Where the Apostle Andrew the First-Called preached. Brief life of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called

Happy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, one of the twelve apostles (Greek messenger) chosen by the Lord Himself for preaching the Gospel. Born in the city of Bethsaida in Galilee, he subsequently lived with his brother Simon (Peter) in Capernaum, on the shores of Lake Gennesaret, earning his livelihood by fishing.

From a young age, Apostle Andrew was distinguished by his prayerful striving towards God. He did not marry, but became a disciple of the holy prophet John the Baptist, who announced the Incarnation. When Saint John the Baptist pointed to Jesus Christ on the Jordan River to the holy apostles Andrew and John the Theologian, calling Him the Lamb of God, they immediately followed the Lord.

As the Gospel narrates, the holy Apostle Andrew was not only the first to follow the call of the Lord (which is why in legend ancient Church The holy Apostle Andrew was given the name “First-Called”), but he was also the first of the apostles to confess Him as the Savior (Messiah), bringing his brother Simon, the future Apostle Peter, to Christ.

From the Gospel we learn that the holy Apostle Andrew was with the Lord Jesus Christ during the miracle of five loaves that fed five thousand people, and spoke with the Lord on Palm Sunday. asked Him together with the apostles Peter, James and John on the Mount of Olives about the future destruction of Jerusalem (which took place in 70 A.D.) and about the signs of the Second Coming of the Savior.

After the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, which the holy Apostle Andrew also witnessed, he returned to Jerusalem. Here on the Day of Pentecost, together with the other apostles and Holy Mother of God, the Apostle Andrew was filled with the Holy Spirit, as the Lord Himself predicted. Preaching the Word of God, the holy Apostle Andrew made several journeys, during which he returned to Jerusalem three times. He traveled through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, Scythia, and the Black Sea region (according to the tradition of the Georgian Church, Apostle Andrew preached together with Apostle Simon the Canaanite in Abkhazia, where Apostle Simon suffered martyrdom). Up the Dnieper, Apostle Andrew rose to the location of the future Kyiv, where, as the Monk Nestor the Chronicler narrates, he erected a cross on the Kyiv mountains, turning to his disciples with the words: “Do you see these mountains? The grace of God will shine on these mountains, there will be a great city, and God will build many churches.” Moving further north, the Apostle Andrew reached the Slavic settlements on the site of the future Novgorod and planted his staff near the present village of Gruzino. From here the Apostle Andrew passed through the lands of the Varangians to Rome and again returned to Thrace. Here, in a small village of Byzantium, the future Constantinople, he founded the Christian Church, consecrating one of the seventy apostles of Christ, Stachy, as a bishop. Thus, the name of the Holy Apostle Andrew connects the Constantinople and Russian Churches.

On the difficult path of the evangelist, the Apostle Andrew endured many sorrows and suffering from the pagans: he was expelled from cities and beaten, for example in Sinope. But the Lord protected his chosen one and, through his prayers, performed wondrous miracles.

The last city where the First-Called Apostle came and where he was destined to die a martyr’s death was the city of Patras (Patras).

The Lord demonstrated His power through His disciple in the city of Patras. Through the prayer of the apostle, the seriously ill Sosius, a noble citizen, recovered; Maximilla, the wife of the ruler of Patras, and his brother the philosopher Stratocles were healed by the laying on of apostolic hands. All this prompted the city residents to accept from the Apostle Andrew holy baptism, however, the ruler of the city, proconsul Aegeat, remained an inveterate pagan. The holy apostle with love and humility appealed to his soul, trying to reveal to him the Christian mystery eternal life, the miraculous power of the Holy Cross of the Lord. The angry Aegeates ordered the apostle to be crucified. The pagan thought to discredit the preaching of Saint Andrew if he were to put him to death on the cross, which the apostle glorified. Saint Andrew the First-Called joyfully accepted the decision of the ruler and went up to the place of execution, loudly exclaiming: “Rejoice, O Cross, sanctified by the flesh of Christ... Take me from the people, and give me to my Teacher, so that he may receive me through you, who redeemed me through you.” . To prolong the torment of the apostle, Egeat ordered not to nail the saint’s hands and feet, but to tie them to the cross. According to legend, the cross on which the holy Apostle Andrew was crucified had a special shape - it was in the form of the Latin number X (in iconography the so-called St. Andrew's Cross). For two days the apostle taught from the cross to the townspeople gathered around. The people who listened to him felt compassion for him with all their souls and demanded that the holy apostle be taken down from the cross. Frightened by popular outrage, Egeat ordered the execution to be stopped. But the holy apostle began to pray that the Lord would honor him with death on the cross. No matter how the soldiers tried to remove the Apostle Andrew, their hands did not obey them. The crucified apostle, having given praise to God, said: “Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.” Then the bright radiance of Divine light illuminated the cross and the martyr crucified on it. When the radiance disappeared, the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called had already given up his holy soul to the Lord (+62). Maximilla, the ruler's wife, took the body of the Apostle from the cross and buried him with honor. In 357, the relics of the Holy Apostle Andrew were solemnly transferred to Constantinople and placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles next to the relics of the Holy Evangelist Luke and the disciple of the Apostle Paul - the Apostle Timothy. After the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, in 1208, the relics of St. Apostle Andrew were transported to Italy and placed in the cathedral church in Amalfi. Under Pope Pius II (1458), the venerable head of St. Andrew the Apostle was transferred to Rome and placed in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.

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Biography, life story of Apostle Andrew the First-Called

Apostle Andrew the First-Called is one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. The First-Called Andrew received his nickname due to the fact that he became the very first called disciple of Christ.

Origin, early years

Born at the beginning of the 1st century AD in Bethsaida, a small town located in the north of Lake Galilee. Andrey - brother Apostle Peter (originally his name was Simon). Their father's name was Jonah. Before becoming Jesus' disciple, Andrew was a fisherman, just like his brother.

Andrei and Peter spent their childhood in their native Bethsaida. As adults, they moved to Capernaum, equipped themselves with their own home and seriously took up fishing, supporting themselves.

Andrei began to think about devoting his life to serving God in his youth. Being very young, he flatly refused to look for a wife, deciding to maintain chastity in the name of a high goal. As soon as Andrei heard rumors that on the Jordan River, John the Baptist (John the Baptist) was calling the people to sincere repentance and assuring them that the Messiah would soon visit them, Andrei abandoned his house, gave up fishing and immediately sent him to the river. He soon became John's most devoted and closest disciple.

Gospels

Andrew the First-Called is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of John, and also in the Acts of the Holy Apostles.

The Gospels of Matthew and Mark say that the calling of Andrew and his brother Peter took place at the same time near Lake Galilee. The Gospel of John states that Andrew’s calling happened near the Jordan immediately after the baptism of Jesus Christ. The same biography says that initially Andrei was a disciple of John the Baptist. In the Gospel of John, Andrew appears twice: during a conversation with Jesus about fish and loaves before five thousand people were magically fed, and while leading the Greeks to Christ in the company of the Apostle Philip.

Historians know of two other texts about Andrew: the apocryphal text “The Acts of Andrew,” created around the 3rd century, and the Gospel of Andrew, which was rejected by Gelasius I and subsequently irretrievably lost.

CONTINUED BELOW

Meeting of St. Andrew the First-Called and Jesus Christ

The evangelists John and Matthew described the moment of the meeting between Andrew and Jesus in different ways. The Gospel of Matthew says that Christ discovered Andrew and Peter while they were fishing in Lake Gennesaret. Jesus told the brothers to follow him. The men obeyed him and abandoned their nets. John claims that Peter saw Jesus Christ when John the Baptist, pointing his hand at him, shouted that, here comes our savior. Hearing these words, Andrew left John the Baptist and followed Jesus. A little later, Andrei found his brother and led him to Christ.

Andrew the First-Called was very close to Jesus. Jesus revealed the fate of the world to Andrew and three other apostles. Having received such an unprecedented honor, Andrew the First-Called began to serve Christ even more devotedly. He followed on his heels and was always by his side until his very last day on earth. According to the evangelists, it was the Apostle Andrew who was an eyewitness of the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (in religion this day is called Pentecost), a real miracle happened in Jerusalem - the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire came down from heaven and engulfed the apostles, after which they not only remained alive, but also began to have the gift of healing, the gift of prophecy and the ability to speak fluently in all languages.

The teachings of Christ from the lips of Andrew the First-Called

After the apostles were endowed with superhuman power to attract the pagan people to the teachings of Christ, they decided to divide the countries among themselves using lots. Apostle Andrew the First-Created received the lands of Bithynia, Propontis, Thrace, Macedonia, Scythia, Thessaly, Hellas, Achaia and several other cities. The brave Andrew the First-Called went around all these places, delivering his sermon and calling on people to turn to God. Almost everywhere people met him with discontent, he was driven out of the cities, Andrei had to endure a lot of humiliation, insults and even brutal torture, however, sincere faith helped him to endure all hardships.

Miracles

Andrew the First-Called, possessing the gift of resurrecting the dead, more than once demonstrated his ability publicly, proving to people his right to the word of God. Thus, historians highlight several striking cases of the miraculous resurrection of the dead by the Apostle Andrew:

1. The city of Amaseev. A certain Demetrius asked Andrei to help return his son Egyptius, who died of a fever. The apostle fulfilled the request and the boy came to life.

2. City of Nicomedia. Local residents buried a boy literally torn to shreds by dogs. Apostle Andrew the First-Called was able to resurrect the unfortunate man and give him life.

3. The city of Thessalonica. In full view of the city residents, Andrei brought back to life a child who had died from strangulation. There he resurrected another little boy, who died from a poisonous snake bite.

4. City of Patras. Andrei resurrected a drowned man washed ashore, who later turned out to be the son of Sostratus, a resident of Macedonia, who sank on a ship. Sostrato, seeing what a miracle the apostle had performed, asked him to resurrect his friends and servants, who were also on the ship. Andrew the First-Called began to read a prayer and soon almost forty more people were thrown out of the sea. The Apostle ordered the bodies to be put in one place and resurrected them all at once.

5. City of Sinop. A local resident found her husband's body in a hole. Heartbroken, she turned to Andrei for help. He brought the man back to life.

Demise

Of course, despite Andrei’s miracles and confidence that he was right, there were also those on his way who considered him a deceiver and a fool. This is what happened in the city of Patras around the year 70 of the 1st century. A local ruler named Egeat ordered his servants to catch Andrew the First-Called and crucify him on the cross. The Apostle Andrew was not afraid of the fate that awaited him, but, on the contrary, was glad that he would have to accept death in the name of Jesus Christ, his savior. He even chose a cross for himself - a little beveled, since the apostle did not consider himself worthy to die on the same cross as Jesus. Then the angry Egeat came up with a way to punish Andrei. He ordered that his hands and feet should not be nailed to the cross, but simply tied with ropes. So, thought Egeates, the apostle will die for a very long time, experiencing terrible torment. But even this did not turn Andrew the First-Called away from his duty. For two days he preached directly from the cross. People listened to him, heeded his words and eventually unanimously demanded to stop the execution and release the apostle. Aegeates, fearing that the people might overthrow him, hastened to satisfy their request, but nothing came of it. Andrew the First-Called wanted to die for Christ so badly that the ropes did not want to come undone. As a result, Egeat gave up trying to control Andrei.

At the moment of the death of St. Andrew the First-Called, the cross was illuminated with the brightest radiance. Many years later, at the site of the death of Christ’s most faithful apostle, a spring with the purest water began to flow.

Video of Apostle Andrew the First-Called

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Photos of Apostle Andrew the First-Called

Icon of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called and help from his honest relics

It is known that in the Orthodox tradition it is customary to pray to different saints in different difficulties, according to different cases. The grace to help in special areas of life is related to the miracles they performed on earth or their destiny. Likewise, the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called has the grace of help in a large number of matters, because his life was varied, full of spiritual exploits and travels.

The Holy Apostle Andrew was called the First-Called because he became the first disciple of Christ. His Lord was the first to invite people to follow Him, learning His teaching. And after the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord into Heaven, together with the other apostles, Saint Andrew worked and preached the teachings of Christ. His journey was longer and more extensive than that of other missionaries. It was the Apostle Andrew who brought Christianity to earth future Russia. But he did not die among the barbarians, but ended his life as a martyr not far from his homeland, preaching the Cross of Christ and His teaching with his very death.

How to recognize the icon of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called by its features?

In the church books - “the writings of the apostolic men,” that is, the records of the direct disciples of the apostles, there remains a description of the appearance of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called: it is said that he was tall and somewhat stooped, had an aquiline nose, narrow eyebrows, thick hair and beard, his eyes were kind, his gaze pious.

The image of St. Andrew the Apostle is an image of an elderly man with a thick gray beard, curling and tapering downward. Church historians claim that he was born in the 6th year after the Nativity of Christ, that is, he was only 6 years younger than the Lord Jesus. It is known that he took martyrdom at 65 years old, which is why he is depicted at this age in the icon.

Sometimes the image shows the death of the Apostle Andrew or the instrument of his execution: the cross on which he, like Christ, was crucified, has an unusual shape for those times: these are two beveled boards of equal length. At the direction of Peter I, it became the basis of the banner of the Russian fleet - the St. Andrew's flag. It is also sometimes depicted on an icon - it is a white panel crossed out by two beveled blue lines.

Sometimes the Apostle Andrew is depicted on the icon at full height, standing near his cross. Then he will hold a scroll in one hand, and with the other he will bless those praying in front of the icon. There are also shoulder-length images of the apostle, then his head will be bowed as if as a sign of humility before the Lord, but his hands will not be visible. In addition, the saint’s hands are folded crosswise on his chest, while his eyes are raised upward - these are prayer gestures. The holy apostle humbly, without grumbling, accepted his lot and the will of God about him; Praying to the Lord, even today he intercedes for the requests of all people. Seeing the death of Christ, like the other apostles, being afraid to approach His Cross, he repented of his betrayal of the Lord. He understood that he had to go through the same torment that he was afraid of when his Teacher, his Friend - and after all, Christ, except the apostles and His Mother, had no loved ones - abandoned by everyone, died on the Cross. Perhaps this is why only one of the apostles who remained with Christ at the time of His death, the Apostle John the Theologian, died of old age; the rest, in order to achieve holiness, atone for their sin and sit on the throne in the Kingdom of Heaven, had to testify to their loyalty to God.

In the 8th-9th centuries, the Byzantine monk Epiphanius systematized all information about the Apostle Andrew. He also mentioned the iron rod depicted on the icons of the Apostle Andrew with the image of the Cross of the Lord. In his long wanderings the saint always relied on him.

Revered icons of the First-Called Apostle are located in the following churches in Russia and the CIS:

St. Andrew's Church at the Vagankovskoye cemetery in the capital of Russia.

Church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Ordynka - here a small reliquary is built into the icon.

Dormition Church "Sioni" in Georgia, where the image of St. Apostle Andrew exudes myrrh - a fragrant wonderful liquid from essential oils unknown plants.

Holy Trinity Patriarchal cathedral Tbilisi - here is an unusual wooden carved image of the apostle.

Church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi.

Church in honor Blachernae icon Mother of God in Kuzminki.

Zosimo-Savvatievskaya Church in Golyanovo.

St. Andrew's Church in the Diveyevo Convent, founded Venerable Seraphim Sarovsky.

St. Andrew's Cathedral in St. Petersburg - the husband of Blessed Xenia was a singer here.

Life of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called

The future saint was born in the village of Bethsaida, near Jerusalem. He was the elder brother of the future supreme apostle Peter, named Simon at birth. As a young man, he loved God with all his soul and wanted to devote his life to Him. He prayed a lot, did not marry, and worked on the boats of his father Jonah, together with his brother Simon, catching fish for sale and food. Having learned that a new prophet had appeared in Israel, preaching and baptizing on the banks of the Jordan, Andrei immediately joined the disciples of the Forerunner of the Lord John, becoming his close ally. The evangelists Matthew and John tell, but with slight differences that do not contradict each other, about Andrew’s meeting with Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John we read that John the Baptist himself pointed to the walking Jesus Christ, saying that the Lamb (sacrificial lamb) of God is coming, who takes upon himself the sins of all mankind. It was then that the future Apostle Andrew was next to him, and then he saw the Lord Jesus for the first time. But the Apostle Matthew writes that Christ Himself called Andrew to follow Him: seeing him and his brothers landing in a boat after a hard day of work in a boat, the Lord turned to them, calling them to follow Him and promising to make fishers of men, not fish, preaching Life eternal.

Perhaps the Apostle Andrew, standing next to John the Baptist, did not dare to leave his teacher and friend, but then John the Baptist blessed him to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. So, Apostle Andrew believes in Christ, takes upon himself the mission of preaching to people and decisively leaves home, family and property, following the Lord on his first journeys with which his whole life will be filled. He became the first apostle, the first companion of the Lord Jesus.

Soon Andrew announced the good news (this is how the word “Gospel” is translated), in in a general sense meaning the teachings of Christ) to the elder brother Simon. According to the evangelists, he became the first person to exclaim: “We have found the Messiah, whose Name is Christ!” Andrew the First-Called brought his brother to Christ, and the Lord called him a new name: Peter, or Cephas - in Greek “stone”, explaining that on him, as on a stone, the Church would be created, which hell would not be able to defeat.  Two simple fisherman brothers, who became Christ’s first companions on His journey, accompanied the Lord until the end of His earthly life, helped Him in preaching, protected Him from the attacks of the Jews and admired His power and miracles.

According to the Gospel, Andrew the First-Called was directly involved in several well-known episodes of Christ’s earthly life: he brought to the Lord a boy who had with him five loaves of bread and a couple of fish, which Christ, having blessed, miraculously multiplied and fed a crowd of people who were hungry after a whole day sermons. Another time, with the Apostle Philip, they brought the Greeks - Hellenes, who wanted to move away from paganism and accept the teachings of Christ - to the Lord. Andrew the First-Called was among the chosen disciples of the Lord, whom he gathered on the Mount of Olives to talk about the Last Judgment and the future of humanity.

The Apostle Andrew accompanied Christ even at the end of His earthly journey: at the Last Supper he received Communion from the hands of Christ, then, together with the other apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, he tried to intercede for Christ, but he was frightened and, like everyone else, disappeared. During the Crucifixion, the apostles, for fear of being killed, did not approach the Cross of the Lord, except for one apostle John. However, after the Resurrection of Christ, they believed in the Divine will about the Crucifixion, death and the Kingdom of the Lord, and understood this to the end. During the Ascension of the Lord, Apostle Andrew and others received a blessing from the Lord to go and teach the Gospel to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Holy Trinity: God the Father - Sabaoth, God the Son - Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit - the invisible Lord, visibly abiding in human history only in the form of fire, smoke or dove. The Holy Spirit descended on the Apostle Andrew, who, together with the Mother of God and the other apostles, was in the Upper Room of Zion - the place of the Last Supper - on Pentecost, that is, in memory of the Resurrection of Christ, they celebrated the meal on the fiftieth day after it.

Sermon of St. Andrew the First-Called in Russia and Slavic countries

After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on them, the apostles were enlightened by Divine knowledge. God Himself spoke in them, they instantly spoke in all the languages of the world: the Lord gave them this gift to preach the Gospel throughout the world. All the disciples of Christ, together with the Mother of God, received by lot directions and places where they were supposed to convert people to Christianity by baptizing them. According to the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Andrew the First-Called was given the Black Sea coast and the Black Sea region.

Travel, and especially the journeys that the apostles embarked on, in that era were not easy and life-threatening due to the appropriate transport. It was necessary to walk a lot, it was long and scary to sail on ships, and to convert people to a new faith, for whom blood sacrifices and murder for calling local gods demons were normal. Just think, if even today's atheists go as far as insulting them, which was the case in ancient centuries. In the Roman Empire, there was even a law according to which people were executed for blasphemy, for preaching another religion - after all, even the emperor was considered here an infallible and omnipotent god among a host of other deities. By the time of the decline of the Roman Empire in the first centuries of Christianity, many understood that the gods of the Roman pantheon either did not exist or were evil, envious, vicious creatures. The apostles set out on a dangerous journey.

After Pentecost, Andrew the First-Called first toured a number of eastern countries preaching the Gospel. He walked through Asia Minor, Thrace and Macedonia: the cities of Neokesarea, Samosata, the country of Alana, and also walked around the lands of the Basque and Zigi tribes. These pagans opposed the Word of God so much that among them there were people who wanted to kill the apostle as a blasphemer of their gods. But his humility, calmness, kindness and ascetic life inspired many of them, and the apostle was saved. He passed the kingdom of Bosporus on Black Sea coast and sailed on a ship to the city of the Thracian country of Byzantium - the future center of the Byzantine Empire and the stronghold of Orthodoxy. It was Andrew the First-Called who was the first to preach the word of God here, founded the Church and ordained Bishop Stachys, one of the 70 apostles of Christ, whom He Himself sent to preach the Gospel during his lifetime. He taught Stachys and the ordained Byzantine priests how to perform the Sacraments and spiritually help people.

This important event for Orthodoxy was deeply studied by historians and theologians of the Byzantine Empire. With the help of understanding and studying the sermon of the Apostle Andrew, the Eastern Christian Church was established as an independent Church and equivalent to the Roman Church. Later, after separation Catholic Church during Great Schism XI century, it was she who became the only Orthodox Church. Byzantium emphasized that the Apostle Andrew was the elder brother of the Apostle Peter, and promoted the veneration of the Apostle Andrew in those countries where he preached Christ and where later Byzantine priests, as experienced shepherds, baptized and enlightened people: these are Armenia, Georgia, Moravia and Russia. The Byzantine Emperor Michael Ducas called on the Russian princes to a close union and fraternal love of the great Orthodox states, united not only by faith, but also by one of its sources: both future kingdoms were enlightened with the Gospel light by “one witness of the Sacrament and its messenger,” Apostle Andrew. Over time, the Russian Orthodox Church began to assert its independence from the Roman Catholic Church on the basis of the preaching of the Apostle Andrew.

Indeed, Andrew the First-Called reached the Danube, and after passing the Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea coast, he moved further and climbed the Dnieper to the future Kyiv. According to legend, here, at the foot of the mountains, he spent the night with his companions and disciples, to whom he prophetically told, drawing their attention to the mountains, that God’s grace would shine here, a great city with many God's churches. The First-Called Apostle erected a cross on the Kyiv mountains and blessed them with the grace of God.

But, according to the chroniclers, he did not stop here, but reached the sources of Volkhov in his wanderings. Near the present village of Gruzino on the Volkhov River, he immersed (hence the name) a cross into the water of the river - perhaps it was the same rod with a cross on which the apostle leaned.

Another place consecrated by the preaching of the Apostle Andrew and then shone with God’s grace was the island of Valaam in Lake Ladoga. Now here - Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam monastery, a spiritual gem of the Northwest region. According to legend, there used to be a pagan temple here, which was destroyed by Andrew the First-Called and a cross was erected in its place. On Valaam, to this day, not far from the Resurrection Skete, where the throne of the main skete church is consecrated in honor of the Apostle Andrew, there is a stone cross in the place of the apostle.

Unfortunately, historians do not have accurate data on how far the First-Called Apostle walked across the future Russian land. Church tradition often supplemented both the Gospel word and historical documents with your information. However, a number of scientists suggest that the holy apostle not only passed through Crimea, consecrating the already existing city of Chersonesos (the famous Roman poet Ovid was probably in exile there), but also visited the Caucasus and Kuban. All Orthodox Russian people are sure of one thing: it is the First-Called Apostle who is also the first missionary in the Slavic lands. His name connects the Mother Church of Constantinople with the Russian Daughter Church, which was baptized from the Byzantine clergy. He has protected Russia for a number of eras.

The suffering and death of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called

During his wanderings, the apostle suffered not only hardships, but even torture. In some cities he was expelled and stoned. Thus, in the city of Sinope he was subjected to torture and beatings, but by God’s providence he remained alive and unharmed, continuing on his way. Through his prayers, God worked miracles, and through his labors, churches appeared and grew under the leadership of wise priests.

Through the prayers of the apostle, the Lord performed miracles. Through the labors of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches arose, for which he appointed bishops and priesthood. In the city of Patras, upon returning from his long wanderings, he suffered a martyr's death.

In this place he also preached Christ, healed and resurrected people. Almost the entire population of the city converted to Christianity. Alas, the head of the city, Egeat, remained a pagan. His heart was hard. After a long dispute with the apostle, he angrily ordered that he be executed by the same death on the cross as the Christ he preached.

The apostle's preaching was not in vain. The people came to his defense and even wanted to kill Eneatus. But the apostle himself stopped the rebels from prison, asking them not to turn the city and the world into a rebellion that would please only the devil - after all, the Lord Himself, being led to execution, did not shout or resist evil. He called on them to remain calm and silent.

The holy apostle was not nailed to the cross, but tied to prolong his torment. According to the Holy Tradition, 20 thousand people were in the square for two days, outraged by the injustice of the execution of the righteous man. The Apostle, even in his suffering, preached from the cross, calling on all the difficulties of earthly life, even terrible death endure with submission to the will of God and expectation of reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.

A day later, people nevertheless went to the ruler and demanded to release the saint - so much so that the ruler got scared and he and his servants went to untie the apostle. But Andrew the First-Called began to pray so as not to be taken down from the cross and to accept the crown of martyrdom. Even the hands of the soldiers and townspeople who tried to untie him grew stiff. The crucified apostle glorified God and asked Him to accept his soul - at the death of the apostle, a bright light actually shone from Heaven for about half an hour. The Lord himself descended for the soul of his first disciple, who redeemed with blood and testified with torment his fidelity to Christ.

Miracles of the Apostle Andrew

Like the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to help people suffering from their sins and convince them of the power of the Word of God, the Apostle Andrew helped people, healing them and helping resolve their difficulties in life, even resurrecting the dead. Thus, he healed the sick by the laying on of hands, sprinkled the paralyzed and sick with holy water, and with the touch of his fingers restored people’s sight. According to the writings of the apostle’s disciples, people were surprised not only by the miracles, but by the holiness and meekness of Andrew the First-Called himself.

The Apostle Andrew became famous for resurrecting many people in the name of God. Church historical sources provide the following information about his lifetime miracles, preserving even the names of those resurrected and reflecting the attitude of residents of different cities to Christianity:

In the city of Sinope - from where the pagans expelled him, subjecting him to torture - the apostle, at the request of a new Christian woman, resurrected her murdered husband. He held no grudges against the townspeople.

In Atskuri, on the territory of modern Georgia, the apostle resurrected a man prepared for burial, and thanks to this miracle, all the inhabitants of the city were baptized - unlike the Sinopians.

In Amaseev, the First-Called Apostle resurrected the boy Egyptius, who had died of a fever, through the prayer of his father.

During funeral procession Along the streets of Nicomedia, the apostle approached the tomb of a child and resurrected the boy who had died from the teeth of an animal.

While preaching on the city streets in Thessaloniki, the apostle resurrected a child who suddenly died due to respiratory arrest, and a baby who died from a snake bite.

In one of the cities, the Roman proconsul, with the help of soldiers, captured the apostle. One of the soldiers, who drew his sword at the saint, fell dead, but was immediately resurrected through the prayer of the apostle. This did not convince the cruel ruler named Virin of the power of God, and he threw the apostle into the amphitheater to beasts of prey. According to legend, neither wild bull neither the boar nor the leopard touched Saint Andrew, but the spotted predator suddenly rushed at the son of Virin himself. The boy strangled by a leopard was also resurrected by the good apostle himself, ready to help the grief of even his own tormentors.

The Apostle Andrew performed many miracles in the last city of his earthly journey - Patras. It is not for nothing that all the inhabitants of the city converted to Christianity. Thus, the apostle resurrected a drowned man who had been thrown ashore by the sea during a sermon. The resurrected man said that his name was Philopatra and he sailed from Macedonia to meet the apostle and accept the new teaching of Christ. His faith was rewarded: through the prayer of the apostle, the sea threw out 40 people sailing on a ship with Philopatra. All of them were resurrected by Andrew the First-Called. It was this miracle that gave rise to the veneration of the Apostle Andrew as the patron and savior of all sailors and fishermen.

Evidence of other patristic miracles has also been preserved: the healing of the seriously ill nobleman Sosius, the healing of the wife of the ruler Aeneates Maximilla and his brother Stratocles. That is why, when this cruel man sent the assistant and teacher of his relatives and subordinates to execution, people rebelled.

Maximilla herself, the ruler’s wife, gave burial to the honorable relics of the saint. On the site of the martyrdom of the Apostle Andrew in Patras, there now stands a huge cathedral in his honor - the largest temple in Greece, storing the relics of the righteous man and his cross.

The relics of St. Andrew the First-Called and his veneration in Russia

Several centuries later, with the triumph of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire, in 357, Emperor Constantine the Great ordered the relics of the first enlightener of the Byzantine lands, Apostle Andrew, to be transferred to Constantinople - the former village of Byzantium, where the saint preached. Here they were solemnly placed for veneration in the Church of the Cathedral of the Apostles, along with the relics of the Apostle and Evangelist Luke and the Apostle Timothy, a companion of the Apostle Paul.

Here they rested until 1208, when the city was captured by the crusaders and Cardinal Peter of Capua transferred part of the relics to the Italian city of Amalfi. Since 1458, the head of the holy apostle has remained with the relics of his brother, the supreme apostle Peter, in Rome. And the right hand - that is right hand, to which special honor is given, was transferred to Russia.

The Russian Orthodox Church, considering itself the successor to the apostolic ministry of St. Andrew the First-Called, has considered him its patron and helper since the beginning of the conversion of Rus' to Christianity.

The first church in his honor, around which the first convent in Rus', was created already in 1086 in Kyiv by the Grand Duke Vsevolod Yaroslavich. He was baptized with the name Andrei.

In those same years, St. Andrew's Church was founded in Novgorod.

Peter I the Great in the 17th century established the main, highest order Russian Empire, named Andreevsky in honor of the First-Called Apostle. It was given as a reward only to the highest officials of the state and protected the queens. IN modern Russia it was revived in 1998

Also from the time of Emperor Peter the Great Russian fleet has the St. Andrew's flag as its banner. To this day, the battle fleet goes to sea under St. Andrew's flag. Many sailors and men of Russia bear the glorious name of the First-Called Apostle.

On May 27, 1703, when creating the Northern capital of the Empire - St. Petersburg, Peter the Great placed a piece of the relics of the Apostle Andrew in the ark at the foundation of the Peter and Paul Fortress, also named in honor of the holy apostles, entrusting the new city to his intercession.

In Russia, revered relics are found in some churches.

In the main temple of the country - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow - there is an ark with relics.

And the greatest shrine - the right hand, the hand to the elbow of the apostle, resides in the Epiphany Cathedral of Yelokhov. It was given by the Patriarch of Constantinople Parthenius back in 1644 as a gift to Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov as gratitude for his help: the tsar bought it from Turkish Sultan Orthodox monastery in Greek Thessaloniki, destined for ruin. The hand of the apostle was in the Moscow Kremlin, in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and after it was turned into a museum under Soviet rule, in honor of the millennium of the Baptism of Rus', it was transferred to the Church and left in the Yelokhovsky Cathedral.

The Right Hand is in a silver ark, which is valuable in itself - it is more than two hundred years old. It is rare, but transported for worship to Orthodox churches Russia. It is interesting that previously only priests carried the shrine, clutching the ark to their chests. Since the 2000s, the reliquary has been placed in an additional heavy ark for preservation.

What do they pray to St. Andrew the First-Called?

Remember that you can pray in front of the icon of St. Andrew, like any saint, about anything. Treat the icon not as a talisman, but as a window to the Heavenly world.

Saint Andrew the First-Called is revered as the patron saint of people of all professions related to the sea, because before his apostleship he was a simple fisherman, and even after becoming a disciple of Christ he often caught fish for himself and others for food. In addition, before going to sea, naval personnel and their relatives often gather for a prayer service to St. Apostle Andrew and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for help in the campaign - this tradition was strictly observed by the Russian Empire; St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral was built especially for such prayers in Kronstadt, the base of the Baltic Fleet .

Apostle Andrew also patronizes girls and women seeking happy marriage; parents pray to the saint for their daughter’s chastity and making the right choice her groom.

The icon of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called also helps with prayer to the saint:

About understanding Orthodox faith and the conversion of your loved ones to the Church;

About security on the water, on a cruise, on a sea voyage;

About protecting the country and city from enemy attacks;

About assistance in translation activities and teaching languages - after all, the apostle, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, spoke all the languages of the world.

Feast of St. Andrew the First-Called

The days of remembrance of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called are December 13, July 13, the day of the Council of all twelve apostles, and June 20, the day of the discovery of the relics. On these days, during the Liturgy, special prayers are read to the Apostle and prayer services are performed.

First-called Apostle of God and our Savior Jesus Christ, follower of the Church, glorified by all Andrey! We glorify and magnify your apostolic works, we joyfully remember your blessed journey to us in Russia, we glorify your honest sufferings that you endured for the sake of Christ, we kiss your holy relics, we honor your holy memory, we believe that the Lord is alive, and your soul is alive with Him yours, because you have been with him in all centuries and will be with him in Heaven, where you love us all with the same love, when by the grace of the Holy Spirit you hear our appeal to you and to the Lord, and not only do you love all people, but and pray to God for us, seeing all our needs in the light of His grace.
We believe in your help, and we confess our faith both in the temple, and before your holy icon, and before the holy relics resting in Russia; Believing, we pray and ask the Lord God Jesus Christ, our Savior, that through your prayers, which He always listens to and fulfills, He will give us everything we need to save us sinners. Just as you immediately left your nets at the call of the Lord and followed him, without leaving His path, so may each of us not worry about his own, but think about helping his neighbor and about life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Having you as an intercessor and prayer book for us, we believe that your prayer can help us a lot before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is glorified and honored always in the Holy Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Glorification - that is, glorification of the apostle in gratitude for his help:

We exalt you, Apostle of Christ Andrew, and honor your illnesses and labors, with which you worked for the sake of bringing the good news of the teachings of Christ to people.

May the Lord protect you with the prayers of St. Andrew the Apostle!

Having crossed an incredible amount of lands, from Byzantium to Scythia, Thessaly, Hellas, Thrace and Macedonia, Apostle Andrew the First-Called brought the Good News to all these peoples, preaching about the appearance of the Messiah, who came to earth for the salvation of the human race. And Saint Andrew received his nickname, the First-Called, in honor of the fact that he was the first to be accepted as a disciple by Jesus. The Apostle Andrew carried the word of Christ to people so that they could see, and for this he accepted martyrdom, having come to know the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Akathist, or prayer of praise to Andrew the First-Called, is a guide to his exploits in the field of preaching the Good News about the Son of God. The entire journey of the Apostle and his earnest devotion to the Heavenly Teacher are described in the grateful words of Christian sages, who glorified the blessed path of the first of Christ’s disciples with unctuous odes.

Of course, everyone has long known the story of the Galilean fishermen Andrew and Simon. The brothers, born in Bethsaida, went in search of a better life to Capernaum, where they began to continue the work with which they were accustomed to feed themselves. This is how both brothers would have lived their lives, being unknown fishermen, but they met Christ.

From his youth, Andrei chose an immaculate life and, having abandoned marriage, wanted to devote himself to serving the Almighty. Having heard from people that a certain John, nicknamed the Forerunner, was speaking the good news about the coming of the Messiah, the future Apostle went to him. There on the Jordan, where the Baptist preached, Andrei was lucky enough to find the beginning of his great journey - to become his disciple.

Kontakion 2 commemorates the meeting of Andrew and the Baptist, which became the turning point that gave people a faithful disciple and Apostle to our Lord Jesus.

Andrei and Simon met the one who gave them the meaning of existence. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,” Christ addressed the fishermen on the shore. What could they do, no matter how they followed His call, they did not dare to disobey the Son of God. Since then, the lives of brothers Andrew and Simon were dedicated to Jesus, they followed in his footsteps, heeding every word of wisdom. Simon subsequently took the name Peter, which in Aramaic meant stronghold or stone - this testified to the strength of his faith in the teachings of Jesus. Andrei was destined to convert the northern lands to the Holy Faith of Christ.

After fifty days had passed from the Ascension of the Son of God, the burning tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles. They received from Heaven the gift of healing the flesh and healing the spirit, the possibility of insight and knowledge different languages, in order to disperse throughout the earthly borders and bring the Good News to people. Peter stood at the source of Christ's Church on the lands of the Roman Empire, and Andrei's biography says that he walked the road to the north, converting the peoples of Byzantium and Scythia to Christianity.

Kontakion 3 - it glorifies the event called the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. This became proof for them and for us of a great miracle - the Resurrection of Christ.

The Apostle's Path to the Northern Lands

Apostle Andrew the First-Called is the one who had the lot to go and preach to the lands of Scythia and Thracia. According to the studied heritage of medieval philosophers and the artifacts that were subsequently found, the Holy Apostle reached the lands of modern Abkhazia, Georgia, the Black Sea region and even further. In ancient works, the Bosphorus, Chersonesus, and Feodosia are mentioned as those places that are marked by the holiness of visits by Christ's Disciple. In this description of the lands, it is not difficult to guess which peoples the Apostle Andrew reached with the Good News - this is Rus' in a new, modern understanding.

Kontakion 1 - in it praise is sung to the one who erected the holy cross of the true faith in the lands of Scythia and throughout the northern side of the Kingdom of Judea.

But for some strange reason these facts are kept silent, which is, at least, surprising. Why are the Gospels of only four Apostles widely known, because there is no doubt that all His disciples left their memories of Christ. It is strange that the Gospel of St. Andrew the First-Called ended up in the apocrypha and was ranked among the dubious teachings, due to the dogmas from Western churches. Surely an inconvenient topic is hidden behind this wave of devaluation of the activities of the one who can lay claim to the founding of the Holy Apostolic Church in the lands of Rus'. After all, then Rome’s primacy in this matter will be lost.

Kontakion 8 is a hymn of gratitude to the one who blessed with the mercy of God and filled Orthodox Rus' with the Holy Spirit.

Quite rightly, Apostle Andrew the First-Called is considered the founder and patron of the Holy Orthodox Church of Constantinople and, as its heir, the Russian Church. After his visit to the city, which eventually received the name Constantinople, a Christian community was formed there. A certain Stachy was ordained bishop of the Constantinople community. Contemporaries of that event mentioned many miracles performed by hands - resurrection, healing and other wondrous deeds. The Tale of Bygone Years also mentions the Apostle’s journey from the Black Sea region to Ladoga, and how Jesus’ disciple preached in these lands.

Andrew the First-Called taught them that prayer is an important conversation with God. It is worth saying prayers meaningfully, reading their meaning and passing them through your soul. It is extremely necessary to trust the Almighty and be sincere, be able to forgive enemies and respond with good to all evil. The Lord will see your kindness and respond a hundredfold in order to dispel sadness and grant the Kingdom of Heaven.

The exploit and death of Apostle Andrew the First-Called

After the labors of the righteous and a long journey through the Scythian and Black Sea regions, the Apostle sought to meet with brother Peter. At that time, Rome was ruled by Nero, a cruel and irreconcilable emperor towards the early Christians, who saw the danger of his power from believers in Christ. Nero was the initiator of the most terrible persecutions and executions, in which thousands of bearers of the true faith died. The brothers will suffer the same fate.

On the island of the Peloponnese, where Aegeates was the emperor's viceroy, Andrei fell out of favor with him when he stood up for his followers and tried to reason with the ruler. Egeat did not accept the Good News about the creation of the universe and the fall of man, because pagan beliefs deeply rooted in him. The story of the Messiah, who died on the cross, being crucified, generally made the imperial governor furious. Indeed, at that time, execution in this way was applied exclusively to those whom they wanted to humiliate and disgrace.

Realizing that he was in danger for his insolence, Andrei did not abandon his mission to carry God’s Word, so he found himself in prison. The verdict of execution was almost ready when the Apostle's followers decided to free him by staging a riot outside the prison walls. But the Apostle stopped them, giving a firm refusal - he himself chose his fate and the path of following the Son of God, and therefore accepted his death with joy.

For execution, the torturers chose a cross in the shape of an X. So that death would not be quick and would cause the greatest suffering, he was tied, rather than nailed.
The Apostle of Christ suffered for two days, but did not stop bringing the Word of the true God to people. Many received their sight and believed, impressed by his sincerity and steadfastness.
Maximilla, the wife of the city ruler of Patras, healed by the will of the Holy Spirit and the efforts of the Apostle, showed her sensitivity to the executed man. She took his body down from the cross and buried him in the city, observing respect and honor.

Subsequently, the X-shaped cross was called St. Andrew's. He became a symbol of loyalty to his cause, courage and perseverance. Since then, many states, out of respect for fidelity to the faith of Christ, impressed by the feat of the Apostle and the strength of his spirit, have added the symbol of St. Andrew's Cross to their flag.

Prayer for help works miracles

Memorial Day of the Apostle, when praise is given to him, on Orthodox Church scheduled for December 13 (new style). But the prayer to Apostle Andrew the First-Called not only on this date carries with it the incredible power of fulfilling desires; one has only to bow to him in due respect to receive help and intercession. Faith in the Orthodox heart is the key to receiving the graces and gifts of Heaven.

Patron of sailors and fishermen

IN ancient legend It is mentioned that Andrei resurrected drowned people. Pilgrims sailed to Patras, where Andrew preached, to hear his blessed speeches. However, a storm and storm overturned the ship and smashed it against the rocks, and everyone who sailed on it drowned. A wave carried their bodies to the shore, where, by the will of divine guidance, the Apostle ended up.

Andrei prayed over the bodies of the dead and restored life to them. For this act, the Apostle is henceforth considered the patron saint of sailors and fishermen. The flag of the Russian fleet is decorated with the St. Andrew's Cross for a reason. It symbolizes the loyalty, fortitude and courage of the people, just as the Apostle endured all the suffering for the glory of the Lord Jesus.

When setting off on a voyage, according to custom, they sprinkle the flag with holy water and serve a prayer service so that it protects all the personnel on the expedition from troubles and misfortunes, from an attack by an insidious enemy and defeat in military work.
The blessed flag with the cross of St. Andrew the First-Called necessarily flies on the mast of the ship, representing the pride of the Russian fleet. This flag for every sailor is a reminder of the feat of strength of faith and courage that the Apostle, who patronized them in difficult service, did not lose.
Before going out to sea, fishermen are required to read a prayer to their intercessor and patron in troubles, so that the catch is generous and the waves are merciful to them.
The icon depicting St. Andrew the First-Called must be kept in the captain's cabin. In case of danger, she is given prayers for help, so that by God’s providence she can calm the waves of the sea and avoid death.

Text of the prayer to St. Andrew the First-Called.

“First-Called Apostle of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, follower of the Church, all-praised Andrew! We glorify and magnify your apostolic works, we sweetly remember your blessed coming to us, we bless your honorable suffering, which you endured for Christ, we kiss your sacred relics, we honor your holy memory and believe that the Lord lives, and your soul lives and is with Him. forever remain in heaven, where you loved us with the same love with which you loved us, when by the Holy Spirit you saw our conversion to Christ, and not only loved, but also prayed to God for us, in vain in His light all our needs. This is how we believe and this is how we confess our faith in the temple, also in your name, Saint Andrew, gloriously created, where your holy relics rest: believing, we ask and pray to the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, that through your prayers, who ever listens and accepts, will give us everything we need for the salvation of us sinners: yes, just like you Abiy, according to the voice of the Lord, leave your surroundings, you unswervingly followed Him, and let each one of us seek not his own, but let him think about the creation of his neighbor and about the heavenly calling. Having you as an intercessor and prayer book for us, we hope that your prayer can accomplish much before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit and forever and ever. Amen".

About marriage and a worthy groom

Young girls and their mothers offer their prayers to the Apostle Andrew that fate be merciful and send a worthy match to the girl. Usually it is customary to pray to Andrew the First-Called for marriage before the Holy Feast of the Resurrection of Christ or at Christmas. It is believed that these days Heaven is most favorable to people's desires to get married.

The prayer is read along with the full akathist to the First-Called Disciple of Christ Andrew.
Before the face of the Apostle you need to light a lamp or candle - this is a symbol of your sincere faith.
After reading the kontakion 13 of the akathist, instead of the canonical one, a prayer for good grooms is read.
Then the final troparion and magnification are read.
The girl, having crossed herself, should go to bed.
If a mother reads for her daughter’s happiness, then the prayer service ends with Psalm 90, which is considered a wonderful means for achieving goals and fulfilling cherished desires.

More often such prayers are held at night. From time immemorial there was a sign that at night the bride would dream of her betrothed, God's will sent. Usually, after the prayers of the First-Called Apostle, the girl meets the desired husband, and within a year there will definitely be a wedding. One condition precedes this - devout faith in the Heavenly Patrons.

Prayer for marriage to Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

“Oh, All-Good Lord and His First-Called Apostle Andrew, I know that my great happiness depends on the fact that I love you with all my soul and with all my heart and that I fulfill the will of the Most High in everything. Rule Yourself, O my God, over my soul and fill my heart: I want to please You Alone, for You are the Creator and my God. Save me from pride and self-love: let reason, modesty and chastity adorn me. Idleness is disgusting to You and gives rise to vices, give me the desire to work hard and bless my labors. Since Your law commands people to live in honest marriage, then lead me, Holy Father, to this title sanctified by You, not to please my lust, but to fulfill Your destiny, for You Yourself said: it is not good for man to be alone, and having created He gave him a wife to help him, blessed them to grow, multiply and populate the earth. Hear my humble prayer, Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, sent to You from the depths of a girl’s heart; give me an honest and pious spouse, so that in love and harmony with him we glorify You and the merciful God: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".

Prayers for health and help for the sick

Apostle Andrew, like the other Apostles, was given the power not only to fulfill desires, to bestow graces on faithful Christians, but perform real miracles - resurrect and heal. If you cry out in prayer to Andrey and ask him for recovery loved one, then he will definitely have mercy and give you joy.

You can pray for recovery or successful treatment at any time of the day or night. This special case is never regulated by canonical church charter. Human health and life are always a priority for the merciful Creator. If necessary, pray and you will find help in trouble.

Along with the prayer to the Apostle, a short version of the Akathist is read, starting with Ikos 10, which tells about the Apostle’s ability to heal and resurrect.
They also pray for the healing of the possessed and mentally ill, so that the Lord will free their minds from demonic obsession.

Ikos 10 – healing for the sick and possessed.

“Everywhere in the name of the Lord Jesus, you healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, and in Patras you confirmed your dying sermon with miracles, O Apostle of Christ, and you turned the anthipate of the Blade to the knowledge of the truth, when you were struck by an ulcer for the sake of opposition, you were quickly raised from your sickbed; All the people, having seen the power of God in you, crushed their idols, therefore the Lord appeared to you, as Paul sometimes did in Corinth, and commanded you to take up your Cross, thereby marking your suffering in Patras, for His sake. In the same way, we, marveling at the great grace in you, reverently cry: Rejoice, great power of Almighty God; Rejoice, treasure of great price and wonders. Rejoice, enlightenment and decoration of ancient Patras; Rejoice, you who have changed the disbelief of the anfipat into faith. Rejoice, for there the Lord again appeared to you, calling you to the feat of the cross; Rejoice, for the crown of righteousness has been prepared for you. Rejoice, Andrew, First-Called Apostle of Christ.”

A short biography of Andrew the First-Called describes how a simple fisherman became an apostle of Christ. Together with other witnesses of the Resurrection of his Teacher, the apostle - which means witness - fermented the entire universe with a new saving faith, unprecedented and unthinkable before. This was such an innovation that everyone who Andrei met was inflamed with either love and devotion to God, or rejection and hatred. Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the one who enlightened you and me through his mission in modern Ukraine and Russia. Today, many places in Crimea still testify to this - even the temples that the apostle himself began to build have been preserved.

The Apostle Andrew was a Galilean, a fellow countryman of the sons of Zebedee - the apostles John and James. Having first become a disciple of John the Baptist, he was the first to respond to the Savior’s call to preach. Due to the fact that he was given the honor of being the first to follow Christ, he was nicknamed the First-Called. The future apostle follows the Messiah, preceding John and Peter.

Life of St. Andrew the First-Called

Andrew the First-Called lived in the north of the Holy Land in an area called Galilee. Since the area bordered Greece, there was a lot of communication between the two peoples. That's why Andrey got himself Greek name, which translated means “Courageous.” From his youth, the future apostle retained chastity and his ardent desire to serve God; he first responded to the preaching of John the Baptist and was one of his disciples. After the baptism of Christ and the Forerunner’s instructions about Him that “behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” the Apostle Andrew, without hesitation, followed Him. With him was John, the future beloved disciple of Christ. This is how the first four apostles appeared: Andrew called his brother, the future apostle Peter, and now just Simon, and John called James: “We have found the Messiah!”

Saint Andrew the First-Called was with Christ from the very beginning of his preaching, and until the last: he was with him during the revelation by the Lord about the destinies of the world, he told who had five loaves of bread and two fish before the miracle of multiplication. He was with Him on the Mount of Olives, where Christ ascended to heaven after His Resurrection.

According to the Savior’s promise, on the 50th day after His Ascension the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and Mother of God. The apostles, after being enlightened by grace and filled with many Holy gifts, went out to preach. In the Upper Room of Zion they cast lots - who should go to preach in what country. Apostle Andrew inherited our lands - the north of the Black Sea. In his wanderings, he reached the future Kyiv, where he planted a cross and predicted that the Lord would enlighten this land with Holy Baptism and erect many churches on it.

After returning to Greece, for many healings and conversions to Christianity, the Apostle Andrew shared the fate of most of the other apostles: he was crucified by the wicked pagan ruler. But he was crucified in such a way that his torment would last longer. To do this, they tied him to a cross resembling the letter X, without nailing him down, so that the saint would not die quickly. After two days of suffering, the apostle went to the Lord in prayer and those present saw how a bright light illuminated the cross with the martyr and in this radiance he betrayed his soul.

Veneration of Saint Andrew the First-Called

Apostle Andrew is considered the patron saint of the Russian Church, since it, the direct heir of Byzantium, took over the succession that the Church of Constantinople led from Andrew the First-Called.

In Russia, his memory has always been solemnly celebrated - in to a greater extent before the revolution. Peter 1 introduced special veneration - the highest award order named after him and approved the St. Andrew's flag, under which many victories were accomplished. The flag depicts an X-shaped cross - blue on a white background - on which the apostle was crucified.

The relics of Saint Andrew are kept in the Greek city of Patras, at the site of the apostle’s crucifixion. In 1974, a grandiose cathedral named after him, known throughout the world, was erected here.

Andrew the First-Called: what do they pray for?

Andrew the First-Called is the patron saint of Ukraine and Russia, as well as other countries located in the territory where he preached: these are modern Greece, Turkey, Macedonia, Asia Minor. He also patronizes fishermen and sailors. St. Andrew's battle flag is known throughout the world: since the 17th century it has been national flag Russian navy. They pray to Andrew the First-Called for conversion to the holy faith, for success in the defense of the fatherland, for the well-being of sailors.

From Holy Tradition there are known cases of not just trouble-free healing, but also the resurrection of people by Andrew: like the other apostles, he repeatedly used the gift of Christ and brought people back to life. Therefore, you can pray to him for healing from illnesses.

At the site of his martyrdom, a spring filled with water that had the ability to heal. Now there is a huge cathedral named after him. Famous for its splendor, it took almost 60 years to build.

Prayer to St. Andrew the First-Called

The memory of Saint Andrew the First-Called is honored with prayer. Believers pray for healing and health.

Prayer to Saint Andrew the First-Called

First-called Apostle of God and our Savior Jesus Christ, supreme follower of the Church, all-validated Andrew! We glorify and magnify your apostolic works, we sweetly remember your blessed coming to us, we bless your honorable suffering, which you endured for Christ, we kiss your sacred relics, we honor your holy memory and believe that the Lord lives, and your soul lives, and with You remain with us forever in heaven, where you do not forsake us with your love, as you loved our fathers, when through the Holy Spirit you saw our land turning to Christ. We believe, as God prayed for us; in His light all our needs are in vain. Thus we confess this faith of ours in your temple, and we pray to the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, that through your prayers he will give us everything we need for the salvation of us sinners: as you abied the voice of the Lord, forsake your fears; and let each one of us seek not his own, but for the building up of his neighbor, and let him think about a higher calling. Having you as an intercessor and prayer book for us, we hope that your prayer can accomplish much before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Troparion to St. Andrew the First-Called

As the first-called and supremely existing brother of the Apostles, Andrei, the Lord of all, pray to grant greater peace to the universe and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion to St. Andrew the First-Called

Let us praise the courage of the same-named eulogist and the Church's supreme successor, Peter's kinsman, just as in ancient times we have cried out to us: come, you who have found the Desired.

Briefly examining the biography of Andrew the First-Called, we see a courageous man, fearless in the face of inhuman trials: preaching among wild, barbaric peoples was doubly courageous if we remember the customs of wild pagans. But the love of Christ burned in his heart and, therefore, today we are enlightened by the faith of Christ. Let us appreciate the merits of our patron, and remember his life, which is so instructive for us.