Russians have been celebrating July 8 for several years in a row. Officially, a new holiday in the country was established in 2008, but it was first celebrated in the city of Murom back in the nineties. The main characters of the holiday are Peter and Fevronia, whose touching love story impresses with its pure, faithfulness and devotion. According to legend, they steadfastly withstood all the trials of life and never said a rude word to each other. Peter and Fevronia left earthly life on the same day, having accepted monasticism in old age, and after 300 years they were canonized as saints.

Today we have the Day of Peter and Fevronia,
Day of true love and family harmony!
Happy holiday, dear friends.
May your family be happy.
Protect the family hearth from adversity,
Live in love and harmony!

Fevronia Day with Peter -
A day in the family is special.
Let love every house
Will be crowded.

May the family always have peace
There will be agreement.
full-flowing river
Let happiness flow to you.

Behind the threshold, let discord
And in the family - harmony ...
At the set table
On Peter's Day with Fevronia.

Congratulations on the Day of Peter and Fevronia. I sincerely wish to be able to forever preserve the purity and sincerity of my love, my relationship. May there be no obstacles and obstacles on your way, may every day give you new strength and great opportunities. Love each other, appreciate and cherish every happy moment.

On this feast of Peter and Fevronia
I wish your family well
Respect, love and harmony,
In the house - happiness, comfort, warmth.

Let the family hearth burn brightly
Protecting from storms and adversity.
So that in the family embrace hot
You sheltered from bad weather.

May this miracle day
Love keeps you warm
Let resentment shadow
Doesn't overshadow her

And let forever
You will be one
All troubles are nonsense
All troubles are victorious!

Family is true happiness
Wealth, magic
So let with days and years
You multiply it!

Peter and Fevronya are spouses from God.
Though the road to life has not been easy,
But they knew how to love very truly,
In a couple to old age together to live!

I wish you to submit to love.
If you don't like it, just deal with it.
Feelings of love never lose
Love with your heart and trust him!

Let problems be solved peacefully
And they write poems about your family.
You will live in happiness and joy,
Devotedly, tenderly love each other!

We are celebrating today
Day of the great two saints.
Those that families keep
Sow loyalty, happiness in them.

I want to wish you
Peace and harmony
On a glorious, bright, clear day
Peter and Fevronia.

Let life be joyful
The house will be a full bowl.
And live together, okay
Like Fevronia with Peter!

Let the cheerful laughter of the children
Always surrounds you
And God Almighty to parents
Gives health for years.

After all, July, the eighth number -
So a cloud of flowers
Joy, unearthly happiness,
Understanding and love!

Happy Fevronia Day, Petra!
Happiness, light and kindness!
The house is full of prosperity, laughter,
Let the time be fun
And fun, and festivities,
Impressions, confessions.
Joy to you for the whole year,
Without sadness and worries!

The earth is blooming. Sounds like a field symphony
An ear poured and sank into silence.
Happy holiday - Peter and Fevronia Day -
We would like to congratulate you from the bottom of our hearts!

May grace descend into your abode,
And the heart will be filled with joyful warmth.
So that you drink the cup of success,
And abundance filled your home.

In family matters - peace, understanding,
Love beautiful, faithful - forever.
Mutual emotional attention
For long and eternal years.

I want to congratulate you friends
Happy Peter and Fevronia,
So that you always live in love,
In happiness and harmony.

kept faithful, kept
You are your tender feelings,
And so that your love is
Like a boundless ocean.

To hearts and souls
They talked to each other
I wish all my life
You were happy.

The great Peter and Fevronia are deeply revered Orthodox martyrs. They help believers to maintain peace and prosperity in the family and are the patrons of marriage.

Traditions and rituals on July 8

On the day of veneration of the Murom saints, couples who love each other try to get married in a church, get married or simply confess their love. People believe that on July 8, the Lord himself gives his blessing on the marriage union to all lovers. All Christians on this day should be close to their loved ones, so that in the future their life together will be full of happiness.

Young girls tell fortunes about the groom, wanting to see the face of their spouse in a mirror image. Many people do love spells to melt feelings.

There are many beliefs about July 8, which our ancestors collected from year to year. For example, if the weather is fine on that day, then it will remain so for another 40 days. It is the same with rain: if the weather is cloudy or it is pouring rain, then the weather will be rainy all month.

Prayer to Saints Peter and Fevronia

On this great day of family, love and fidelity, all Orthodox believers should be in high spirits. In 2018, on July 8, you can read a prayer to strengthen your marriage union, ask for blessings and enlist the support of the faithful of Murom by reading a prayer:

“Oh, the greatest saints of the Lord! I turn to you in my prayers and ask for your blessings! I pray, do not leave me without help, strengthen my strength and fill my life with strong and pure love. Sanctify our union and do not let us lose heart. May our whole life be filled with eternal love and prosperity. Reward my family with happiness, and may there always be joy in my house, not giving way to grief and suffering. I will kneel before you, O holy miracle workers, Peter and Fevronia! May I glorify you and honor your names until the end of my earthly life. May the will of the Lord be done. Amen".

You can read prayers in the church, while defending the service. It is not forbidden to pray at home. The most important thing is that the words of prayer come from the very heart, be pure and sincere. Enlisting the support of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom in 2018, you will definitely attract happiness into your life. We wish you harmony and family well-being, and don't forget to press the buttons and

24.06.2018 02:27

Day of family, love and fidelity is a holiday filled with happiness and tenderness. Every year it reminds everyone...

Even in the modern world, the marriage of Peter and Fevronia is the standard for lovers and married couples. The holiday dedicated to the saints has a rich history and many traditions and customs that are relevant to this day. From our article you will learn about how the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity will be celebrated in 2018.

Since ancient times, Peter and Fevronia have been considered the patrons of the family and marriage. Couples in love turn to the saints with prayers for love and family well-being. It is in honor of their veneration that the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity is celebrated annually on July 8. The tradition of celebrating this unusual holiday was established back in 2008 and still remains popular.

history of the holiday

According to the legend, once Prince Peter of Murom was overcome by a severe illness that no doctor could heal. Every day the suffering of the patient became stronger, and then he was advised to turn to the peasant woman Fevronia. Responding with consent to the request of the prince, the peasant woman demanded that in return Peter take her as his wife. However, as soon as the disease left him, the prince left, breaking his word. After a while, he felt worse, because of which he again needed to go to Fevronia. After the cure, Peter finally agreed to marry a peasant woman, which he later did not regret. For a long time they were happy and loved each other, and after that they became monks and lived the rest of their lives in different monasteries, but, despite this, they died on the same day. To this day, lovers celebrate the feast of Peter and Fevronia and offer them prayers for family happiness. However, in Rus', the event was dedicated exclusively to married couples.

How to celebrate the holiday of Peter and Fevronia in 2018

This joyful and truly bright day is traditionally celebrated noisily and cheerfully. In 2018, couples in love will be able to visit the homeland of Saints Peter and Fevronia - the city of Murom, where various festivals, fairs and festive concerts will be held. It is in this place that everyone can find entertainment to their taste and celebrate the event in an unforgettable way.

Do not forget that, first of all, the holiday is of a religious nature. From the very morning, divine services will be held in all the churches of our country, during which believers will be able to pray for their families. If you have not yet found your soul mate, turn to the saints with a prayer for love, and if your marriage is on the verge of breaking up, ask Peter and Fevronia to save the family. If your appeals are truly sincere, the Higher powers will surely respond to your requests.

Couples who decide to tie each other in marriage will be able to ask for blessings from Peter and Fevronia. An ancient tradition says that lovers whose wedding took place on this day will live together happily ever after.

As with most holidays, on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, it is customary to invite guests to the house and set the festive table. However, do not forget that in 2018 the Petrov fast will end only on July 11, which means that dishes from meat, eggs and milk should not be on the table. Since the holiday will take place on Sunday, fish can be served as treats, as well as red wine.

In Rus', on this day, young girls got together and. However, the Orthodox Church does not welcome the conduct of various rituals and divination, so this is not recommended.

Fear of loneliness quite often makes us think about starting a family, but sometimes finding a soul mate is quite difficult. On the day of Peter and Fevronia, you will have the opportunity to turn to the saints with prayers for marriage and family happiness, with which you can find your love. We wish happiness to you and your loved ones,and don't forget to press the buttons and

04.07.2018 05:05

Even the strongest couples are not immune to cheating. Before tying the knot with...

Probably, each of us has heard the names of Peter and Fevronia, Murom miracle workers, who, with their story of eternal love, have become a symbol of married life. . They were able to embody in her the ideals of Christian virtues: meekness, humility, love and fidelity.

Murom has been keeping a legend about the life and death of the miracle workers Peter and Fevronia for several centuries. They spent their entire lives on Murom land. And they are stored there now.

The history of their unusual life, over time, was embellished with fabulous events, and the names became a symbol of marital devotion and true love.

The legend of Peter and Fevronia was immortalized in the sixteenth century by the monk Erasmus, known in worldly life under the name Yermolai the Sinful. He created a wonderful story dedicated to true eternal love, forgiveness, wisdom and true faith in God.

After the church made a decision to canonize the princes, Metropolitan Macarius ordered to perpetuate their names on paper. As a result, "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia" was written.

This happened in 1547, when the holy spouses of Murom were canonized at a church council.

Peter was the younger brother of the faithful Paul, who reigned at that time in Murom. Once a misfortune befell their family: the prodigal serpent, turning into Paul, got into the habit of going to the prince's wife. And this obsession lasted a long time.

The poor woman could not resist the power of the demon and succumbed to him. Then she told the prince about the meetings with the snake. Paul ordered his wife to ask the devil's messenger the secret of his death. It turned out that the demon would die from the shoulder of Peter and Agrikov's sword.

Paul shared with his brother the secret of the serpent, after which Peter thought about how he could destroy the adversary. And only one thing stopped him: he did not know what kind of sword he was talking about.

Peter always liked to walk alone in churches. And then one day, he decided to go to a church, located outside the city, in a convent. During the prayer, a youth appeared to him and offered to show Agrikov's sword. The prince, wanting to kill the snake, replied that he wanted to know where the sword was kept and followed him. The lad led the prince to the altar and pointed to a crack in the wall where the weapon lay.

Delighted, Peter took the sword, and then went to his brother to tell him about the miracle that happened to him. From that day on, he waited for the right moment to pay off the serpent.

One day, Peter went into the bedchamber of Paul's wife and found there a snake that had taken on the guise of his brother. Convinced that it was not Paul, Peter plunged his sword into him. The serpent died in its true form, but its blood got on Peter's body and clothes. Since then, the prince began to get sick, and his body was covered with wounds and ulcers. He tried to be healed by various doctors in his land, but none of them could save the prince from his illness.

Life of Saint Fevronia

Peter resigned himself to his illness, leaving his fate in the hands of the Almighty. The Lord, loving his servant, sent him to the lands of Ryazan.

One day, the boy of the prince ended up in the village of Laskovo. He approached one of the houses, but no one came out to meet him. He went into the house, but again did not see the owners. Going further into the upper room, the youth was struck by an unusual sight: a girl was working on a canvas, and a hare was jumping in front of her.

Seeing the young man who entered, she complained that it was bad if there were no ears in the house, but eyes in the room. The lad, did not understand the mysterious speeches of the girl, and asked her about the owner of the house. Her answer struck him even more, she said that mother and father had gone to weep on the loan, and her brother had gone to look into the eyes of death. The young man again did not understand the words of the girl and told her about it, asking her to explain the cryptic speeches.

Surprised that he could not understand such simple words, the girl explained to him that if she had a dog, he would have heard that someone was coming and warned about it, because the dog is the ears of the house. Eyes, she named the child, who could see the guest and also warn the girl. The father and mother, as it turned out, went to the funeral to mourn the deceased, so that when they die, they would come to mourn them. Here is and there is weep on loan. And the brother, being a tree climber, went to collect honey. He will have to climb tall trees and look under his feet so as not to fall. So it turns out that he looks death in the face.

The lad marveled at the girl's wisdom and asked her name. "Fevronya," the girl replied.

The young man told her about the misfortune that befell Prince Peter, saying that the Lord sent him to these lands to seek healing. So he came by order of the prince to find out about the local doctors in order to find someone who would undertake to cure the prince.

After listening to the boy, the girl ordered the prince to be brought to her, warning that he could be cured only if he was true to his words and kind in heart.

Acquaintance of the Saints

Peter could no longer walk on his own. Therefore, when they brought him to the house, he asked the servant to find out who would take up the treatment. Whoever heals him, he promised to reward generously.

Fevronia said that she herself wanted to treat him, and she did not need a reward. But if he wants to be healed, then he must marry her, otherwise she will not help him. The prince decided to deceive Fevronia, promising to marry, and after the cure, to abandon his promise.

The girl took the leaven from the bread, breathed on it and gave it to the prince, ordering him to go to the bathhouse, and then smear all the ulcers with this mixture, and leave one.

The prince decided to test the girl's wisdom. He handed her a small bundle of linen, ordering him to weave a handkerchief and a shirt while he was in the bath. The servant gave the girl this bundle along with the princely order.

Fevronia asked the servant to bring a small log, after which she chopped off a piece of wood from it and handed it over to the prince. Together with a chip, she gave Peter an order to make a loom and all the equipment out of this piece of wood so that she could weave clothes for him on this loom. And you need to do it for the time that she will fight flax.

The servant gave the prince a piece of logs, passing on the girl's answer. Peter sent the servant back to the girl, saying that it was impossible to make a loom out of a piece of wood. After listening to the prince’s answer, Fevronia answered: “But how can you make clothes for a man from a small amount of flax in such a short time?”

The servant conveyed the girl's answer to the prince, while Peter was surprised at her wisdom.

Listen to the akathist to Peter and Fevronia

Miraculous healing of Peter

The prince did everything as the girl ordered him to do: first he washed himself, then smeared all the scabs except one with leaven from bread. After leaving the bath, he no longer felt pain, and his skin was free from scabs.

The wise Fevronia, who followed the experience of her ancestors, did not accidentally appoint him such a treatment. The Savior also, healing the sick, healing bodily wounds, healed the soul at the same time. So the girl, knowing that diseases are given by the Almighty as a punishment for some sins, prescribed a treatment for the body, actually healing the soul of the prince. And since Fevronia foresaw that Peter would deceive her, driven by her pride, she ordered him to leave one ulcer.

The prince was amazed at such a quick healing and, in gratitude, sent rich gifts to the girl. Peter refused to take a commoner as his wife, as pride and princely origin prevented him. Fevronia did not take anything from the gifts.

Peter returned to Murom recovered, and only one scab remained on his body, reminding him of a recent illness. But as soon as he returned to his patrimony, the disease again overtook him: from the scab remaining on the body, new ulcers began. And after a while, the prince again became covered with ulcers and scabs.

Re-healing and marriage

And again Peter had to return to the girl for healing. Approaching her house, he sent a servant to her with words of forgiveness and a prayer for healing. Fevronia, without malice and resentment, simply replied that the prince could be healed only if he became her husband. Peter decided to take her as his wife and promised this time sincerely.

Then Fevronia, like the first time, prescribed the prince exactly the same treatment. Now, having recovered, the prince immediately married the girl, making Fevronia a princess.

Returning to Murom, they lived happily and honestly, following the word of God in everything.

After Paul died, Peter took his place, leading Moore. All the boyars loved and respected Peter, but their arrogant wives did not accept Fevronia. They did not want to be ruled by an ordinary peasant woman, and therefore they persuaded their husbands to do dishonest deeds.

At the slander of their wives, the boyars slandered Fevronia, trying to discredit her, and even revolted, suggesting that the girl leave the city, taking everything she wanted. But Fevronia wanted to take only her lover, which greatly pleased the boyars, since each of them aimed at the place of Peter.

marital fidelity

Saint Peter did not violate God's commandments and part with his wife. Then he decided to leave the principality and all the treasures and go with her into voluntary exile.

Peter and Fevronia went down the river on two ships.

One young man, who was with his wife in the same ship with the princess, admired Fevronia. The girl immediately understood what he was dreaming of and asked him to pour water into a ladle and drink water, first from one, then from the other side of the ship.

The man complied with her request, and Fevronia asked if the water from the two buckets was different. The man replied that one water is no different from another. To which Fevronia said that the female nature is also no different and conquered him because he dreams of her, forgetting his own wife. The accused man understood everything and repented in his soul.

When evening came, they went ashore. Peter was very worried about what would happen to them now. Fevronia, as best she could, consoled her husband, talking about the mercy of God, forcing him to believe in a happy outcome.

At this very time, the cook broke down a couple of small trees in order to use them to cook food. When dinner was over, Fevronia blessed these branches, wishing that by morning they would turn into mature trees. This is exactly what happened in the morning. She wanted her husband to strengthen his faith by seeing this miracle.

The next day, ambassadors arrived from Murom to persuade the princes to return. It turned out that after their departure, the boyars could not share power, shed a lot of blood, and now they want to live in peace again.

Lives of the Righteous Spouses

The holy spouses, without any malice or resentment, accepted the invitation to return and ruled Murom for a long time and honestly, following the laws of God in everything and doing good deeds. They helped all people in need, treating their subjects with care, as gentle parents treat their children.

Regardless of their position, they treated everyone with the same love, suppressed all malice and cruelty, did not strive for worldly wealth and rejoiced in the love of God. And people loved them, because they did not refuse help to anyone, fed the hungry and clothed the naked, healed from diseases and set the lost on the true path.

Blissful demise

When the couple grew old, they simultaneously became monks, choosing the names David and Euphrosyne. They begged God for mercy to appear before him together, and the people were ordered to bury them in a common coffin, separated by a thin wall.

On the day when the Lord decided to call David to Himself, the pious Euphrosyne embroidered images of the saints in the air in order to donate her needlework to the church of the Most Holy Theotokos.

David sent a messenger to her with the news that his hour had come and promised to wait for her in order to go to the Almighty together. Euphrosyne asked to give her time so that she could finish the work for the holy temple.

The prince sent a messenger a second time to say that he could not wait for her for long.

When for the third time David sent a message to his beloved wife, that he was already dying, Euphrosyne left the unfinished work, wrapped the needle with thread and stuck it into the air. And she sent the news to her blessed husband that she would die with him.

The couple prayed and went to God. This happened on June 25 according to the old calendar (or July 8 according to the new style).

Love is stronger than death

After the spouses died, people decided that since they had taken a haircut at the end of their lives, it would be wrong to bury them together. It was decided to bury Peter in Murom, while Fevronia was laid to rest in a convent located outside the city.

They made two coffins for them and left them overnight for funerals in different churches. The coffin, carved from a stone slab, made at their request during the life of the spouses, remained empty.

But when they came to the temples the next morning, people found that the tombs were empty. The bodies of Peter and Fevronia were found in the coffin, which they had prepared in advance.

Unreasonable people, not understanding the miracle that had happened, again tried to separate them, but the next morning Peter and Fevronia were together.

After the miracle happened again, no one tried to bury them separately. The princes were buried in a single coffin, near the church of the Holy Mother of God.

Since then, people who need healing have been constantly coming there. And if they seek help with faith in their hearts, the saints give them health and family well-being. And the story of the eternal love of Peter and Fevronia of Murom is passed down from generation to generation.

Initially, the tomb of the saints was located in the Mother of God-Nativity Cathedral in the city of Murom. Then, when the communists came to power, they gave the remains of the princes to the local museum. The cathedral church was destroyed in the 1930s.

But already at the end of the eighties, the shrine was returned to the Church.

In 1989, the relics were returned to the Church. And since 1993, the shrine with the relics of Saints Peter and Fevronia has been in the Trinity Cathedral.

Day 8 July - Feast of Peter and Fevronia

The memory of the noble princes Peter and Fevronia is celebrated on June 25 (July 8, according to a new style). Every summer on this date (July 8), believers celebrate an amazing holiday dedicated to boundless love and eternal devotion.

In 2008 Day of Family, Love and Fidelity officially established as a national holiday. Orthodox Temples on this day hold a service dedicated to the holy spouses and once again remind all believers of their life, which is an eternal example of fidelity and love for all families.

That is why this holiday is also called the Day of Peter and Fevronia of Murom.

You can find out more about the Holy Trinity Monastery, where the miraculous relics of the blessed princes Peter and Fevronia are currently stored.

And one more amazing holiday is celebrated on Murom land. On August 23, 2004, the Day of Charity and Mercy was held for the first time. It took place with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II in the Murom Diocesan Monastery (Murom, Vladimir Region).

In 1604 (400 years ago) the holy righteous Juliana Lazarevskaya (Osoryina), who became famous for her amazing mercy and ascetic life in the world, died. And ten years later, it was on this day, August 10/23, 1614, that the relics of the saint were uncovered. In the same year, Righteous Juliana was canonized as a saint.

Therefore, it is no coincidence that the choice of the day for the establishment of a new public and church holiday for our country fell on August 23 - the day of finding the relics of St. Righteous Juliana.

Of course, everyone has heard about this new holiday, many are even proud, so to speak, of our home-grown "St. Valentine's Day", but almost the majority of Russians have a vague idea about the very essence of this "holy" holiday, as well as about its culprits - Peter and Fevronia, but since not only the Orthodox Church, but also the former head of state himself, known for his love of "advanced gadgets" and other electronic technologies, Medvedev consecrated the celebration of the day of Peter and Fevronia in Russia with his authority, then a significant number of our ordinary fellow citizens quite seriously considered this pair of "saints" from Murom with the true ideal of the family, conjugal love, friendship, etc., etc.
At the same time, due to usual laziness or naivety, people do not even try to look into the original source - the church life of Peter and Fevronia - but trust the harmonious church version of this story. Orthodox priests and their fans from among the laity do not get tired of painting in the modern media a couple of Murom "miracle workers" in the most attractive colors.

You can find out how the story of Peter and Fevronia sounds by reading the original source of this story - "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom" or in "Academic Studies of the Tale of Peter and Fevronia", which were edited by Academician Panchenko, in which there is both Priluki and the Peipsi edition, and the Murom edition, which are considered the most complete. In fact, in the text of the lives of these "miracle-workers" from Murom - at least the authentic one dating back to the 16th century - you will find virtually nothing about love, family life, marital fidelity, and so on. Let's remember what we are talking about when we talk about Peter and Fevronia. It should be noted that the very attempts of modern clerics to pass off Peter and Fevronia as some real historical figures who allegedly lived in the 13th century are, in fact, a lie - no Prince Peter , as well as his brother Pavel, who would have ruled in Murom in that century, neither before nor after him, history does not know. Moreover, the chronicles about some miracle worker Fevronia, who allegedly managed to become a Murom princess, are silent.

In fact, in the 13th century, the Murom principality was ruled by the Svyatoslavoviches, a branch of the Rurikovichs - Yuri Vladimirovich, the prince of Murom had three sons - Vladimir, Davyd and Yuri. After the death of Yuri Muromsky, first Vladimir Yuryevich ascended the throne, and after his death already Davyd Yuryevich, who ruled the Principality of Murom for 13 years. As we see, we do not observe any Paul and Peter on the throne of the Principality of Murom in the first half of the 13th century. Pavel, Peter and Fevronia are fictional characters.

However, by and large, in order to be convinced of the obvious far-fetchedness of The Tale of Peter and Fevronia, it is not even necessary to delve into history: just read the text of this life, and everything will fall into place.

This story begins with an absolutely fabulous plot - namely, with a story about the victory of the main character, Peter, over a certain flying "serpent" sent by the devil himself. In itself, such a plot as a duel with a Serpent is a classic for the folklore of various peoples from ancient times - it also exists in Christianity, where it is embodied by George the Victorious and in Russian folk epics, where such reptiles are "wet" with might and main by heroes like Alyosha Popovich or Dobrynya Nikitich ... But if in most of these folklore stories the hero saves his land and compatriots from a really terrible enemy, a dangerous monster that brings evil to many people, then in "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia" from the very beginning we meet with a rather pathetic and an absurd profanation of such an image of the Serpent - one might even say, with some obscene caricature of him. For the local "serpent" is not a threat to the human race as a whole, or to all of Rus', or to the separately taken Murom land and the city of Murom, but appears as an enemy of only one princely family that specifically rules there. This operetta serpent did not burn the city with fire, did not eat people and did not take into the full of beautiful girls: instead of all this, he got into the habit of just "pulling the horns" to Prince Pavel of Murom, the elder brother of the same Peter, who will be discussed below ... Moreover , according to the plot of the Tale, this snake appeared in the bedroom of the prince's wife (unnamed princess) in human form, taking on the guise of her lawful husband Pavel, so that none of the outsiders could suspect anything. It is not clear from the story at what exact moment the princess herself discovered such a scandalous circumstance, but it is mentioned that before she told her husband about everything, "a lot of time passed." One must think that at first the prince's wife was quite satisfied with her satanic lover. Further, when Prince Pavel finds out the scandalous truth, he urges his wife to decisively break with the snake, so that she can finally "free herself ... from his evil breath, and sibilance, and other abominations, which are ashamed to say." True, it is not clear from the text how the prince of Murom was able to find out such intimate details of his wife's closeness to the "serpent" - one might think that he was personally present at the same time - however, looking ahead, we say that such a mention is generally the only moment in the whole this supposedly love Tale, at least somehow directly related to the theme of family life ...

But this is not yet a fairy tale itself, but only a "saying", where it is not yet about Fevronia or Peter himself, but only about the misadventures of his brother Pavel. Not only is there not and cannot be any historicity in this plot, this mystical anecdote about a "scandal in a noble family" must be recognized as a rather vulgar beginning for a story about ideal love and marital fidelity, isn't it?

But let's go further: how did the Orthodox prince of the city of Murom behave, finally knowing that some kind of devilish offspring, all of himself so smelly and hoarse, "uses" his beloved wife under his own guise?
Maybe Paul, as befits a medieval hero-knight, signed himself with the sign of the cross and stood with a sword in his hand to guard and defend his marital bed? Not at all, according to the text"Tell ...", this faithful husband was seriously scared, for some reason immediately deciding that he himself would never defeat such a formidable adversary! Therefore, he decided to act slowly, but according to an insidious plan. - He ordered his wife to continue, as before, to intercourse with the ugly snake in order to lull the vigilance of the reptile, to find out from him the way in which you can kill him. - Of course, this story is also a classic for fairy-tale folklore, meeting already in the biblical legend about Samson and Delilah... destined "from Peter's shoulder, from Agrikov's sword."

Here, for the first time, the notorious Peter, in fact, enters the matter - the brother of the prince, whom Pavel, on the basis of the intelligence received from his wife, instructs, in order to save his marital honor, to oppose the insidious snake, as it should be "itching with his shoulder." For this purpose, Peter soon armed himself, respectively, with the "Agric sword", which very conveniently turned up literally nearby - outside the city in the church of the Vozdvizhensky Monastery for Women - "and from that day he began to look for a convenient time to kill the serpent." Here, however, the problem arose that the latter, as already mentioned at the beginning, appeared in the princess's chambers, taking the form of her husband Pavel. In connection with this circumstance, Peter was faced with the danger of accidentally demolishing the jug of his own brother, the God-anointed ruler of the city of Murom, by mistake with the Agric Sword, moreover, right on the bed of his lawful wife - which would be clearly misinterpreted by the majority of ordinary Murom residents as regicide for the purpose of usurpation. throne. In theory, the most reasonable option in such a delicate situation for Pavel would be to completely refrain from visiting his wife during the hunt for a snake - so that Peter, having caught her in the arms of the prince, could immediately chop from his shoulder, being sure that this husband - not real...

In general, for a long time, for a short time, but Peter managed to safely avoid such confusion: having tracked down a vile snake in the prince's chambers, he finished him off in no time with his wonderful Agrikov sword. - The vile satanic reptile, although at first he tried to pretend to be Prince Paul, immediately before his death took on his true appearance: but, dying, he managed to splash Peter with his poisonous blood. The latter, apparently, was not taught that after the murder it was customary to wash, or even better to sprinkle himself with holy water in advance - and because of this oversight of his, Peter soon became covered with scabs and ulcers. Under such completely unthinkable and fantastic circumstances, he "became seriously ill."

This is where the first, introductory part of the "Tale ...", exploiting the hackneyed plot of the victory over the serpent, ends, and the main part of this story begins - it must be admitted, much less fantastic, but much more vulgar.

So, suffering from his serious illness, Peter began to look for a doctor who could heal him, but no one in the Principality of Murom was able to do this. Then the hero-serpent fighter went to the neighboring Ryazan land, and began searching for a healer there. And then one of his servant stumbled in the village of Laskovo on the "very wise" peasant girl Fevronia, who owned a unique gift of healing. Convinced of her abilities, the "lad" told Fevronia about the misfortune of his master, mentioning the reason for his painful condition, that is, the murder of a flying kite he had committed. However, contrary to expectations, the story of such a miraculous feat did not make any special impression on this commoner, because when the servants brought the ulcerated hero to her village, she set a completely cynical and arrogant condition: that she would cure him only if Peter took her as his wife.

As the "Tale ..." says, at first he did not allow the thought of marrying some kind of redneck, however, dreaming of a speedy recovery, he pretended to promise to become her husband if she healed his ulcers. Thus, both main characters of this story, now revered by the Russian Orthodox Church as "saints", behave in this situation absolutely cynically and immorally, guided by a vile calculation: Fevronia is eager to take advantage of a unique opportunity to have a rich noble husband, and Peter, on his part, hopes any at the cost of getting away from such "happiness", trying to frankly cheat a peasant woman who has imagined herself. But in the end, Fevronia, who foresaw all this, outwitted the arrogant prince, and deceived him himself.

Peter agrees and promises to marry. Fevronia, being a not stupid girl, apparently understands that she can be fooled, and she, performing all these manipulations to heal scabs: “And leave one scab unanointed.” That is, she leaves one ulcer, one scab for divorce, her plan is justified. Because, of course, having refused to marry after being cured, Prince Peter leaves, but he does not have time to get to his Murom: “And from that scab many scabs began to disperse on his body. And the whole is aggravated by many scabs and ulcers, as if for the first time. And then he returns to Fevronia again, she again sets a condition for him: either you take me as your wife, or I won’t treat you. He agrees, realizing that there is no other way out. And indeed, after the second case, when she treats him, he, fearing, probably, that something else has remained untreated somewhere and there will not be a third time, he really marries her.

Then it gets even funnier. That is, there is no question of any love, no feelings, no relationship - pure blackmail. Fevronia dramatically improves her social and financial situation in this way. Peter is a victim of blackmail, and the object of blackmail is health and life.

Then, this couple lives in Murom for some time. About the further married life of Peter and Fevronia during the years of their reign in Murom, "The Tale ..." speaks very briefly, literally in a few phrases. Moreover, this description does not contain absolutely any specifics relating specifically to the family life of the princely couple, but only gives a set of features characteristic of ideal rulers and, in general, Christian righteous people in medieval literature - they say that they prayed a lot, kept the commandments of the Lord, took care of their subjects, they helped the wanderers and the poor, fed the hungry, and so on and so forth.

Fevronia and Prince Peter, as well as his previously deceased brother Pavel, did not have children: at least, "The Tale ..." for some reason does not mention absolutely anything about them. But Davyd of Murom, whose person is considered the prototype of the prince-serpent fighter Peter, had three children - Evdokia, the future prince Yuri of Murom and Svyatoslav.

Having lived to an advanced age and sensing the approach of death, Peter and Fevronia took the veil as monks: he under the name of David, and she - Euphrosyne. Each of them went to his monastery - thus, their awkward, tortured marriage nevertheless ended, in the concepts of that time, with a divorce, because in the monastery, of course, no families, no wives and husbands can exist. This childless couple, who came together on the basis of blackmail, is getting divorced, while the marital devotion of Peter and Fevronia, they say, was expressed in their desire to die at the same time as each other, for which they prayed intensely to God ...

And then comes some mythological circus in the style of a zombie apocalypse...

The scene of death is described by life in the best traditions of religious folklore. Monk Peter-David from his monastery sends news to the nun Euphrosyne-Fevronia that he is already dying, but she answers him: they say, wait, let me sew a patterned scarf for the church! He again reports that he is “leaving”, but his ex-wife again says that she has not finished sewing, and this is repeated again ... For the third time, finally, Fevronia spat: without finishing the holy images on the scarf, she stuck it in she sent her needle to Peter in his monastery, after which both of them, as they wished, died on the same day, June 25 (according to the old style), who knows what year, when the Orthodox Church celebrates a holiday in their honor. Before their death, Peter and Fevronia bequeathed to bury them in the same coffin.

They are buried in different coffins, of course. Because a monk and a nun, even in our time, so far no one has come up with a bright idea, to put in one coffin. Therefore, it was decided to bury Fevronia in the suburban convent of the Exaltation, and Peter, who was still a prince before, in the cathedral church of the city of Murom. As soon as this burial takes place, suddenly, in the morning, the inhabitants of Murom discover a monk and a nun in one coffin, in a completely different place. How and how they crawled down in order to lie down in one coffin, both history and life are silent.

The people of Murom were amazed, and there was something to be amazed at - not every day the corpses of dead rulers crawl around the capital at night, they were pulled out of there and again transferred to separate coffins, but the next day they again found the dead in one grave ...
And this happens several times. The Orthodox residents of the city of Murom eventually decided that it was better not to mess with these walking corpses, and left the bodies of Peter and Fevronia alone, in a common coffin, since they like it there so much. - It is not clear why they needed to get divorced in order to then with such persistence seek their reunification after death. This pious narrative ends with the assurance that the relics of these "saints", of course, have the miraculous property of healing the pilgrims who come to them ...

What can be said about this whole semi-crazy story? - That it, like many other church tales, would be extremely vile, if, fortunately, it were not completely fictional! After all, all the main components of the plot are folklore here: both Peter and Pavel as the princes of Murom, and the flying kite, and the ghouls crawling and self-fitting into one coffin - and the very possibility of a simple village servant, albeit with great "reasonableness", to become a princess on Rus' of the Middle Ages could only take place in a fairy tale ..

But "the fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it - a lesson for the good fellows!" And what is the hint, what kind of morality is revealed in the "Tale of Peter and Fevronia"? What can she teach modern "well done" and especially "girls"? .. Get married for convenience and thanks to blackmail? Living with a spouse without love and without children? End your family life with a divorce, then go to a monastery, then to be buried together? However, a good example...

It turns out that this childless, divorced couple, who came together because of blackmail, who after death for some reason gathers in the same coffin through Murom mud, has become a symbol of Russian love, family and fidelity. Nothing wilder can be imagined. And for some reason this couple is now made a symbol of love, family and fidelity in Russia. It is very difficult to speak seriously here, because, based on wild dullness, on the fact that no one will ever read, even formally, even the church life. Not to mention some more solid sources. Again, the calculation of dullness.