Doing good
Her name was Blessed Taisia. The girl was an orphan. From wealthy parents, she inherited a large estate. Raised in Christian traditions, she led a pious life. Wanting to help people, she was engaged in charity work, giving money to the poor. The monks from the Skete Hermitage respected and loved her. The elders, who could not afford to travel from the monastery to the city in a day, where they sold wicker baskets and other handicrafts, often stayed with her for the night.
Lost herself
After some time, blessed Taisia, having distributed her fortune to the poor, began to endure the need herself. The girl was still very young and naive, she had no idea how to live on. It turned out that she was completely unprepared for difficulties. Unfortunately, at a difficult moment, there was not a single person next to her who could support her. The monks at that time did not leave the Skete hermitage and therefore could not visit her.
Blessed Taisia lived with her maid. She was much older than her, had a rough disposition, and she did not like it that the mistress had run out of money. Every day she told the girl that she was doing wrong, that she needed to live for herself. Seeing that the blessed Taisia had completely lost heart, the maid grew bolder and began to invite men into the house and arrange festivities. So the unfortunate girl succumbed to the temptation and began to do what she previously considered a sin.
penitent
Notoriety spread quickly. When the monks in the Skete Hermitage found out about what was going on in Blessed Taisia's house, they decided to save her. The Monk John Kolov went to her.
The door was opened by a maid. She wanted to drive away the guest, but he said that he had brought something valuable for her mistress. Blessed Taisia ordered him to be let in, thinking that he had pearls - the monks, wandering, sometimes found him by the sea. As soon as the Monk John Kolov entered the room, he looked at the girl, sat down and wept. She asked what happened.
“I see Satan playing on your face; how can I not cry? Why did you not want to have our Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Honorable and Immortal Bridegroom, as your bridegroom? Why did you despise His palace and give yourself to Satan? Why are you doing his bad deeds?” – the old man answered bitterly.
As soon as he uttered these words, a burning pain pierced the heart of blessed Taisia. She seemed to wake up from an obsession and realized what she had done to herself. Shame choked her. Not daring to raise her eyes to the monk, she asked in a strangled voice: “Is there any repentance for sinners?”
The Monk John Kolov told her that the Lord desires not the death of sinners, but their return to the right path leading to salvation. If you repent with all your heart, the Lord will cleanse a person from sins and enter into His heavenly chamber. “I want this, I will leave this house forever!” Blessed Taisia exclaimed and asked to be taken to a suitable place.
Rescued
They went towards the Holy Desert, but on the way night overtook them. The elder showed the girl a place to sleep, and he settled himself at a distance from her. At midnight he woke up. A column of light shone in the sky, it descended to the earth where blessed Taisia lay. The monk rushed to her and fell to his knees in horror. The girl was dead. The monk was saddened that she did not have time to take communion and become a nun. At the same moment, he heard a voice from above, announcing to him: “Her repentance, brought in one hour, is greater than repentance that lasts a long time; because in the latter case there is no such warmth in the heart of the penitent.” The elder prayed until dawn, then he buried Saint Taisia in the same place where she died.
What a miracle happened
The story of Saint Taisia describes a miracle that happened after her repentance. The Lord immediately took the girl, a former sinner, to the Kingdom of Heaven. Many years are spent in prayer by monks striving for Salvation. Saint Taisia was called blessed because she completely surrendered herself to God, placing all her hopes on Him, and not everyone succeeds in this.
The meaning of the icon
The icon of Saint Blessed Taisia tells us about the mercy of our Lord. It reminds everyone of the power of repentance. If a person has committed a sin, punishment, even if it lasts for years, will not correct him, but sincere repentance can change everything in one hour.
The very bright and beautiful ancient Greek name Taisia means “wise”, “fertile”, “late”, “belonging to the goddess Isis” in translation. The Orthodox celebrate the name day of Taisia several times a year, since more than one saint bore this name. Of these, only three are known: Taisia the Martyr, Taisia of Egypt (5th century) and St. Taisia of Egypt of Thebaid (6th century). When studying when Taisia celebrates her name day, one should carefully consider the history of these saints. After all, it was faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and sincere repentance of their sins that saved them from the flames of hell.
Taisia: Orthodox name days
Very little is known about Taisia the Martyr, only that she was martyred for her bold and firm confession of Christ Taisia the Martyr is celebrated on April 4 according to the modern calendar.
But the life of St. Taisia of Egypt is known in all details. She lived in the 5th century in ancient Egypt. When her prosperous parents died, she began to lead a pious life and dedicated herself to charity and helping the sick and infirm.
Monks who came from the deserts to the cities very often stopped at her house to sell their baskets. Taisia was loved and revered, she enjoyed great respect among people. But after all her diligent charitable work, her material condition gradually depleted. And she too was in need. At this time, people of bad behavior appear in the environment of Taisia, she begins to lead a disorderly life.
Taisiya Egyptian
One day, monks came from the desert skete, who had previously stayed at Taisiya. Seeing her unfortunate and sinful, they were greatly saddened, because she always showed them her love. Calling their abba, whose name was John Kolov, they asked him to help Taisia. He immediately went to her and, sitting next to her, looked intently into her eyes and began to cry. She became worried and asked why he was crying. He answered that he saw how Satan was playing on her face, and tearfully lamented about why she did not like Jesus, why she embarked on a path contrary to the Lord. The girl was imbued with such accusatory words and trembled about whether she had any repentance. The elder replied that there was, and forced her to follow him. Abba John was very surprised that Taisia immediately went after him, all in tears. She did not say goodbye to anyone and did not even give any orders about her property.
Peaceful death
When they reached the desert, they had no choice but to spend the night in the sands. Having made a head for her out of sand, having first christened her, he put her to bed, and he also lay down at some distance from her, having prayed before that. In the morning, when he got up, he found Taisia dead. He was very frightened that she died without repenting, without taking communion and without becoming a nun, as he wanted.
And then suddenly he heard the voice of God, who said that the hour of her repentance was more important than the long-term repentance of others who do not do it so selflessly. In such an amazing way, the Lord gave John the answer to his question about the forgiveness of sins to Taisia, who received him for her sincerity and determination in repentance.
Now the Orthodox also honor her name day. Taisia according to the church calendar celebrates her day on May 23. However, this is not all. In fact, there was another saint who bore this name, and at some points their fates were very similar.
Taisia Egyptian Thebaid
Getting to the question of when is the name day of Taisia, it is worth remembering one more saint - Taisia of the Egyptian Thebaid. It is written in the life that she was the daughter of a harlot, who taught her her craft. Taisia was distinguished by rare beauty, so clients were ready to pay big money for her, which is why they suffered real ruin. Once the Monk Paphnutius the Great came to her, wishing to talk with her. After their conversation, Taisia collected all her earned treasures and burned them in the square of her city. And then she went to the convent for St. Paphnutius. There, secluded in a cell, incessantly mourning her sins, she spent three years in seclusion, eating only once a day.
great forgiveness
When three years had passed, Saint Paphnutius came to Anthony the Great to ask if the Lord had forgiven Taisia. Then Anthony ordered all his monk-disciples to pray that the Lord Himself would give them an answer. After a while, Paul the Simple had a vision of how three virgins of extraordinary beauty guarded the heavenly bed. Paul was delighted, he thought that this bed was intended for Father Anthony, but a voice from heaven announced to him that it was for the harlot Taisia. Thus, Paphnutius, having learned the will of God, went to Taisia in a cell to take her out of there and say that the Lord had forgiven her of her sins. Two weeks later, an illness overtook her, and three days later, Saint Taisia peacefully reposed in the Lord. Her name day is now celebrated on October 21st.
Taisii, in deep repentance, received mercy and forgiveness from the Lord. Thus, Taisiya's name day is celebrated three times a year, as mentioned above: April 4, May 23 and October 21.
The days of memory of saints named Taisa are several times a year, so the day of the angel can be celebrated on the following days:
- 04.04. - martyr.
- 23.05. - Taisia of Egypt.
- 21.10. - Rev. Taisiya Egyptian, Theban.
The name itself has been known since the time of Macedonian, that was the name of the commander's hetaera. Translated from other Greek. lang. as late, although there are other meanings:
- wise
- belonging to the goddess Isis
With such a beautiful name, several saints are known, name days are not single in a year. It was especially common in ancient Egypt and Greece.
Church form - Taisiya, but also many others:
- Thai (colloquial)
- Taisya (people)
- Taika - (colloquial)
- Taya (briefly).
- Tayuha (rough, familiar).
- Tayushka (diminutive).
- Taichik (affectionate address).
Brief description of the Tai woman
Smart beyond her years from an early age. In addition, he knows how to cheat well if the situation requires it. Always energetic and emotional. Despite this, he knows how to restrain himself, not to open his soul. Able to store important information for a long time, not to blurt out.
As a teenager, he is already showing independence. Very independent of the opinions of others. Self-sufficient, self-confident, which helps in moving up the career ladder. Full of ideas. He loves and knows how to work. The boss is considered a valuable employee.
When married for love, she will reveal herself from the best sides as a mother and wife. She can marry out of necessity or calculation, but she will not be happy, although she will never show it.
History of the Saints
Three martyrs are known who were canonized by the Christian church with this name, so there are the same number of dates according to the church calendar.
Taisiya Martyr
Memorial Day: 04.04.
There is almost no information about this saint. The only thing that has survived to this day is her martyrdom for the fact that among her countrymen she professed faith in Christ, not being afraid of the threats of the rulers, she remained a Christian until her death.
Taisiya Egyptian
Memorial Day: 23.05.
The life of a woman proceeded in the 5th century. She lived in Egypt with her family. When rich parents gave their souls to God, she began to do charity work. Anyone in need of treatment could turn to her and receive help. The house served as a shelter for wanderers. She was surrounded by love and reverence.
After a while, the inheritance began to melt before our eyes, the girl herself now needed. In this difficult stage of life, ungodly people begin to curl around. The woman falls under their influence.
It happened that the monks whom she once helped came into the house. Seeing Taisia in such a state, grieved, they turned to John Kolov, their abba. He responded, went into the house of the sinner, looked into her eyes, and right next to her tears flowed from her eyes.
The hostess was surprised by such a reaction, asked what happened to him. The elder said that a demon was seen on her face, playing and having fun, and he was bitter that the woman had departed from Christ. The girl trembled, began to ask for advice.
A short time later, Abba and Taisia set out in silence into the wilderness. The strangers spent the night there. Having christened his companion, the monk laid her down at the head of the sand. He himself crouched at a distance. In the morning, I began to wake up to go further, but it turned out that the sinner was dead. The man was upset that she did not have time to take communion, to become a nun in order to atone for sins.
At that very moment, the voice of God consoled him that one hour of repentance of a harlot is more important than other many days, when they are not so sincere and self-sacrificing.
Taisia Egyptian Thebaid
Memorial Day: 21.10.
Life told that the saint was born to a harlot, who introduced her to her work. Being very beautiful, the girl drove men crazy, ruined them, caused all kinds of suffering.
Once, for a conversation, he visited the sinful house of St. Paphnutius the Great. His words were not in vain, Taisiya made a grand fire from her treasures in one of the city squares. After she went to a monastery, she settled in a cell for 3 years, where she ate poorly only once a day.
After the time of St. Paphnutius asked Anthony the Great if the recluse had received the Lord's forgiveness. All monasticism began to pray that God would give a sign. This happened in a dream of Paul the Simple, where he saw a bed guarded by beautiful beauties. A voice from heaven said that it was intended for the harlot Taisia. Pafnuty told about the good news to the cell attendant. She fell ill two weeks later and died. Thus the saint was forgiven.
Fortune telling today with the help of the Tarot "Card of the Day" layout!For correct divination: focus on the subconscious and do not think about anything for at least 1-2 minutes.
When you're ready, draw a card:
Nominal icons are an integral part of the life of believing Christians, being their helpers and protectors in difficult life situations, providing them with bodily and spiritual support. The ancient icon of St. Taisios of Egypt is very popular among Christian women, who were named after Tai. Modern icon painters offer a diverse abundance of Christian icons of this saint in various artistic forms. Icon-painting works made of amber, wood, icons embroidered with beads or made of natural precious materials are especially popular.
They try to buy the icon of St. Taisia in their homes not only as a shrine, prayers to which help in difficult times, but also as an incredibly beautiful work of art. Saint Taisia has long been revered as a Christian who brought sincere repentance and was forgiven by the Lord. The Orthodox Church honors the memory of this reverend saint.
Christian icon of Saint Taisia
The story of the life of Saint Taisia did not begin very simply and not righteously. Having a beautiful appearance from birth, the girl led a shameful lifestyle. Because of carnal lust, many men brought her a lot of gold and gifts. Seducing her fans, Taisiya brought them to complete ruin, many began to kill each other right on her doorstep. It so happened that one of the elders was able to prove to her all the abomination of her actions and convince Taisia that she would answer to the Almighty for what she had done.
On the holy icon, Taisia already looks completely different - in strict clothes and in prayer of repentance. Seeing the elder as a messenger of God, Taisia burned all her treasures in the square, urging everyone to repent of their sins, and went to the monastery. Having lived only 15 days after the purification, Taisia died, and the Lord forgave her sins and honored her with the Kingdom of Heaven. For believing Christians, the icon of Taisia of Egypt has a special meaning. There is no condition in life that can be despised. Even criminals can achieve forgiveness and the greatest reward by sincere repentance. The Lord is ready to hear and accept every sinner, the main thing is to come to Him.
Taisiya icon as a gift
An Orthodox icon is the best gift for people who have earned sincere love from others by their deeds. Among gift icon-painting options, a beaded icon is the best fit. A woman with the name Taisia will be a worthy gift with an icon of Taisia, embroidered with beads, which has a unique look, a beautiful combination of a bright color palette and unique decoration with the highest quality precious materials. Made in the most accurate icon-painting canons, this shrine will become the most expensive relic for many years to come.
What is an icon? Why do icon painters create icons of the Virgin . patron saint icons . icons of the Savior and other Orthodox icons? Why one day we irresistibly want to order an icon? We want the icon to be painted personally for us.
In a literal translation from Greek, an icon is an image. Through the icon, each person turns to God in himself, because he is one in all. Prince E.N. Trubetskoy wrote that Orthodox icons open to a person “a vision of a different truth in life and a different meaning of the world” 1. different from the struggle for survival. No words can convey the power of Divine love and the joy of feeling Divine grace that comes from the icons of the Mother of God, the icons of saints and the icons of the Savior Jesus Christ, painted by contemporary icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov.
As you know, icons “have a special language - a system of signs that convey certain information” 2. But the “decoding” of these symbols can only be done with the heart. For a person who would like to order an icon, it is important to acquire not just an icon depicting the Savior Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, or saints, but behind an Orthodox icon there should be “the discovery of a saint, a place of his mystical presence. An icon is a visual link in the dialogue between a praying soul and a saint: a Christian prays not to an icon, but through the icon to the one depicted on it. A special impression is made by the icon of the Mother of God Tenderness Rejoice Bride Unbrideed.
Of course, “... ecclesiastical art has its own special features, peculiar to it alone, and therefore puts the artist in a special position: the artist must clarify for himself the demands placed on him. He must give not an ordinary real picture, not a copy from a sample that accidentally came to hand, not an idle fiction of fantasy, not consecrated by a clear religious consciousness, but an icon corresponding to its high purpose ”4. And if a prayer, contemplating the icons of the Mother of God, the icons of saints, icons of the Savior Jesus Christ or other Orthodox icons will experience a soul-piercing feeling of the reality of the spiritual world. If the icon suddenly opens as a bright, shedding vision, which is recognized as exceeding everything around, remaining in another, its own space and in eternity, then the burning of passions and the vanity of the world subsides, the feeling of God is recognized as above-peaceful, qualitatively superior to the world and acting from its own area. here, there are 5 of us.
All of the above was experienced by me personally and by many people who keep icons of “Kuznetsov’s writing” in their homes. Everyone in the house has an icon of his patron saint.
Icon, be it the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. icon of the Mother of God All-Tsaritsa. the icon of the patron saint, the Savior Jesus Christ or another Orthodox icon is “Church Tradition and the grace of God, manifested through lines and colors, as through color writing. The power of the icon testifies that this world [spiritual approx. KK] near us, that the soul itself is a particle of this world” 6.
Father John of Kronstadt wrote about the need for icons in the house: “Icons in the church, in houses are necessary, among other things, for the fact that they remind of the immortality of the saints, live the essence (Luke 20, 38), as the Lord says, that they are in God see us, hear us and help us” (John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, St. Petersburg, 2005, p. 468). Through the icon of a saint, the icon of the Mother of God or the icon of the Savior Jesus Christ, we join his life and seem to live it together. Together with the icon of the Mother of God “I am with you and no one is against you”, the prayer is affirmed in his faith. Literally, the name of the icon sounds like - "I am always with you and no one will offend you."
“The icon starts from the line, and the line starts from the heart; it has no other basis or reason for it. The heart in the patristic understanding is the seat of the human spirit or the spirit itself. Therefore, the starting point of the icon lies in the invisible world, and then appears and manifests itself, as if descending to the plane of the icon; it is not a repetition of the line of the model from which the icon is written. 7. Imagine a thin silver thread coming from the heart, and every moment of life colors it in the appropriate color, so you get a multi-colored carpet woven from episodes of life. This is the essence of the icons of "Kuznetsov's letter". Icons of the Mother of God, icons of saints, icons of the Savior Jesus Christ or other Orthodox icons are painted by Yuri Kuznetsov according to this principle: each dot is an episode in the life of a saint. If we perceive the icon not logically, but in spirit, then in the ornament of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God one can see that this icon was brought from Byzantium to Russia at the beginning of the 12th century, as a gift to Yuri Dolgoruky from the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverha. The icon was placed in the convent of Vyshgorod, not far from Kyiv, and the rumor about its miraculous works reached the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who decided to transport the icon to the north.
Such an understanding and reading of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is possible, because “the line on the icon is a cut into the spiritual world, it is a gap in the world of bone and, therefore, in its essence, darkened matter – only grace can enlighten matter” 8. A cut in icons "Kuznetsov's letter" is the ornament underlying it. The ornament is rounded, since the line in the icon “should not be pointed and angular, as if broken (angularity, convulsiveness, kinks, pointed ends refer to the image of dark power). Circumference and roundness, the natural movement of the line - this is the life of the line ... "9. Variations of the ornament vary depending on whether the icon of the Mother of God, the icon of the saints or another Orthodox icon or the icon of the Savior Jesus Christ is written.
In the process of icon painting, “the mystical experience of communication with the Heavenly Church and the experience of spiritual realities” is very important 10. It is this experience that gives the true content to the icon.
The canonical form and historical authenticity of the Orthodox icon is given by the sample from which the list is taken. There is a fundamental difference between a list and a copy from the icon of the Mother of God, the icon of saints or the icon of the Savior Jesus Christ. “A list is closeness to a person, a copy is a similarity, or even a visual match with an iconographic image” 11. “To make a list, you must experience the icon internally, read its semantic text, and then write it in your own handwriting” 12.
Icons of the 21st century is a site created specifically to popularize and promote the work of the icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov, as well as to revive and restore Orthodoxy in Russia, to return people to the path of joy, love and kindness. With us you can order an icon"Kuznetsov" letter, get acquainted with the stories of finding Orthodox icons, learn about the earthly life of saints and their veneration, read about the meaning and content of the holidays of the Orthodox calendar.
Icons of the Mother of God, patron saints, the Savior Jesus Christ and other Orthodox icons are created according to ancient monastic technologies in tempera on a lime board.
Before ordering an icon, we invite you to find out our recommendations. If you want an icon for yourself, an icon that will be with you throughout your life, then this can be nominal icon. that is, an icon depicting a saint with the same name as you. You can choose the appropriate image from the proposed list of already written nominal icons. If your name is not on the list, this does not mean that you will not be able to order a nominal icon, write to us or call and we will select a holy image for you. A personal icon does not have to be personalized. It can be an icon of the Mother of God, an icon of a saint, an icon of the Savior, or another Orthodox icon.
The peculiarity of the icons of "Kuznetsov's writing" is that the icon painter Yuri Kuznetsov, having a very sensitive perception of a person, writes for him an image that corresponds precisely to his spirit. The icon of the author's letter, written specifically for a particular person, will strengthen him in faith throughout his life and support him in difficult moments of life. When painting a holy image, it is very important for an icon painter to understand the life path of the person for whom he presents a holy image, since after painting the icon, the person and the saint will be connected. Therefore, a personal icon: the icon of the Mother of God, the icon of a saint, a nominal icon, an icon of the Savior, family icon or another Orthodox icon, painted especially for you, in no case should be sold or given to another person.
After you decide on the image, in order to order an icon, you will need to choose its size. Yuri Kuznetsov paints icons of saints mainly in 2 sizes: large - 75x100 cm and small - 35x40 cm.
In which case is it better to order a large icon, and in which a small one? A large icon allows the icon painter to convey in more detail the history of the life of the saint and his spiritual feat with the help of ornament and color. A small icon is more private, easy to transport. Of course, it is possible to choose an icon in a different format, but keep in mind that this will require additional time to make the base for the icon. “The icon is both a way and a means; she is prayer itself” 13. The purpose of an icon, whether it be icons of the Mother of God, icons of saints or other Orthodox icons or icons of the Savior Jesus Christ, is “to direct all our feelings, as well as the mind and all our human nature, towards its true goal - to path of transformation" 14.
_____________________________________________________________________
1 Trubetskoy E.N. Speculation in colors / Icons of Russia. M. 2008. p. 117
2 L.V. Abramova. Semiotics icons. Saransk, 2006, p. 4
3 Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). About the language of the Orthodox icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 79
4 N.V. Pokrovsky. New church art and church antiquity / Theology of the image. Icon and icon painters. M. 2002, p. 267
5 Florensky P. Iconostasis. M. 2009. S. 36
6 Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). About the language of the Orthodox icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 60
7 Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). About the language of the Orthodox icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 66-67
8 Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). About the language of the Orthodox icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 63
9 Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). About the language of the Orthodox icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 71
10 Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). About the language of the Orthodox icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 60
11 Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). About the language of the Orthodox icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 67
12 Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). About the language of the Orthodox icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 67
13 Leonid Uspensky. The meaning and content of the icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 111
14 Leonid Uspensky. The meaning and content of the icon / Orthodox icon. Canon and style. M. 1998, p. 111