Lord and repented, in the Apostle Paul - the image of those who resisted preaching the Lord and then the one who believed.

The Apostle Paul, like the Apostle Peter, worked hard to spread the faith of Christ. Both supreme apostles suffered for the faith of Christ on the same day in 67 AD in Rome during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Nero, and their memory is celebrated on the same day.

The difference between them is colossal in that the Apostle Peter was from the very beginning a faithful disciple of Christ, was a witness to everything that happened around Christ from the first moment of His preaching.
Conversely, the Apostle Paul was Christ's enemy, His adversary, he did not believe in Him as the Messiah, he considered Him a false prophet; he went out to preach not to proclaim the gospel, but to be a persecutor of Christians. The Apostles Peter and Paul labored more than others in preaching Christianity among Jews and Gentiles, therefore the Church calls them "the chief apostles."

The Church glorifies the Apostle Peter as the one who began from the face of the apostles to confess Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God; Paul, as if he labored more than others and was numbered among the highest of the apostles by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. II, 5); one - for firmness, the other - for bright wisdom.
The Church also calls the apostles Peter and Paul the chief, since they labored more than other disciples of the Lord in the work of the gospel sermon: the apostle Peter among the Jews, the apostle Paul among the pagans.
Calling the two apostles supreme, according to the primacy of order and labor. The Church inspires that her head is only Jesus Christ, and all the apostles are His servants (Col. 1:18).

The veneration of the holy apostles Peter and Paul began immediately after their execution. The place of their burial was sacred for the first Christians. In the 4th century, Saint Constantine the Great Equal-to-the-Apostles (†337; Comm. 21 May) erected churches in honor of the holy chief apostles in Rome and Constantinople. Their joint celebration - June 29 - was very widespread already in the first centuries of Christianity. Celebrating on this day the memory of the supreme apostles, the Orthodox Church glorifies the spiritual firmness of St. Peter and the mind of St. Paul, sings in them the image of the conversion of those who sin and correct: in the Apostle Peter - the image of one who rejected the Lord and repented, in the Apostle Paul - the image of those who resisted the preaching of the Lord and then believer.
In the Russian Church, the veneration of the apostles Peter and Paul began after the Baptism of Russia. The names of the apostles Peter and Paul, received at holy baptism, are especially common in Russia.

Among the people on July 12, "", is considered the holiday of fishermen, since the apostle Peter is known everywhere as the patron saint of fishing, and among the riverside and lakeside inhabitants he even bears the name "fisherman".
On Peter's Day, the spring fishing season ends and the summer fishing season begins. Fishermen diligently celebrate the day of their patron and try not to miss fishing on this holiday. Fishermen pray to him, serve prayers, and in some places even established the custom every year, on the day of July 12, to collect "Peter the fisherman on a worldly candle", which is placed in the temple in front of his image.

Apostle Peter

The Apostle Peter, formerly called Simon, was the son of the fisherman Jonah from Bethsaida of Galilee and the brother of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who led him to Christ. Saint Peter was married and had a house in Capernaum. Called by Christ the Savior to fish on the Lake of Gennesaret, he always expressed special devotion and determination, for which he was awarded a special approach to the Lord, along with the Apostles James and John the Theologian.
Strong and fiery in spirit, he naturally took an influential place in the ranks of Christ's apostles. He was the first to resolutely confess the Lord Jesus Christ as Christ, that is, the Messiah, and for which he was awarded the name Stone (Peter). On this stone of Peter's faith, the Lord promised to build His Church, which the gates of hell will not prevail against.
On the eve of His crucifixion, the apostle Peter washed away his threefold denial of the Lord with bitter tears of repentance, as a result of which, after His resurrection, the Lord again restored him to apostolic dignity, three times, according to the number of denials, entrusting him to feed His lambs and sheep. According to legend, the Apostle Peter every morning, at the sound of a rooster, recalled his cowardly renunciation of Christ and began to weep bitterly.
The Apostle Peter the first contributed to the spread and establishment of the Church of Christ after the descent of the Holy Spirit, delivering a powerful speech to the people on the day of Pentecost and converting 3,000 souls to Christ. Some time later, having healed a lame man from birth, he converted another 5,000 Jews to the faith with a second sermon. The spiritual power emanating from the Apostle Peter was so strong that even his shadow, overshadowing the sick lying on the street, healed them (Acts 5:15). The book of Acts from chapters 1 to 12 tells of his apostolic work.
The grandson of Herod the Great, Herod Agrippa the First, in the year 42 after R. X. raised a persecution against Christians. He slew the Apostle James Zebedee and put the Apostle Peter in prison. Christians, foreseeing the execution of the Apostle Peter, fervently prayed for him. A miracle happened at night: an angel of God descended to Peter in the dungeon, the chains fell from Peter, and he freely left the dungeon, unnoticed by anyone. After this miraculous deliverance, the book of Acts mentions him only once more in the story of the Apostolic Council.
Other information about him was preserved only in church traditions. It is known that he preached the Gospel along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, in Antioch (where he ordained the Apostle Evodius). The Apostle Peter preached in Asia Minor to Jews and proselytes (pagans converted to Judaism), then in Egypt, where he ordained Mark as the first bishop of the Church of Alexandria. From here he moved to Greece (Achaia) and preached in Corinth, then he preached in Rome, Spain, Carthage and Britain. According to tradition, the Apostle Mark wrote his gospel for the Roman Christians from the words of the Apostle Peter. Among the New Testament sacred books there are two Conciliar (district) Epistles of the Apostle Peter. The First Epistle of the Apostle Peter is addressed to "aliens scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bethany" - the provinces of Asia Minor. The reason for writing was the desire of the Apostle Peter to confirm his brothers in the event of discord in these communities and persecution that befell them from the enemies of the Cross of Christ. Appeared among Christians and internal enemies in the face of false teachers. Taking advantage of the absence of the Apostle Paul, they began to distort his teaching about Christian freedom and patronize all moral licentiousness.
The Second Epistle was written to the same Asia Minor Christians. In this second epistle, the apostle Peter warns believers with particular force against perverse false teachers. These false teachings are similar to those denounced by the Apostle Paul in the epistles to Timothy and Titus, and also by the Apostle Jude in his Catholic Epistle. The false teachings of heretics threatened the faith and morality of Christians. At that time, Gnostic heresies began to spread rapidly, absorbing elements of Judaism, Christianity and various pagan teachings. This epistle was written shortly before the martyrdom of the Apostle Peter: “I know that soon I must leave my temple (body), just as our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to me.”
Towards the end of his life, the Apostle Peter again arrived in Rome, where he accepted a martyr's death in the year 67 through a crucifixion upside down. This event is artistically described by Heinrich Sienkiewicz in the book “Come, Lord.”

Apostle Paul

Saint Paul, originally bearing the Hebrew name Saul, belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was born in the Cilician city of Tarsus (in Asia Minor), which was then famous for its Greek academy and the education of its inhabitants. As a native of this city, descended from the Jews, emerging from slavery to Roman citizens, Paul had the rights of a Roman citizen. It was in Tarsus that Paul received his first upbringing and, probably, there he became acquainted with pagan culture, for traces of acquaintance with pagan writers are clearly visible in his speeches and epistles.
He received his subsequent education in Jerusalem, at the then famous rabbinic academy under the famous teacher Gamaliel, who was considered an expert on the Law and, despite belonging to the party of the Pharisees, was a free-thinking person and a lover of Greek wisdom. Here, according to Jewish custom, the young Saul learned the art of making tents, which later helped him to earn a living by his own labor.
Young Saul, apparently, was preparing for the position of a rabbi (religious mentor), and therefore, immediately after the end of his upbringing and education, he showed himself to be a strong zealot for the Pharisees' traditions and persecutors of the faith of Christ. Perhaps, by appointment of the Sanhedrin, he witnessed the death of the First Martyr Stephen, and then received the authority to officially persecute Christians even outside of Palestine in Damascus.
The Lord, seeing in him "a vessel chosen by Himself", miraculously called him to the apostolic service on the way to Damascus. During the journey, Saul was illuminated by the brightest light, from which he fell blind to the ground. From the light came a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" To Saul's question: "Who are you?" - The Lord answered: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." The Lord told Saul to go to Damascus, where he would be instructed what to do next. Saul's companions heard the voice of Christ, but did not see the light. Brought under the arms to Damascus, the blinded Saul was taught the faith and on the third day was baptized by Ananias. At the moment of immersion in the water, Saul received his sight. From that time on, he became a zealous preacher of a previously persecuted doctrine. He went to Arabia for a while, and then returned to Damascus again to preach about Christ.
The fury of the Jews, outraged by his conversion to Christ, forced him to flee to Jerusalem, where he joined the community of believers and became acquainted with the apostles. Because of the attempt of the Hellenists to kill him, he went to his native city of Tarsus. From here, about the year 43, he was called by Barnabas to Antioch to preach, and then traveled with him to Jerusalem, where he brought help to those in need.
Soon after returning from Jerusalem, at the command of the Holy Spirit, Saul, together with Barnabas, set off on his first apostolic journey, which lasted from 45 to 51 years. The apostles traveled the entire island of Cyprus, and from that time Saul, who converted the proconsul Sergius Paul to the faith, is already called Paul. During this time of the missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, Christian communities were founded in Asia Minor cities: Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. In the year 51, Saint Paul took part in the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, where he passionately rebelled against the need for pagans who became Christians to observe the rites of the Mosaic law.
Returning to Antioch, the apostle Paul, accompanied by Silas, undertook a second apostolic journey. First, he visited the churches he had previously founded in Asia Minor, and then moved to Macedonia, where he founded communities in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. In Lystra, Saint Paul acquired his beloved disciple Timothy, and from Troas he continued his journey with the Evangelist Luke who joined them. From Macedonia, Saint Paul moved to Greece, where he preached in Athens and Corinth, staying in the latter for a year and a half. From there he sent two letters to Thessalonica. The second journey lasted from 51 to 54 years. Then Saint Paul went to Jerusalem, visiting Ephesus and Caesarea along the way, and from Jerusalem he arrived in Antioch.
After a short stay in Antioch, the Apostle Paul undertook his third apostolic journey (56-58), visiting first, according to his custom, the previously founded churches of Asia Minor, and then stopped in Ephesus, where for two years he preached daily at the school of Tyrannus. From here he wrote his epistle to the Galatians (in regard to the strengthening of the Jewish party there) and the first epistle to the Corinthians (in connection with the riots that had arisen there and in response to a letter from the Corinthians to him). A popular uprising, raised by the silversmith Demetrius against Paul, forced the apostle to leave Ephesus, and he went to Macedonia, and then to Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, because of a popular uprising against him, the Apostle Paul was taken into custody by the Roman authorities and ended up in prison, first under the proconsul Felix, and then under the proconsul Festus who replaced him. This happened in the year 59, and two years later, the Apostle Paul, as a Roman citizen, was sent to Rome to be judged by Caesar at his request. Shipwrecked at Fr. Malta, the apostle reached Rome only in the summer of 62, where he enjoyed the great indulgence of the Roman authorities and preached freely. From Rome, the apostle Paul wrote his epistles to the Philippians (with gratitude for the monetary allowance sent to him with Epaphroditus), to the Colossians, to the Ephesians, and to Philemon, a resident of Colossae (about the slave Onesimus who had fled from him). All three of these letters were written in 63 and sent with Tychicus. A letter to the Palestinian Jews was soon written from Rome.
The further fate of the Apostle Paul is not exactly known. Some believe that he remained in Rome and, at the behest of Nero, was martyred in 64. But there is reason to believe that after a two-year imprisonment and defense of his case before the senate and the emperor, the apostle Paul was released and again traveled to the East. Indications of this can be found in his "pastoral epistles" - to Timothy and Titus. After spending a long time on the island of Crete, he left his disciple Titus there for the ordination of presbyters in all cities, which testifies to his ordination of Titus to the bishops of the Cretan church. Later, in his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul instructs him on how to carry out the duties of a bishop. From the same message it is clear that he intended to spend that winter in Nicopolis, near his native Tarsus.
In the spring of 65, he visited the rest of the Asia Minor churches and left the sick Trofim in Miletus, because of which there was an indignation against the apostle in Jerusalem, which entailed his first imprisonment. Whether the apostle Paul passed through Ephesus is not known, since he said that the presbyters of Ephesus would no longer see his face, but he apparently ordained Timothy as a bishop for Ephesus at this time. Then the apostle passed through Troas and reached Macedonia. There he heard about the rise of false teachings in Ephesus and wrote his first letter to Timothy. After spending some time in Corinth and meeting the Apostle Peter on the way, Paul continued his journey with him through Dalmatia and Italy, reached Rome, where he left the Apostle Peter, and already in the year 66 he went further west, probably reaching Spain.
After returning to Rome, he was again imprisoned, in which he remained until his death. There is a legend that after returning to Rome, he even preached at the court of Emperor Nero and converted his beloved concubine to faith in Christ. For this, he was put on trial, and although, by the grace of God, he was delivered, in his own words, from the jaws of a lion, that is, from being eaten by animals in the circus, he was nevertheless imprisoned.
After a nine-month imprisonment, he was beheaded by the sword, as a Roman citizen, not far from Rome in the year 67 after AD, in the 12th year of the reign of Nero.
A general look at the life of the Apostle Paul shows that it is sharply divided into two halves. Prior to his conversion to Christ, Saint Paul, then Saul, was a strict Pharisee, a executor of the law of Moses and patristic traditions, who thought to be justified by the deeds of the law and zeal for the faith of the fathers, which reached fanaticism. After his conversion, he became an apostle of Christ, wholly devoted to the cause of the gospel, happy in his calling, but conscious of his own impotence in the performance of this lofty service, and attributing all his deeds and merits to the grace of God. The whole life of the apostle before his conversion, according to his deep conviction, was a delusion, a sin and led him to condemnation. Only the grace of God pulled him out of this destructive delusion. From that time on, the apostle Paul only tries to be worthy of this grace of God and not to deviate from his calling. He realizes that there is not and cannot be any question of merit before God: it is all the work of His mercy.
The Apostle Paul wrote 14 epistles, which are a systematization of Christian teaching. These messages, thanks to his wide education and insight, are distinguished by great originality.

The day of Peter and Paul is celebrated on July 12 (June 29, old style), the day when the apostles accepted holy martyrdom. The full name of the holiday is the Day of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Apostles Peter and Paul.

Apostles Peter and Paul. Life in an icon

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of Remembrance of Peter and Paul after the end of Peter's Lent. The holiday is one of the great non-twelfth Orthodox holidays and has an afterfeast - the next day the Council of the 12 Apostles is celebrated.

On this day, Orthodox Christians glorify and call in prayers to the faithful servants of God, firstly, the holy Prophets, and secondly, the holy Apostles.

As among the Prophets, the Church predominantly glorifies St. John the Baptist, so between the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul. First, " like the Apostles foreman", second, " as if more than anyone who worked ". (On the great evening, on the Lord, cry. Stichir. 1).

Saint Peter was born in Bethsaida and was formerly called Simon, was the son of Jonas and had a brother Andrew, who was called the First-Called. Their occupation was fishing. Once the Lord, walking along the shore of Lake Tiberias, saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing nets into the water.

The Lord told them: "follow me and I will make you fishers of men"(Mat. 4:19). And both brothers, leaving the boat, nets and house, went after the Divine Teacher. When the Lord once asked his disciples: "But whom do you say to me to be?" Simon, on behalf of all the Apostles, said: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"(Mat. 16:16).

For this saying, inspired by God himself, the Lord called Simon blessed, called him Peter (that is, a stone, as a sign of the firmness of his faith) and promised to give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that is, the power to bind and solve sins people.

Seeing the Lord walking on water as on dry land, Peter asked Him for permission to come to Him - and he went, but he was afraid of high waves, because there was a strong storm on the lake, and he began to sink. Then the Lord gave him his hand and said: "You have little faith, why did you doubt?"(Matt. 14:31)

Together with John and James, Peter was honored to see the glory of the transfigured Lord on Tabor and, out of his fiery love for Him, begged Him to stay here forever. Before the sufferings of the Lord, Peter promises to go with him even to death, but hears from Him a prediction about a threefold renunciation.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, he was really, as it were, ready to die for Jesus Christ, because in view of the large and armed crowd, he wanted to defend his Divine Teacher and cut off the ear of one of the bishop's servants with a knife.

The Apostle Peter cuts off the ear of the slave Malchus (fragment of Maesta Duccio di Buoninsegna)

But the Lord said to him: put your knife in his place, for if you receive the knife, they will die with the knife.(Mat. 26:52). But when they brought Jesus Christ bound to the judgment seat of His embittered enemies, it turned out how weak a person is in himself. Peter, who promised to die for Jesus Christ, denied Him three times: "don't know- he said - this man".

But he made amends for this renunciation with bitter tears, a threefold assurance of the Lord in his love, with his whole subsequent life and martyrdom. The Lord did not remember Peter about his cowardice. On the very first day after His resurrection, He appeared to him and then, on the Sea of ​​Tiberias, three times, saying: "feed my sheep" restored him to the apostolic rank.

After the ascension of Jesus Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Peter, by his sermon, converted three thousand people to the faith of Christ in one day, and then, after the healing of the lame man, five thousand. He fearlessly preached about Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the promised Messiah both in the Sanhedrin before the elders of the Jews, and in the temple before the assembly of the people.

The dishonor and the wounds that he endured for it, he accepted with joy. Saint Peter, by a special revelation of God, was the first to begin to baptize the pagans, having baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius in Caesarea. In Antioch he founded the Church, the members of which were the first to be called Christians.

With the lamp of the Christian Faith of St. Peter went through almost all of Asia Minor, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithynia, preaching mainly to the Jews, while St. Paul converted the Gentiles. Finally, Saint Peter arrived in Rome.

Here he denounced Simon the sorcerer, who once wanted to buy from him the power to communicate the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and now in Rome he tried to deceive the pagans with false miracles. With his prayer, St. Peter overthrew the sorcerer from the height to which he had risen by the power of his sorcery.

The supreme Apostle had the gift of miracles to such an extent that with one word he healed the paralyzed Aeneas and resurrected the dead Tabitha, even from one shadow of his body, the sick were healed.

Resurrection of Tabitha

When Nero raised a cruel persecution of Christians, Saint Peter was condemned to death on the cross. But not only was he not afraid of torment, but he asked his crucifiers to crucify him upside down, because he considered himself unworthy to endure the same type of torment that the Divine Teacher himself endured.

Caravaggio Crucifixion of the Apostle Peter 1600

Apostle Paul

In the same city and on the same day, the holy Apostle Paul also suffered. But, as a Roman citizen, he was not crucified, but beheaded with a sword.

Simon de Vos, The Beheading of Saint Paul

He was a Jew from the city of Tarsus and was formerly called Saul. Even his ancestors enjoyed the right of Roman citizens. He received his upbringing in Jerusalem, at the feet of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel. Having a sincere but unreasonable zeal for the law of Moses, at first he hated Christians and persecuted the Church of God.

Saul deigned to kill St. Stephen the First Martyr, invaded the homes of Christians, tied up husbands, wives and children, and finally asked for permission to go to Damascus in order to look for and bind Christians there. But another appointment awaited him.

Doré, Martyrdom of Saint Stephen

The Lord foresaw in him a chosen vessel of grace and a great Apostle. When Saul was already approaching Damascus, suddenly a wonderful light shone from the sky. He fell to the ground and heard a voice: "Savle Savle! why are you persecuting me?" Saul said: "Who are you, Lord?". The Lord answered: "I am the Jesus you are persecuting".

In trembling and horror, Saul asked: "God! what do you want me to do? What will you tell me to do?" The Lord sent him to Damascus, where the Apostle Ananias taught him the Christian Faith and through holy baptism enlightened his eyes of soul and body, because Saul was blind for three days after the vision.

Michelangelo. Conversion of Paul. 1546-1550 (Wikipedia)

Since that time, the former persecutor of the Christian Faith has become its most zealous preacher. Although he was, according to him, the least of the Apostles, but, strengthened by the grace of God, he worked hardest of all.

It is difficult to count all the exploits, sufferings and miracles of him. He went around Asia and Europe, preached to Jews and Gentiles, kings and subjects, the wise and the ignorant, he founded many churches and left fourteen inspired messages to the universal Church.

G.Pannini.Landscape "The ruins with the scene of the sermon of the Apostle Paul."-1750-1760 Leningrad Hermitage

John Chrysostom, the great teacher of the Church, said in the 4th century that Paul was the greatest of the apostles archpriest Fr. A. Men

That's why St. The Church calls him, as well as St. Peter, Apostle of the Mother See and teacher of the universe.

Rembrandt, Conversation of the Apostles Peter and Paul

Glorifying the memory of the holy Apostles, the Church calls on Christians to imitate their firm, living faith in the Lord, their ardent love for Him, their unremitting zeal for spreading and establishing the Christian Faith among people, their constant concern for the eternal salvation of their neighbors and the entire human race.

Literature:
Lessons from Archpriest I. Yakhontov, 1864, St. Petersburg.
A. Men, Lectures, sermons
Wikipedia

In July, there are a lot of religious and folk holidays that have long been rooted in our culture. Therefore, we devoted several materials to the feast of Peter and Paul. And since congratulations on the feast of Peter and Paul will also be relevant on this day, we are pleased to publish congratulations on the holy apostles Peter and Paul and pictures on this occasion.

Traditionally, the editors of I WANT prepared beautiful holiday greetings, which can be sent to dear people on social networks or told at the festive table. Write down congratulations on the Day of Peter and Paul, as well as congratulations on the name day of Peter and Paul.

Congratulations to Peter and Paul

***
On Saints Peter and Paul's Day
I want to wish you:
Let in your huge soul
God's grace lives on.

May the holy apostles
Provide patronage,
From the influence of bad
You will be protected, protected.

***
Happy Peter and Paul Day to those who are lucky enough to be called by one of these names. On this significant day, we congratulate you and wish you to always remain strong and confident in your rightness and the right to be who you are. Happy birthday, our dear Petit and Pavel!

***
The great and holy day has come,
Peter and Paul are revered
I wish you well, good luck and good,
May holiness always guard your house.

Let grief and trouble pass
And the light fills your whole life,
Let your dream come to life
Doubts do not torment the soul!

***
If your name is Peter
Or even Paul
I inform you about
I'm talking about the main
You were called for a reason
A worthy name.
Paul's day and Peter's day -
A decent day.
Yes, today it has arrived!
So name day
Paul there or Peter
Let's celebrate with the whole world!

***
Congratulations on the day of Peter and Paul.
Pray in the morning with a pure heart.
I sincerely wish you
So that luck enters your life.

Let every moment be filled with joy
May the enthusiasm always burn in you
And may all your dreams come true
And the Lord will always keep you.

***
If famously, hopelessly,
There are no shifts
On the day of July, remember
You are two associates.

Paul will give good luck in business,
Peter will grant you success,
Deliver from the evil one
Do not enter into worldly sin.

Who did not believe, he will believe
In their patrons,
Protect, save, support,
Two Apostles of Saints.

***
On the Day of Peter and Paul, we wish you that the names of these saints, which are a symbol of purity, sincere faith and zealous service to God, give you inspiration for new bright achievements. Openness to your soul and wisdom - thoughts!

***
Today name days rule
Both Peter and Paul
Congratulations from the bottom of our hearts
And we want glory.

So that friends do not betray
loved ones loved
And the authorities admired
And always praised.

***
Like Paul and Peter
It's time to end the post
And water from three springs
Treats better than all doctors

Nature helps everyone
If you wash before sunrise.
Meet the holiday joyfully
Read Peter and Paul.

***
Orthodox holiday - the day of Peter and Paul
Let it bring to your house - true comfort,
To be happy, remember only the main thing,
There is no family more important than anything - that's the point.

Cover: Maysternya "Third pivnі", photo - open sources on the Web