Holy Alexandra: the icon, the temple. St. Alexandra's Day

St. Alexandra's Day is celebrated on the church calendar at the same time as the feast of the Great Martyr George - April 23. This date is known since the tenth century, it was recorded in the Typicon of the Great Church. The date relates to the passing away of the saint on April 21, 303, but the commemoration began two days later.

The Life of the Holy Martyr Alexandra

The Orthodox saint of Alexandria is mentioned in the life of the great martyr George the Victorious as the queen and wife of the Roman emperor Diocletian (303), an ardent follower of idolatry and persecutor of Christianity, according to whose orders all churches were to be destroyed, church books burned, and church property depended on the state. Every Christian had to make sacrifices to the emperor and the pagan gods. For refusal they were subjected to torture, imprisonment and death penalty.

At a meeting of the tsar and princes about the murder of innocent Christians, Saint George was not afraid to come out against this outrage. The spears that were expelled from the assembly of the saint became as soft as tin, and they did not harm the martyr. George was sentenced to spinning. After the execution of the sentence, the Angel of the Lord healed his wounds. Every time, after the sophisticated tortures and tortures that Diocletian had devised for George the Victorious in retaliation for his firm Christian faith, the great martyr was healed miraculously, crying out in prayer to God. With the help of God, he raised the dead and cast out demons out of idols. Watching the feats of St. George, St. Alexander believed in Christ and began to openly profess his faith. At the feet of the martyr she boldly ridiched pagan gods, which brought upon herself the wrath of her husband.

For refusing to serve the idols, Diocletian rendered the death penalty to the confessors of Christ in the form of a sword trimming. Saint Alexander humbly followed Georgi, reciting prayers and looking at the sky. On the way, she asked for a rest and, leaning on the building, quietly died. This happened on April 21, 303 in Nicomedia.

Patroness of Russian monarchs

Saint Alexander was especially revered in the family of Russian monarchs as the patroness of two empresses: Alexandra Feodorovna - the wife of Nicholas I, Alexandra Feodorovna - the wife of Nicholas II. During their reign in Moscow, a number of churches were built and consecrated in the name of Queen Alexandra.

Temple in honor of the Great Martyr in Peterhof

In 1854 the church of St. Alexandra began to be built on the Babiy Gon. At the solemn laying on August 11, with the participation of Emperor Nicholas I, a stone was laid from the holy banks of the Jordan. In the future, this temple will be a favorite place for the prayer of the imperial family. The five-headed stone church was distinguished by its unique beauty. In the architecture of the temple one of the most beautiful elements of Old Russian architecture was used - "kokoshniki".

The carved wooden iconostasis - a gift from Emperor Nicholas I - was a real decoration of the church. A lot of money was spent on building the temple. Delivery of materials to the mountain required considerable expenses. Nicholas I and members of the royal family attended the solemn consecration of the church of the holy Martyr Alexandra. In his speech at the end of the Divine Service, the emperor thanked everyone who participated in the construction.

The Church of St. Alexandra at Babigon Heights was designed for about 500 worshipers. In the church there was a tabernacle made of red Siberian jasper, utensils made of precious stones, gold and silver.

The destruction of the temple

Divine services in the church in the name of St. Alexandra were held until 1940, until a proposal was made to turn this holy place into an entertainment club. But the war did not allow the planned plans to be realized. The temple was repeatedly subjected to shelling, and bombing strikes caused significant damage to the church.

After the war, the temple was handed over to the farm's workshop, and the basement was adapted for a vegetable store. Only in 1991 the building was returned to the diocese. By the beginning of the restoration, the Church of the Holy Martyr Alexandra was a sad sight: the five-headed end was lost, the head of the big dome and small heads was missing, the tent of the bell tower with the cupola was demolished, the picturesque decoration of the church and the carved iconostasis were destroyed, the spiral staircase was destroyed , there were no windows or doors .

Restoring the Temple

In 1998, for the first time after such a long break in the church of the holy Martyr Alexandra, Divine service was performed. This significant event occurred on the patron saint's day. And a year later, since April 1999, worship services in the church began to be performed regularly. Until now, work is under way to restore its original appearance.

Other temples in the name of Saint Alexandra

In St. Petersburg there is also the Putilov temple, built in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the martyr of Queen Alexandra. In 1925 it was closed, the domes and crosses were demolished. Later the church was turned into a club, in 1940 it was transferred to the regional motor transport school, and after the war - to the haberdashery enterprise.

In the 1990s, the process of returning the building of the Russian Orthodox Church began. In 2006, the 100th anniversary of the Putilov church was celebrated. In the same year, the first service after 80 years of interruption was held. Now, in the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the martyr of Queen Alexandra, divine services are held regularly.

In honor of the holy martyr, many capital military schools were consecrated before the revolution. On Znamenka used to be the Aleksandrov Military School. His church was built in honor of Saint Alexandra. In 1833 a temple was consecrated at the Alexandrinsky Palace in Neskuchny Garden in the name of Alexandra of Rome.
In 1895-1899 the church of the holy martyr Tsarina Alexandra in the village was erected. Muromtsevo, Vladimir region. Temples consecrated in her honor, there are also abroad. For example, in Armenia, Ukraine, Germany, Finland, Hungary.

Icons

St. Alexander, whose icon is in St. Petersburg in Peterhof, in the Cathedral of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Savior on the Blood), the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery, the State Tretyakov Gallery, St. Nicholas Monastery in St. Saratov and other temples of Russia and beyond, was an example of love for God and piety.
The Great Martyr is usually depicted in icons in royal clothes and a crown, often with a cross in her hand. There are many individual images.

We see the face of Queen Alexandra on other icons and paintings of churches. So, the martyr is imprinted on the icon "Selected Saints", which is in the Central Museum of Old Russian Art . Andrei Rublev. The icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Holy Queen Alexandra is located in the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The image of the martyr is in Bryullov's mosaic in the main iconostasis of St. Isaac's Cathedral, in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (Savior on Blood) and elsewhere.

What helps the saint

Empress Alexandra of Rome pray for the salvation of the soul and deliverance from all evil, strengthening the faith. The Great Martyr will help all those who are suffering, who are looking for answers to difficult life questions, and will protect them from betrayal. Strongly conjugal action of icons with the image of a saint, which helps to strengthen the bonds of marriage, to maintain good relations in the family.