Holy Apostle and Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome. St. Clement, Pope

Saint Clement is one of the direct disciples and comrades-in-arms of the apostles, and was ordained bishop of Rome. In Ancient Rus', Clement was a very revered saint and was considered the patron saint of Russian lands.

He came from a noble Roman family. He grew up in Rome and received an excellent education. At the age of 24, Clement heard about Christ and decided to learn more about Christianity. To do this, he went to the East. In Alexandria, Clement listened to sermons, and in Judea he met the holy Apostle Peter, received baptism from him and became his disciple.

Christians were persecuted at that time, and Clement was sent to hard labor. He ended up in a quarry near the large ancient city of Tauride Chersonesos (present-day Sevastopol), where he met many Christians. Working among them, Clement consoled and instructed them. Through the prayer of the saint, the Lord opened a water source near the place of work. The rumor about the miracle spread throughout the Tauride Peninsula and many residents came to be baptized. Clement baptized up to 500 pagans every day, and the number of Christians increased so much that it was necessary to build up to 75 new churches for them.

A special envoy was sent to Chersonesus to restore order, who ordered Clement to be tied to an anchor and drowned in the sea so that his followers would not find his body. However, through the prayers of Clement’s disciples and the rest of the people, the sea retreated from the shore by three stages (about 500 meters), and people found the body of the martyr.

Interesting facts about Clement, Pope of Rome

The most famous essay Clement of Rome - letter to the Corinthians (believers of the church in the city of Corinth). In ancient times it was read during services along with the apostolic books.

The family of Saint Clement was related to the imperial family. When Clement was a child, his mother and brothers went missing after a shipwreck. Clement's father went in search of them. When Clement met the Apostle Peter, he found his missing brothers among his disciples. After some time, a mother and father were found who also accepted Christianity.

Perhaps it was the future Bishop Clement who is mentioned apostle paul in the letter to the Philippians (4:3): “I beg you also, sincere fellow worker, to help them, who labored in the gospel with me and with Clement and with the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.”

Around 861 the relics of St. Clement were found by the saints Kirill And Methodius and transferred to the temple of the city of Chersonesos.

Hieromartyr Clement, Pope, born in Rome into a rich and noble family. Due to circumstances, separated from his parents since childhood, Clement was raised by strangers. Living in Rome, the young man received an excellent education, was surrounded by luxury, and close to the imperial court. But he was not pleased with pleasures, pagan wisdom did not captivate him. He began to think about the meaning of life. When news about Christ and His teaching reached the capital, Saint Clement left his home and estate and went to the lands where the apostles preached.

In Alexandria, Clement met, whose words he listened to with deep attention, perceiving with all his heart the power and truth of the Word of God. Arriving in Palestine, Saint Clement received Baptism from and became his zealous disciple and constant companion, sharing with him his labors and sufferings. The Holy Apostle Peter, shortly before his suffering, ordained Saint Clement as bishop of the city of Rome. After the death of the apostle, and after him, the Bishop of Rome (67-79), and his successor, the holy Bishop Anacletus (79-91), Saint Clement was in the Roman See (from 92 to 101).

The virtuous life, mercy and prayerful feat of Saint Pope Clement converted many to Christ. So, one day on Easter day, 424 people were baptized by him at once. Among those baptized were people of all classes: slaves, rulers, members imperial family. The pagans, seeing the success of his apostolic preaching, reported Saint Clement to the Emperor Trajan (98-117), accusing the saint of blaspheming pagan gods. The emperor expelled Saint Clement from the capital, sending him to Crimea, to work in the Inkerman quarries near the city of Chersonesus. Many of the saint's disciples followed him, preferring voluntary exile to separation from their spiritual father. Arriving at the place of exile, Saint Clement met many Christian believers condemned to work in harsh conditions, completely without water. He prayed with the condemned, and the Lord, in the form of a Lamb, showed him the place of the source from which a whole river flowed. This miracle attracted many people to Saint Clement. Listening to the zealous preacher, hundreds of pagans turned to Christ. Every day 500 people or more were baptized. And there, in the quarries, a temple was carved out in which he officiated.

The saint's apostolic activity aroused the wrath of Emperor Trajan, and he ordered Saint Clement to be drowned. The martyr was thrown into the sea with an anchor around his neck. This happened in 101.

Through the prayers of the saint’s faithful disciples, Cornelius and Thebes and all the people, the sea receded, and people found it at the bottom in temple miraculously("Angelic Church") the incorruptible body of its shepherd. After this, every year on the day of the martyrdom of Saint Clement, the sea receded and for seven days Christians could venerate his holy relics. Only in the 9th century, during the reign of the Emperor Nicephorus of Constantinople (802-811), by God's permission, the relics of St. Clement became unavailable for veneration for 50 years.

Under Emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (855-867), Chersonese was visited. Having learned about the hidden relics of Saint Clement, they prompted Bishop George of Chersonesos to conciliar prayer to the Lord for the discovery of the relics of the holy martyr. After the conciliar service of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the clergy who arrived with them from Constantinople and the fervent prayer of all those gathered on the surface of the sea at midnight, the holy relics of Bishop Clement miraculously appeared. They were solemnly transferred to the city to the Church of the Holy Apostles. Part of the relics was brought by Saints Cyril and Methodius to Rome, and the holy head was subsequently brought to Kyiv († 1015) and placed in the Church of the Tithes along with the relics of Saint Thebes, where a chapel was built in the name of Saint Clement. The memory of the holy martyr is sacredly revered in Russia. Since ancient times, many temples were dedicated to him.

Saint Clement, who is considered one of the apostolic men, left us a spiritual legacy - two letters to the Corinthians - the first written monuments after the writings of the holy Apostles Christian teaching. (They were published in Russian translation in the “Writings of the Apostolic Men.”)

Iconographic original
	Rus. XVII. Menaion - November (fragment). Icon. Rus. Beginning of the 17th century Church-Archaeological Cabinet of the Moscow Theological Academy.
	Rome. XI. St. Clement celebrates the liturgy. Fresco from the Cathedral of San Clemente. Rome. XI century
	Kyiv. 1043-1046. Sschmch. Clement. Mosaic of Sophia of Kyiv. 1043 - 1046 years.
	Sicily. 1180-1194. Sschmch. Clement. Mosaic of the Cathedral in Montreal. Sicily. Around 1180 - 1194.
	Rome. XII. Ap. Peter and Sschmch. Clement. Mosaic of the Cathedral of San Clemente. Rome. XII century

Total 16 photos

Muscovites are well aware of this beautiful, impressive and majestic church, which is located on Klimentovsky Lane on Tretyakov Street. It is undoubtedly the pronounced architectural dominant of the entire Zamoskvorechye region. This is the church of the Holy Martyr Clement - Pope of Rome. Based some the apparent external contradiction contained in the name itself, in the sense that what does the Pope and Catholicism have to do with it, I became interested in the history of this Orthodox church and especially the personality of Clement himself. Everything turned out to be very interesting and extremely instructive. Further under the cut is a photo of the temple in different time and the story of why the Apostle Clement was so popular in Rus', at the dawn of the formation of Russian Christianity.

Clement was the youngest son of wealthy and noble Roman parents whose veins included imperial blood. When Clement was still very young, his father sent his mother and two older twin brothers to Athens, Greece. On the way, their ship is overtaken by a terrible storm and a shipwreck occurs. Clement's mother and his brothers are separated by the elements of the sea. They all escaped, but knew nothing about each other's fate. Clement's father, having learned that his beloved wife and sons never arrived in Athens, four years later he himself goes looking for them, leaving the very young Clement to look after their property. But, as a result, he also disappeared, turning into an inconsolable wanderer from an unsuccessful search for his family. Clement himself rightly believed that they all died.

He was twenty-four years old, and twenty-four years had already passed since his brothers and mother disappeared, and twenty years since there was no news from his father. Clement grew up, received a good education, became interested in philosophy and the then new Christian teaching. Passionately dreaming of getting to Judea, from where this teaching spread throughout the world, Clement equipped a ship and resolutely set off there. However, he also found himself in a strong storm, which first brought him to Alexandria, where he first heard the Christian sermons of the Apostle Barnabas, and from there sailed to Caesarea Stratonia, an ancient Palestinian city on the east coast Mediterranean Sea. There he first met Peter, a disciple of Christ, one of his twelve apostles, received baptism from him, becoming one of his favorite disciples, and followed him. It turned out that his twin brothers were also disciples of the Apostle Peter. And a little later, in the process of their wanderings and preaching, Peter miraculously met and recognized Clement’s mother, and subsequently his father. In such a miraculous way his family united, which was welcomed even by the then Emperor of Rome.
02.

Subsequently, when the Apostle Peter arrived in Rome, Clement already acted as an inseparable and beloved disciple and earnestly preached the teachings of Christ. Before accepting the crucifixion from Emperor Nero, the Apostle Peter ordained Clement as bishop, who later became the head of the Roman Christian Church from 91 to 100.

At this time, Clement conducted extensive and successful religious activities, healed the sick and converted many people to the Christian faith, both the common class and noble Romans, which ultimately incurred the displeasure of Emperor Trajan due to numerous denunciations “about Clement's disrespect for the Roman gods." Then, popular unrest and a mass rebellion against Christians were artificially provoked. Trajan did not dare to kill him, but as punishment he sent Clement into exile to the Inkerman quarries, which were near the large ancient city of Tauride Chersonese, in short to modern Crimea, to modern Sevastopol.

Many of his followers also voluntarily went into exile with Clement. By the way, the Inkerman quarries were a traditional place of exile for Christians at that time. Clement worked in these quarries, like all the other exiles, continuing to preach fervently. He miraculously discovered a life-giving spring on the territory of the quarries, and after that he became very popular, revered by the local population and then baptized 500 people a day. Clement created a large community of more than 5,000 Christians in Chersonesos. Clement's influence was very significant.
03.

“It got to the point that the local military commander turned to Emperor Troyan with a letter in which he said: “I no longer know who rules Crimea - me or Clement. I can’t handle it because the huge crowds will tear me to pieces.” Then Troyan sent there his two cohorts of praetorians, who were supposed to kill Clement. But, seeing the enormous popular veneration and a large number of disciples, they did not dare to do this openly, and, after waiting a certain time, they lured him onto the ship by cunning, tied him to an anchor and threw him into the sea. Therefore, a cross with an anchor is a symbol and memory of the martyrdom of the first Russian saint, who, although he was the Pope of Rome, became the patron saint of Rus' for all times,” says Father Leonid, rector of the Church of the Holy Martyr Clement in Zamoskvorechye.
04.

His two favorite disciples, Cornelius and Thebes, then called on the believers to pray for the recovery of his body. After this mass prayer, the sea moved away from the shore several hundred meters, and believers found the incorruptible body of the martyr in the miraculous marble cave-temple. The disciples were immediately given a revelation that the body should be left here, and the sea would now recede every year for seven days so that believers could venerate the relics of Clement. Subsequently, over the centuries, Clement revealed many revelations, miracles and healings. This continued until the 8th century, when the sea stopped receding.
05.

After another half a century, two Christian teachers arrived in Chersonesos - the Thessalonian brothers Cyril (Constantine the Philosopher) and Methodius (yes, yes - those same ones), who prompted the local bishop Gregory to try to find his relics through prayer. Gregory agreed and even received the blessing of the then Emperor of Constantinople Michael III (reigned from 865 to 867) and Patriarch Ignatius for this action. With a great crowd of people after a heavy downpour at sunset, the relics of St. Clement floated up, overshadowed by a bright white light. The relics were transferred to the local church of Chersonesus, where mass miracles, healings and exorcisms subsequently took place...
06.

Clement is also extremely famous for his work “The First Epistle to the Corinthians,” in which he tries to persuade the warring Corinthian parties to peace and subordinate them to the authority of the legal hierarchy. It represents the first written monument of Christian teaching after the works of the apostles (written around 97 AD) and enjoyed special respect in the ancient church: it was read in churches along with the apostolic epistles and it was included in some codes with them.
07.

Living long before the division of churches, Saint Clement of Rome is equally widely revered in both Catholicism and Orthodoxy. Saint Clement enjoyed wide veneration in Rus'; Significant churches in Moscow (in Klimentovsky Lane), Torzhok and other places are dedicated to him. Obviously, this is also connected with the fact that Saint Cyril, Equal to the Apostles, personally transported the relics of Clement to Rome and handed them over to Pope Adrian II, where they were given an unprecedented honor (late 867 - early 868).

Pope Adrian II then approved worship in the Slavic language and the “Slavic books” translated by the brothers, and ordered them to be placed in Roman churches, ordained Cyril and Methodius as bishops, and their Slavic disciples as presbyters. This was truly a revolutionary step. Many Western and Southern Slavs had already converted to Christianity by that time, but they did not have their own hierarchy. Both Rome and Constantinople viewed the Slavic peoples only as an object of cultural and political expansion. Byzantium appointed Greek priests for them, who conducted services in Greek with the goal of quickly Hellenizing the Slavs. The Slavs of Moravia and Illyrac, who were under the jurisdiction of Rome, were forced to invite Frankish missionaries serving in Latin, who tried to begin the process of Germanization of the Slavic lands.
08.

Thanks to Constantine (Cyril) and Methodius, the Slavs received mutual language, the possibility of worship on it, its own national church hierarchy and thereby a shield from Greek or Frankish assimilation. And all this happened only because the Thessalonica brothers found the relics of St. Clement of Rome in time.

According to some authors, it was the discovery of the relics of St. Clement that sanctified in the eyes of the Roman Church the educational mission of Cyril and Methodius among the Slavs and the introduction of worship in the Slavic language. Before this, the prevailing view among some theologians of the Western Church was that praise to God could only be given in three “sacred” languages ​​(Hebrew, Greek and Latin), which is why the brothers were at one time suspected of heresy and summoned to Rome for clarification. In honor of the discovery of the relics, Saint Cyril wrote in Greek short story, word of praise and anthem. The relics of Saint Clement were transferred to the Roman Basilica of Saint Clement. Saint Cyril, who died in February 869, was also buried here. Konstantin died at the age of 42 and took the name Kirill before his death.
09.

Thus, the discovery of the relics of the holy martyr played a colossal role in the history of the Slavs, allowing the Slavs to acquire a common written language and thereby preserve their culture and identity, freeing themselves from the danger of being absorbed by other peoples.
10.

Part of the relics of Saint Clement was left in Chersonesus, where it rested in a carved six-ton ​​marble tomb made by Byzantine craftsmen from Prokonesian marble. After the capture of the city by the Russian prince Vladimir the Great in 988 or 989, who was baptized here, the relics of St. Clement (along with a marble sarcophagus) and the body of his disciple Thebes, by his order, were transferred to Kyiv “for blessing for themselves and for consecration to all people,” where they stayed in the Tithe Church - the first stone church Kievan Rus. Since the 13th century, the myrrh-streaming head of St. Clement has been in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

According to historians, this act clearly shows the intention of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince to establish the Church of Kievan Rus on the relics of the martyr pope, thereby emphasizing the authority of his power, the holiness of his capital and its cathedral church. And Vladimir really managed to achieve his goal, since in the coming decades the young Principality of Kiev received universal recognition in Europe, and its rulers received legitimacy throughout the Christian world.

Apparently, a new shrine was made for the relics in Kyiv, since Vladimir’s son Yaroslav the Wise was buried on February 20, 1054 in Kyiv precisely in the Chersonesus marble tomb of St. Clement, preserved in St. Sophia Cathedral still.
11.

Part of the relics of Clement was transferred to the French bishop of Chalon, who came as part of the embassy to marry the daughter of Prince Yaroslav, Anna Yaroslavna, to the French king.

Piece of relics from honest head Holy Hieromartyr Clement was transferred from Kyiv to the Inkerman St. Clement Monastery after the resumption of its work in 1991; The shrine with holy relics was installed in the side nave of the St. Clement Church.
12.

Thus, the relics of the holy martyr Clement were the first Christian shrine to appear in Rus'. This was the reason for his exceptional popularity on Russian soil.

Some historians believe that the fourth Pope Clement never visited Chersonesos, and that these are only legends allegedly created by Cyril and Methodius for the religious justification of their educational mission. After all, before they were called to Rome to give explanations of their activities in creating Slavic writing and the establishment of independent Slavic Christianity, the brothers did not in any way popularize the relics of Clement that were in their possession. But this is not important, but what is important is that Clement, as an apostle, acted as a perfect symbol of the formation of a new Slavic Orthodox Christian world.
13.

So, Clement is an apostle of the 70 venerated, the fourth bishop (pope) of Rome. This title of his has nothing to do with Catholicism. It’s just that, obviously, the very phrase “Pope of Rome” in the names of churches was used at a later time.
14.

As for the church itself in Klimentovsky Lane. From here from these places Big street and the Horde road led to Golden Horde. Here lived “interpreters” - translators and “Horde people” - executors of the will of the Grand Duke of Moscow in the Horde. Foreign merchants - “guests” - brought their goods here, having overcome seas and rivers. Perhaps at the turn of the XV - XVI centuries. They founded a church in honor of Clement of Rome at the so-called Lazy Torzhok in Zamoscow, in order to offer prayers to the holy martyr - the patron saint of all those who thirst for the light of the true faith of Christ and those traveling on the waters.

This is the largest temple in Zamoskvorechye. It was first mentioned in written sources under this name in 1612, in connection with the events of the Moscow Battle between Russian militias and the Polish-Lithuanian army of Hetman Chodkiewicz.
15.

First stone temple at this site is dated 1657. In 1662 it already had three side-chapels. The temple was rebuilt in 1720, then in 1756-1758 a refectory and a bell tower with the Klimentovsky and Neopalimovsky chapels were added to it. The architect could presumably have been K. Blank or A.P. Evlashov. In 1762, parishioners received permission to demolish the main volume of the old temple, and by 1769, at the expense of the merchant of the 1st guild K.M. Matveev, a five-domed baroque temple was completed, which has survived to this day. The authorship of the building has not been established. Presumably, it was built by I.Ya. Yakovlev designed by Pietro Antonio Trezzini.

The authors of the 1917 guidebook “Around Moscow” wrote: “From afar, against the backdrop of Zamoskvorechye, and close up, the temple with its five domes makes an equally strong impression with its calm, beautiful bulk. The windows on the second floor and the finely patterned openwork iron grille running over the top of the building are very good.” Even in Soviet times, no one could remain indifferent to the grandiose and majestic beauty of the five-domed church in the name of the Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome. She was surprised by the original and exquisite fence of a complex configuration. The entrance temple pavilion, which was both the Holy Gate and the “butt” building above the holy spring, was recognized as an outstanding phenomenon of Russian architecture of the Baroque era. Unfortunately, this unique monument of Moscow architecture was demolished in the second half of the 1930s.
16.

I hope you were interested in learning about who the Hieromartyr Clement was and why churches were built in his honor in Rus'. I, for my part, now began to look completely differently not only at this wonderful majestic temple of the Moscow Zamoskvorechye region, but in general, I realized that when you see such impressive architectural masterpieces, you begin to realize that behind the external facade of the temples there is always a deep and gray history, a history full of secrets, revelations and holy faith, that faith that works miracles, that gives strength to rise from the ashes and revive former greatness of his homeland.

Sources and additional information:

Website of the temple in the name of the Hieromartyr Clement of the Pope
Vidania website. ru about Clement Pope: http://www.vidania.ru/p_klimentrimsky.html
Biography of Clement on the website “Catholicism”: http://credoindeum.ru/publ/stati/svjatye/kliment_i_papa_rimskij/15-1-0-72
Sobory website. ru about the Church of Pope Clement in Zamoskvorechye: http://sobory.ru/article/?object=02177
Article by Andrey Vasiliev "Discovery of the relics of St. Clement of Rome in Chersonesos"

Icon of Pope Clement with scenes from his life in the background. Perm icon. First half of the 17th century Clement I(Latin Clemens, Greek Κλήμης; +), bishop of Rome, hieromartyr

Through the prayers of the faithful disciples of St. Cornelius and Thebes and all the people, the sea receded, and people found the incorruptible body of their shepherd at the bottom in a temple not made by hands (the “Church of Angels”). After this, every year on the day of the martyrdom of Saint Clement, the sea receded, and for seven days Christians could venerate his holy relics. Only in the century, during the reign of the Constantinople Emperor Nicephorus (802-811), by God's permission, the relics of St. Clement became unavailable for veneration for 50 years.

Under Emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (855-867), Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius visited Chersonesos. Having learned about the hidden relics of Saint Clement, they prompted Bishop George of Chersonesos to conciliar prayer to the Lord for the discovery of the relics of the holy martyr. After the conciliar service of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the clergy who arrived with them from Constantinople and the fervent prayer of all those gathered on the surface of the sea at midnight, the holy relics of Bishop Clement miraculously appeared. They were solemnly transferred to the city to the Church of the Holy Apostles. Part of the relics was taken by Saints Cyril and Methodius to Rome, and the holy head was subsequently brought to Kyiv by Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (+ 1015) and, together with the relics of Saint Thebes, was placed in the Church of the Tithes, where a chapel was built in the name of Saint Clement.

Nowadays the head of St. Clement is among the myrrh-streaming heads kept in the Far Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

The memory of the holy martyr is sacredly revered in Russia. Since ancient times, many temples were dedicated to him.

Prayers

Troparion, tone 4

And from the God of miracles / gloriously surprising the universe at the ends of the world, / more holy than the sufferer, / more than the nature of the sea, the compositions of the waters create division / in honor of your memory / always flowing We are glad to your God-given church/ by your miraculous relics,/ and by the general walk/ of the sea into one You work miracles,/ Wonderful Clemente, // pray to Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 2. Similar to: Solid:

The divine grape is sacred/ the vine has appeared to everyone,/ dripping the sweetness of wisdom,/ through your prayers, most honorably,/ let us crush you like a scarlet,/ we will bring a mental song,/ to Clemente Vyaty, // save your servants.

Troparion, tone 2, for the acquisition of relics

Do not turn us away, ashamed, Clemente, / who fall in faith at your tomb, O holy one, / but accept the slave of your hearts / who approach the race of your holy relics, praying, / for your blessed and generous ones Let us allow/ your flock to enjoy your mercy,/ giving healing to God to the faithful/ and forgiveness and cleansing from sin,/ through your prayers, O glorious one,// and great mercy.

Proceedings

The undoubted proximity of the schmch. Clement to the two named apostles is the reason that two of the most important canonical monuments of the primitive church bear his name: “The Rules of the Holy Apostles” and “The Apostolic Constitutions”. It has been proven, however, that both of these works in the edition in which they have survived to this day do not belong to him.

The affiliation of Clement's two district "Epistle to (Christian) virgins", which are in complete agreement with his true teaching, is also disputed by many.

Undoubtedly, his authentic creation is considered to be the “First Epistle to the Corinthians” known under his name, in which he tries to persuade the warring Corinthian parties to peace and subordinate them to the power of the legal hierarchy. It represents the first, after the works of the apostles, written monument of Christian teaching (written around the year after R.H.) and enjoyed special respect in the ancient church: it was read in churches along with the apostolic epistles and it was included in the same codes with them .

"Second Epistle to the Corinthians" in full force discovered for the first time, with the name of Clement, in the Alexandrian Codex of the Bible (5th century), and in its entirety in 1875 found by Metropolitan Nicephorus Bryennios in the Patriarchal Library of Constantinople, also aroused great controversy regarding its attribution to Clement, which, however, is more than probable. This epistle is nothing more than a homily pronounced by Clement in Rome and, with some changes, sent by him in the form of a letter to Corinth, and represents an example of those primitive church teachings that were composed following the example of the apostolic instructions and in accordance with their requirements for the artlessness of teacher speech.

Clement of Rome is also credited with an essay known as “Clementine,” which contains a comparative presentation of the teachings of Judaizing Christians and pagan Christians: the author noticeably leans towards the side of the former. One edition of them is called: “Conversations (homiliae) of Clement of Rome”; here, in lively and even artistic speech, the travels of the Apostle Peter are told, about his debates with Simon the Magus, Appian, Athenodorus, etc. Another edition is called “Memoirs (recognitiones) of Clement” and represents a common and varied version of the previous one. In it, Clement appears as the apostle's companion on his travels, during which Clement finds his parents and brothers, about whom he knew nothing for a long time, and has conversations with them. The Apostle Peter is here an ardent supporter of the Judaizing Christians, developing views close to the teachings of the Ebionites, in contrast to Simon the Magus, who appears to be a defender of the views of Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles. In addition, the following are known: a) an abbreviation (epitome) of conversations and b) fragmentary fragments from “conversations” and “memoirs”. The origin of "Clementine" dates back to a time no earlier than the year and no later than the year (they are mentioned for the first time in Origen, around the year). They usually think that “Clementine” is the work of one of the Syrian heretics of the second century: this is proven by the fact that the relationship between the two first persons of St. The Trinity is presented here in disagreement with Holy Scripture, the eternity of torment is rejected and Jesus Christ is placed along with Moses. As a monument to the apocryphal literature of primitive Christianity, the Clementines are not without interest, and in this sense they were diligently studied by Baur and other scientists of the Tübingen school.

Of the old editions of the works of Clement of Rome, the best is Minya, “Patrologiae cursus” (ser. lat., vol. I); then Hilgenfeld, "Novum Testamentum extra canonem receptum." "Recognitiones" was published by Gerzdorf (Leipzig, 1838), homilies - Lagarde (Leipzig, 1865), Messages to Virgins - Beelen (Louvain, 1856). Latest Edition one Greek text - Metropolitan Bryennios (Constantinople, 1875).

Russian translation of the messages - in “Monuments of Ancient Christian Writing” in 1861 and in the publication of Preobrazhensky (Moscow, 1875); the second message is here only in the amount of the first 12 chapters; the Russian translation of the remaining eight chapters found by Bryennius is in the work of Professor N.I. Barsova: “The History of Primitive Christian Preaching” (St. Petersburg, 1885); There is also an indication of all the literature about Clement of Rome.

Literature

• Priselkov, A. Clement of Rome and his Epistles, St. Petersburg, 1887.

Used materials

• Saint Herman Calendar 2009, 96.
• http://www.jmp.ru/svyat/nov25.htm ..

  Editing text from: 27.08.2018 07:13:49

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In the glorious and great ancient city of Rome there lived a man of noble origin named Faustus, who came from a line of ancient Roman kings. He had a wife named Matfidia, also of royal origin and related to the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius 1. The husband and wife were zealous pagans and worshiped idols. They first had two twin sons, one of whom was named Favstinus, and the other Favstinian; then a third son was born, who was given the name Clement.

Favst had a brother, an evil and immoral man. Seeing the beauty of Matfidia, he was seduced by her and began to tempt her to sin; but she, being very chaste, did not want to violate her fidelity to her husband and dishonor the dignity of her noble family by desecrating the bed; Therefore, she tried with all her might to remove the seducer from herself.

Not wanting to clearly expose him, she did not tell anyone about this, not even her husband, fearing that bad rumors would spread about them and their house would be dishonored. But Favsta's brother for a long time with requests and threats he forced her to submit to his unclean desires. Matfidia, seeing that she was unable to get rid of his persecution unless she avoided meeting with him, decided on the following.

One morning she addressed her husband with the following speech: “I saw a wondrous dream this night, my lord: I saw a venerable and old husband, as if one of the gods, who said to me: if you and your twin sons do not leave Rome for ten years, then you will die a painful and sudden death with them.”

Hearing these words, Favst was surprised, thought a lot about it and decided to let her and her two sons leave Rome for ten years, reasoning: “It is better if my beloved wife and children live in a foreign country than die a sudden death here.”

Having equipped the ship and stocked up with everything necessary for food, he sent her with her two sons Favstin and Favstinian to the Greek country, to Athens. He sent with them many male and female slaves and provided them with large property, ordering Matthidia to send her sons to study Greek wisdom in Athens.

So they parted with each other with inexpressible regret and tears. Matthidia set sail with her two sons in the ship, while Faustus and his youngest son Clement remained in Rome.

When Matthidia was sailing on the sea, a strong storm broke out on the sea and great excitement arose; the ship was carried by waves and wind to an unknown country, at midnight it was broken, and everyone drowned. Matfidia, carried by stormy waves, was thrown onto the rocks of an island, not far from the Asian country 2. And she cried inconsolably for her drowned children, out of bitter sadness she even wanted to throw herself into the sea, but the inhabitants of that country, seeing her naked, screaming and moaning loudly, took pity on her, took her to their city and clothed her.

Some strange-loving women came to her and began to console her in her grief; each of them began to tell her everything that had happened and the unfortunate things in their lives, and with their sympathy they somewhat eased her sadness.

One of them said at the same time: “My husband was a shipbuilder; While still very young, he drowned in the sea, and I was left a young widow; many wanted to marry me, but I, loving my husband and not being able to forget him even after his death, decided to remain a widow. If you want, then stay in my house and live with me, you and I will feed ourselves by our labors.”

Matfidia followed her advice, and, settling in her house, earned food for herself through her labors and remained in this position for twenty-four years.

Her children Favstin and Favstinian, after the shipwreck, by the will of God, also remained alive; thrown ashore, they were seen by the sea robbers who were there, who took them into their boat, brought them to Caesarea Stratonia 3 and sold them here to a woman named Justus, who raised them instead of children and sent them to school.

In this way they learned various pagan sciences, but then, having heard the Gospel sermon about Christ, they accepted holy baptism and followed the Apostle Peter.

Faustus, their father, living in Rome with Clement and not knowing anything about the disasters that befell his wife and children, after a year sent some slaves to Athens to find out how his wife and children lived, and sent with them many different things; but his servants did not return. In the third year, Faustus, not receiving any news about his wife and children, became very sad and sent other slaves with everything necessary to Athens.

Arriving there, they found no one, and in the fourth year they returned to Faustus and told him that they could not find their mistress at all in Athens, for no one had even heard of her there, and they could not get on her trail, since no one they couldn’t find any of their own. Hearing all this, Favst became even more saddened and began to cry bitterly. He visited all the seaside towns and piers in the Roman country, asking the shipmen about his wife and her children, but did not learn anything from anyone.

Then, having built a ship and taking with him several slaves and some property, he set off to look for his girlfriend and kind children, and left his youngest son Clement with his faithful slaves at home to study the sciences. He walked almost the entire universe both by land and by sea, looking for his relatives for many years and not finding them.

Finally, already despairing of even seeing them, he gave in to deep sorrow, so that he did not even want to return home, considering it a heavy burden to enjoy the blessings of this world without his beloved wife, for whom he had great love for her chastity. Having rejected all the honors and glory of this world, he wandered through foreign countries like a beggar, not revealing to anyone who he was.

Meanwhile, the youth Clement came of age and studied all philosophical teachings well. Despite all this, having neither father nor mother, he was always in sadness. Meanwhile, he was already twenty-four years old since his mother left home, and twenty years since his father disappeared.

Having lost hope that they were alive, Clement grieved for them as if they were dead. At the same time, he also remembered his death, since he knew well that anyone can die; but, not knowing where he would be after death and whether there was another life after this short life or not, he always cried and did not want to be consoled by any pleasures and joys of the world.

At this time, Clement, having heard about the coming of Christ into the world, began to strive to find out about it reliably. He happened to talk with one prudent man, who told him how the Son of God came to Judea, giving eternal life to everyone who would do the will of the Father who sent Him. Hearing about this, Clement was inflamed with an extraordinary desire to learn more about Christ and His teaching.

To do this, he decided to go to Judea, where the gospel of Christ was spreading. Leaving his home and large estate, he took with him faithful slaves and a sufficient amount of gold, boarded a ship and sailed to the land of Judea. Due to a storm that broke out at sea, he was carried by the wind to Alexandria and there he found the Apostle Barnabas, 4 whose teaching about Christ he listened to with pleasure. Then he sailed to Caesarea Stratonia and found Saint Apostle Peter. Having received holy baptism from him, he followed him with other disciples, among whom were his two brothers, the twins Favstin and Favstinian.

But Clement did not recognize them, just as his brothers did not recognize him, because they were very young when they separated and did not remember each other. Peter, going to Syria, sent Favstin and Favstinian ahead of him, but left Clement with him and together with him boarded a ship and sailed across the sea.

As they sailed, the apostle asked Clement about his origin. Then Clement told him in detail: what his origin was and how his mother, under the influence of a dream, went to Rome with two young sons, how his father, after four years, went to look for them and did not return; To this he added the fact that twenty years have passed since he knows nothing about his relatives, why he thinks that his parents and brothers are dead. Peter, having listened to his story, was touched.

Meanwhile, at the discretion of God, the ship landed on the island where Clement’s mother, Matfilia, was located. When some left the ship to buy in the city what they needed for everyday needs, Peter also left, but Clement remained on the ship.

Heading towards the city, Peter saw an old woman sitting at the gate and asking for alms; This was Matfidia, who could no longer feed on her labors due to weakness of her hands and therefore asked for alms to feed herself and another old woman who accepted her into her home, who was also weakened and lay sick in the house. The Apostle, seeing Matthidia sitting, understood in spirit that this woman was a foreigner, and asked about her fatherland. Sighing heavily, Matfidia shed tears and said: “Oh, woe to me, a stranger, because there is no one in the world poorer and more unhappy than me.”

The Apostle Peter, seeing her severe sorrow and heartfelt tears, began to carefully question her who she was and where she was from?

From a conversation with her, he realized that she was Clement’s mother, and began to console her, saying:

“I know your youngest son Clement: he is in this country.”

Matfidia, hearing about her son, became as if dead from horror and fear; but Peter took her hand and ordered her to follow him to the ship:

“Do not be sad, old lady,” the dear apostle told her, “because now you will find out everything about your son.”

When they were walking to the ship, Clement came out to meet them and, seeing a woman following Peter, was surprised. She, having looked at Clement, immediately recognized him by his resemblance to his father, and asked Peter:

“Isn’t this Clement, my son?”

Peter said:

- They are.

And Matfidia fell on Clement’s neck and began to cry. Clement, not knowing who this woman was and why she was crying, began to push her away from him. Then Peter said to him: “Do not push away, child, who gave birth to you.”

Clement, hearing this, shed tears and fell at her feet, kissing her and crying. And they had great joy, for they found and recognized each other. Peter prayed to God for her and healed her hands. She began to ask the apostle for the healing of the old woman with whom she had settled. The Apostle Peter entered her house and healed the latter; Clement gave her 1000 drachmas 5 as a reward for feeding his mother. Then, taking the mother along with the healed old woman, he led them onto the ship and they sailed away.

Dear Matfidia asked her son about her husband Faustus and, having learned that he had gone to look for her and that there had been no news about him for twenty years, she cried bitterly for him, as if for someone who had died, not hoping to see him alive. Having reached Antandros 6, they left the ship and continued their journey overland.

Having reached Laodicea 7, they were met by Favstin and Favstinian, who arrived there before them. They asked Clement: “Who is this strange woman who is with you with another old woman?”

Clement answered: “My mother, whom I found in a foreign country.”

And he began to tell them in order how long he had not seen his mother and how she left home with two twins.

Hearing this, they realized that Clement was their brother and that woman was their mother, and they cried with great joy, exclaiming: “So this is our mother Matfidia, but you are our brother Clement, for we are the twins Favstin and Favstinian, who came out with my mother from Rome."

Having said this, they threw themselves on each other's necks, cried a lot and kissed kindly. Seeing how the mother rejoiced over the children, whom she unexpectedly found healthy, and telling each other by what divine destinies they were saved from drowning, they glorified God; They grieved only about one thing, that no one knew anything about their father. Then they began to ask the Apostle Peter to baptize their mother.

Early in the morning they came to the sea, Saint Apostle Peter in separate room performed baptism over Matfidia and the old woman accompanying her in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and, sending her and her sons ahead of him to the dwelling, he himself went another way.

And then on the road he met a handsome man, with a gray beard, poorly dressed, waiting for the Apostle Peter, whom he respectfully greeted:

“I see that you are a foreigner and not a simple person; your very face shows that you are a reasonable person: therefore, I want to talk a little with you.

Peter said to this:

- Speak, sir, if you want.

“I saw you,” he said, “today in a secret place on the shore, praying; Having quietly looked, I walked away and waited for you here for a while, wanting to say that you are in vain bothering yourself with prayer to God, because there is no God either in heaven or on earth, and there is no God’s providence for us, but everything in this world is accidental. Therefore, do not get carried away and do not bother to pray to God, for He does not exist.

Saint Peter, hearing these arguments, said to him:

- Why do you think that everything is not according to God’s design and providence, but happens by chance, and how will you prove that there is no God? If there is no God, then who created the sky and decorated it with stars? Who created the earth and clothed it with flowers?

Hieromartyr Clement of Rome

That man, sighing from the depths of his heart, said:

- I know, sir, partly astronomy, and I served the gods as diligently as anyone else; and I realized that all hopes in God are vain, and there is no God; if there were any God in heaven, he would hear the sighs of those crying, he would listen to the prayers of those praying, he would look at the sorrow of the heart, exhausted from sadness. But since there is no one who would give consolation in sorrows, then I conclude that there is no God. If there was a God, he would hear me, praying and weeping in grief, for, my lord, for twenty years and even more I have been in great sorrow, and how much I prayed to all the gods, how many sacrifices I made to them, how much I shed tears and sobs! and not one of the gods heard me and all my work was in vain.

After this Peter said:

“That’s why you were not heard for so long, because you prayed to many gods, vain and false, and not to the One, True God, in whom we believe and to whom we pray.”

Thus talking with that man and discussing God, Peter realized that he was speaking with Faustus, the husband of Matthidia, the father of Clement and his brothers, and said to him:

- If you want to believe in the One, True God, who created heaven and earth, then now you will see both your wife and children unharmed and healthy.

He responded to this:

- Will my wife and children rise from the dead? I myself learned from the stars and from the wise astrologer Annuvion that both my wife and two of my children drowned in the sea.

Then Peter brought Faustus into his home; when he went up there and saw Matfidia, he was horrified and, looking intently at her in surprise, remained silent. Then he said: “By what miracle did this happen? Who do I see now?” And coming closer, he exclaimed: “Truly my beloved wife is here!”

Immediately, from sudden joy, both became weak, so that they could not speak to each other, for Matfidia also recognized her husband. When the latter came to her senses a little, she said: “Oh, my dear Faust! How were you found alive when we heard that you were dead?

Then there was indescribable joy for everyone and great weeping with joy, because the spouses recognized each other, and the children recognized their parents; and, hugging each other, wept, and rejoiced, and thanked God. And everyone who was there, seeing their unexpected common meeting after a long separation, shed tears and thanked God. Faust fell to the apostle, asking for baptism, because he sincerely believed in the One God, and, being baptized, sent him away with tears thanksgiving prayers God. Then everyone left from there to Antioch.

When they taught faith in Christ there, the hegemon of Antioch learned everything about Faustus, his wife and children, about their high origin, as well as about their adventures, and immediately sent messengers to Rome to inform the king about everything. The Emperor ordered the hegemon to quickly deliver Faustus and his family to Rome with great honor.

When this was accomplished, the emperor rejoiced at their return, and when he learned everything that had happened to them, he cried for a long time. That same day he held a feast in their honor, and the next day he gave them a lot of money, as well as male and female slaves. And they were held in high esteem by everyone.

Spending their lives in deep piety, giving alms to the poor and in their old age giving everything to the needy, Faustus and Matfidia departed to the Lord.

Their children, when Peter came to Rome, labored in the apostolic teaching, and blessed Clement was even an inseparable disciple of Peter in all his travels and labors and was a zealous preacher of the teachings of Christ. For this, Peter appointed him bishop before his crucifixion, which he suffered from Nero 8.

After the death of the Apostle Peter, and after him Bishop Linus 9 and Bishop Anacletus 10, Pope Clement, during times of unrest and strife in Rome, wisely steered the ship of the Church of Christ 11, which was then outraged by the tormentors, and shepherded the flock of Christ with great difficulty and patience, being surrounded on all sides, like roaring lions and ravenous wolves, by fierce persecutors who tried to devour and destroy the faith of Christ. Being in such a disaster, he did not cease to care with great diligence for the salvation of human souls, so that he converted many infidels to Christ, not only from the common people, but even from the royal court, noble and dignitary, among whom was a certain dignitary Sisinius and many from the family of King Nerva 12. With his preaching, Saint Clement at one time on Easter converted four hundred and twenty-four people of noble family to Christ and baptized everyone; He dedicated Domitilla, his niece, who was betrothed to Aurelian, the son of the first Roman dignitary, to preserve her virginity. Moreover, he divided Rome among seven scribes so that they would describe the suffering of the martyrs who were then killed for Christ.

When, through his teachings and works, wonderful deeds and virtuous life, the Church of Christ began to multiply, then the persecutor of the Christian faith, Comite Torkutian, 13, seeing the countless number of those who believed in Christ, taught by Clement, outraged some of the people to rebel against Clement and against the Christians.

There was an unrest among the people, and the rebels came to the eparch of the city, Mamertine, and began to shout how long Clement would humiliate our gods; others, on the contrary, defending Clement, said: “What evil did this man do or what good deed did he not do? No matter whoever was sick came to him, he healed everyone; everyone who came to him with sadness received consolation; He never did harm to anyone, but he did many good deeds to everyone.”

However, all the others, filled with a spirit of hostility, shouted: “He does all this with magic, but eradicates the service of our gods. He does not call Zeus a god, he calls Hercules, our patron, an unclean spirit, he calls honest Aphrodite nothing less than a harlot, he says about the great Vesta that she must be burned; also Athena, Artemis, Hermes; Chronos and Ares blaspheme and dishonor; He constantly dishonors and condemns all our gods and their temples. Therefore, let him either offer a sacrifice to the gods or be punished.”

Then the eparch Mamertine, under the influence of the noise and excitement of the crowd, ordered Saint Clement to be brought to him and began to say to him: “You came from a noble family, as all Roman citizens say, but you were tempted, and therefore they cannot tolerate you and remain silent; it is unknown what kind of God you worship; some new thing called Christ, contrary to our gods. You should abandon all delusion and infatuation and worship the gods whom we worship.”
Saint Clement replied: “I pray for your prudence, listen to me, and not to the crazy words of the rude mob, who are rebelling against me in vain, for although many dogs bark at us, they cannot take away from us what belongs to us; for we are healthy and reasonable people, but they are dogs without reason, barking senselessly for a good cause; unrest and riots always arose from an unreasonable and thoughtless crowd. Therefore, order them first to be silent, so that when silence comes, a reasonable person can speak about the important matter of salvation, so that one can turn to the search for the True God, Whom one must bow to with faith.”
The saint said this and much more, and the eparch did not find any guilt in him, therefore he sent news to King Trajan 14 that the people had rebelled against Clement because of the gods, although there was no sufficient evidence to accuse him. Trajan answered the eparch that Clement must either make a sacrifice to the gods, or be imprisoned in the deserted place of Pontus near Chersonesos 15.

Having received such an answer from the king, Eparch Mamertin regretted Clement and begged him not to choose self-imposed exile, but to make a sacrifice to the gods - and then be free from exile. The saint announced to the eparch that he was not afraid of exile, on the contrary, he desired it even more. Such was the power of grace in the words of Clement, which God gave him, that even the eparch was touched by his soul, cried and said: “God, whom you serve with all your heart, help you in your exile to which you are condemned.”

And, having prepared the ship and everything necessary, he sent him away.

Together with Saint Clement, many Christians also went into exile, deciding to live better with the shepherd in exile than to remain free without him.

Arriving at the place of imprisonment, Saint Clement found there more than two thousand Christians condemned to hew stones in the mountains. Clement was assigned to the same task. The Christians, seeing Saint Clement, approached him with tears and sorrow, saying:

“Pray for us, Saint, that we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.”

The saint said:

“I am unworthy of such grace from the Lord, who has vouchsafed me only to be a participant in your crown!”

And working with them, Saint Clement consoled them and instructed them useful tips. Finding out what they have big drawback in water, since they have to fetch water on their shoulders for six races 16, Saint Clement said: “Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ that He would open a source of living water to His followers, just as He opened it to thirsty Israel in the desert when He broke the stone and water flowed; and having received such grace from him, we will rejoice.”

And everyone began to pray. At the end of the prayer, Saint Clement saw a lamb standing in one place and raising one leg, as if showing the place. Clement realized that this was the Lord who had appeared, whom no one could see except him alone, and he went to that place, saying: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, dig in this place.”

And everyone, standing in a circle, began to dig with shovels, but so far there was nothing, since they could not attack the place where the Lamb stood.

After this, Saint Clement took a small shovel and began to dig in the place where the Lamb’s foot stood, and immediately a source of tasty, clean water appeared; and a whole river was formed from the source.

Then everyone rejoiced, and Saint Clement said: “ River flows make glad the city of God"(Ps. 45:5).

The rumor about this miracle spread throughout the surrounding area; and people began to flock to large quantities, to see the river, unexpectedly and miraculously formed through the prayers of the saint, and also to listen to his teachings. Many believed in Christ and were baptized in water by Saint Clement.

So many people came to the saint, and so many turned to Christ, that every day five hundred people or more were baptized.

In one summer the number of believers increased so much that seventy-five churches were even built, and all the idols were broken, and the temples throughout the country were destroyed, since all the inhabitants accepted the Christian faith.

King Trajan, having learned that countless people in Chersonesus believed in Christ, immediately sent there one dignitary named Aufidian, who upon arrival subjected many Christians to torture and killed many. Seeing that everyone was joyfully going to suffer for Christ, the sent dignitary did not want to torture the people any longer and only Clement tried with all his might to force him to make a sacrifice.

But, finding him unshakable in faith and a strong believer in Christ, he ordered to put him in a boat, take him to the middle of the sea and there, tying an anchor around his neck, throw him into the deepest place of the sea and drown him, so that Christians would not find his body.

When all this happened, the believers stood on the shore and cried heavily. Then his two most faithful disciples, Cornelius and Thebes, said to all Christians: “Let us all pray that the Lord will reveal to us the body of the martyr.”

When the people prayed, the sea retreated from the shore to a distance of three miles, and the people, like the Israelites in the Red Sea, crossed on dry land and found a marble cave like the Church of God, in which the body of the martyr rested, and also found an anchor near it, with which The martyr Clement was drowned.

When the faithful wanted to take the honorable body of the martyr from there, there was a revelation to the above-mentioned disciples that his body should be left here, for every year the sea in his memory would recede like this for seven days, making it possible for those who wished to come to worship. And so it was for many years, from the reign of Trajan to the reign of Nicephorus, king of the Greeks 17. Many other miracles happened there through the prayer of the saint, whom the Lord glorified.

One day, at normal times, the sea opened up access to the cave, and many people came to venerate the relics of the holy martyr. A child was accidentally left in the cave, forgotten by his parents when they left. When the sea began to return to its original place and was already covering the cave, everyone who was in it hastened to leave, fearing that the sea would cover them too, and the parents of the abandoned child also hastened to leave, thinking that the child had gone out with the people earlier. Having looked around and looking for him everywhere among the people, they did not find him, and it was no longer possible to return to the cave again, since the sea covered the cave; The parents cried inconsolably and went to their home with great weeping and sorrow.

The next year the sea receded again and the child’s parents came again to venerate the saint. Entering the cave, they found the child alive and well, sitting at the tomb of the saint. Taking him, his parents, with indescribable joy, asked him how he remained alive.

The child, pointing his finger at the tomb of the martyr, said: “This saint kept me alive, fed me, and drove away all the horrors of the sea from me.”

Then there was great joy among the parents and among the people who came to the holiday, and everyone glorified God and His saint.

During the reign of Nicephorus, king of the Greeks, on the feast day of St. Clement, the sea did not recede, as had happened in previous years, and it remained like this for fifty years or more. When blessed George became bishop in Chersonesus, he greatly grieved that the sea did not recede and the relics of such a great saint of God were, as it were, hidden, covered with water.

During his administration of the diocese, two Christian teachers Methodius and Constantine the philosopher, who was later named Cyril 18, came to Kherson; they were heading to preach to the Khazars 19 and on the way they asked about the relics of St. Clement; Having learned that they were at sea, these two church teachers began to encourage Bishop George to discover a spiritual treasure - the relics of the holy martyr.

Bishop George, prompted by his teachers, went to Constantinople and told everything to the then reigning Emperor Michael III 20, and also His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius 21. The king and patriarch sent with him selected men and the entire clergy of St. Sophia 22.

Arriving in Chersonesus, the bishop gathered all the people, and with psalms and singing everyone went to the seashore, hoping to get what they wanted, but the water did not part.

When the sun set and they boarded the ship, suddenly, in the midst of the midnight darkness, the sea was illuminated with light: first the head appeared, and then all the relics of Saint Clement came out of the water. The saints, reverently taking them, put them on the ship and, solemnly carrying them into the city, placed them in the church.

When the holy liturgy began, many miracles happened: the blind were despised, the lame and all sorts of sick people received healing, and the possessed were freed from demons, through the prayers of Saint Clement, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory forever. Amen 23.

1 Octavian Augustus - the 1st Roman emperor after the destruction of the republic in Rome, reigned from 30 A.D. to 14th A.D. Tiberius, his stepson, reigned from 14th to 37th A.D.; During his reign, our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross.

2 Asia was the name given by the Romans to a province located in what is now Asia Minor (Anatolian Peninsula), along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea it included several cities with their regions; Pergamum was considered its capital.

3 There were many cities with the name Caesarea or Caesarea in ancient times. The name Caesarea of ​​Stratonia must mean a Palestinian city on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, better known as Caesarea of ​​Palestine. This city was built by the Jewish king Herod on the site ancient city Straton and named Caesarea in honor of Caesar Augustus (Roman Emperor Octavius ​​Augustus). Currently, there are only ruins on its site, covered with wild plants.

4 The Apostle Barnabas is one of the seventy. His memory is celebrated on June 11.

5 Drachma is an ancient Greek weight and silver coin valued at 21 kopecks.

6 Antandros is a city on the Gulf of Adramyta in Mysia, the northwestern region of Asia Minor. The ruins of this ancient city still exist today.

7 Laodicea is the main city of ancient Phrygia in western Asia Minor. The Laodicean church was one of the seven famous churches of Asia Minor mentioned in the Apocalypse. Now only the ruins on one low hill, near the devastated village of Eski-Gissar, serve as a monument to the ancient city. IN Church history Laodicea is known for the council that was held there in 365, which left detailed rules regarding the order of Divine services, the moral behavior of the clergy and laity and various vices and errors of that time.

9 The memory of the holy Bishop of Rome Linus (67 - 69), one of the 70 apostles, is celebrated on November 5 and January 4.

10 Saint Anacletus - Bishop of Rome from 79 to 91.

11 Saint Clement the Apostle ruled the Roman Church from 91 to 100.

12 Nerva was a Roman emperor who reigned from 96 to 98 AD.

13 The Romans called comitae (a Latin word) the employees and retinue of the rulers of the province.

14 Trajan was a Roman emperor from 98 to 117.

15 Chersonesos is a city in Tauris, the Black Sea peninsula (now Crimea); was located near present-day Sevastopol. In it, the Russian prince, Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir, accepted the Christian faith.

16 Field - originally - a lists, a place for competitions; then this word began to mean the same thing as stages, i.e. a measure of length of 125 steps.

17 The Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros reigned from 802 to 811.

18 Saints Methodius and Cyril are famous educators of the Slavs.

19 The Khazars are a people of Turkmen origin who lived near the Caspian Sea in the lower reaches of the Volga and in the Ciscaucasia. They were partly pagans, partly Mohammedans, and partly professed the Jewish faith.

20 Byzantine Emperor Michael III reigned from 855 to 867.

21 Saint Ignatius ruled the Church of Constantinople from 847 to 857, then after Photius from 867 to 877.

22 Hagia Sophia is the cathedral church of Constantinople.

23 — It is known that Saints Cyril and Methodius took part of the relics of Saint Clement with them and sent them to Rome under Pope Adrian II (867); nevertheless, the body of the saint, together with the venerable head, remained in Chersonesos until the time when this city was taken by the Russian Grand Duke, Saint Vladimir. The latter, having received holy baptism in Chersonesus, took with him the relics of Saint Clement “for his blessing and for the sanctification of all people” and placed them in the Kyiv Tithe Church of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Here the relics of the holy martyr were located before the Tatar invasion. Where these relics were given during the Tatar invasion, whether they were hidden by believers or transferred to another place, is unknown. Only its holy head rests in a glass vessel and now in distant caves Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and to this day it is famous for its abundant myrrh flow. Also, particles of the holy relics of Clement are located in one altar cross of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, in St. Petersburg.

Akathist to the Hieromartyr Clement

Kontakion 1

Come, faithfully, let us praise the venerable martyr Clement, chosen by the hierarchs of the Western Christian country, with songs, glorifying his wonderful faith and love for Christ; let us strive to imitate the saint of God and unfeignedly cry to him: Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing hieromartyr.

Ikos 1

Preparing for you, as a chosen vessel, the Almighty Lord laid down, holy martyr Clement, many sorrows from your younger days; Your honorable mother Matfidia, preserving the holiness of marriage and fleeing the impurities of an evil man, departed for the Greek country with two children, leaving you, the youngest, in the care of your father Faustus. Blessing your parents and remembering your motherless life, we say to you: Rejoice, vine of divine grapes; Rejoice, for thou art the fruitful fig tree that has flourished; Rejoice, olive tree is fruitful; Rejoice, temple of the Divine Spirit; Rejoice, thou who has ascended to the mountain of divine virtues; Rejoice, cup of wisdom, flowing salvation to our souls; Rejoice, having brought many to Christ through divine teachings; Rejoice, evangelist of the faith of Christ. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 2

There were days when your mother was sailing on the sea; a green storm arose and great excitement; and the former ship was carried by waves and wind into an unknown country, the ship perished at midnight and all melted down, but your mother Matfidia was swept away from the windy waves, was cast onto a stone and found salvation on the shore of the Asian country. Glorifying the All-Merciful God, who preserved your holy mother for consolation, we cry to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

Not knowing anything about the troubles that happened to Matfidia and her children, her husband prepared a ship and took little property, and went himself to collect his friends and dear children; Leave the youngest one in the house to study books. Blessing your orphanhood, Hieromartyr of Christ, we say to you: Rejoice, bright-giving sun of the West; Rejoice, fire of abstinence, burning desire of passions; Rejoice, for myrrh and frankincense are fragrant in the courts of the Lord; Rejoice, pillar of piety; Rejoice, chosen vessel of Christ's grace; Rejoice, temple of the Divine Spirit; Rejoice, dawn, shining brightly upon the Christian world; Rejoice, cup of wisdom, flowing salvation to our souls. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 3

Having come to a perfect age and having learned all the philosophical teachings well, seeing that there is no father or mother, you are sad, servant of God, and do not want to be consoled. Let you speak with a certain wise man, who said that the Son of God had come to earth, preaching eternal life to everyone and promising unspeakable blessings in the world to come to everyone who listened to Him. Hearing this, you were inflamed with an inexpressible desire to know more about Christ, so that you could eat wisely to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Forsaken your home, O holy saint of God, you intended to go to Judea, where the piety of Christ expanded. Having been in a turbulence at sea and carried by the wind to Alexandria, you found there the holy Apostle Barnabas, who was instructed by him, you flowed to Caesarea of ​​Stratonia and found there the holy Apostle Peter; and having been baptized by him, you followed him with the rest of the disciples, including you and your two brothers. For this reason we call to you: Rejoice, shaking off pagan atheism; Rejoice, thou who has ascended to the mountain of divine virtues; Rejoice, faithful disciple of the Supreme Apostle Peter; Rejoice, for from him you have acquired Divine knowledge; Rejoice, enlightened by the teachings of the great Apostle; Rejoice, thou who shone upon this all-validated stone; Rejoice, having revealed the fruits of the teachings of Christ; Rejoice, having enlightened many with your godly lips. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 4

Swimming across the sea, the Apostle Peter asked you, Saint Clement, about your family, and listening to your story, was touched by your love for your parents. It happened, according to God’s design, that the ship landed on a certain island; When the holy apostle went to the shore of the city, he found a certain old woman asking for alms, and, realizing by the Spirit that his mother was his disciple, I brought her to you; You, having taken away the one who gave birth to you, shed tears, fell at her feet, kissing and crying. Triumphing this great joy of yours, we say with tenderness to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

You will find your honest mother, the good shepherd of Christ and His follower, you begged the Holy Apostle Peter to baptize her; and, going very early to the sea, in a hidden place the Apostle baptized Matthidia in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; and having sent my children before me to the vital room, I myself went a different way. Praising your filial love, we call: Rejoice, thou who strivest to enlighten thy mother in the name of Christ; Rejoice, vine of divine grapes; Rejoice, red rose, bearing the clusters of dogmas; Rejoice, having revealed the fruits of the teachings of Christ; Rejoice, enlightener of the dogmas faithful to the dawn; Rejoice, dripping the wine of saving divine knowledge; Rejoice, shaking off pagan atheism; Rejoice, having received the crown of torment for the Triune God. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing priest and martyr.

Kontakion 5

Having seen the holy baptism of your mother Matthidia, a certain honest man, greeting kindly the Supreme Apostle Peter, said to him: I want to have a little conversation with you. Peter said: Speak, sir! And I talked to him with that man for a long hour and hid about God, but the apostle recognized him as Faustus, and brought him to Matfidia and her children. Then there was unspeakable joy for everyone and much weeping for joy. For this reason, thanking God, preserving pious parents and children, we call: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Upon accidentally finding a friend from his childhood, honest Faustus shed tears, thanking God, and little by little, talking with you, God-bearing martyr, he fell before the apostle, asking for baptism, believing beyond doubt in the One God. We, rejoicing because you brought your apostle and father to Christ, we say with emotion: Rejoice, you who practiced the apostolic teaching; Rejoice, successor to the apostolic throne; Rejoice, new Peter, shining with your apostolic gifts; rejoice, sacred teachings descriptor; Rejoice, second to Moses, who set forth the divine laws to everyone; Rejoice, having brought many to Christ through divine teachings; Rejoice, as you are the lawgiver and teacher of the imams; Rejoice, cup of wisdom, flowing salvation to our souls. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 6

Having taken Christ crucified and received holy baptism, your parents, blessed, returned to Rome, and lived very piously, doing many alms. You were an inseparable disciple of Peter, and you appeared as a preacher of all his paths and the gospel of Christ; and for this sake, appoint a bishop before your crucifixion from Nero. For this reason, Almighty God, who arranges such a thing, let us say: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

Having passed away, the holy Apostle Peter and after him Bishop Linus and Clitus, the Hieromartyr, were the helmsman of the Roman Church, steering the good ship of the Church of Christ in the midst of excitement and storm, even then it was indignant from the tormentors. For this reason, we praise you, servant of God, here: Rejoice, great faster; Rejoice, fire of abstinence, burning desire of passions; Rejoice, adorned with the righteous crown of martyrdom; Rejoice, thou who by the sweat of thy labors quenched the furnace of delusion; Rejoice, for through your prayers the demons were driven away; Rejoice, for streams of healing flow from your cancer; Rejoice, for through your prayers the Lord gives sight to the blind; Rejoice, praise of the martyrs. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 7

Shepherding the flock of Christ with much labor and patience, surrounded by you from everywhere, like roaring lions and ravenous wolves, fierce persecutors, seeking to devour you and consume the faith of Christ, you, blessed one, were constantly concerned with much diligence for the salvation of the souls of men and many unfaithful people You turned to Christ. Glorifying your labors and illnesses, we say the verb that helps God: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

I work for you in the field of Christ, and with hatred I have inspired some people to rebel against you, the successor of the apostles, and slander you, as if you are humiliating the gods of the pagans. Blessing you, as you have endured troubles and persecution for the Church of Christ, we say to you with love: Rejoice, having brought many to Christ through divine teachings; Rejoice, new Peter, shining with your apostolic gifts; Rejoice, creator of churches for the glory of the Holy Trinity; Rejoice, successor to the apostolic throne; Rejoice, having multiplied the Church of Christ through teaching, works, miracles and virtuous living; Rejoice, you who suffered for the name of Christ; Rejoice, having revealed the fruits of the teachings of Christ; Rejoice, describer of the deeds of the holy martyrs who were beaten for Christ. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 8

Unable to tolerate rumors and human rebellion, the city eparch commanded to bring you to him and began to say: You came from a noble root, but you were deceived, and unknown to you you honor a new God, a certain, spoken Christ, opposed to our God. But you, most glorious Clemente, answered him: One; I know the true God the Father and I worship Him with the Consubstantial Son and the Holy Spirit and sing: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

The one who says so much about God the Almighty, do not find in you the eparchs of guilt and the ambassador of the news to King Trajan, proclaiming about you, confessor of Christ, as if the people of the gods have risen up against you for your sake and will not stop crying out; Otherwise, true testimony is not obtained. Rejoicing at the shame of your slanderers, we call to you: Rejoice, evangelist of the faith of Christ; Rejoice, softening the heart of the formidable eparch; Rejoice, denouncer of idolatry's wickedness; Rejoice, shamer of slanderers; Rejoice, thou who did not fear the terrible judgment of the Roman king; Rejoice, having brought down the enemy of Christ to condemnation; Rejoice, having received the crown of torment for the Triune God; Rejoice, creator of churches for the glory of the Holy Trinity. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 9

King Trajan heard about you, as the evangelist of a God unknown to him, and wrote to the eparch: either God will make a sacrifice to idols, or you will be sent to imprisonment in an empty place near Chersonis. Having received this answer, the eparch prayed to you, may you not choose that self-imposed exile, but may you be devoured by God and you will be free. But you, Saint Clement, informed your eparch that you are not afraid of his expulsion and in every place you will preach the gospel of Christ and sing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Your words, God-bearing Clement, touched the eparch and made her cry, saying to you: God, whom you serve with all your heart, will help you in exile, for whom you are condemned. Praising you like Peter, the stone of faith, we joyfully say: Rejoice, you who disobeyed the ungodly command of the king, rejoice, you who accepted exile for Christ; Rejoice, you who preferred to endure imprisonment rather than live in freedom without the light of Christ; Rejoice, adorned with the righteous crown of martyrdom; Rejoice, exile for the apostolic faith; Rejoice, touching enemy of Christ's Church; Rejoice, sufferer for the name of Christ; Rejoice, we accompany you to imprisonment with many from the faithful. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 10

I reached, holy one, the place where you were condemned to imprisonment, now called God-protected Inkerman, you found there more than two thousand Christians, condemned to hewing stone in these mountains; and you were assigned to this with them. In such inscrutable ways the Lord God sends gracious consolation to those imprisoned, so that we too may be trustworthy in our sorrows, and may we sing to Him with a pure heart: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

Having seen the inkermanship of the new cohabitant and the hierarch, the saint of God, leading you, they all unanimously approached you with tears and sighs, saying: pray for us, Saint, that we may be worthy of the promises of Christ. You said to them: I am not worthy of such my Lord of grace, as I was worthy to be a partaker of your crown; and working with them, consoling and affirming them with useful words. For this reason, we say to you, servant of God, Rejoice, teacher of Christian humility; Rejoice, pillar of piety; Rejoice, having enlightened many with your God-wise lips; Rejoice, Comforter of those in captivity; Rejoice, you wonderfully opened water to quench the thirst of prisoners; Rejoice, you baptized many converted to Christ in those waters; Rejoice, you brought with you a new source of living waters; Rejoice, for through you the whole country of Inkerman accepted the holy faith. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 11

Having led Trajan Caesar, as in Inkerman many people believed in Christ, the ambassador of a certain hegemon to that country, who came and killed many Christians; He ordered you, the most glorious saint of God, to be put in a boat and taken to the middle of the sea, and there, tying the kotva to your neck, throw it into the depths and drown, so that Christians do not find your body. Receiving this crown of martyrdom, as usual, with a tender soul, you sang to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

I was drowned by you, holy martyr Clement, standing faithfully on the breeze, weeping with great tears; Therefore, your disciples Cornelius and Thebes said to the people: let us pray with one accord, that the Lord will show us the venerable body of His martyr. I pray to the people, give up your bowels to the sea and show your body; To those who want to be faithful, the honorable martyr’s body was taken from there, as a revelation to the disciple, so that your body may be left to be there, as every summer there is such a sea of ​​retreat, giving the way to those who want to come to worship. For this reason we bless you: Rejoice, evangelist of the faith of Christ; Rejoice, trampler of idols; Rejoice, you who alone suffered for many; Rejoice, having received the crown of torment for the Triune God; Rejoice, mourned by the great lamentation of the pious; Rejoice, glorified by God; Rejoice, for through you unspeakable miracles are accomplished; Rejoice, dawn, shining brightly upon the Christian world. Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 12

To the reigning Nicephorus, king of the Greeks, your memory has ripened, holy hierarch Father Clement, do not recede the sea, as in all the past years; and you will be up to fifty years old and older. When the blessed Bishop George arrived in Chersonis, he was saddened by this, as the sea did not retreat from the relics of so many saints of God, as if they were hidden under the waters. For this reason, the saint called the people to prayer, so that they might earnestly sing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

In the days of Blessed George, who was a bishop in Chersonis, two Slovenian teachers came to that city, Saints Cyril and Methodius; The saint gathered with them all the faithful people, and went with psalms and songs to the edge of the sea, wanting to receive your body, holy martyr; but the sea did not part. The sun entered the ship, and at midnight the light rose from the sea, and the first head appeared, then all your relics, servant of God. Rejoicing at the discovery of your relics, we praise you, miracle-working saint, as follows: Rejoice, for the chromiums walk by you; Rejoice, for through you those who suffer from every ailment are healthy; rejoice, for through your prayers the demons have been driven away; Rejoice, chosen vessel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; Rejoice, all-blessed Clement, God-bearing Hieromartyr.

Kontakion 13

O all-validated servant of God, Hieromartyr Clement, accept these praises from us who live in the country of your imprisonment, who bless your memory and pray in your name in the monastery, and implore the Most High Lord God to increase faith in us, so that we may always glorify Him, wondrous in His martyrs, psalm songs: Alleluia. (This kontakion was spoken three times. Therefore: ikos 1, kontakion 1.)

Troparion to Clement of Rome, tone 4

From God's miracles / gloriously astonishing the universe's ends of the world, / the holy sufferer, / more than the nature of the sea, you create a division between the waters / in the most honorable memory of yours / always flowing diligently into your God-created church / with your miraculous power, / and according to the national movement / the sea into one work miracles, / wonderful Clemente, / pray to Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion to Clement of Rome, tone 2

Divine grapes / the sacred vine appeared to all, / dripping the sweetness of wisdom, / through your prayers, most honorably, / let me crush you like scarlet, / bring a mental song, / Holy Clement, / save your servants.

Prayer to Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome

O great wonderworker, holy martyr Clement! Bow now to our heartfelt sighs and help us in this temporary life to do everything proposed in the law of God, and to sweep away every sin. You, great ascetic, have endured slander from your youth, suffered many mental illnesses and labors, pray to the Lord God for us, sinners and unworthy servants of God (names), so that through your intercession and intercession the All-Good One will give us, sinners, strength and strength endure human slander and sorrow on earth in complacency, and keep His commandments, so that we glorify the most honorable and magnificent name of the Lord God and His grace given to you forever and ever. Amen