Feast of Peter and Paul. Icon of the First Apostles

The feast of Peter and Paul in the Orthodox Church is celebrated on July 29 (July 12, according to the old calendar). On this day, the fast comes to an end, called Petrov. To answer the question of what the icon of St. Peter and Paul means, we will plunge a bit into the history of the New Testament. The holiday, dedicated to the two great saints Peter and Paul, is known from the earliest Christianity, it was celebrated in the Roman Empire. According to tradition, the disciples of Christ Peter and Paul received martyrdom on the same day, namely on July 29.

The apostle Peter was crucified with his head down, and the apostle Paul, as a Roman subject, was cut off his head, but, according to the tradition of the holy fathers, it happened just a year after Peter's death.

The image of the priests Peter and Paul - the icon is very ancient, and before it pray on a feast, which is associated with one more important event in the life of the Church - the transfer of the relics of these two revered saints, which was realized in Rome in 258 and also on June 29, Which began to be considered the day of their common martyrdom.

Religious holiday

And now we come to the very essence of the feast of Peter and Paul. The icon depicting these saints in Russia was called "Korsunskaya", but more on this later.
And while in about 324 in the capitals of the Roman Empire in the cities of Rome and Constantinople under the emperor Constantine in honor of the first-holy holy apostles, the first temples were created.

It was from this time began to celebrate the feast of Peter and Paul, and he was particularly revered, the liturgies were very solemn. This day was exalted absolutely not casually, it connect with that after three hundred years of persecutions on Christians belief in the Christ has received, at last, the status of legal religion. Before Christianity, the task was to convert people as much as possible into faith and join them to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. The ministry of the apostles became a model of preaching among the teachers and the holy fathers of the church. The holiday is preceded by a post called Petrov, and this once again proves its important significance in the annual liturgical circle.

Peter and Paul icon

The icon of Peter and Paul dates back to the 11th century and is considered one of the most ancient. It is a real relic and a work of art created by medieval easel painting. Today the image of Saints Peter and Paul - the icon of the first-named apostles - is kept in the reserve of Novgorod. Once the Russian Tsar Vladimir Monomakh brought an icon to Novgorod from Korsun, so it was called "Korsunskaya". But some historians say that it was written in Novgorod. Who has become the creator of this holy relic, is unknown to this day, but the style of its image corresponds to the technique of the fresco. The icon is decorated with a silvery and gilt salary, over which various masters worked. It is interesting that the icon of Peter and Paul was taken from Novgorod three times, and each time she returned.

Icon of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Value

One of the first monasteries, named in honor of the holy apostles of the high-ranking Peter and Paul, was built in Novgorod in 1185 on the Sinichesky mountain. In Orthodox churches, the image of these two apostles became an indispensable attribute of the Deesis tier.

Russian icon painter Andrei Rublev was also the creator of the icon of Peter and Paul. Especially noting the honor of the memory of the primitive apostles, the Church glorifies the spiritual firmness of the apostle Peter and the mind of Paul. They pray for the healing of diseases and the increase of faith. The Apostle Peter is prayed for a rich catch. It's not for nothing that the day of their memory is also considered a fisherman's day.

The Story of Peter and Paul

Peter was the brother of St. Andrew the First-Called. At first he was called Simon, and he was a fisherman. A poor but pious young man became one of the main pillars of the Christian faith. He immediately followed the Lord, for the great fate awaited him.

The Apostle Paul was formerly called Saul, and his family came from the tribe of Benjamin. He was from a noble family and was a Roman citizen. At first he was an ardent persecutor of Christians, and then became a faithful disciple of Christ.

The apostle Peter became the chosen apostle of God and His greatest confessor, he began to nourish the souls of believing Christians with his sermons, and with it the beginning of Orthodoxy was laid. On the feast of Peter and Paul glorify people who were ordinary sinners, but turned into saints.

The image of the icon of Peter and Paul says that if we can not have a strong faith like the Apostle Peter and Paul and do the miracles through which they converted people into their faith, then we will try to learn at least the deepest humility and unfeigned repentance.