The Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica was the
son of a Roman proconsul in Thessalonica. Three centuries had elapsed
and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude
of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions.
The parents of St Demetrius were secretly Christians, and he was
baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his
father’s home.
By the time Demetrius had reached maturity and his
father had died, the emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne
(305). Maximian, confident in Demetrius’ education as well as his
administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s
position as proconsul of the Thessalonica district. The main tasks of
this young commander were to defend the city from barbarians and to
eradicate Christianity. The emperor’s policy regarding Christians was
expressed simply, “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.”
The emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrius he had
provided a way for him to lead many people to Christ.
Accepting
the appointment, Demetrius returned to Thessalonica and immediately
confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting
and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly
to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and
idolatry. The compiler of his Life, St Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9),
says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle
Paul” for Thessalonica, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles”
once founded at this city the first community of believers (1 Thess.
and 2 Thess.).
The Lord also destined St Demetrius to follow the
holy Apostle Paul as a martyr. When Maximian learned that the
newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted
many Roman subjects to Christianity, the rage of the emperor know no
bounds. Returning from a campaign in the Black Sea region, the emperor
decided to lead his army through Thessalonica, determined to massacre
the Christians.
Learning of this, St Demetrius ordered his
faithful servant Lupus to distribute his wealth to the poor saying,
“Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly
riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for
martyrdom.
When the emperor came into the city, he summoned
Demetrius, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the
falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian gave orders to lock
up the confessor in prison. An angel appeared to him, comforting and
encouraging him.
Meanwhile the emperor amused himself by staging
games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He
challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the
upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named
Nestor went to the prison to his advisor Demetrius and requested a
blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of
Demetrius, Nestor prevailed over the fierce German and hurled him from
the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous
pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered
the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to
the prison to kill St Demetrius.
At dawn on October 26, 306
soldiers appeared in the saint’s underground prison and ran him through
with lances. His faithful servant, St Lupus, gathered up the
blood-soaked garment of St Demetrius, and he took the imperial ring from
his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood.
With the ring and other holy things sanctified by the blood of St
Demetrius, St Lupus began to heal the infirm. The emperor issued orders
to arrest and kill him.
The body of the holy Great Martyr
Demetrius was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians
took it and secretly buried it in the earth.
During the reign of
St Constantine (306-337), a church was built
over the grave of St
Demetrius. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic
new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were
uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant
myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrius, so
he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.”
Several times, those venerating
the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of
them, to Constantinople. Invariably, St Demetrius made it clear that he
would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics.
Saint Demetrius in Russia
It
is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs
occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the
Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of St
Demetrius were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city,
pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a
threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring
terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of St
Demetrius was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they
were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, the Greeks dismiss
the notion of St Demetrius being a Slavic saint.
The very first
pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound
up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica.
The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at
Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not
Oleg, but rather St Demetrius sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers
always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy
Great Martyr Demetrius. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great
Martyr Demetrius was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered
the soul of the Russian nation.
Church veneration of the holy
Great Martyr Demetrius in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus.
Towards the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev,
known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The
monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince
Izyaslav, Demetrius in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of St Demetrius
of Thessalonica from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been
preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov gallery.
In
the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the
Great-Nest (Demetrius in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church
of the holy martyr Demetrius, and adorned it wondrously with icons and
frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of
ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of St Demetrius of Thessalonica
from the cathedral iconostas is located even now in Moscow, at the
Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of
the holy Great Martyr Demetrius, brought from Thessalonica to Vladimir
in 1197.
One of the most precious depictions of the saint, a
fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by
the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4).
The family of St
Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated St Demetrius. St Alexander
named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son,
Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a temple dedicated to the holy
Great Martyr Demetrius in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in
the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down
and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place.
The memory
of St Demetrius of Thessalonica is historically associated in Rus with
the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is
apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor,
with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions)
on which is written the prayer of St Demetrius for the salvation of the
people of Thessalonica, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people
perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them.
If they perish, I also perish with them.”
In the particular
spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great
Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica is closely linked with the memory of
the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow,
Demetrius of the Don (May 19) . “An Account of the Life and Repose of
the Great Prince Demetrius of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the
year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a saint, as also do other
old Russian histories. Great Prince Demetrius was a spiritual son and
disciple of St Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a
disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian
Land: St Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrius of Priluki
(February 11), St Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states:
He [Great Prince Demetrius] worried much about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign.
From the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrius, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.”
By
the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Demetrius of
Thessalonica, Great Prince Demetrius, in addition to his brilliant
military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He
repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd insert into
lives values (0, 1368, 1373), he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the
River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden
Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of
the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don
and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him
Demetrius of the Don, became the first Russian national deed, rallying
the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The
“Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest
Sophronius of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event.
Prince
Demetrius of the Don was greatly devoted to the holy Great Martyr
Demetrius. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly
transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir
Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Demetrius of
Thessalonica, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel
dedicated to the Great Martyr Demetrius was built at Moscow’s Dormition
Cathedral.
The St Demetrius Memorial Saturday was established for
churchwide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of
Kulidovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the
Trinity-St Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by St Sergius of
Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrius of the Don. It is an
annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom
are the schemamonks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab).
St Demetrius is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations.
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